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Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has been hinted and painted by its providers as an educational innovation with an unprecedented potential to bridge knowledge gap especially for the developing countries that continually struggle to catch up with the rest of the world. This study investigated the present state of MOOCs among Nigerian postgraduate students. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study and purposive random sampling technique was adopted to select three federal universities approved to run postgraduate programme by the National University Commission in the Southwest, Nigeria. A self-structured questionnaire with reliability coefficient of 0.70 was used for data collection. The findings revealed that there is prevalence of digital internet-enabled devices among Nigerian postgraduate students; however, their interest and involvement towards MOOCs is still very low. In addition, the level of awareness of MOOCs among Nigerian postgraduate students is still shallow. Furthermore, the few that enrolled in MOOCs is basically for employment or job advancement.
Learners' readiness for xMOOCs, a variant of MOOCs, mode of teaching-leaning interaction by four categories of university students in Nigeria (Conventional, National Open University of Nigerian, Open Distance learners, and Postgraduate learners) was investigated for possible inequity; using comparative ex post facto research design. Disproportional stratified random sampling was employed to draw a sample of 1200 students for the study. Data were collected with a highly valid (0.721 to 0.891) and reliable (0.832 to 0.880) instrument, dubbed xMOOCs Readiness Indicators. Results demonstrated overwhelming preponderance of Postgraduates' incomparable superiority over other students across all the eight factors of readiness for xMOOCs (study skills, motivation, self-direction, computer skills, Internet skills, communication skills, self-efficacy, and ICT facilities ownership). There is inequity in Nigeria in terms of university students' readiness for xMOOCs. While xMOOCs can and should successfully be used for postgraduate programs in Nigeria as the learners are suitably ready for it; the three categories of undergraduate learners' readiness for xMOOCs demand radical improvement before this swiftly revolutionary educational approach can be adopted optimally fruitfully in the country.
Methodological approaches and efforts towards attainment of excellence in higher education, as the most powerful instrument for social and economic advancement, are undergoing major changes technologically and otherwise. For the university to play a leading role in the ever-changing world of globalization, internationalization, and digitalization; the university curriculum must necessarily be adapted to suit the Revolutionary Information Age that we live in. Learning Management Systems (LMSs) are used all over Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Oceania, and most countries in Africa for the purpose. The need to acquire, know, understand, and actually use LMS in the Third World countries as in the Developed World has arisen and is rapidly increasing aggressively in today's ever-changing globalized digital knowledge economy. Unfortunately however, LMS is not yet in use in any of the universities in Nigeria as a function of lack of information about how LMSs are being used, where and how to acquire LMSs, and which LMSs are the most adopted elsewhere in the world. This research aimed at, and provided the requisite information for universities to easily acquire, develop and use LMSs for effective delivery of higher education to meet the internationalization and globalization needs of the Revolutionary Information Age.
The purpose of the study was to identify the hindrances to distance learning program in two cities in Anambra State. Three research questions guided the study. The study adopted survey research design. A sample of 180 students and 30 facilitators (total 210) were randomly selected to participate in the study. A 15-item questionnaire was developed and used to collect data from the respondents. The data collected was analyzed using weighted mean. Findings indicated that poor Information and Communications Technology (ICT) knowledge and skills, lack of enough time for the studentss study, work pressure, academic stress, poor remuneration to the facilitators and other administrative and mode of delivery issues hinder Distance Learning and prevent some people for not availing themselves of the opportunity for distance learning program. It was thus recommended among other things that Government and management of the various centers should regularly train their staff and students of Distance Learning on computer and technological applications to optimize the potentials of Distance Learning. Also, students enrolling for Distance Learning should properly obtain knowledge of Information and Communications Technology; organize their time and resources to limit academic stress. Finally some limitations of the findings were noted and suggestions for further research, made.
Teaching online requires different skills, roles and competencies for online instructors compared to teaching in traditional learning environments. Universities should offer ongoing support in various forms to help academic staff through their online journey. This paper provides insights into a multinational faculty development program for teaching online, elaborating on results of expectancy and satisfaction surveys. From a local program to a subproject within the Swiss National Science Foundation Project Scopes, e-Tutor aimed at expanding competencies in online lecturing and providing OER material for training colleagues. Designed in the form of a descriptive case study, this research was conducted with 34 attendees of e-Tutor. Data was collected using an e-learning readiness and expectancy questionnaire, and open-ended questions after the program to measure satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey data and content analysis for open-ended data. Participants considered e-Tutor a well-planned and targeted program with good theoretical and practical balance. Duration of such courses, opportunities for adaptation to real-life situations, and localization of the content are areas to be explored further. For future studies, it would also be interesting to see whether participants can apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills to create efficient online learning environments.
