The Future of Education

Since 2020, the demand for online education, especially at the postgraduate level, has increased significantly, driving rapid advancements in eLearning. In Africa, where eLearning is still in its developmental stages, this growth has presented both opportunities and challenges. At the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), Online education is taking shape through an eLearning initiative funded by the Mastercard Foundation, an organization that is keen on making higher education accessible to all. This is a case study that will provide a comprehensive overview of USIU-Africa's journey, highlighting strategies employed to overcome barriers to implementing online education. Key focus areas will include securing funding through partnerships, fostering faculty readiness through targeted training programs and embedding instructional design principles into course development where faculty members work with instructional designers to develop high quality courses. The collaborative efforts within the eLearning initiative fostered a community of practice, enabling USIU-Africa to address common challenges such as faculty training on online pedagogy and instructional design and student orientation for effective online education as envisioned. Additionally, the case study will explore practical solutions for enhancing instructor presence, student engagement and accessibility of online courses. By emphasizing culturally responsive and inclusive design, USIU-Africa has tailored its online education framework to meet the needs of diverse learners, including marginalized groups. The case study will provide actionable insights into fostering institutional collaboration, securing external support for eLearning initiatives, and designing effective online teaching practices tailored to emerging contexts. This case study will therefore contribute to the global field of online education by showcasing how strategic partnerships and shared learning can transform higher education in resource-constrained settings. The experiences of USIU-Africa underscore the potential of institutional synergy to bring about successful online education that is sustainable, equitable and accessible by all.

Keywords: Online education, eLearning, instructional design, equitable, accessible, higher education.