Context++of+the+Online+Learning+Activity

Context of the Online Learning Activity
This intervention is for Bindura University first year Computer Science Students doing a course on Introduction to Computer Programming. There are two groups of learners, one o full time basis (Conventional) and the other on part time basis (Block Release). On all the intakes so far students enrolled per course do not exceed thirty. For this year there are nine block release students and eighteen conventional students. There are two computer labs that the students have access to during lecture time, one with twenty computers and the other one with eleven computers on n-computing. This means that for this year the conventional students' student to computer ratio is 2:1 and 1:1 and for the block release students the ratio is always 1:1. The following is a Screenshot for one of the Computer Labs that students have access to.  All the students are supposed to do forty eight hours for contact sessions which include theory, practical. The block release students attend a month's block doing four courses and do their forty eight hour contact session during that time, consultation with the educators is online thereafter. The conventional students are at the campus for a fifteen week semester and their forty eight hours contact sessions is spread in two weekly two-hour sessions. These students get extra two hours face to face consultation with the educator per week and are also able to consult online. For their practical, the students learn to write programs using the C programming language. These programs are discussed in the theory sessions and after the students write the coding, they learn to debug their programs until they perfect their programming skills. Since the students are expected to know the theory and apply it practically, the department noted that by the time these students sit for their exams they will not have grasped all the concepts expected due to several reasons, some of which were noted as follows: The intervention needed should enable students to have access to learning material outside lecture hours so as to be able to maximise the lab time that they get on the timetable for more practicals. Staff members will be involved in creating the content for the students, supporting students by addressing their queries and guiding them so that they keep focused on the objectives set. ‍
 * The practicals done can only be done in the computer lab during lecture time as the lab is booked according to the timetable to accommodate students from other disciplines who are doing other computer courses.
 * Few students have access to other computers outside lecture time which makes it difficult for them to do more practicals‍. ‍
 * Library computers do not have other ‍software ‍ required for students to do their practicals and students are not allowed to install any software programs.