Leadership in a transitioning higher education landscape from traditional to digitalisation of teaching and learning : a case of open, distance and elearning in Uganda

Abstract

Integration of technology into teaching and learning is not new in Uganda, but the rapid rate and pace of technological advancement, especially regarding the emerging educational technologies, corresponding pedagogical and leadership requirements, is. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the problem by necessitating all Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to go online. The main objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences and adaptations of leaders in a transitioning HE landscape to develop a framework that would aid leadership reinvention from traditional face to face to Digitalisation Teaching and Learning (DTL). Using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis and specifically the idiographic approach, qualitative data was collected through interviews of seven purposively selected senior managers in the Ugandan higher education sector. The study was also guided by the Complexity leadership theory, Distance Education System Theory and Bridges transition framework. The findings established that while there had existed various digital strategies pre-COVID-19 amongst all HEIs in Uganda, HE leadership struggled iteratively to leverage them in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic for a complete transition. Three master themes, twelve themes and thirteen subthemes emerged. Master theme 1- ‘Digital experiences’ comprised four themes including visioning for digital strategies pre-COVID-19, leveraging existing digital strategies, rethinking institutional strategies post-COVID-19 and the neutral state of transition. Master theme 2- virtual institutional landscape characterised by four themes including new channels of institutional social interaction, mechanisms of institutional culture, operations and practices, leadership roles and power structures and knowledge and social competencies. Master theme 3- ‘Institutional adaptability’ that comprised four themes including mobilisation of workforce, financial resource mobilisation, institutionalisation of DTL and, DTL gaps and mitigations. This study concluded that, while HE was metamorphosing into a virtual landscape, the existing traditional face to face structural setup of HE and inadequate strategic leadership representation is a major barrier to DTL and undermines the positionality and competitiveness of the Ugandan HE sector in the global village. Therefore, the need for leadership’s acceptance and recognition of the transitioning HE landscape, piloting and adoption of the developed leadership transitioning framework is paramount. The insights of this study contribute to a more integrative view of the interplay of leadership amidst DTL in HE.

Integrasie van tegnologie in onderrig en opleiding is nie nuut in Uganda nie, maar die vinnige tempo en pas van tegnologiese vooruitgang, veral met betrekking tot die opkomende opvoedkundige tegnologieë, ooreenstemmende pedagogiese en leierskapvereistes, is. Die COVID-19-pandemie het die probleem vererger deur alle Hoër Onderwysinstellings (HOI's) te noodsaak om aanlyn te gaan. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om die geleefde ervarings en aanpassings van leiers in 'n oorgangs HO-landskap te verken om 'n raamwerk te ontwikkel wat leierskap herontdekking van tradisionele aangesig tot aangesig tot Digitalisering Onderrig en Opleiding (DOO) sal help. Deur gebruik te maak van Interpretatiewe Fenomenologiese Analise en spesifiek die idiografiese benadering, is kwalitatiewe data ingesamel deur onderhoude van sewe doelbewus geselekteerde senior bestuurders in die Ugandese hoëronderwyssektor. Die studie is gelei deur Kompleksiteit-leierskapsteorie, Afstandsonderrigstelselteorie en Bridges-oorgangsraamwerk. Die bevindings het vasgestel hoewel daar verskeie digitale strategieë voor COVID-19 onder alle HOI's in Uganda bestaan het, HO-leierskap gesukkel het om dit te benut in die aangesig van COVID-19-pandemie vir 'n volledige oorgang. Drie meestertemas, twaalf temas en dertien subtemas het na vore gekom; Meestertema 1- 'Digitale ervarings' bestaan uit vier temas, visie vir digitale strategieë voor COVID-19, benutting van bestaande digitale strategieë, heroorweging van institusionele strategieë na COVID-19 en neutrale toestand van oorgang; Meestertema 2- virtuele institusionele landskap gekenmerk deur vier temas, nuwe kanale van institusionele sosiale interaksie, meganismes van institusionele kultuur, bedrywighede en praktyke, leierskaprolle en magstrukture, kennis en sosiale bevoegdhede; Meestertema 3- 'Institusionele aanpasbaarheid' wat uit vier temas bestaan het, mobilisering van arbeidsmag, finansiële hulpbronmobilisering, institusionalisering van DOO, DOO-gapings en versagtings. Die gevolgtrekking; terwyl HO in 'n virtuele landskap te verander, die bestaande tradisionele van aangesig tot aangesig strukturele opset van HO en onvoldoende strategiese leierskapverteenwoordiging 'n groot hindernis vir DOO is en die posisionaliteit en mededingendheid van die Ugandese HO-sektor in die globale dorpie ondermyn. Daarom is die behoefte aan leierskap se aanvaarding en erkenning van die HO-oorgangslandskap, loodsing en aanneming van die ontwikkelde leierskapoorgangsraamwerk uiters belangrik. Insigte van hierdie studie dra by tot 'n meer integrerende siening van die wisselwerking van leierskap te midde van DOO in HO.

