Towards developing and enhancing an eLearning institutional culture in HEIs: The case for Zambia

Abstract

The study aimed at identifying and highlighting elements deemed helpful in fostering and nurturing of an eLearning culture in the Zambian HEI context. The enquiry was a primarily a thematic qualitative study aimed at eliciting opinions, thoughts, perceptions and inert motivations how an eLearning culture could be cultivated and harnessed in a third world context. A sample of 28 HEA accredited HEIs in Zambia out of a total population of 63 was arrived at using an inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study found that Twenty-five percent of respondents thought sensitization, clear policy direction (11%), online course offering (7%) and other lesser elements. The enquiry concludes that a healthy eLearning culture does not yet exist in most institutions in most Institutions. The study also concludes that key decision makers are key to success. It was evident that digital infrastructure needs complementing with a robustly thriving corporate digital fluency or eCulture. The study recommends deliberate on going ongoing strategic stakeholder sensitization, capacity building, relevant infrastructure investment, dedicated annual budget provision, patron exposure to emerging Educational Technology (Ed Tech), among others.

Keywords: eLearning culture, pedagogy, digital infrastructure, capacity building, stakeholders, Higher Education Institution (HEI), digital fluency, eCulture, culture

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/17-1-07

Publication date: January 30th 2026