Adopting Electronic Instructional Strategies as an Alternative Mode of Education Delivery in Nigeria.
- April 11, 2022
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: Education, IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue III, March 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
Ayodele M. Asebiomo (PhD)1, Iorliam, Emmanuel Igbalumun Vambe (Ph.D)2
1Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Sheda – Abuja
2University of Abuja, Abuja.
Abstract: While there is a significant rise in electronic learning (e-learning) adoption and digital accessibility across Africa recently due to new normal COVID as it was the situation before now. Nigeria still suffers from acute digital and electronic poverty that continues to exacerbate educational inequalities. The continual challenges facing the traditional teaching strategies and teacher education such like insecurity and pandemic as currently been witness in Nigeria and worldwide demanded the use of alternative teaching strategies to enhance teaching and learning. Hence, adopting electronic teaching and learning strategies will promote equal access to learning as well as promoting digital equity among the citizens. This write up x-rays this concept of e-learning and digital equality with specific descriptions of various e-learning strategies, tools and resources that will promote effective teaching and learning in the country. It was recommended that all stakeholders should do all things possible to evoke e-learning and digital literacy to the teaching and learning process in the country for effectiveness and continuity of education irrespective of natural or man-made challenges.
Keywords: e-learning, instructional strategies, digital equity, teacher education
I. INTRODUCTION
Teachers and learners in schools across Nigeria have faced sweeping and unprecedented changes to teaching and learning because of the continuous insecurity and pandemic challenges which resulted at a point in time school closure. While teachers in developed world shifted quickly to e-learning strategies to make teaching and learning on course, less can be said of such innovation in Nigeria.
Few of the teachers in urban environment in Nigeria shifts to accept these realities hence, access to technologies and devices for students, teachers; competences in e-learning instructions and lack of knowledge about digital education strategies prevented several teachers and students from adopting the delivery of instructions and ensuring educational access for millions of students prevented from accessing formal education due to the lockdown aftermath of the pandemic. This development has prompted the need to build momentum around leveraging e-learning and offline digital learning channels to provide flexible and emergency education using technology. (Greg Sherman 2006). Digital literacy’ can be traced to two terms which are computer literacy and information literacy. Computer literacy was supposed to indicate a person’s ability to use computer software proficiently, while information literacy included other skills such as evaluation and appreciation of information (Bawden 2008).
Fieldhouse and Nicholas (2008) noted that digital literacy requires individuals to have critical thinking skills which would help them determine how credible information is. It would also help them to contextualize, analyze, and synthesize any information found online. According to the study conducted by ARENi (2021) access to digital tools such as phone, laptop, desktop, internet, radio and television of Nigeria teachers prior the pandemic showed positively to phone, internet, radio and television but very low to laptop and desktop, however, online teaching and learning was at its low ebb at same period. Technology enhances learning and to maximize learning within our environment demands a high quality course design that can offer students the options of time, place, and pace that characterized different learning style. From the perspectives of Spires, Bartlett, Quick and Garry (2012), digital literacy refers to a wide-range set of practices which ultimately allow students to create, share, and understand meaning and knowledge in an increasingly digital age. United States Department of Education, (2015) defined digital literacy as the skills associated with using technology to enable users to find, evaluate, organize, create, and communicate information and the ability to use those skills to solve problems in technology-rich environments (Leu, Kinzer, Coiro, Castek, & Henry, 2013).
