How Learning Is Staying ON for Kenya’s Zetech University during the Pandemic

This is a guest post by Samuel Kinuthia, Head of the Centre for Professional Certifications at Zetech University, Kenya

Like in much of the world, education in Kenya has been disrupted by COVID-19, with schools and universities across the nation shutting their doors. Every center of learning has had to rethink study methodologies to ensure that while classrooms are empty, learning continues.

Huawei ICT Academy Kenya collaborated with its partner for higher learning under the “Learn ON” program to help transition from face-to-face learning to online learning. A webinar with academic partners was held to discuss how learning institutions can join the program.

Zetech University & Huawei ICT Academy

Zetech University is a Huawei-authorized ICT Academy that has integrated Huawei-certified ICT Associate Routing & Switching (HCIA R&S) into its BSc in Information Technology curricula – this was one of many courses that was affected when face-to-face learning was suspended at the university.

Through collaboration with Huawei ICT Academy Kenya, the university was among the first to start an online HCIA-R&S class on the Huawei Welink platform. Students were provided with data bundles worth 2,000 Kenyan shillings (around US$20) each and were able to access resources from the Huawei ICT Academy platform.

How #LearningNeverStops started

To centralize communications, we created a WhatsApp group for the existing class, which was subdivided into subgroups and each subgroup was allocated a representative. The role of the representative was to mobilize students to attend class and relay any issues to the lecturer. Class monitoring was done using a shared Google sheet, which was marked at the end of the class, with follow-ups of absentees regularly conducted.

Each student is required to have a computer, webcam, Zoom and ENSP software, and access to the Internet.

Online Teaching

First, we came up with training schedule that we shared with Huawei staff, who then scheduled Welink meetings for all the classes. At the beginning of each class, hosting rights are transferred to the lecturer for the purpose of class management.

The first class was an orientation class, where I instructed students how to use the various features of Zoom and also how to conduct themselves online.

During every three hours online class, I allow a five-minute break every 30 minutes to engage learners and ensure that they don’t detach from class. During practical sessions, all students are required to participate by undertaking activities on their laptops and following the class step by step with the use of lab guides.

All lessons are recorded (audio and video) and sent to students by email after class to ensure that students can review content in their own time.

Tips for Lecturers

• Plan and manage class time well
• Regularly engage students to ensure they don’t disengage from class
• Use a variety of teaching aids to make classes interesting
• Ensure that you have stable Internet, your devices are charged, and that you’ve planned for backup
• Ensure that your learning space is free from interruptions

Advantages of teaching online MOOC

• Ensures a diverse learning experience for both lecturers and students
• Ensures classes continue uninterrupted
• Allows for flexible time and location
• Gives easy access to a wide range of learning resources from the interactive Huawei academy platform

Challenges in Online Education

• Some students are unable to access learning devices like laptops or desktops
• Poor or lack of Internet connectivity in remote areas
• Minimal in-person contact with students
• Long transition time for students and lecturers to adapt to online teaching and learning
• Insufficient time to answer students’ questions during class

The program is quickly being adopted in universities and colleges and I foresee more students benefiting from more certification programs. Huawei ICT Academy programs can greatly bridge the teaching and learning gap in many higher education institutions by equipping learners with the knowledge and skills they require to join the industry.

About the Author

Samuel holds a bachelor degree in Applied Computer Science and a Diploma in Computer Engineering. He also holds certifications in HCIP-R&S, HCI-R&S, and is currently studying for the Big Data HCIA=. He is a certified trainer for Huawei ICT Academy programs. Samuel was recognized as a Best Trainer in the Huawei ICT Competition Kenya 2018-2019, and participated in the regional and global Huawei ICT competition in 2019.

Disclaimer: Any views and/or opinions expressed in this post by individual authors or contributors are their personal views and/or opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views and/or opinions of Huawei Technologies.