The Centre for Information and Communication Technologies (CICT) at the University of Zambia (UNZA) has upgraded the institution’s online learning platform in order to accommodate more students.
CICT Manager of Networks and Software Support Bained Nyirenda, said the centre has increased the UNZA Moodle e-learning platform’s Random Access Memory (RAM) to accommodate a large number of students who want to access the platform at the same time.
Mr. Nyirenda added that CICT is continuously training lecturers on how to use the Moodle platform, and has established support teams in order to make e-learning effective for both students and lecturers.
Moodle is a new system and under evaluation hence, it might take some time for everyone to utilize it effectively… so in partnership with the library, we do run a robust program to curb the problem at hand,
he added.
Meanwhile, UNZA Media and Communication Studies Lecturer Gerald Mwale said e-learning has had a number of challenges that include the inability of students to access Moodle due to lack of smart phones.
Only half of the students were assessed on the continuous assessment because some were unable to attend online classes due to lack of mobile devices,
He added that the online platform does not give room for students to be creative and that students opt to plagiarize when writing assignments and tests.
And third year Demography student Bwalya Muzumar said it was difficult to use Moodle due to lack of data bundles and proper guidance on how to use the platform.
It was difficult to answer some tests on Moodle because most questions given were multiple choice and making it hard for some courses that require calculations,
Ms. Muzumar added.
This follows complaints by most students over the platform crashing when a lot of students try to access it at the same time.