A Technical Framework for Assessing Higher Education E-Learning Readiness
Teressa Chikohora1, Thulaganyo Dimakatso2, Edmore Chikohora3
1Teressa Tjwakinna Chikohora, Department of Software Engineering, Botho University, Francistown, Botswana Africa.
2Thulaganyo Dimakatso, Department of Networking and Infrastructure Management, Botho University, Francistown, Botswana Africa.
3Edmore Chikohora, Department of Computing, Botswana Accountancy, College, Francistown, Botswana Africa.
Manuscript received on 11 August 2016 | Revised Manuscript received on 20 August 2016 | Manuscript Published on 30 August 2016 | PP: 38-42 | Volume-6 Issue-3, August 2016 | Retrieval Number: A2314066116/16©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: E-learning is one of the fast growing technologies in Higher Education which has seen institutions adopting a platform to enhance their traditional teaching, learning and assessment methods. Most institutions use already established platforms like Blackboard and Moodle, where they pay a fee for using the facility. However institutions are limited by the Service level agreements with the service providers such that they may not use other environments effectively. The study is motivated by the challenges that institutions face after investing in this elearning infrastructure. Institutions tend to under-utilise the implemented platform yet the implementation costs are high. A thorough analysis on the technical readiness of the institution is therefore required so as to inform the decision on whether to invest or not. A survey was conducted to identify the hardware, software and networking resource requirements for an elearning platform. Questionnaires and interviews were used as data collection instruments. The study defines a framework that may be used to assess the technical readiness of a university to implement an e-learning platform. The framework also uses the e-LRS model to inform the readiness levels. The defined framework will be useful in ensuring that universities benefit from the huge investments in e-learning infrastructure.
Keywords: E-Learning, Readiness, Framework.
Scope of the Article: Smart Learning and Innovative Education Systems