An Innovative Way in Education and Training for Sustainable Development through E-Universities for Sustainability in Kenya
Abstract
The importance of education for sustainable development has been anchored in various forms in training and education in both developed and developing countries and acknowledged decades ago. Consequently, by joining several international conventions countries across the world agreed to effectively integrate, and implement education for sustainable development (ESD). The rationale of this study is that ESD must be propagated worldwide in different strata of societies and especially in education and training in order to protect the environmental equilibrium of our planet to curb the negative impacts it is suffering from the present-day consumer habits and the intensification of industrial and agricultural production. It is evident that ESD must be effectively integrated into public education and training, especially at the University level and crucially developed if we really want to reduce the environmental burden caused by human activities. One possibility for this is to develop modern, interactive; ICT-based educational tools at the Universities which may grab the attention of digital-era students. The study adopted exploratory and descriptive research designs whereby the target population was University Lecturers; the study used Slovan’s formula for the sample size and both random sampling was used to sample 100 University lecturers and purposive sampling was used to select University lecturers in social media (WhatsApp forums). The findings of the study revealed that the establishment and promotion of E-universities for sustainability in Kenya offer a promising and innovative approach to addressing the challenges of education and training for sustainable development. Based on the findings, the study concluded that embracing digital technologies not only expands access to education but also enhances the quality of learning experiences, fosters global collaboration, and equips learners with the skills and knowledge necessary to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development initiatives whereby E-universities for sustainability in Kenya can be an innovative framework which Universities, lecturers and NGOs across borders will use to collaborate to build interactive e-learning courses for University students
Downloads
References
Alemán de la Garza, L. Gómez Zermeño, M.; Mochizuki, Y.; Bruillard, E.; Anichini, A.; Antal, P.; Beaune, A.; Bruillard, E.; Burke, D.; Henrique Cacique Braga, P.; et al. Rethinking Pedagogy. Exploring the Potential of Digital Technology in Achieving Quality Education; UNESCO MGIEP: New Delhi, India, 2019. [Google Scholar
Barrero Fernández, B. (2018). Challenge Based Learning: Innovative Pedagogy for Sustainability through e-Learning in Higher Education, 22, 1–10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Babbie, E. (2020). The Practice of Social Research (15th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Communication Authority of Kenya. (2021). "Kenya ICT Market Review Report Q4 2020/2021." Retrieved from https://www.ca.go.ke/publications- downloads/research- publications
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Fowler, F. J. (2014). Survey Research Methods (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., & Tourangeau, R. (2009). Survey Methodology (2nd ed.). Wiley.
Hodges, C. B., Moore, S., Lockee, B. B., Trust, T., & Bond, M. A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review, 27Hossain, M. S., & Ali, M. M. (2014). Determining sample size with Slovin’s formula: An empirical study. Journal of Biostatistics and Biometric Applications, 2(3), 33-36.
Huss, J.A.; Sela, O.; Eastep, S. (2015). A case study of online instructors and their quest for greater interactivity in their courses: Overcoming the distance in distance education. Aust. J. Teach. Educ. 40, 72–86. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
Kamau, P., & Karanja, J. (2023). E-learning and sustainable development in Kenyan universities. Journal of Educational Innovations, 14(3), 15-28.
Keengwe, J., & Onchwari, G. (2009). Technology and literacy in the 21st century: The importance of paying attention to technology literacy. TechTrends, 53(5), 535-540
Kombo, D. K., & Njoroge, K. T. (2017). "E-Learning and Sustainability in Kenya: Opportunities and Challenges." International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 7(4), 196-203
Mwangi, J., & Ndung'u, L. (2021). Technological integration in higher education: A pathway to sustainability in Kenya. Kenya Journal of Digital Learning, 5(2), 22-38.
Mutua, R., Wambui, T., & Omondi, J. (2020). Green learning through e-universities: A case for sustainable development in Kenya. International Journal of Education and Sustainability, 8(1), 45-57.
Nabwire, B., & Bulimo, W. (2019). "Factors Affecting Digital Literacy Skills in Kenyan Universities: The Case of Selected Public and Private Universities." International Journal of E-Learning and Educational Technologies, 2(3), 8-17
Ngugi, M. (2022). The role of interdisciplinary programs in promoting sustainability education in Kenyan universities. Sustainable Education Review, 6(4), 33-49.
Ngunjiri, J. K. (2018). "Quality Assurance in E-Learning Programs: The Kenyan Perspective." International Journal of Educational Technology, 5(1), 26-37
Omondi, J., & Wambugu, T. (2022). Digital learning platforms and their impact on environmental sustainability in Kenyan universities. Journal of E-Learning and Sustainability, 7(2), 10-19.
Ozuorcun, N.C.; Tabak, F. (2012). Is M-learning versus E-learning, or are they supporting each other? Proc. Soc. Behav. Sci. 46, 299–305. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef][Green Version]
Racovita-Szilagyi, L.; Carbonero Muñoz, D.; Diaconu, M. (2018). Challenges and opportunities to eLearning in social work education: Perspectives from Spain and the United States. Eur. J. Soc. Work, 21, 836–849. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research Methods for Business Students (8th ed.). Pearson Education.
Teixeira A., Ferreira M. R., Correia A., Lima V. (2018). Students’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility: evidences from a Portuguese higher education institution. Int. Rev. Public Nonprofit Market. 15, 235–252. doi: 1007/s12208-018-0199-1 [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
Tilbury, D., & Mula, I. (2021). Advancing environmental and sustainability education in higher Education: A critical review. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 22(3), 455-472.
Ugwuozor F. O. (2020). Students' perception of corporate social responsibility: analysing the influence of gender, academic status, and exposure to business ethics education. Bus. Ethics 29, 737–747. doi: 10.1111/beer.12306 [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
UNESCO. (2019). "Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives." Retrieved from https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000366157
UNESCO (2020). https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000252423/PDF/252423spa.pdf.multi (accessed on 1 April
United Nations. (2019). Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education. United Nations.
Wals, A. E. J. (2020). Digital Learning for Sustainable Development: The Future of Online Education. Journal of Environmental Education, 51(2), 129-145.
Watson, J. (2017). Digital learners in higher education: Generation is not the issue. E-Learning and Digital Media, 14(1), 11-28
Vázquez-Cano, E.; López Meneses, E.; Jaén Martínez, A. (2017). The group e-portfolio to improve the teaching-learning process at university. J. e-Learn. Knowl. Soc, 13, 65–76. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Copyright (c) 2024 Evans Murangiri Njoka, Shadrack Mutungi Simon, PhD, James Ouma Okaka, PhD

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.