This study set out to investigate a unique case of innovation adaptation and institutionalization in a depressed socio-economic environment. The main aim of the study was to understand and explain interventions and innovative strategies that underpin the survival and growth of the Open and Distance Learning Mode (ODLM) in Zimbabwe. Towards this end, the data to address the research questions was derived from the case study methodology which incorporated, among others, documentary analysis and interviews with persons involved in the initiation and management of the ODLM. The results of the study indicate that three broad categories of strategies, namely protectionism, innovative leadership and educational entrepreneurialism or commodification constitute the foundation of ODLM durability in Masvingo Province. Protectionism in the context of ODLM survival and growth are projected and articulated in the policy instruments such as mandates and legal frameworks which shielded the innovation from the usual hazards of the innovation process. Protectionism enabled the ODLM to gain traction in an elitist and conservative higher education landscape. Correspondingly, innovative leadership is manifested in a highly motivated team of management staff committed to the propagation of the ODLM to every part of Masvingo Province. The leadership at the Masvingo Regional Campus (MRC) utilizes the multiple stakeholder approach as strategy for establishing convergences and equilibrium in respect of the interests and concerns of the four main stakeholders, namely the government or the ruling party which initiated the implementation of the ODLM; the employers of ODL graduates who affirm the relevancy of ODL qualifications, the students who sustain ODLM by generating revenue for the ZOU, and finally, the MRC staff who are the implementers of the ODLM programmes. Likewise, educational entrepreneurialism constitute another key strategy in ODLM survival and growth. This strategy is articulated in the principle of continual adaptation and creation of market – driven programmes. The above results have several implications to various role players and actors involved in the educational reform and innovation. Firstly, the results of the study reveal the imperative for power elites or policy formulators to ensure that they initiate and adopt educational innovations that match the capacities of their implementers and the socio-economic realities of their respective countries or societies. In this regard, the ODLM appears to have been a prudent choice in light of the challenges that were being encountered in post-independence Zimbabwe. Secondly, from a management perspective, the selection of the innovation team to spearhead or steer the implementation was prioritized. Only competent and committed personnel positively disposed towards an innovation should spearhead the implementation. In addition adequate training and staff development should be instituted to keep the implementers abreast of new trends and standards in educational provision. Lastly, the results of this study constitute a clarion call to curriculum developers in African university departments to design and develop programmes which resonate with the needs of key stakeholders who constitute the support base for viable educational institutions.

The research was carried out to assess the value of the Bachelor of Education, Educational Administration, Planning and Policy Studies (B.ED-EAPPS) degree programme offered by the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) as a further teacher education programme for primary teachers in Zimbabwe offered through open and distance learning. The research utilised the case study design and had relevant data collecting instruments which included questionnaires, write ups and interviews. Both random and non-random sampling methods were used to come up with samples used quantitatively and quantitatively. The research was immensely useful as it provided an attempt to determine whether it was worth the while for primary school teachers to study for the BEDEAPPS degree programme and more so in view of the large numbers of non-degree primary school teachers either studying for it or on its waiting list. Nothing of the sort had been done since the inception of the BEDEAPPS degree programme in 1993. The research produced findings that reflected that the BEDEAPPS degree programme had much to offer in the area of further teacher education of an in-service nature than had been envisaged by those who originated the programme. It was realised that while the programme's emphasis was on management and supervision it was not devoid of the instructional expertise that is relevant to classroom practitioners. Moreover, there was a traceable link between college training experiences of the BEDEAPPS students and Teachers' College graduates and the course content they had to work on. These findings made revelations on the diversity of further teacher education whose structure and content could be designed to respond to a specific further education need. Findings also revealed that open and distance learning was a suitable and effective means of delivering such a programme provided an enhancing technological back-up can be easily accessed. The research had time related and operational limitations whose impact on the whole process were, however, repulsed by controls effected by the researcher. The diversity of data collecting instruments also played a positive role in ensuring checks and balances in the type and authenticity of data collected. The research had, among its findings, a grounded research theory which was extrapolated from the data that was collected using the seven data collecting instruments mentioned earlier on. It was possible, after thorough scrutiny of data collected, to conclude that the BEDEAPPS degree programme was a performance enhancing qualification to those primary school teachers who were involved in classroom teaching since it made them effective instructors and managers both within their classroom confines and the larger school-wide operational environment. / Educational Studies / D.Ed.

The research was carried out to assess the value of the Bachelor of Education, Educational Administration, Planning and Policy Studies (B.ED-EAPPS) degree programme offered by the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) as a further teacher education programme for primary teachers in Zimbabwe offered through open and distance learning. The research utilised the case study design and had relevant data collecting instruments which included questionnaires, write ups and interviews. Both random and non-random sampling methods were used to come up with samples used quantitatively and quantitatively. The research was immensely useful as it provided an attempt to determine whether it was worth the while for primary school teachers to study for the BEDEAPPS degree programme and more so in view of the large numbers of non-degree primary school teachers either studying for it or on its waiting list. Nothing of the sort had been done since the inception of the BEDEAPPS degree programme in 1993. The research produced findings that reflected that the BEDEAPPS degree programme had much to offer in the area of further teacher education of an in-service nature than had been envisaged by those who originated the programme. It was realised that while the programme's emphasis was on management and supervision it was not devoid of the instructional expertise that is relevant to classroom practitioners. Moreover, there was a traceable link between college training experiences of the BEDEAPPS students and Teachers' College graduates and the course content they had to work on. These findings made revelations on the diversity of further teacher education whose structure and content could be designed to respond to a specific further education need. Findings also revealed that open and distance learning was a suitable and effective means of delivering such a programme provided an enhancing technological back-up can be easily accessed. The research had time related and operational limitations whose impact on the whole process were, however, repulsed by controls effected by the researcher. The diversity of data collecting instruments also played a positive role in ensuring checks and balances in the type and authenticity of data collected. The research had, among its findings, a grounded research theory which was extrapolated from the data that was collected using the seven data collecting instruments mentioned earlier on. It was possible, after thorough scrutiny of data collected, to conclude that the BEDEAPPS degree programme was a performance enhancing qualification to those primary school teachers who were involved in classroom teaching since it made them effective instructors and managers both within their classroom confines and the larger school-wide operational environment. / Educational Studies / D.Ed.