Students’ awareness and their use of African virtual university open courseware: A case of the Open University of Tanzania

This paper examined students’ awareness, use and acceptance of the African Virtual University open courseware at the Open University of Tanzania. This explanatory study used qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis using the framework of the Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model. A total of 77 questionnaires were used to gather information from students within two regional centers namely, Mwanza and Dar es Salaam, followed by telephone interviews of participants who filled the questionnaires and willingly provided their mobile phone numbers for more communication. It was revealed that majority of students were not aware of the open courseware link at their university’s website which implies that they were not using the platform. In addition, majority confirmed usage of printed materials rather than electronic materials as learning content. The study pointed out problems of high cost of internet, limited access to computers and information about open courseware as challenges to majority of students regarding the use of e-learning. This paper concluded that, instructors should orient learners on the existence, usefulness and usage of open courseware study materials as well as other e-learning platforms.