Weekend School Face- to-Face tutorials Apathy in ODL. A Case of ZOU Midlands Region: Zimbabwe

This study was set to investigate views of students and lecturers on students’ poor attendants to weekend schools. The sample constituted 20 students who participated in in-depth interviews and two student focus groups of eight making a total of 36 participants. Data collected through individual interviews, focus groups and document analysis were thematically analysed. It was revealed through this study that financial problems, social problems, poor student’s perceptions, poor lecturer’s competences and poor communication skills hinder students from attending weekend school tutorials. It was also revealed that ZOU interactive modules were so well written that some students students saw no reason of attending weekend school face-to-face tutorials. The study recommends conducting weekend schools at district centres, providing e-learning face-to-face tutorials, monitoring part-time tutors by programme coordinators and the quality assurance personnel and assist them conduct themselves professionally, making at least one weekend school compulsory, inducting students on the role of tutorial sessions so that they hold clear perceptions, scheduled weekend schools to be part of the students’ registration packages and e-mailing all students on the scheduled weekend schools.