Abstract:

In the past two decades, the concept of establishing a virtual university in Africa was seen as important (Oketch, 2015). This was because virtual university has been revealed in other continents as being effective and efficient way to support university students in the learning process through the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). According to Ryan, Scott, Freeman and Patel (2013), a virtual university does not have a single physical campus; this university is connected by networks and other technological tools such as video conferencing, voice boards, virtual worlds and Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). This kind of modernized education institution is seen quite beneficial to African traditional universities.

Some African countries had shown interest in introducing a virtual university. This is evidenced in the African Virtual University Project of the World Bank has implemented in 21 African countries (Oketch, 2015). However, the delivery of degrees and diploma courses in the university faced with difficulties that forced some organisations such as Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology to withdraw from the partnership. In addition to that, main stakeholders failed to get a clear understanding about what exact tools and technologies may be suitable for creating a suitable virtual university in an African environment. There is also paucity of literature on frameworks that may guide well the implementation of virtual university in an African environment. Therefore, there is a need to research on the above mentioned challenges and literature paucity. The main research question that guided this study was: What are the key factors of a framework that support implementation and an effective teaching and learning environment in a virtual university?

The paper presents an interpretive theoretical framework which defines distinctive characteristics, types and categories that will support effective implementation of a virtual university in an African environment. A systematic approach was embraced to establish a rigorous literature review that has grounded this study. The questions were used to correctly identify the source materials and relevant studies. The research aimed specifically at investigating various current frameworks on tools and technologies to support a virtual university. It was seen that most current frameworks do not sufficiently consider cultural-pedagogical constructs in African countries. Thus, the frameworks are not adequate for establishing virtual university in an African environment. The researcher modified and expanded on the existing frameworks to propose a framework that will be suitable.

The paper proposes a framework that comprises four main factors that help implement a virtual university in Africa. The framework shows the distinctive characteristics and categories that are suitable to create and support the various teaching and learning activities in a virtual university. The factors include Tools and technological infrastructure; Pedagogical and learner specific issues; Evaluation; and the African environment. These four main categories with its sub themes are considered as pillars of a virtual university implementation. The research is relevant as it provides insight into considering the appropriate teaching strategies, learning paradigms, tools and technologies in support of implementing a virtual university in an African environment.

Keywords:

Virtual University, Africa, Pedagogy, Learner Specifs.