Kenya Medical Training College lecturer perception on adequacy of teaching and learning resources in the advent of COVID-19.

Abstract

Strategies set up to achieve sustainable development goals 3 and 4 in Kenya are via expansion of the health workforce by training healthcare workers. However, challenges such as lack of adequate human resources, physical facilities, teaching aids, and finances existed. In the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the above challenges were made worse by the health requirements to mitigate against the pandemic. For instance, the need for more human resources, expansion of physical facilities, adoption of relevant eLearning, and the much-needed financial resources. In order to conduct this study, the researcher adopted a pragmatism theoretical framework. The study investigated lecturers perceptions of the adequacy of human resources, physical facilities, and teaching aids, in the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at Kenya Medical Training College in the advent of COVID-19. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study using a triangulation mixed method design. The study setting was the eastern region, selected out of the eight regions of Kenya through simple random sampling. The four campuses with a Medical Laboratory Science department within the eastern region were all selected through census sampling. The study sample was all the 18 lecturers selected through census sampling. The data collection instruments were interview guides and self-administered closed and open-ended questionnaires. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for the descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency) and then presented in frequency tables. The response rate from the four campuses with the Medical Laboratory Science department was 100% (18 lecturers). The majority of the lecturers had a mean age of 38 years. The majority of lecturers were not satisfied with the adequacy of human resources with a mean of 1.5833 and (std. deviation=.51493). The majority of lecturers perceived the state of physical facilities to be in a poor state with an average mean of 1.6. and (std. deviation =0.418). The satisfaction level of the majority of lecturers on teaching aids was a mean of 3.01 (std. deviation=1.459), representing neutral to very inadequate. The majority of lecturers perceived that there were insufficient human resources, physical facilities, and teaching aids in the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences at Kenya Medical Training College. Kenya Medical Training College board of directors should provide and avail adequate teaching and learning resources notably human resources, physical facilities, and teaching aids to the Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences.