17 Sep 2015

BOCODOL’s acting executive director, Dr Tichatonga Nhundu, says it is imperative that as the deadline for the establishment of a BOCODOL open university approaches, the staff should be information technology savvy.    

Speaking at the start of a week-long capacity building workshop on integrating ICTs into teaching and learning in Gaborone recently, Dr Nhundu said the staff should embrace the use of information technology.         

He said as a growing open learning institute of repute in the region, courses offered should therefore be online or on soft copy and reduce the burden of using hard copies, which at time proved cumbersome.          

Dr Nhundu said BOCODOL staff should take advantage of new information technology in the market. 

“It is pleasing that already the college has sent some staff members to Singapore on ICT mission and the college is yet to enjoy the rewards of such an academic sojourn, he said.

He said online and e-learning had immense benefits because they were convenient and flexible for students.

Through the systems, students could not miss a course even if they were not in class provided they were where internet was available. He said through this system, learners could engage in discussion and assess their lecturers as well as stay in a lesson for a long time.   

The system  promoted student interaction and it was also cost effective as the students did not have to be physically in class all the time. 

The use of e-textbooks and e-library were also a major booster in ICT,  he said. 

However, Dr Nhundu said there was need for e-learning policy and proper infrastructure to better exploit the technology to the fullest.

 In addition, there was need for technical skills in e-learning in local academics as there seem to be lack of interest and commitment among staff to embrace ICT probably because some people had phobia on technology.

In his overview of BOCODOL, interim director of CR and marketing, Mr Bonny Bashe said by the end of 2013, at least 124 employees at BOCODOL had acquired further education. 

He said by 2018 when the college would have attained university status, they intended to have  40 programmes, three schools, annual enrolment of 14 000 and cumulative enrolment of 84 000.

Mr Bashe, however, said BOCODOL was ready for the university status and as such they were waiting with passion for the moment.

For his part the workshop ICT consultant, Mr Andrew Moore from South Africa said he was optimistic that they would develop e-learning content that would best suit Botswana, noting that the college should vigorously work towards the attainment of offering and teaching through online mode.

He however said the courses and the content should be user-friendly. Ends