From University of the People to a PhD in Online Education: An Interview with Billy Sichone

 

In 2011, I had the pleasure of interviewing a student from the University of the People, a tuition-free, accredited online university that offers certificates, associate, bachelor, and master degree programs in business administration, computer science, and health science. These days, Billy Sichone holds a PhD in Education and is the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and Research Affairs at Central Africa Baptist University (CABU-Zambia). We decided to continue our conversation, over a decade later, to see how online learning has changed, and the opportunities it can open for learners around the world.

When we last spoke, you were enrolled at the University of the People. When did you graduate, and what came next for you?

I enrolled in 2009 and studied remotely up to 2018 when I graduated with the BSc Business Administration. In between pursuing the degree (i.e. 2009-2018), I attempted other tuition free online programs including a Masters in Divinity (MDiv), Mini MBA, Doctorates in Apologetics and Biblical studies before pursuing a PhD in online Education completing it in November 2023. I am not sure what to attempt next! As you can see, I have been an avid online learning book moth, holding several credentials!

Are you still in touch with former peers or teachers from UoP?

I have been extremely busy since 2015 but have kept in touch with very few of my former class mates and for a time, with one UoPeople instructor from Nigeria. We were closely in touch during and shortly after graduation but gone different directions. However, I have taken keen interest in the development trajectory of our cohorts as they share their progress stories through UoPeople platforms. That said, I have maintained contact with the University, watching carefully how it has morphed, grown and improved, introducing a number of my friends to it in the process.

What made you decide to pursue a PhD program in online education? Did you own experiences as an online learner influence your choice?

I have had interest in both distance and online studies for a very long time, dating back to the mid-1990s. In 1998, I was privileged to have a steady access to the internet and wasted no time to search for available programs online. Though not liquid to finance any of my studies, I thankfully stumbled across a few but free good ones over the years.  The second motivating factor was to explore the validity, impact and potential of online education. Back then, eLearning was dismissed as an authentic potent option for studies, in fact one could not get a job with an online credential! Things are now changing, especially after the Covid-19 epoc. My studying for the PhD in Online education was out of passion as well as desire to contribute to this pedagogical approach’s growth. I can now speak as an authority on this matter. In many senses, I probably was decades ahead of my time in my context. Feels so good to note that I was ahead of the curve and now in the right spot at the right time.

When we spoke in 2011, you were a typical non-traditional learner, who had to overcome numerous obstacles in pursuing higher education. How can online learning, especially asynchronous formats, increase access?

You are right, I faced enormous obstacles earlier in my life, having failed out of first year University with no prospects of pursuing an undergraduate degree on Zambian turf. Additionally, I could not afford a degree elsewhere nor did I have the luxury to leave work to block out several years of full time study. Despite starting work, I could not possibly finance my degree studies from the meagre income I grossed in. The life changing 2009 UoPeople mail ‘accidentally’ dropped into my email box and as they say, the rest is history. Given the arduous work and impeding life circumstances, I grabbed whatever opportunity became available coupled with my inherent curiosity of the internet’s online learning potency. Online learning flung open mighty doors for me to soar to greater heights. I tend to find asynchronous learning formats more interesting because I am the curious self-driven (i.e. possess high self-efficacy) sort, trying to discover and figuring out stuff for myself. Things last longer in my mind that way. Many of my peers prefer interactive live in person F2F or synchronous options but loose concentration once the asynchronous route is used. Further, I am now feasting on MOOCs and other machine driven options, coupled with the emerging fascinating AI options. Many more in my context have now accessed quality higher education would have been impossible. I am deeply daily grateful.

How do you promote access to (open) online learning opportunities in your work?

Good question! I do it in several ways. First, I point people to where I have been, how I studied and the benefits I have yielded. Second, our University (CABU) is sponsoring two members of staff to study at UoPeople. Third, I write and talk about eLearning, though I am yet to publish much in that area. Fourth, I am heading our University’s transitions from exclusive traditional approaches to learning to using LMS and at times teaching online. It’s been fun after Covid-19 era, things have opened up. Fifth, I am exploring setting up tuition free exclusively online virtual school so that I could contribute to the world of knowledge. This is an extension of my PhD research. The final thing I do is to introduce people to possible openings for professional development and, in some cases, scholarships where available in the online ecology. An obvious example is the online Nations University (nationsu.edu) and UoPeople, among others. I have plenty others I have discovered over the years as I have mined the net!

