AN ASSESSMENT OF THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES OF E-LEARNING IN ZAMBIA - CASE OF SELECTED INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN COPPERBELT & LUSAKA PROVINCES

This paper attempts to assess, examine and discuss the opportunities and challenges of e-learning in Zambia, focusing on Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces by reviewing the consciousness, commitment and willingness of the selected higher institutions of learning. A Survey research method was adopted and used for the study, and a questionnaire was the only instrument used for data collection. 240 questionnaires were distributed to students and members of staff but only 169 were answered, giving a total response rate of 70% while 30% were unanswered. This response rate was a pretty much expected rate for such a survey. Awareness of e-learning among higher institutions of learning is quite high but more investment and commitment to develop and adopt e-learning applications is needed. Most of the staff and students in these higher institutions of learning only use Internet related e-learning sites just for the sake of finding related information for their researches, since their libraries cannot afford to provide them with adequate and current materials, but not for the sake of real online learning. The study showed that all of the institutions have websites, which are usually for advertisement of the respective institutions, but for others they have gone a step further and incorporated e-leaning activities through an e-learning portal. Furthermore, the findings also revealed that staff and students have also been using e-mail and Internet in addition to developing websites for transaction of students.