QA4ODFL1/Infrastructure/Integration

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and universities had already embraced technology in their teaching and learning practices. The extent to which technology was integrated in teaching and learning obviously varied from country to country and even from institution to institution. Bates (2015) identifies various ways in which technology is used to deploy education: online learning, blended learning, flipped learning, hybrid learning, flexible learning, and ODL. Institutions used these different forms of provision to varying degrees, depending on the technology available, institutional policy on use of technology and the ability of staff and students to use the technology. Once considered somewhat esoteric and out of the mainstream of conventional education, these forms of education are now assuming greater significance and, in some cases, becoming mainstream themselves.

Garrison and Vaughan (2008) define blended learning as the “thoughtful fusion of face-to-face and online learning experiences.” This suggests that there is seamless integration of learning that happens out of class and that which happens during class and for this to happen, the teacher needs to do a lot of planning. Although learning that happens out of class is independent, it has to be structured.

Figure 4 below illustrates how out of class and in-class learning should be seamlessly integrated and build on each other.



Figure 4: Blending before, during and after-class learning

Common ICT infrastructure needed to support education
Investing in ICT infrastructure is essential to support blended learning. In many countries, this is a shared responsibility between education institutions, the government and the private sector. This is because of the wide range of infrastructure that is needed to create a conducive ICT environment for learners to work with technology. Ideally, technology does not only have to be available in the classroom environment, it has to be ubiquitous – in the school premises, at home and in the community. For example, learners need to have ready access to computers or tablets or smart phones at home, which they interact with on a regular basis. They need to have access to affordable Wi-Fi to encourage them to search for content and access learning resources availed electronically by their teachers. They also need to access the same facilities at school. Schools usually invest in learning management systems (LMSs), like Moodle where they upload materials for remote access by students.