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Methodology Article
Digital Readiness, Pedagogical Transformation, and Learning Outcomes in Technical and Vocational Education and Training Institutions in Sierra Leone
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 1, June 2026
Pages:
1-9
Received:
5 February 2026
Accepted:
14 February 2026
Published:
4 March 2026
Abstract: The rapid expansion of digital technologies has reshaped educational systems globally, placing new demands on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to deliver skills that are responsive to digitally driven labour markets. In Sierra Leone, national policies emphasise digital transformation in education; however, empirical evidence on how institutional digital readiness influences pedagogical practices and learning outcomes within TVET institutions remains limited. This study examined the relationships among digital readiness, pedagogical transformation, and learning outcomes in TVET institutions in Sierra Leone. A mixed descriptive and explanatory research design was employed, drawing on data from 480 respondents (240 students and 240 instructors) across 30 public and private TVET institutions. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression. The regression model assessed the predictive effects of digital readiness, pedagogical transformation, and institutional characteristics on learning outcomes. Findings revealed that digital readiness and pedagogical transformation levels were generally moderate across institutions. Regression results indicated that digital readiness had a strong and statistically significant positive effect on learning outcomes, while pedagogical transformation played a key mediating role. Institutional characteristics also exerted a significant, though smaller, influence. The study concludes that technology adoption alone is insufficient to improve learning outcomes; rather, meaningful gains occur when digital readiness is supported by pedagogical innovation and enabling institutional conditions. The findings provide evidence to inform policy, institutional planning, and capacity-building strategies aimed at strengthening TVET delivery and workforce preparedness in Sierra Leone’s digital era.
Abstract: The rapid expansion of digital technologies has reshaped educational systems globally, placing new demands on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions to deliver skills that are responsive to digitally driven labour markets. In Sierra Leone, national policies emphasise digital transformation in education; however, empiric...
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Research Article
Institutional Architecture for Credible Online and Blended Provision in African Higher Education: A University-wide Framework for Digital Transition
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 1, June 2026
Pages:
10-26
Received:
10 April 2026
Accepted:
21 April 2026
Published:
29 April 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ajeit.20261001.12
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Abstract: Background: Online and blended provision has expanded rapidly in higher education, yet much of the literature still treats digital transition as a pedagogical or technological adjustment rather than an institutional transformation problem. Problem: Conventional universities, especially in African higher education, often face pressure to move online under conditions of constrained infrastructure, uneven digital access, evolving regulation, and heightened concern about academic standards. Existing scholarship is rich on course design, faculty attitudes, and learner satisfaction, but comparatively weak on the full institutional architecture required for credible transition. Objective: This article develops a university-wide framework for bringing conventional institutions online in ways that are regulatorily legitimate, academically credible, operationally resilient, socially inclusive, and financially sustainable. Research question: What institutional architecture is required to move a university from conventional face-to-face delivery to credible, quality-assured online or blended provision in African higher education? Design: A systematized integrative review combined with comparative policy analysis was conducted across peer-reviewed higher education literature and authoritative framework and regulatory documents. The synthesis drew together institutional adoption studies, quality assurance guidance, digital transformation frameworks, and policy texts, with Rwanda used as a policy-reference environment rather than a single-country case. Findings: Credible digital transition depends on the alignment of five layers: contextual boundary conditions, a steering layer of governance and policy, seven operational domains, phased implementation sequencing, and outcome-focused feedback loops. The review shows that digital provision fails when institutions treat the learning management system as the reform, underinvest in staff and student support, delay policy redesign, or reduce assessment integrity to surveillance alone. It succeeds when governance, curriculum, quality assurance, infrastructure, data governance, and financing are intentionally coupled. Principal contribution: The article contributes an original Institutional Architecture for Credible Digital Transition framework and a companion University Online Readiness and Transition Toolkit comprising a readiness rubric, phased roadmap, and policy checklist. Implications: The framework offers an actionable basis for institutional leaders, regulators, and scholars seeking to design, evaluate, and sequence digital transition in African higher education without reproducing techno-solutionist assumptions.
Abstract: Background: Online and blended provision has expanded rapidly in higher education, yet much of the literature still treats digital transition as a pedagogical or technological adjustment rather than an institutional transformation problem. Problem: Conventional universities, especially in African higher education, often face pressure to move online...
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Research Article
Last Mile Connectivity Deterring Access to Education: Baseline Evidence from the DECEDA Project
Issue:
Volume 10, Issue 1, June 2026
Pages:
27-47
Received:
9 February 2026
Accepted:
14 March 2026
Published:
30 April 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ajeit.20261001.13
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: This study examines the baseline state of digital infrastructure, connectivity, and teacher digital competencies in Uganda’s rural primary schools prior to the implementation of the Digitally Enabled Community-Centered Early Childhood Development Approach (DECEDA) project, a community-centered intervention funded by the Uganda Communications Commission through the Universal Service and Access Fund. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study collected quantitative survey data from 104 teachers and 31 head teachers across 31 schools in 30 districts spanning Uganda’s five regions, complemented by 78 key informant interviews and direct classroom observations; quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically, with triangulation enhancing validity. The findings reveal three interconnected deficit patterns: first, digital infrastructure is critically inadequate, with most schools lacking ICT laboratories, functional devices, dedicated IT staff, and written ICT plans, reflecting systemic institutional planning failures; second, internet connectivity remains inaccessible and unaffordable, with mobile data the dominant yet unreliable connection type and most schools operating without dedicated internet budgets; and third, teacher digital competencies are critically low, with most teachers lacking formal ICT integration training, confidence in digital tool use, and access to peer learning communities, with deficits unevenly distributed across regions and gender. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that last-mile connectivity challenges in Uganda’s rural primary schools are multidimensional, requiring coordinated policy, institutional, and capacity-building responses; the study provides the first comprehensive, multi-regional school-level baseline of this kind in Uganda, offering actionable evidence for policymakers, development partners, and school leaders in pursuit of inclusive digital education.
Abstract: This study examines the baseline state of digital infrastructure, connectivity, and teacher digital competencies in Uganda’s rural primary schools prior to the implementation of the Digitally Enabled Community-Centered Early Childhood Development Approach (DECEDA) project, a community-centered intervention funded by the Uganda Communications Commis...
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Angella Magdalene George
