Utilization of Moodle in teaching undergraduate students in West Africa

The 21st century has seen rapid development and growth in the use of numerous technological devices such as computers, laptops, mobile phones, and iPods among others1. The emergence of the internet has accelerated the incorporation of online educational resources such as electronic textbooks and reading materials, e-libraries into the curricula of higher learning institutions [1]. As a result of this, the application of e-learning continues to gain importance in higher education globally. At the moment, the integration of educational technology in tertiary education in West Africa has profoundly led to a new teaching and learning paradigm [2].

Today, the majority of lecturers in various educational establishments across the world have taken advantage of the several innovations of the information and communication technology in delivering online educational materials to their students using the Learning Management System. The paradigm shift has facilitated a blended form of learning combining traditional face-to-face lecture style and web-based form of teaching [3]. The LMS is an incorporate of variety of instructional and educational tools, thus building an online learning atmosphere where students can easily access learning and teaching materials irrespective of time and place and could effectively contribute to online discussions [4]. A significant number of public universities in Ghana such as the University of Ghana, the University of Education among others are blending online learning with their traditional methods of teaching, allowing working students to efficiently continue their education while pursuing their personal goals and professional careers. A few selected private universities such as the Central University College that have fruitfully embraced an LMS to supplement their teaching and learning activities2.

Many private university colleges introduced the Moodle LMS as a supplement to its traditional face-to-face lecture room teaching and learning methodology [5]. Regrettably, a few undergraduate students we interacted at the Private University Colleges indicated that the system had been underutilized since its introduction by the University. The views of these students seemed to suggest that the system does not meet their expectations. It is against this background that the study was carried out to establish: wheth- er undergraduate students were using the Moodle LMS for all their academic work? The study intends to explore why this problem is so. The objectives of the study are:

• 1.    to understand awareness channel of Moodle LMS by the students;

• 2.    to know the challenges encountered by management students whiles using the Moodle LMS and;

• 3.    to find out whether students will use the Moodle LMS for their future academic work.