Perspectives on Learning Design in African Higher Education.

While blended and online learning are increasingly becoming a prominent feature of higher education in Africa, there is little related formal research on learning design as a field of study, a profession, a process or a product. This collaborative research is motivated by an interest in sharing and improving practices around learning design. The paper reports on the learning design activities and understandings of individuals employed in a number of higher education institutions across Africa. A pre-event questionnaire, conducted prior to an e/merge Africa professional development webinar on learning design in Africa, provided the data on which this paper is based. While the questionnaire attracted too few responses to be considered statistically representative of learning design in higher education institutions in Africa, a content analysis of the responses offers valuable insights into this poorly researched area, suggesting key themes and areas for future study. We found variations in how lecturers and other professionals at universities across the continent define learning design, including the processes and approaches involved. Such variations depend on institutional resources, beliefs about learning and teaching, and a range of other factors. The results draw attention to local meanings of learning design in several African universities and contextual factors that shape it. Since we found little research comparing learning design practices across African universities, this paper makes a novel contribution towards this area both locally and at a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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