Instructors’ Conceptions of Online Teaching and their Implications for Students’ Learning at the Open University of Tanzania

Abstract

Abstract
This paper explores instructors’ conceptions of online teaching and
their implications for students’ learning at the Open University of
Tanzania. The study employed phenomenology research design with a
total of 20 participants. Data were generated through semi-structured
interviews and documentary review. The study findings revealed two
major conceptions, namely online teaching as a means of improving
teaching and learning and online teaching as not effective as traditional
classroom teaching or traditional distance education. It was also
revealed that online teaching is faced with unreliable electricity
and Internet, high costs of bandwidth, cheating and plagiarism,
inadequate training of instructors, and students’ low attendance in
zoom sessions. The study recommends for enabling Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) environment that supports online
teaching, motivation of instructors and training instructors on how
to teach in an online environment so as to allow instructors improve
skills and knowledge.
Keywords: open and distance learning, online teaching, students’
learning, Open University of Tanzania