E-learning Adoption Model in TVET Institutions in Kenya During and Post COVID – 19

The rising concerns about the spread of COVID-19 and calls to mitigate the spread of the pandemic resulted to the closure of a large number of tertiary institutions which mainly depended on face-to-face learning globally. The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed emerging vulnerabilities in education systems around the world. It is now clear that Kenya needs flexible and resilient education systems as we face unpredictable futures. Technology could be leveraged to ensure that learning takes place even as the country faces the COVID- 19 uncertainties. This paper achieved this through defining the key concepts of E- Learning, presenting a framework for adoption of E- Learning in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and developing an applied framework model for optimising E- Learning to curb COVID-19 effects on TVET education. A descriptive research design was adopted for this study and pertinent literature was visited to capture the essence of continued learning during these unprecedented times. Findings reveal that teaching and learning in TVET institutions has been paralyzed and the move to embrace online teaching facilitated by the internet, television, radio, or print materials is constrained by many factors, which can be most binding in low-income contexts and for vulnerable students. The hallmark of TVET – its focus on practical skills and work-readiness – makes online learning challenging, particularly for occupations where online learning is a weak substitute for hands-on experience. However, in some contexts, off-campus learning has continued where institutions have online platforms. Findings also reveal that apart from resources, staff readiness, confidence, student accessibility and motivation play important function in online teaching and learning. Capacity building programmes on the use of E- Learning facilities should be conducted for TVET trainers. The paper concludes that the optimisation of E- Learning is viable through proactive educational leadership and policies that ensure availability of the appropriate human capacity and infrastructural resources.