Abstract:
The study investigated the perceptions of students and lecturers on
Web 2.0 as learning and teaching tools. It identified the commonly used web
2.0 tools; determined how the tools facilitate teaching and learning; assessed
the appropriateness of features of the commonly used web 2.0 tools in teaching
and learning and; determined the challenges associated with the usage of the
tools in teaching and learning in higher education environments. The study was
conducted at the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) in Tanzania; it
employed combined research designs where both qualitative and quantitative
designs were used. Stratified sampling techniques were employed to select
respondents from the different strata namely students (undergraduate and
postgraduate) and teaching staff. Structured questionnaires were distributed to
120 students and 50 teaching staff who were randomly selected from each
stratum. Findings show that blogs, Facebook, Wikis, Google drive and
YouTube were used for teaching and learning at SUA. However, the level of
usage of Web 2.0 tools for non academic activities was higher than for
academic purposes. It is concluded that that not all tools and applications were
suitable for teaching and learning. It is recommended that students and staff
should be trained on how to use Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning.
Institutes should promote the usage of such tools because some of them have
suitable applications for teaching and learning. Developers of Web 2.o tools
should incorporate more applications that may help teaching staff to supervise
and assist students in the learning process.
