by Michel Leroy & Sara Namusoga-Kaale
How can we improve our digital teaching and its impact? This question was the focus of a presentation by Michel Leroy at the international Media & Learning conference in Leuven (Belgium) on June 20, 2024, which he gave together with Dr. Sara Namusoga-Kaale from Makerere University in Uganda. The Media & Learning conference is an international event focusing on innovative approaches in digital teaching. Media & Learning [1] is a community of some 12,000 individuals and organizations seeking to maximize the benefits of media for learning.
At this year’s Media & Learning conference, Michel Leroy and Sara Namusoga-Kaale highlighted the challenges in the countries of the global South, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. There, the average enrollment rate in higher education is less than 10%, although an increase of almost 40% is expected in the next five years. Digital teaching is often viewed with a certain euphoria, although issues of access to technology, the need for culturally relevant formats and institutional resistance are still hindering the process. Michel Leroy pointed out that the figures still show that learners are dissatisfied with the current provision: 28% of them currently consider it “inadequate” and two-fifths of under-25s, for example, have never used free online courses (MOOCs) accessible to all, as the studies carried out as part of the CoMMPASS project have shown.
Adapting offers to the needs of students
It is therefore necessary to think in terms of use for learners. New forms of collaboration between the experts must also be considered: those who create digitally-oriented content, those who ensure the coherence of the teaching process and the video experts who are responsible for producing innovative and engaging content that is adapted to the cultural references of the learners.
There is also a focus on addressing the issue that digital use is often disruptive: In Kenya, smartphone usage has increased from 54% to 61% in just twelve months in the past year, while feature phone usage (cell phones that do less than a smartphone) continues to decline. Technical tools should therefore not be used for their own sake, however interesting they may be. Usage behavior, such as the log-out rate, must be closely monitored in order to identify specific target groups and keep them in the learning process. It is a case of going back to basics. As the title of the conference itself makes clear: Back to the future.
This article, E-Learning as an opportunity for journalist training in Africa? was first published by European Journalism Observatory on July 5th