TITLE:
Cybersecurity Challenges and Barriers to Implementing Moodle for Blended Learning in Resource-Constrained Universities: A Case Study of Sierra Leone
AUTHORS:
Munda Jonathan Sahr Lebbie, Rahman Mukaila Alade, Enikuomehin A. Oluwatoyin
KEYWORDS:
Blended Learning, Moodle, Cybersecurity, Digital Inequality, Higher Education, Sierra Leone
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.2,
February
2,
2026
ABSTRACT: The expansion of blended learning has positioned Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as Moodle as central infrastructures in higher education. In resource-constrained contexts, however, the secure and effective implementation of such platforms remains a persistent challenge. This study examines the technological, institutional, and cybersecurity barriers affecting the implementation of Moodle for blended learning in Sierra Leonean universities. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the study combines qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis with quantitative survey data collected from educators and students. Qualitative data were analysed thematically, while quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, with integration occurring at the design, analysis, and interpretation stages. The findings reveal that Moodle operates within a fragile digital ecosystem characterised by unstable internet connectivity, unreliable electricity supply, limited access to appropriate digital devices, weak institutional governance frameworks, and low levels of user cybersecurity awareness. These infrastructural and institutional constraints not only disrupt teaching and learning but also heighten exposure to cyber risks, including phishing attacks, weak authentication practices, and delayed system maintenance. The study further demonstrates that cybersecurity vulnerabilities are socially and institutionally patterned, disproportionately affecting users with limited digital resources and training. Conceptually, the findings position cybersecurity as a cross-cutting dimension of digital inequality and institutional capacity rather than a purely technical problem. The study concludes that Moodle’s potential to support equitable and resilient blended learning in Sierra Leone will remain limited unless technological infrastructure, institutional governance, and human cybersecurity capacity are addressed in an integrated manner. It recommends recognising LMS platforms as components of critical information infrastructure and embedding cybersecurity within higher education policy, institutional practice, and capacity-building strategies.