THE PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES OF OPEN EDUCATION AND E-LEARNING IN RELIGIOUS AND MORAL EDUCATION (R.M.E.) IN GHANA

Adam Konadu, Stephen Kyei, Gabriel Kumah, Candida Olivia Quainoo, Collins Boafo, Kwabena Agyeman-Badu

Abstract


The rise of open education and e-learning is reshaping global education systems, including Religious and Moral Education (RME) in Ghana. This study examines the prospects and challenges of integrating digital learning into RME using qualitative interpretive analysis of literature and context. Findings show that e-learning enhances accessibility, learner-centered instruction, collaboration, and inclusive participation across diverse learners in Ghana. However, challenges such as digital inequality, poor infrastructure, limited teacher training, and weak connectivity hinder effective implementation. The study further identifies risks, including misinformation, ethical concerns, and reduced interpersonal engagement in moral learning. It argues for culturally grounded frameworks emphasizing relationality, empathy, and shared humanity. Ultimately, the study concludes that successful integration requires ethical digital literacy, inclusive policy support, infrastructure development, and culturally responsive pedagogy. It contributes an African-centered perspective linking technology with moral education for sustainable educational transformation in Ghana. It emphasizes balancing innovation with moral responsibility in order to preserve the ethical essence of RME within digital environments. The paper also highlights the importance of teacher capacity building, equitable access to technology, and the integration of African values in digital pedagogy to ensure holistic learner development. By situating RME within a culturally responsive digital framework, the study offers practical and theoretical contributions to educational transformation in Ghana and similar contexts. Overall, it suggests that e-learning can strengthen moral education if guided by ethics, inclusion, and African philosophical values. Thus, sustainable adoption depends on infrastructure, pedagogy, and strong ethical governance in schools across the Ghanaian education system.

Keywords


open education; e-learning; religious and moral education; digital pedagogy

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adarkwah, M. A. (2021). “I’m not against online teaching, but what about us?” ICT in Ghana post COVID-19. Education and Information Technologies, 26(2), 1665–1685. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10331-z

Agyemang, C., & Frempong, G. (2023). Digital inequality and access to online education in Ghana. Information Development, 39(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669211009478

Ahenkan, A., & Osei-Kojo, A. (2022). E-learning adoption challenges in developing countries. International Journal of Educational Development, 89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2022.102537

Akyeampong, K. (2020). Teacher policy and inclusive education in Ghana. Comparative Education, 56(4), 472–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050068.2020.1781397

Alhassan, R. (2021). Exploring digital learning readiness in Ghanaian colleges of education. Journal of Education and Learning, 10(3), 112–124. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v10n3p112

Amponsah, S., & Bekoe, S. (2022). Integration of ICT in Religious and Moral Education. Journal of Curriculum Studies Research, 4(2), 85–102. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcsr.2022.7

Anderson, T. (2020). The theory and practice of online learning (3rd ed., pp. 1–484). Athabasca University Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771992329.01

Annan, J., & Mensah, F. (2023). E-learning and moral education in Africa. African Educational Research Journal, 11(2), 150–162. https://doi.org/10.30918/AERJ.112.23.021

Asamoah, E., & Yeboah-Assiamah, E. (2022). Ubuntu and digital pedagogy in African education. Cogent Education, 9(1), 2050193. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2050193

Bates, A. W. (2022). Teaching in a digital age (3rd ed., pp. 1–552). BCcampus. https://doi.org/10.14288/1.0372916

Bozkurt, A., & Sharma, R. C. (2020). Emergency remote teaching in a time of global crisis. Asian Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3778083

Campbell, H. A., & Evolvi, G. (2019). Contextualizing digital religion studies. New Media & Society, 21(11–12), 2380–2397. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819837724

Cheong, P. H. (2021). Digital religion and mediated moralities. Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture, 10(2), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1163/21659214-bja10038

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., & Staker, H. (2020). Blended learning in action (pp. 1–320). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119513476

Czerniewicz, L., et al. (2020). A wake-up call: Equity in higher education. Postdigital Science and Education, 2(3), 946–967. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42438-020-00187-4

Daniel, J. (2020). Education and the COVID-19 pandemic. Prospects, 49(1–2), 91–96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-020-09464-3

Dede, C. (2021). The role of digital technologies in deeper learning. Educational Technology, 61(3), 14–21. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED561254.pdf

Eshun, I., & Osei-Poku, P. (2021). Curriculum transformation in Ghanaian education. International Journal of Curriculum Development, 13(2), 89–105.

Garrison, D. R. (2021). E-learning in the 21st century (3rd ed., pp. 1–216). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315667263

Guri-Rosenblit, S. (2020). Distance education in the digital age. Distance Education, 41(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1727298

Hodges, C., et al. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. Educause Review, 27(1), 1–12. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning

Kumi-Yeboah, A., & Smith, P. (2021). Digital divide in African education. Educational Technology Research and Development, 69(4), 2135–2153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-021-09987-5

Mensah, F., & Nabie, M. J. (2022). Teacher preparedness for online instruction in Ghana. Education Sciences, 12(5), 322–336. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12050322

Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2021). Distance education: A systems view of online learning (4th ed., pp. 1–368). Wadsworth. Retrieved from https://er.educause.edu/articles/2020/3/the-difference-between-emergency-remote-teaching-and-online-learning

Naidu, S. (2021). Building resilience in education systems. Distance Education, 42(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2021.1885096

Nyadzi, E., et al. (2024). Policy reforms and digital education in Ghana. International Journal of Educational Development, 99, 102763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.102763

Osei, G. M. (2021). Open educational resources in Ghana. Open Learning, 36(2), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680513.2020.1839031

Selwyn, N. (2022). Education and technology: Key issues and debates (3rd ed., pp. 1–240). Bloomsbury. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-022-09971-9

Siemens, G. (2021). Connectivism: Learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology, 2(1), 3–10. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6820668911e3e5617c36c48c/t/682dadc9690ec5749004d96d/1747824073835/connectivism.pdf

UNESCO. (2023). Digital learning and transformation of education in Africa (pp. 1–150). UNESCO Publishing. https://doi.org/10.54675/UNESCO.2023.9789231005306




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejoe.v11i2.6758

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright © 2016-2026. European Journal of Open Education and E-learning Studies (ISSN 2501-9120) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).