MOOCs have grabbed the headlines and rightfully become the focal point of the disruption under way in higher education; MOOCs are just one spice among many online-education spices, that result of Information and communication technologies (ICTs) which have been touted as potentially powerful enabling tools for educational change and reform. When used appropriately, different ICTs are said to help expand access to education, strengthen the relevance of education to the increasingly digital workplace, and raise educational quality by, among others, helping make teaching and learning into an engaging, active process connected to real life. This paper has provided the application of massive online open courses in Tertiary Institutions in Nigerian: Prospects and Challenges.
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is an emerging learning platform aimed at infinite participation and access through the Internet. Recently, MOOC is globally becoming a key instrument in digitally mediated learning and teaching, due to its ability to provide interactive user forums to support community interactions among participants and instructors. Despite its global acceptance, countries in sub-Saharan Africa suffer some drawbacks within the context of awareness and adoption. Kano state is one of the cities in Sub-Saharan Africa with high population where MOOCs participation is significantly needed. Therefore, the rationale of this study is to appraise the level of awareness, perceived benefits and challenges of MOOCs adoption among University students of Kano State, Nigeria. The study was conducted in form of a survey using structured questionnaire administered to three hundred (300) randomly selected respondents. Finding from the study revealed a variation in the level of awareness among IT and non IT inclined students. The investigation of MOOC benefits indicates improved learning performance and effectiveness among study samples. The study further revealed user unfriendliness, inadequate Internet connectivity, power instability and cost of enrolments as factors influencing slow adoption of MOOC. The evidence from the study suggests that, awareness and adoption of MOOCs can be enhanced through establishment of hubs, provision of national accredited curriculum and subsidized cost of enrollments.
Aim/Purpose Electronic examinations have some inherent problems. Students have expressed negative opinions about electronic examinations (e-examinations) due to a fear of, or unfamiliarity with, the technology of assessment, and a lack of knowledge about the methods of e-examinations. Background Electronic examinations are now a viable alternative method of assessing student learning. They provide freedom of choice, in terms of the location of the examination, and can provide immediate feedback; students and institutions can be assured of the integrity of knowledge testing. This in turn motivates students to strive for deeper learning and better results, in a higher quality and more rigorous educational process. Methodology This paper compares an e-examination system at FUT Minna Nigeria with one in Australia, at the University of Tasmania, using case study analysis. The functions supported, or inhibited, by each of the two e-examination systems, with different approaches to question types, cohort size, technology used, and security features, are compared. Contribution The researchers' aim is to assist stakeholders (including lecturers, invigilators, candidates, computer instructors, and server operators) to identify ways of improving the process. The relative convenience for students, administrators, and lecturer/assessors and the reliability and security of the two systems are considered. Challenges in conducting e-examinations in both countries are revealed by juxtaposing the systems. The authors propose ways of developing more effective e-examination systems.
This study investigated the influence of University Students’ Demographic Variables on their Entrepreneurial Business Venture Choices in Cross River State, Nigeria and its implication for management effectiveness. Two null hypotheses were formulated and tested at .05 level of significance. Ex post facto design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised three thousand, nine hundred and sixty (3,960) final year students of nine (9) faculties from two universities (University of Calabar and Cross River University of Technology) in Cross River State. The sample was three hundred and ninety six (396) final year students drawn from the faculties through stratified random sampling technique. A researcher-developed questionnaire named “Students’ Demographics and Entrepreneurial Business Venture Choice Questionnaire (SDEBVCQ)” was used for data collection. Contingency Chi-square analysis was used in testing the two hypotheses. Results of the analysis revealed that there is a significant influence of ethnic/geo-political and family business background on entrepreneurial business venture choices of university students. Based on these results, it was recommended that wide range of business choices should be provided in the entrepreneurial programme for students to choose from with emphasis on their demographics. The university system should device strategies to assist the students that indicated their intentions to start enterprises while in school and after graduation through incubation programmes.
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