Wakadzidzei, Wakadzidzepi, Wakadzidziswa Nani? Reconceptualising 21st Century University Education in Zimbabwe through Modular Learning Approach

Abstract

The questions Wakadzidzei? Wakadzidzepi? Wakadzidziswa nani? are critical and essentially influence the activities and focus of many education systems. The introduction of modular learning not only facilitated education following the novel COVID19, but also answers these critical questions on what should matter at the end of any education, what skills and demonstratable knowledge a learner acquired through education, where he/she studied or who taught him/her. This qualitative research examines existing literature on modularisation in a bid to demonstrate the implications of the approach and how it should ideally be implemented vis-à-vis current practice as established through discussions with educators from different universities in Zimbabwe. Literature reveals that the goal of modularisation is theory-practice integration through the impartation of relevant skills and knowledge. The article concludes that challenges, including time constraints, lack of skills and sufficient knowledge among educators on teaching in modular instruction, render the educator poorly equipped for this approach and, in turn, render modularisation ineffective. When effectively and correctly implemented, the question Wakadzidzei? should be the main concern for all education stakeholders as opposed to individual institutions or educators.