Public defense: Wycliff Edwin Tusiime

The main aim of this qualitative case study is to contribute with insights into teacher educators’ digital competence in teaching Art and Design subjects in teacher training institutions (TTIs) in Uganda. 

The study employed semi-structured interviews and non-participant observations to gather qualitative data from teacher educators (TEs), teacher trainees (TTs) and administrators at two teacher training institutions in Uganda to answer the following research questions (RQs) in order to achieve its main goal.

• RQ1:  In what ways are teacher educators using digital technology when teaching art and design in Uganda?
• RQ2: How do art and design teacher educators develop their digital competence in Teacher Training Institutions in Uganda?
• RQ3: What challenges do teacher educators encounter when teaching art and design with digital technology in Uganda?

On the basis of these RQs and theoretical concepts from van Dijk (2005), Mishra and Koehler (2006), data was analysed from which three research articles (referred to in this thesis as; Article I, II and III respectively) each addressing one of the RQs were published. 

Briefly, the findings in Article I indicate that, TEs occasionally use digital technologies in basic and low creative means to teach in A&D classrooms. This may be attributed to insufficient access to adequate digital resources (hardware, software and internet), insufficient digital skills and knowledge relating to pedagogical use of digital technologies in A&D classrooms. 

The findings further confirm teacher educators’ limited awareness of the relationship between technology, pedagogy and content knowledge (TPACK) in teaching Art and Design subjects. The lack of TPACK among TEs explains the low creative use of digital technologies in teaching A&D lessons in Uganda’s TTIs. 

The findings in Article II indicate that art and design TEs develop digital competences through both formal and informal approaches. The formal approaches include continuous professional development (CPD) and pre-service training, whereas informal approaches include collaboration, self-teaching and repetition. 

Apparently, teachers’ digital competences (TDC) gained through formal approaches did not relate specifically to the teaching of art and design subjects, making it inadequate and difficult to apply in real classroom practice. Further, the findings suggest to a larger extent that TEs develop moderate TDC, necessary for practical use in the classroom, through informal approaches. 

The findings in Article III reveal numerous motivational challenges (linked to negative attitude, lack of self-confidence, lack of time, inadequate digital competence and fear for loss of creativity) and challenges related to material access such as; lack of adequate access to digital technologies, unreliable electricity supply, technological failures and lack of adequate technical support. 

Article III further provides and discusses alternative strategies employed by TEs such as peer support, continual practice, improvisation, lobbying for technical and financial support, and advocating for BYOD to cope with the existing challenges.

To sum up, the study findings generally reveal that, teacher educators’ digital competences (TDC) remained operational and were not specific to the teaching of art and design subjects, thus being inadequate and difficult to apply in real art and design classroom practice. 

Due to numerous motivational and material challenges encountered TEs in addition to limited awareness of the relationship between technology, pedagogy and content knowledge, TEs can only occasionally use digital technologies in limited creative ways (basic use) to teach in A&D classrooms.