Elearning Implementation in Teacher Education in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges

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E-learning Implementation in Teacher Education in
Nigeria Issues and Challenges

• J. Effiom-Edem Ntibi, Ph.D, mni
• Provost, Federal College of Education,
• Obudu, Nigeria

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• Education is the most potent agent of
  development of any society
• This is why every nation strives to provide
  quality education for its citizens

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Our National Vision

• By 2020 Nigeria will be one of the top 20
  economies in the world !

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This is a frightening dream!

• It means that Nigeria will be shoulder to
  shoulder with the G7 ( US, Japan, Germany, UK,
  France, Italy and Canada)
• And the current E7 (China, India, Brazil,
  Russia, Indonesia, Mexico and Turkey) and Spain,
  Australia and South Korea

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• It is therefore imperative that for us to
  achieve this vision we must take education more
  seriously than we are doing presently

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It can no longer be business as usual!

• To attain this goal will require the total
  commitment of every sphere of Govt, civil
  soceity, and the private sector.
• Education is the foundation for the
  transformation, and the leverage for tipping the
  nation towards vision 2020.

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New View of Education in a Knowledge-based Economy

• Education has witnessed great changes since the
  turn of the millennium.
• There is a big difference between education in
  the old economy and the new economy.
• The principal feature of the new education is
  Technology.

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• The differences between the two are shown below

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New View of Education in a Knowledge-based Economy

• Old Economy
• Four Year Degree
• Training as cost centre
• Learner mobility
• Correspondence and video
• One Size fits all
• Just in case
• Isolated

• New Economy
• Four-Year Degree
• Competitive Advantage
• Content Mobility
• High Tech Multi-media
• Tailored Programmes
• Just in time
• Virtual Learning communities

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New view of education in a Knowledge-based Economy

• The 21st century global economy is changing from
  a natural resource- based one to a
  knowledge-based one.
• A nations wealth is determined by talents,
  knowledge, and skills of her citizens rather than
  natural resources. Eg Japan, Singapore, UK, etc
• The currency of the k-economy exchange is
  information, and its attendant value addition
  processes.

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New View of Education in a Knowledge-based Economy

• The economic value of information flow in a
  knowledge-based economy is pyramidal in nature

Economic Value
Wisdom
Knowledge
Information
Data
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• To sustain this tempo of fast information
  acquisition, utilization or transfer, in the
  knowledge economy, we need to deploy technology.
• Central to the k-economy is the e-world where
  every transaction is done on-line.
• Hence, learning also has to be done on-line

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New View of Education in a Knowledge-based Economy

• The development of human capital for the
  k-economy has challenges and opportunities for
  the education industry
• Both the teacher and learner have to acquire and
  upgrade their digital literacy skills
  passionately
• The increased skill and knowledge is what will
  equip both groups for appropriate placement
  globally
• But..

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• The quality of an education system can not exceed
  the quality of its teachers
• -McKinsey Report 2007

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• The New Education System can not be achieved
  without
• A New Teacher!

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• Globally, technology (e-learning) has
  revolutionized teaching and learning beyond our
  imagination.
• The k-economy requires that the teachers use new
  technologies in their teaching.
• But our teachers (in Nigeria) are not engaging
  e-learning in the classrooms.

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• Then
• What do we do for the Nigerian teacher?

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• To answer the question, we need to know
• Where we are now.
• Where we want to be.
• How to get there.

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• Where We Are !

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Where We Are

• Status of Education
• Status of e-learning
• Teacher Training

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Status of Education

• Mostly Classroom and teacher-centred
• Based on chalk and talk

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Status of e-learning

• Little use of computers, mostly in
  administration, computation and word-processing.
• Low computer penetration, especially in rural
  schools

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Status of e-learning contd.

• E-learning products, hardly in use
• Proprietary e-learning products, not available.
  Mostly imported, if any.
• Tertiary institutions have internet access in
  cyber-cafes, and lately institutional virtual
  libraries.
• Apart from NITDA National IT Policy, no
• e-learning policy

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Teacher Training

• Teacher training mostly classroom oriented
• NCCE NUC Policies require that every student
  teacher be computer literate. These are not well
  implemented.
• Most lecturers in COEs are acquiring Laptops,
  same may not be the case among lecturers in
  University Faculties of Education.
• Use of e-learning in instruction is almost
  non-existent.
• E-learning materials aimed at teacher trainees
  and trainers are non-existent.

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Teacher Training contd.

• Teacher trainers and trainees are scarcely aware
  of the existence of capacity building resources
  that are available on the internet.
• Internet use for research and information sharing
  exists, among teacher trainers and their
  students
• However, penetration is low because of low access
  and prohibitive cost of bandwidth.

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Challenges to Poor e-learning Implementation in
Nigerian Teacher Training

• Cost of adequate technology.
• Prohibitive cost and limited access to bandwidth.
• Dearth of technical and professional expertise.
• Staff disposition towards the application of
  e-learning in instruction.
• Low computer penetration into remote and rural
  schools.
• Lack of sustainable supply of electricity.
• Absence of specific Govt. policy on e-learning

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Where We Want To Be

• Give our children access to a re-defined
  Education.
• Make Our school products competitive, globally.
• Ensure best practices in learning
• Which should permeate our national lifestyle and
  conduct.
• Entrench a Teacher Training Program, using
  e-learning as one of the cardinal tools.

