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

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.