ABSTRACT:

The purpose of this study was to Examine the challenges facing adult undergraduate in Open and Distance Learning programmers at Institute of Adult Education Tanzania. The study carried at Institute of Adult Education Dar es Salaam where it involved a sample of 23 participants including   19 Adult learners, 3 facilitators and 1 administrator. The study applied stratified and purposive sampling method. The stratified random sampling was used to select Adult learners, whereas, purposive sampling used to pick facilitators and administrator who were subjected to interviews. The study applied mixed approaches, qualitative and quantitative. The main data collection technique were questionnaires and structured interviews and documentary review. The study was done at Institute of Adult Education. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the findings. The key findings indicated that distance students were challenged with a range of barriers in their learning process. The largest reported challenges included lack of time for self-study, challenge in access to apply ICT, lack of learning resources, lack of support from family and employer, financial constraints and ineffective feedback. Recommendation was made to Institute of Adult Education that in order the Institution to achieve effective teaching and learning system that satisfies the needs of the students to the extent that they would motivate to come back to the institution for further studies and inspire others students to join distance learning programme to add their education levels. Among these recommendation to institute of Adult Education include to delivery enough teaching and learning resource to distance learning programme, to ensured that there are ICT facilities to the institute that support to learn computer practice.