Impact of Collaborative Course Design on Instructors’ Practices and Students’ Academic Outcomes

Abstract

The potential of collaborative course design for promoting instructors’ professional development in relation to e-learning implementation and subsequent improvement of students’ academic outcomes has been widely reported. However, efforts to harness such potential in sub-Saharan Africa’s universities have been inadequate. In this study, collaborative course design was used to prepare instructors for e-learning course design and delivery. The impact of collaborative course design on instructors’ instructional practices and students’ academic outcomes was examined. Results showed that collaborative course design (i) contributed to instructors’ preparedness for course design and delivery using e-learning technologies and (ii) improved instructors’ instructional practice. On the part of students, results indicated that a majority of students were satisfied with their experience with the courses because e-learning delivery addressed the challenges of print-based delivery and had a positive impact on their academic outcomes.