Assessing The Ict Competence And Skills Of Education Government Students In Imo State University, Owerri, For Effective Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess ICT competency and skills of education government students IMSU for effective learning. The study has four objectives and four research questions. Survey research design was used for the study. The population studies in this work comprised only students in the department of education government ranging from 100 level to 400 level. In the selection of students from each of the levels, both male and female students were selected and the sample size was hundred and ten students (110) and six (6) lecturers were randomly selected to form sample for the study. Questionnaire was used for collection of data. The findings reveal that regardless of the quantity and quality of technology available in classrooms, the key to how ICTs are used lies between both the students and the teachers/lecturers. students does not examine their self-assessed ICT skills and competences. Effective learners have gained understanding of the individual and social process necessary to become effective learners. ICT has the capacity to enhance the quality of learning where its use is tailored to lesson objectives and the needs of students. The study therefore recommended among others that All hands must be on deck, starting from the educational planners who should make if compulsory for schools to implement such programs. The government should make funds available for such moves for the school administrators and management to help teachers/lecturers and students achieve this. Students entering the undergraduate programs in the universities should be computer literate, as most admin processes (course registrations, payment of fees and booking of hostel accommodation) are all done online. The lack of access to the internet on campus is not in line with the vision of U.B technologies initiative which was meant to provide access to workstations and the internet for a token fee. The use of cybercafé presents another dimension to the use of ICT facilities.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This chapter presents the following sub-topics;  background of the study, statement of the problem, scope of the study, purpose of the study, significance of the study and research questions.

Background to the Study

With the introduction of Western education in Nigeria, the teacher has function as the pivot around which most schools activities revolved, in the sense, that he takes crucial decisions as regards what to teach, how to teach and with what. Considering the fact, this enormous responsibility placed on teachers makes teacher education a very important enterprise in every nation, as no nation will like to toy with the future of its youth.

Teacher education according to Izuagba and Obiefuna (2005) is a formal and systematic process of preparing would be teachers for the task ahead. Teacher education also include all programmes specifically designed to help teachers already in service to  continuously update their knowledge, skills, and attitude in order to meet up with  continuing changes in methods, course contents and resources used in teaching. This implied in Okafor (2008) definition of teacher education as a form of education which properly planned and systematically tailored and applied to the cultivation of those who teach or will teach, particularly but not exclusively in the primary and post primary levels of education. Information and communication technology (ICT) is the technology that deals with the study design, development, implementation support and management of computer based information system that is used to acquire, covert, store, protest  process, distribute and retrieve information according to the users requests. The acceptability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in education sector, in recent times is the best thing that has happened to the education sector in Nigeria.

In the present day information based society, students need to have ability to apply technology for learning. Digital skills are important for preparing students to work, live and contribute to their communities. The students should meet the following standards and performance indicators; creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, digital citizenship and technology operations and concepts (ISTE, 2012). Educational policies in Nigeria has been revised in order to participate the development of educational management that can keep pace with the fiercely competitive and rapidly changing world nowadays. One of the development policies is to prmote and enhance the ICT competency of both educational personnel and students. In particular, the students need to acaquire ICT competency so as to make use of ICT as a tool for facilitating their learning process, achieving their full potential and contributing to the development of the country as a result; to prepare the students for this crucial task, they have to acquire and possess knowledge of ICT, ICT skills and attitude towards ICT, so as to take advantage of ICT in the most constructive way possible. It is against this background that this study accessed the ICT competence and skills of Education Government students in Imo State University, Owerri for effective learning.

Statement of the Problem

Competency and desired skills in Information Communication Technology (ICT) has become a globally accepted points of discussion even here in Nigeria. Students are also faced with a lot of challenges in regards to ICT competences and skills. These challenges include ICT usage habits, inability to examine the self –assessed ICT skills and operate the ICT facilities.

Scope of the Study

The study focuses on assessing ICT competencies and skills of education government students for effective learning. Geographically, the scope of this study will be limited to Imo State University (IMSU) located in Owerri, the state capital. Emphasis will be made on ICT usage, self assessed ICT and competence, access to ICT facilities and operation of ICT facilities. This is only applicable to the department of education government under the faculty of education.

Purpose of the Study

The main purpose of this study is to access the ICT competence and skills of education government students in IMO State University, Owerri for effective learning. This study specially sought to;

1. Find out the ICT usage habits of students
2. Examine the self-assessed ICT skills and competencies acquired by students
3. Examine the problems posed by lack of access to ICT facilities
4. Determine the disadvantages of inability to operate the ICT facilities

Significance of the Study

The result of this study would be beneficial to the following if implemented; students, lecturers and education policy makers

The research will enable lecturers in department of education government and indeed department to see the usefulness of ICT competencies and skills for effective teaching learning process. It will also serve as an encouragement for them to enable the idea of obtain the said ICT competence and skills so as to help the students in developing the same.

The research will also benefit the educational policymakers and curriculum planners to see of how importance it is for students to acquire ICT competence and skills for effective learning.  This will make them to consider integrating the use of ICT in their policies as to meeting the taste of the ever technologically changing world.

This study will be useful to the students who themselves are at the center of this research because it will help them to understand and accept the fact that for effective learning process to take place, there is need for ICT competence and skills . It will also help to produce well-to-do students with required competence and skills in information communication technology (ICT).

Research Questions

This study is being guided by the following research questions;

1. What are the ICT usage habits of students?
2. Does the students examine their self-assessed ICT skills and competences?
3. What are problems posed by lack of access to ICT facilitator?
4. What are the disadvantages of inability of operate the ICT facilities?

Pages:  64

Category: Project

Format:  Word & PDF         

Chapters: 1-5                                                               

Material contains Table of Content, Abstract, References & Appendix.