Ukufakwa kobuchwepheshe ekufundiseni nasekufundeni akuyonto intsha e-Uganda, kodwa ke izinga elikhawulezileyo kunye nesantya sokuphuhla kwamalinge ezobuchwepheshe, ingakumbi ngokuphathelele kwiinkqubo zobuchwepheshe obungenelela kwezemfundo, izidingo ezingqamene nazo kwezophando kwanobunkokheli, zintsha zona. Ubhubhane oyiCOVID-19 uyandisile le ngxaki ngokuthi anyanzelise onke amaZiko eMfundo Ephakamileyo ukuba asebenze ngokwezobuchwepheshe. Eyona njongo yolu phando kukugocagoca amava aphilwe ziinkokheli kwakunye neendlela ezithe zaziqhelanisa ngazo ekufakeni isimo seMfundo Ephakamileyo ukuze kube nokuqulunqwa isikhokelo esiya kuncedisa ekuguqulweni kweenkqubo zokukhokela ziphume kula ndlela iqhelekileyo yobuso ngobuso ziye Ekufundiseni Nasekufundeni Ngokwezobuchwepheshe. Kusetyenziswe inkqubo Yokuhlalutywa Kweemeko Ecacisayo, ingakumbi inkqubo yokudiza iinyaniso ezithile ngokobunzululwazi, kuye kwaqokelelwa neenkcukacha eluntwini ngokuthi kudliwane iindlebe nabaphathi abasixhenxe abakhethwe ngononophelo olumandla kwicandelo lemfundo ephakamileyo e-Uganda. Uphando olu luye lwakhokelwa ziingcamango ezigxile kwiiNkqubo yezobunkokheli, yiNkqubo Yeengcamango ngeMfundo Ephakamileyo Yomgama kwaneyesikhokelo seenguqu kwiBhulorho. Iziphumo zifumanise ukuba njengokuba ibikho kakade nje imigaqo-nkqubo eyahlukeneyo yezobuchwepheshe kuwo onke amaziko emfundo ephakamileyo e-Uganda ngaphambi kokuqhambuka kweCOVID-19, iinkokheli zezemfundo ephakamileyo ziye zaminxwa yimingeni emandla xa bezigagene neCOVID-19 ukuze kube nokungenwa ngokugqibeleleyo kwiinguqu. Kwathi kwaqhambuka imixholo ephambili emithathu, ishumi elinambini lemixholo kunye neshumi elinesithathu lemixholwana; uMxholo ophambili 1- ‘amava Ezobuchwepheshe’ eyayibandakanya imixholo emine equka ukuvezwa kweembono zemigaqo-nkqubo yezobuchwepheshe ngaphambi kweCOVID-19, ukusetyenziswa kwemigaqo-nkqubo yezobuchwepheshe esele ikho, ukucingwa ngokutsha kwemigaqo-nkqubo yezobuchwepheshe yamaziko emfundo emva kweCOVID-19 kwanesimo esingakhethe cala seenguqu; umxholo oPhambili 2 - isimo samaziko esiphawulwa imixholo emine equka imijelo emitsha yokunxibelelana koluntu lweziko, iinkqubo zenkcubeko yeziko, intsebenzo neenkqubo, iindima zeenkokheli kwanezimo zamagunya, ulwazi kunye nezakhono zoluntu; nomxholo oPhambili 3 - ‘Ukuqhelaniseka kweziko’ obekubandakanye imixholo emine ebiquka ukuxhotyiswa kwabasebenzi, ukuvulelwa kwezibonelelo eziyimali, ukuqhelaniswa kokufundisa nokufunda kumaqonga ezobuchwepheshe, imisantsa kwakunye nokuncitshiswa kwefuthe. Olu phando luvalelise ngelithi ngelixa imfundo ephakamileyo ibisiya isiba liqonga lezobuchwepheshe, le meko isabhudlayo neqhelekileyo yokufunda nokufundisa ubuso ngobuso kwimfundo ephakamileyo ndawonye nabameli abangaxhobisekanga ngokwezomgaqo-nkqubo zingumqobo omkhulu ekufundiseni nasekufundeni kumaqonga ezobuchwepheshe, zisengela phantsi isimo nesakhono sokukhuphisana kwicandelo lemfundo ephakamileyo yase-Uganda kwiqonga lehlabathi. Ngoko ke, sibalulekile isidingo sokuba iinkokheli zamkele ze zinakane iinguqu kwiqonga lemfundo ephakamileyo, zizame, zamkele isikhokelo esiqulunqiweyo seenguqu kubunkokheli. Oondoqo bolu phando ligalelo kwimbono ehlanganyelweyo yokusebenzisana kweenkokheli phantsi kwefuthe lokufundisa nokufunda kusetyenziswa iqonga lezobuchwepheshe kwicandelo lemfundo ephakamileyo.