Distance and online education in Mozambique: challenges faced by students in higher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14571/brajets.v18.n4.1387-1404Keywords:
Distance and online learning, challenges, MozambiqueAbstract
Distance and Online Education in Mozambique faces challenges in what concerns the readiness of students for that modality of education. The study aims to understand the nature of those challenges faced by students in the instructional process. The theories of equivalence and online education provide the theoretical underpinning. Mixed methodology was used, and the sample comprises 2067 students from different undergraduate programs in a Mozambican University. Data were collected through a survey and occurred in the first and second semesters of 2023. The study uses the content analysis and comparison techniques. Results disclose four categories of difficulties: problems of access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), ineffectiveness of interaction mechanisms among involved agents, irrelevant strategies to enable distance and online education, and student’s unavailability. The first two categories of difficulties affect the majority of students. The paper concluded that distance and online education requires adequate preparation of all sector or individuals involved and that the use of ICT is essential for relevant educational practice.
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