The Era of Digital Technology in Teaching and Learning in Nigeria Educational Institutions

Abstract

The influence of digital technology in society has made it critical for all students in the 21st century to become literate with the use of digital tools. One way to understand the evolving role of digital technologies in education in Nigeria is to review the literature and see how the use of digital technologies in the classroom are documented. The development and proliferation of the internet have contributed to a revolution in teaching and learning; it has also provided new opportunities for delivering instruction through various media. Despite all the plentiful opportunities of learning through digital technology and improving access to education in the country at all levels, there are, however, some setbacks. In this chapter, some success stories were presented with some benefits and setbacks. Even though many educational institutions from elementary levels to universities levels are using digital devices and applications for teaching and learning purposes, the tools may fail in many places due to the domination of traditional pedagogical approaches and methods.

Blended eLearning Systems in Nigerian Universities: A Context Specific Pedagogical Approach

“…The assumptions and motives guiding the adoption of a blended approach in both private and public universities are relatively common. They share common insights into how the use of technology can bring about optimal ways to the development of an educational practice that takes into greater account the difference in lectures instructional approaches and learners learning preference, thereby emphasising earlier findings concerning the potential of blended approach to teaching and learning (Anene, et al, 2014;Aladejana and Olajide, 2016;Adeoye, 2020). What differentiates the two is the sort of challenges they faced (specifically with issues of infrastructure, the number of students, and the orientation of students and lecturers) and the institutional policy directions and implementation strategies in places to minimise those challenges.…”

“…The Nigeria-centric model can be considered a backwards-forward thinking framework as it borrows from colonial and indigenous educational practices, thereby making it pedagogically inclusive and diverse, or perhaps interconnectedly global and local. Although the educational system has relatively repositioned itself through the development of relevant policies, expansion of higher institutions across each state, and the introduction of private universities, studies have shown that the fundamental issues of education in the country remain unsolved (Usoro, 2016;Adeoye, 2020). These issues relate to quality assurance, governance, lack of funding, systematic corruption, and the consequential effect of privatisation and the monetisation of education.…”

“…Specific to Nigeria, the assumption is that the adoption of technology in education can bridge the gaps that exists in the system by providing quality education to all. In clearly articulating the trajectory of such efforts, a range of studies have analysed the potential and opportunities of blended learning (Anene et al, 2014;Adeoye, 2020); the approaches to planning, integration, and acceptance (Okocha, 2019;Aladejana and Olajide, 2019;Ukaigwa and Igbozuruike, 2020), and the conceptual experience of different stakeholders towards the blended approach (Olatuboson et al, 2015;Okocha et al, 2017;Yakubu et al, 2019). However, only a few studies attempt to examine how the adoption of technology has brought about stimulating social interaction, facilitated engagement, and improved instructional processes and learning outcomes (Olatuboson et al, 2015;Oyelere et al, 2016;Okocha, 2019).…”

“…It is through a critical analysis of these underlying assumptions that motivate and popularise the adoption of technology, that one can begin to identify what the use of technology in decolonising education entails, and how it can be made relevant and sustainable to the evolving educational demands of the Nigerian population. Previous studies have yet to establish whether the blended approach (combining traditional ways of teaching and the adoption of some form of technology to assist teaching processes or learning activities) to education supports and promotes the practice of decolonising education in Africa (Olatuboson et al, 2015;Aladejana and Olajide, 2019;Adeoye, 2020). This paper attempts to fill such a fundamental gap in our understanding of the place of technology in Nigerian higher education.…”

An Integrated Implementation Framework for an Efficient Transformation to Online Education

“…In fact, many institutions may have one or two content-authoring tools supported by the LMS. These fundamental tools allow institutions to form e-Content solutions that embrace a range of teaching approaches, as well as directing current environments to suit a range of social scenarios, learning capabilities, and gender differences [40,41,42]. Such a method, designed to merge student engagement with a range of teaching styles and methods, was proposed in a 2016 study [32].…”