Jean Baptiste Ukwizabigira

The importance of Learning Management Systems (LMS) for self-directed learning called for a rapid shift from learner -centered to fully online learning due to COVID-19. This paper examines the effects of Covid-19 Pandemic on education. The study explores the advantages and disadvantages of online education and pertaining challenges that need to be addressed for its successful implementation. During the study, an online survey was used to gather insights on students’ experiences and difficulties they encountered during the pandemic. During this survey, a total of 582 participants; the majority of whom were undergraduate students (68%) and were women (68%). While mobile phones were revealed to be the most popular e-learning tool (55%), 43% chose laptops or desktops. Importantly, it is worthy to note that 56% of respondents reported not having access to the internet, likewise 54% spend four to five hours daily on online learning. According to the study, for over a half of the participants, the shift to online classes equally led to a shift in their routines. Additionally, of the participants 10% found it challenging to balance between study time and personal time. Distractions at home and participation in other activities were the main causes of non-participation. The mean scores of 3.19 and 2.98, respectively, in the study underscores the challenges of obtaining online classes and the absence of in-person interactions. We therefore strongly recommend that future studies concentrate on these areas as they have the potential to produce even more precise and significant results.

Navigating today's workplace environment requires being competent in digital skills as the world we live in is technology-driven. Digital skills have become a must-have in all careers to become successful in the workplace. Developing countries are still struggling to adopt digital skills that are of essence in today's workplace requirement. This paper used current data for teaching ICT skills at Kepler College in an effort to contribute to effective teaching strategies to equip today's learners with digital skills. It dug deeper using a holistic approach to fully understand factors contributing to effective skills mastery and connected dots to different indicators affecting teaching digital skills. It investigated effective strategies to improve the digital competence of learners. It contributes to effective teaching strategies and provides inputs to educators, governments, and other policymakers working toward achieving the SDG of creating global digital literate communities on how to effectively incorporate digital skills competence in the curriculum.