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A Re-defined Education.

• 5 New Basics
• English
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies, and
• Computer Science

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A Re-defined Education contd.

• . All high school graduates should understand
  the computer as an information, computation and
  communication device, be able to use the
  computer in the study of the other basics and for
  personal and work-related purposes and
  understand the world of computers, electronics,
  and related technologies.
• - Natl. Commission on Excellence in Education
  1983

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A Re-defined Education contd.

• .To cope with the demands of the 21st Century,
  people need to know more than the core subjects.
  They need to know how to use knowledge and skills
  by thinking critically, applying knowledge to
  new ideas, communicating, collaborating, solving
  problems, and making decisions.
• - Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2003)

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Globally Competitive School Products

• Innate talents of students identified and
  enhanced towards proper career choices.
• Acquire appropriate skills for self-employment
  and entrepreneurship.
• Equipped with specialized and up-to-date skills
  to meet global standards and demands.

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Best Practices in Learning

• Best practices are tools for improving
  organizational performance.
• It helps organizations to focus on the 4cs
• . Change
• . Competitiveness
• . Cost, and
• . Clients

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Best Practices in Learning

• Best practices can also be applied to the school
  as an organization.
• Best practices in teacher training will quicken
  its evolution in the nation.
• In the knowledge age, best practices can be
  transferred through e-learning.

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Beware!

• Teachers teach how they were taught!
• And
• Learners are highly influenced by them!

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Key Requirements for Learning in the 21st Century
Knowledge Society

• 1. New Curricula integrated with strong
  components of interactive multi-media.
• 2. High quality interactive multi-media written
  by renowned scholars and produced by renowned
  publishing houses.
• Multi-level communication and computing
  technology capable of energizing creativity,
  inquiry, research, and development of new skills
  for every level of pupil and student.
• Complete dependence on text books to be replaced
  by a mix of texts and a wide range of
  instructional software, PCs, laptops, CD-Rom,
  educational TV, video, interactive radio, and
  cable and satellite educational communication.
• As a new role, the teacher should embrace
  continuing education to build and share
  knowledge. Teachers will thus need to change from
  lecturing to technology users, mentors,
  researchers, knowledge producers, and life-long
  learners.

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Key Requirements for Learning in the 21st Century
Knowledge Society contd.

• 6. Learning at home with the help of parents and
  others deploying multi-media tools.
• Involvement of community-based and
  neighborhood-based stakeholders.
• Involvement of the business community in
  providing hands-on experience.
• Development of profiles of students evaluation,
  assessment, and aptitudes anchored on information
  age realities and priorities.
• Innovation approaches to interdisciplinary
  studies and promoting the development of new
  abilities and skills.
• Ability to dynamically explore and represent
  knowledge in various forms to enhance
  understanding and learning.

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How To Get There!

• It should be teacher centred.
• E-learning and pedagogy should be integrated into
  teacher training.
• There must be a Govt. Policy for e-learning.
• It must involve public-private sector
  participation.
• Implementation strategies must be evolved.

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It should be teacher centred

• E-learning in Nigeria is mostly
  commercially-driven.
• It can best be promoted by teachers.
• There should be synergy between product drivers
  (IT professionals) and the end-user (the
  teacher).
• When teachers use e-learning in teaching it will
  become pervasive in our nation.

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Integration of E-learning and Pedagogy into
Teacher Training.

• This should be done during teacher training.
• There are 4 Aproaches-
• Main Content Focus
• Part of Teaching Methods
• Core Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Facilitation of Professional Development and
  Networking

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Recommendations and Implementation Strategies

• Recommendation One
• An e-learning policy should be formulated by
  Government.
• Implementation Strategies
• i Ministries of Science and Tech and Education
  to collaborate.
• ii Appropriate legislation to be put in place.

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Recommendations and Implementation Strategies

• Recommendation Two
• Cost of Computers, Software, Bandwidth, and
  Communication Equipment should be reduced.
• Implementation Strategies
• 1. Import and Custom duties to be waived for
  equipment for use in schools and by teachers.
• 2. Nigcomsat II, and fibre-optics broadband
  access to be provided, for internet
  connectivity.
• 3. Computer Vendors to be provided with
  incentives, for penetration.

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Recommendations and Implementation Strategies

• Recommendation Two
• Teacher Trainers and Trainees should be exposed
  to e-learning in the classroom or their other
  daily activities.
• Implementation Strategies
• 1. Teacher trainers to be trained on web-site
  design.
• 2. Regular refresher courses to be developed
  and provided for teacher trainers.

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Recommendations and Implementation Strategies

• Recommendation Three
• Government to provide uninterruptible
  electricity.
• Implementation Strategies
• 1. Adequate policies to be put in place.
• 2. Public-Private sector Partnership to be
  engaged in funding elctricity.

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• Thank You
• and
• God Bless!