Presenter: Dr. Jerome Dooga, Lecturer University of Jos, Nigeria

Format: Asynchronous discussion from 5 – 9 December + Live online meeting on Tuesday 6 December (12:00 Abuja time/ 13:00 Cape Town time/ 14:00 Nairobi time). Using a Nigerian Open and Distance Learning Institution as case study, this seminar engages participants in a conversation on what factors are hindering technology uptake in education and the role of learning design approaches as a driver in technology uptake.

More and more institutions are adopting some form of technology in teaching and learning. Even those yet to do so hold a positive view of its use. Yet, many who have, struggle to add value to the learning process with its use. Many feel that use of technological tools and devices seems to add little value to their practice and sometimes is actually a hindrance or a distraction to learning. Thus, even some Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions can’t seem to fully embrace technology for their course offerings. One reason for such frustrations may lie in the focus on the tool rather than the principles of best practice in teaching and the misalignment of learning design and technology choices. In this presentation, I will argue that learning design should drive technology choices. Conole defines learning design as “a methodology for enabling teachers/designers to make more informed decisions in how they go about designing learning activities and interventions, which is pedagogically informed and makes effective use of appropriate resources and technologies” (2013:7). In order to use technology effectively for teaching and learning, educators need to ask basic questions about the classroom: what do we want to do? With what goal and objectives? What outcomes are desired? The answers to such questions will inform what tools are needed to accomplish what is desired. Technology integration will therefore align with the learning design. During this presentation I will share examples from my own teaching contexts in Nigeria to illustrate how learning design involves reimagining some key functions of the classroom and that this is essential for effective technology integration. Such reimagination is key for making best use of technological affordances to enhance teaching and learning experiences.

Dr. Jerome Dooga  is an Lecturer,Department of English, Faculty of Arts, University of Jos, Nigeria.
He is also the e/merge Africa Regional Coordinator for West Africa and Commonwealth of Learning (COL) eLearning consultant to the School of Education at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). Jerome holds a PhD in English and has received postgraduate training in Educational Technology at the University of Cape Town. He has presented research papers at various fora in a range of African countries including a number of conferences. He has published widely in the field and is co-author and editor of a new book on technology in African Higher Ed.

This seminar has ended please review seminar resources here