Implementation Of Online Learning In Nigeria Tertiary Institution -By Ajani ‘Kayode Jamiu

ABSTRACT

This article examines factors that will mitigate against the successful implementation of online learning in Nigeria, in times of economic hardship and pandemic.

It also focuses on recommendations on how to make the implementation successful, as it’s not a mirage if all hands are on deck.

INTRODUCTION

One of the most often used terms after the pandemic is the term “new normal.” The new normal in education is the increased use of online learning tools. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered new ways of learning. All around the world, educational institutions are looking toward online learning platforms to continue with the process of educating students. The new normal now is a transformed concept of education with online learning at the core of this transformation.

Today, digital learning has emerged as a necessary resource for students and schools all over the world. For many educational institutes, this is an entirely new way of education that they have had to adopt. Online learning is now applicable not just to learn academics but also extends to learning extracurricular activities for students as well.

In recent months in Nigeria, the demand for online learning has risen significantly, and it will continue doing so in the future.

As with most teaching methods, online learning also has its own set of positives and negatives. Decoding and understanding these positives and negatives will help institutes in creating strategies for more efficiently delivering the lessons, ensuring an uninterrupted learning journey for students, as that is what this article set to achieve.

Following the approval of the Nigeria University Commission, NUC to reopen all Institutions in Nigeria, some leading Institutions has approved using online learning as a means of furthering their academic activities, while this is a new development, this article also tend to examine the factors that may contribute to low academic performance of students.

DEVELOPMENT OF E-LEARNING IN NIGERIAN SCHOOLS

The development of e-learning in Nigeria could be traced back to the development of telecommunication which began in 1886 when e-cable connections were established by the colonial masters between Lagos and the colonial office in London to transmit information and receive feedback. By 1893, all government offices in Lagos were provided with telephone service for easy communication, feedback, and easy access, and later all other parts of the country were provided with telephone services.

A lot of changes have been witnessed in the telecommunication industry since 1886. The provision of telecommunication services was initially monopolized by Nigeria Telecommunication (NITEL) until in the ’90s when the federal government of Nigeria commenced the liberalization policy of the telecommunication industry. Four (4) private telephone service providers (Mtel – NITEL, Econet Now Vmobile, MTN, and Communication Investment Limited – CIL) were initially licensed to provide General System for Mobile Services. CIL license was later revoked for inability to pay the license fee before the prescribed which was later given to Globacom (Glo) Nigeria.

With this development, more companies were licensed to provide internet services in Nigeria, and this led to improved access to the internet by Nigerians. The country has less than 11 ISPs in 2000, but by the year 2006, it has risen to above 100 and many got connected to the information super-highway, through broadband VSAT connection.

In Nigerian schools, the commonest type of e-learning adopted is in form of lecture notes on CD-ROM which can be played when the learners desire. The challenge of this method is that the numbers of students per computer in which these facilities are available are un-interactive as compared to when lectures are been received in the classroom. Some institutions adopted the use of intranet facilities; however, this is not well maintained because of incessant power problems and the high cost of running generating sets.

Most students in Nigeria go to the cyber café but because there are people of diverse intension on the net at the same time, and the bandwidth problem, a multimedia interactive can not be done.

Despite all these and other challenges facing e-learning development in Nigeria, educational institutions such as the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Benin, University of Abuja, University of Lagos, the National Open University of Nigeria among others have e-learning facilities.

The number seems very low (compared to other parts of the world and the usefulness of e-learning in economic development) because of the location of most institutions, bandwidth issues, and mostly the challenge of electricity. Though most of the educational institutions (private and public) have started setting up their ICT centers for internet services alone without actually taking into consideration other components of e-learning centres.

NOUN, a federal government-owned university, has emerged as the first dedicated University in Nigeria to introduce education through distance learning mode. The vision statement of the University is that the NOUN is to be regarded as the foremost University providing highly accessible and enhanced quality education anchored by social justice, equity, equality, and national cohesion through a comprehensive reach that transcends all barriers. While the Mission statement is that NOUN is to provide functional cost-effective, flexible learning, which adds life-long value to quality education for all who seek knowledge.

EFFECTIVE DELIVERING OF ONLINE LEARNING

Different applications and software have been developed for the delivery of online lectures, these range from Google classroom app, zoom, piazza, others, the effective delivery by all these software and app remains a mirage in Nigeria, considering the numerous social and environmental factors surrounding the effective implementation. While all these factors are man-made which can be solved, the level of poverty in the land makes it impossible, and this has been the backbone of Students’ agitations.

For online learning to be effective in Nigeria, it requires proper funding by Government and other stakeholders, as the tools for implementation are not in the reach of both the learners and instructors.

An observation of the Nigerian Tertiary classroom reveals that in a class of 30 Students, hardly will you find 10 Students with a well functioning laptop for academic purpose, while this constitutes a great threat to the successful implementation of online learning, it’s one that can be solved through subsidization of this gadget by the government and producing companies.
While this is not an end in itself, other factors call for urgent intervention by the government, Instructors, and Education stakeholders. It includes;

1. INTERNET: While internet penetration has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years, in smaller cities and towns, a consistent connection with decent speed is a problem. Without a consistent internet connection for students and instructors, there can be a lack of continuity in learning. This is detrimental to the education process.

2. INSTRUCTORS TRAINING: Online learning requires instructors to have a basic understanding of using digital forms of learning. Sometimes, they don’t even have the necessary resources and tools to conducts online classes.

To address this, schools need to invest in training teachers with the latest technology updates so that they can conduct their online classes seamlessly.

3. SIGHT: For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online learning is the struggle with focusing on the screen for long periods. With online learning, there is also a greater chance for students to be easily distracted by social media or other sites. Therefore, the instructors must keep their online classes crisp, engaging, and interactive to help students stay focused on the lesson.

4: INSTRUCTORS SIMPLICITY: The greatest fear among students of higher education in Nigeria, is the issues of Instructors simplicity, this implies that to make it successful and students friendly, the imposition of attendance on participants should be discouraged, while this is not to say that there should not be disciplined, Instructors need to put the individual need and differences of participants into consideration.

CONCLUSION

It’s imperative to know that online learning offers Instructors an efficient way to deliver lessons to students, through tools such as videos, PDFs, and podcasts, makes it also make it possible for students/learners to attend classes from any location of the world, reach out to a more extensive network of students, especially in time of pandemic like this, when Institutions of learning are closed for physical learning.

Ajani ‘Kayode
Educationist| Career Advocate| Final year student of Guidance and Counselling, Obafemi Awolowo University.
ajanikayode2@gmail.com
08104260476

References:
The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology – TOJET October 2008 ISSN: 1303-6521 volume 7 Issue 4 Article 7
E-learningindustry.com