E-learning in Nigeria started way before the pandemic. As a matter of fact, students had already been engaging in the process for self-development purposes, not as a means to augment classroom teaching.
The pandemic only made e-learning in Nigeria popular among institutions as a result of the lockdown and this gave rise to the proliferation of more educational platforms that deploy technology in their solution.
What is e-learning?
E-learning simply means electronic learning. It is a computerized and digital type of education in which texts, videos, audio, pictures and graphics are presented online to students.
Also read, E-Learning Platforms VS Learning Management Systems
It is an alternate learning process carried out on the internet which allows for online interaction between teachers and learners. No physical classrooms, no physical students, no physical teachers.
It enhances curriculum implementation through the development and use of multimedia courseware (Learning Activity Package (LAP), PowerPoint slides, and diskettes) that are relevant to the teaching and learning process.
Content for its platforms are either readymade software or instructional software developed by teachers.
Benefits of e-learning:
- Freedom to learn at one’s pace
- Reduced pressure to learn a quantity of material at certain dates and time
- Users get to choose speed and duration of learning
- Unlimited access to educational resources
- Easy tracking of students’ progress and teaching impact
- Prompt assessment and issuance of certificates
- Personalized experience
- Less expense on building physical structures
In spite of its many benefits, there are factors obstructing its acceptance in Nigeria such as high data consumption, distractions from the environment, epileptic power supply and internet network fluctuations, computer illiteracy, high cost of digital libraries and tech phobia.
We hereby make the following recommendations to the government and learning institutions:
- Compulsory computer education at all levels
- Intensive e-learning training program for teachers
- Digital libraries in all educational institutions
- Up-to-date curriculum
- Alternate sources of power
E-learning has come to stay as it is in our best interest to embrace it and seek ways to make it an impactful experience for its users.
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