| dc.description.abstract | The demand for higher education has tremendously increased in the past few decades. With
increased population in universities and unplanned pandemics like Covid-19, technology has
provided universities with the infrastructure to facilitate online learning. In accepting these
technologies, implementation challenges leave stakeholders dissatisfied. Post covid 19
pandemic exposed universities lack of capacity to conduct online learning and as a result
delayed learning occurred. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST)
as a public university also witnessed drawbacks which were pointers to challenges of
implementing online pedagogical infrastructure. The purpose of this study was to investigate
online pedagogical infrastructure used in public universities and its effect on learning. The
study was conducted at MMUST. Mixed methods research design was adopted in this study.
The study population consisted of 7,000 students, 400 members of faculty, 60 university
management staff and 6 ODEL staff. Stratified and Random Sampling techniques were used to
select the respondents. The sample size included 397 students, 210 faculty members, 6 ODEL
staff, and 55 university management staff. Questionnaires, Interviews, Observation and Content
Analysis were used as data collection instruments. The instruments were checked for content
and face validity and piloted in three schools within the university. Cronbach alpha coefficient
of internal consistency was used as a reliability measure where alpha (α) = 0.833 and 0.76 were
obtained for faculty and students’ questionnaire. Data collected was cleaned, organized, and
analyzed using tables, frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations and ordered logistic
regression analysis. The study revealed that inadequacy of necessary equipment, absence of
approved online learning policy and unreliable internet to support online learning greatly
affected the use of online infrastructure for learning. The data collected were used to test
hypothesis in order draw relevant conclusions at 0.05 level of significance. The data from
students and faculty showed that use of online pedagogical infrastructure does not affect
learning (Wald =0.07, X2 (1) =17.475, p=4.177). It was also noted that the perception of online
pedagogical infrastructure users affects learning (Wald =1.627, X2 (1) =10.285, p=0.025). The
study further determined that the challenges currently faced by the university significantly
affect learning (Wald =0.673, X2 (1) =2.767, p=0.041). It is recommended that the university
should provide necessary resources, train both faculty and students, employ technical staff in
ODEL and more so, improve bandwidth for internet connectivity within the university. The
outcome of the study contributes to the body of knowledge by forming an important basis for
promoting quality online learning. The findings are envisaged to guide policy makers in the
formulation of policies that would ensure appropriate development, implementation, and
maintenance of online learning infrastructure. | en_US |