In 2011, you stated that there were reservations about online degrees. You explained:

“In terms of the paper being recognised as authentic, my context is generally skeptical to virtual learning, preferring the traditional methods. That does not worry me for now because I can see a trend towards online virtual learning globally, and by the time they arrive where I am now, I will be miles ahead!”

How has this attitude changed?

Like I hinted at earlier, the picture has drastically changed, especially after 2020 when the world was forced into that global experimentation with online learning. As people experience, encounter competent online graduates or some such, wrong perceptions progressively melt away though extremely slowly. To date, some still hold strong reservations about the mode because in their world, only traditional means work, all others are cosmetic and can only be reverted to as a backup, and that, only in crisis times. For instance, during my PhD studies, I interviewed a towering successful PhD professor that effectively rejected online learning. I was stunned but then realized that more sensitization and exposure was needed. Another puzzling thing I found is that people generally heralded online learning after 2020 but extremely few preferred or opted for it. Several factors, of course accounted of for this. I am glad though that transitions and shifts have and continue to take place, it’s evident. Armed with my credential, I can speak confidently about this matter, but insist that graduates need demonstrate competence to alter lingering cognitive dissonance in some minds.

What are some of your favorite online learning platforms and tools?

I am the wondering sort so I am all over the place but I used Moodle at UoPeople, it was great, we use Google classroom and now considering a system called ‘In One Accord’ (IOA). The beauty about this system is that it has AI features embedded in it. I have tried several others but Moodle’s open source nature is impressive, cost effective and customizable. I think IOA will potentially excel Moodle (for our purposes), we wait and see.

What online learning opportunities, challenges and barriers do you think are most relevant to learners in Zambia?

Having completed my studies, I mapped out several issues affecting adoption in my particular context. I list a few of them:

1. The mind set needs complete overhaul to enable eLearning mainstreaming. Gate keepers and reserved users still exist.
2. Access to ‘tools for learning and teaching’ Although great improvement has been recorded in the last decade, a lot more needs to be done. Impeding elements include infrastructure lack, cost or power issue. In short, investment is needed
3. Structure and coordination. I found that Zambia does not have harmonized coordinated approaches to doing online learning and teaching. A few published quality standards exist but rarely enforced. I think we need structures from the top government level all the way to the grass roots to manage and monitor eLearning. In other words, we need empowered leadership to drive this agenda.
4. Finally, there is need to revisit and re-imagine education, pedagogy and approaches to aligned to unfolding emerging developments. eLearning has potentially fundamentally challenged how people learn and teach, so must the practices do as well. This is a huge proposal I know but in time needs to be addressed.

What do you think about generative artificial intelligence – ChatGPT, Bard, Bing Chat and others?

Ah! I have read and interacted with all these you mention! In the education sector, we are still grappling with how to best handle this matter! In principle, these developments hold promise but will fundamentally change how we do school, assess or some such. Rather than rejecting them, I think we have to ethically engage with them, chiseling out the best ways to use these productively. I watch with keen interest for now!

For curious learners, would you recommend enrolling at University of the People?

You bet! I certainly would! After all, that’s my alma matter and has made me what I am today. I receive glowing admiration when I present my UoPeople credential thus opening further doors.

What are your hopes for the future of open learning?

I hope this will continue to grow and further democratize education for all. I think our worry will be more how to manage which content people are exposed to rather than access. I applaud this move but quality must be carefully managed! That’s the way to go!

Anything else you would like to share about online education from your perspective?

I have much to say but suffice it to say that it has been a pleasant journey for me, with enormous benefits! For the past quarter a century or more, I have explored the internet, roamed all over cyber space and think people do themselves great service if they constructively engage in online learning! It’s the way to go, in my view!

About

Billy Sichone has served as Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic and Research affairs at the Central Africa Baptist University since January 2019. Prior to that, he worked with World Vision International-Zambia for 17 years before moving on to Northrise University where he was Vice President for Academics and later Head of Research. He is married to Jane and together they have three children (2 daughters and a son). Raised in the capital of Zambia, Billy worked in the development industry for nearly two decades and returned to urban settings in 2015. Billy is a Scholar with research interest in Online Education, Apologetics and Business in which he has authored several papers and books.