CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Education is a key
factor for sustainable development (Chimombo, 2005). The significance of
education, especially in developing countries, is increasing because of
progressing pressure to catch up with the developed world regarding, for
example, global competitiveness (Hawkins 2002). Predictably, educational
settings are different in developing countries than in developed countries,
such as low quality of education and narrow possibilities in attending schools
in rural areas because of far distances and high opportunity costs. Chimombo,
2005 opined that country-specific circumstances have to be improved regarding
compulsory and free education to foster general access to education. In Article
26 of the 1948 UN universal declaration of human rights the right of
obligatory and free education for everyone is already committed (UN Human
Rights 1948).
The continual
emergence of new technologies has placed academic staff under increasing
pressure to react to these substantial changes within a very short and often
unrealistic time-frame. As stated by Bates and Poole (2003), one of the major
challenges of teaching with technology is that you cannot possibly keep up with
the technology. The paradox of technology enhanced education is that technology
changes very rapidly and human beings change very slowly. Electronic
resources are regarded as the extract of information that are developed through
modern information communication technology devices, refined and redesigned and
more often stored in the cyber space in the most concrete and compact form and
can be accessed at the same time from immeasurable points by a great number of
audience.
E-Learning resources is not important than how
much resources you have, than how feasible they are, in other words, resources
should be readily accessible to all. Before the development of computer and
internet technology, printed version of resources like books, journals,
encyclopaedia, dictionaries, work books, and the likes played significant roles
in learning process. Usually, these printed versions are not easily accessible
to all and are also expensive in nature. For example, if two students want to
refer to a particular book simultaneously, two separate copies of the same book
must be needed in the library. Instead of having the printed version of the
book, if we have electronic or e-version of the book, the same book can be
easily accessed simultaneously by many and also can be accessed from their
drawing room with the help of a personal computer. In this computer age,
e-version of books, journals, etc or e-resources in general have become
inevitable and hence it is very much needed to convert the printed version into
e-version for future needs.
Consequently, the
teaching and learning practices of Nigeria are undergoing a shift from the old
methods to extensive usage of e-learning resources. However, little or no
efforts have been recorded in the identification of influence and impact of
e-learning on academic performance of student in tertiary institutions. As the
use of e-learning is becoming more and more widespread in higher education it
has become increasingly important to examine the impact that this learning
style has on student’s performance. Therefore, this study was designed to
investigate students’ access to e-learning resources and their academic achievement
in college of education using Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Lanlate,
Oyo State, Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The importance of education is increasing because
of increasing pressure to catch up with the developed world regarding, for
example, global competitiveness (Hawkins 2002). Before the advent of e-learning
many people who wanted to obtain tertiary degree had to compete for the few
places that were offered by the public institutions. Those offered places had
to apply for study leave as they had to go through the traditional learning
system. This kind of further education system was characterized by limited number
of students that could be absorbed per an academic year and consequent removal
from their places of work for the duration of their study.
Several research works have been carried out on
academic performance especially on students, but not much on e-learning
students within the Nigerian educational system. There seems to be any study
that focuses on the students’ access to e-learning resources and their academic
achievement in college of education in Nigeria. Certainly, that is what this
study will focus on using students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education,
Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria.
1.3
Research Questions
The following are
some of the questions which this study intends to answer:
i)
what is the prevalence of e-learning
among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education?
ii)
what are the prevailing factors that
affect e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education?
iii)
What are the reasons for the use of
e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education?
1.4 Objectives
of the Study
The main objective of this study was to investigate the student
access to e-learning resources and their academic achievement in college of
education. However, the specific objectives were:
i)
to examine the
prevalence of e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of
Education
ii)
to establish the prevailing
factors that affect e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College
of Education
iii)
to survey the reasons for the
use of e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education
1.5 Significance
of the Study
This study sought to investigate the students’ access to
e-learning resources and their academic achievement in college of education.
The study would provide knowledge and guidelines to that may be of help to
policymakers. The research is therefore of importance for planners, and other
social scientists. Finally, this study provides an input to the students,
teachers and researchers in the areas of e-learning.
1.6 Scope of the
Study
This study will cover undergraduate students of Emmanuel
Alayande College of Education, Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria.
1.7 Limitation of
the study
Apart from time constraint faced by the researcher,
another limitation was that the study did not consider all students studying
through the e-learning mode but only focused on the students of Emmanuel
Alayande College of Education, Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria.
1.8 Definitions
of Terms
The following terms were used in the course of this study:
Academic achievement: is the extent to which a student, teacher or
institution has achieved their short or long-term educational goals.
Access: a means of approaching or entering a place.
E-learning: learning conducted via electronic media, typically on the
Internet.
Student: learner or someone who attends an educational
institution.
REFERENCES
Bates, A. W., & Poole, G. (2003). Effective
teaching with technology in higher education.
Foundations
for success San Francisco,
USA: Jossey-Bass.
Chimombo, J.P.G.
(2005): Issues in basic education in developing countries: an exploration of
policy options for improved delivery. CICE Hiroshima
University, Journal of International Cooperation in Education, Vol.
8 (1), pp. 129-152.
Hawkins, R.(2002). Ten Lessons for ICT and Education in the
Developing World. In: Kirkman, G. et al. (Eds): The Global Information
Technology Report 2001-2002: Readiness for the Networked World, Oxford Universitz Press,
Oxford 2002, 38-43.
UN
Human Rights (1948): Fiftieth anniversary of the universal declaration of human
rights
1948-1998.
Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10
December 1948, URL: http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html