KAMPALA — Education leaders and researchers at Makerere University have called for a more inclusive, contextualised, and adequately funded approach to blended learning, warning that Uganda’s digital transformation in education risks leaving behind vulnerable learners and widening inequalities if critical infrastructure gaps are not addressed.
The concerns emerged during the Dissemination Workshop for the Comprehensive Evaluation of Blended Learning (CEBL III), a multi-year research project conducted by the Institute of Open, Distance and eLearning (IODeL) under Makerere University’s College of Education and External Studies (CEES), held Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the Main Building.
The study, funded by the Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovation Fund (MakRIF), evaluated blended learning uptake among undergraduate students, graduate students, and academic staff between 2021 and 2026.
While speakers at the workshop acknowledged that blended learning has become central to modern higher education globally, they emphasised that Uganda’s realities — including unreliable electricity, unequal digital access, inadequate infrastructure, and limited technological skills — require locally grounded solutions rather than imported models.
In his opening remarks, Institute of Open Distance and eLearning (IODeL) Director Prof. Paul Birevu Muyinda said blended learning at Makerere gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic, although the university had already embraced Open, Distance and eLearning approaches years earlier.
“Blended learning at Makerere University gained significant momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even before then, we already had blended learning practices in place,” Prof. Muyinda said.
He noted that many people still misunderstand blended learning by reducing it to online teaching or Zoom sessions. “Many people equate blended learning with online learning or online teaching. Others simply associate online learning with Zoom meetings and virtual classes,” he explained.
Prof. Muyinda said the research project had helped demystify blended learning by showing that many lecturers were already practising it through digital research, online publication, sharing materials electronically, and combining online resources with face-to-face teaching.
“That is blended learning,” he said. “Makerere University is already heavily engaged in blended learning, and that is why these operational studies are very important.”
He added that the project’s policy guidelines and findings would not only benefit Makerere University but also shape higher education policy nationally.
“The policies and guidelines emerging from these studies are going to be extremely useful, not only for Makerere University but for the whole country,” he noted.
Principal Investigator Dr Arthur Mugisha said the research team intentionally sought to develop a blended learning framework tailored to Uganda’s context instead of relying entirely on models designed for developed countries.
“Our concern was how to contextualise such a framework so that it speaks to Makerere University, Uganda, East Africa, and Africa more broadly,” Dr Mugisha said.
He explained that the study resulted in what researchers termed a “Contextualised Evidence-Based Blended Learning Framework” built around five interconnected pillars: digital infrastructure, capacity development, institutional coordination, pedagogical support, and quality assurance.
“The framework proposes that Makerere University should adopt a systems-oriented approach to blended learning rather than treating it merely as a technological innovation,” he said.
Dr Mugisha revealed that students participating in the study strongly advocated for the establishment of a One-Stop Student Support Centre that would provide technical, financial, academic, and social support.
“Students argued that blended learning should not focus only on classroom teaching,” he explained. “Universities must also address the broader experiences of learners, including registration, accommodation, coursework submission, and access to information.”
The research team also proposed a Basic Certified Blended Learning Module for both students and lecturers after discovering that many users still struggle with digital systems despite assumptions that everyone is technologically competent.
“This recommendation arises from the realisation that universities often assume everyone is digitally competent, which is not always true,” Dr Mugisha said.
The Principal of CEES, Prof. Anthony Mugagga, used the workshop to raise deeper philosophical and ethical questions about the growing integration of technology into education.
Referencing Pope Leo XIV’s recent reflections on Artificial Intelligence and humanity, Prof. Mugagga questioned whether institutions were paying enough attention to the human side of learning.
“How do we blend machines and humanity in a way that does not eliminate the teacher?” Prof. Mugagga asked.
He challenged researchers and university leaders to reflect on whether excessive digitalisation could weaken social interaction and disadvantage students with special needs or those from poor backgrounds.
“We must also ask ourselves how blended learning has worked for learners with special needs and for those with physical disabilities,” he said.
Prof. Mugagga further warned that Uganda’s limited electricity coverage presents a major obstacle to digital learning expansion. “We are discussing ICT integration in a country where electricity coverage remains limited,” he said. “The child studying in a rural village today could become tomorrow’s doctor.”
He questioned whether Uganda’s education system was adequately preparing teachers themselves for blended learning.
“If professors are still uncomfortable with blended pedagogies, what about nursery teachers, primary school teachers, or secondary school teachers who may not even own personal laptops or smartphones?” he asked.
Delivering remarks on behalf of the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Prof. Sarah Ssali, the Director of Graduate Training, Prof. Julius Kikooma, described blended learning as an inevitable pillar of future higher education systems.
“Blended learning is no longer an optional supplement to traditional teaching,” Prof. Kikooma said. “It is increasingly becoming a core requirement for a modern, resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive university.”
He praised the study for demonstrating that many academic staff now understand blended learning as “the intentional integration of face-to-face and digital pedagogies to improve student learning experiences.”
However, he acknowledged that many lecturers continue to operate under difficult conditions. “Many academic staff still operate without adequate office space suitable for online teaching. A large number rely on personal devices and self-funded internet connectivity,” he said.
“These are not individual failings of lecturers. They are institutional and systemic gaps that require institutional responses,” he added.
Prof. Kikooma called for sustained investment in digital infrastructure, professional training, internet connectivity, multimedia teaching facilities, and quality assurance systems.
Meanwhile, the MakRIF leadership stressed the importance of accountability and research impact, arguing that government funding for universities must translate into visible societal value.
“Government provides funding and asks: What have you done with the money?” the Chair of the MakRIF Grants Management Committee, Prof Fred Masagazi, said.
“When I see outputs such as the policy documents and research findings presented here today, I see value for money,” he added.
The workshop concluded with renewed calls for stronger collaboration between university management, government agencies, development partners, lecturers, and students to ensure that blended learning in Uganda evolves in a way that is inclusive, sustainable, and responsive to local realities.
