Synchronous video conferences as a connectivism approach to learning : State of the art in Rwandan higher education

Sammanfattning: The advance of the internet and Web 2.0 technologies continue to drive a dramatic change in the way people access and share information through various channels of communication. In the education sector, several learning management systems have been integrated into teaching and learning activities. To increase more interactivities between teachers and learners, tools for synchronous video conferencing are implemented in universities to enable online education. Prior studies indicate that the adoption and use of the tools in higher education institutions have been substantially expanding, more particularly in developed countries. Therefore, understanding the state of integrating synchronous video conference tools to support teaching and learning activities is important for scholars and academicians as this innovative communication technology is proven to have a substantial impact on quality education and effective learning. In Rwanda, before COVID-19, research on the adoption and use of video conference systems is still scarce. The objective of this study was therefore twofold: (1) to understand the adoption and use of synchronous video conference technologies for teaching and learning purposes and (2) to propose a strategy for effective implementation and value addition of video conferencing tools (VCT) at University of Rwanda. A qualitative method was adopted and case study was used as a research strategy for this research. Meanwhile, the Social-Technical System theory was applied in this research for data collection, analysis and reporting of results. 17 responses from participants (teachers and eLearning Officers) were collected using an online internet-based survey questionnaire. Key findings indicate that the adoption and use of video conference systems was found to be at a lower level and the associated contributing inhibitors were identified and reported in this research. Based on the empirical findings and on the responses from participants, this study proposed a contextual strategy for effective integration of video conference systems at the case study institution. Overall, this study concluded that for an effective delivery of live lectures through webinars enabled by the web-based video conference tools, the 10 elements composing the proposed action-oriented strategy for integrating video conference systems should be taken into consideration by the case study institution. Practical and scientific contributions of this research are reported in this thesis and recommendations for further research in connection with the current one have been also put forward.