AVAILABILITY AND UTILIZATION OF ICT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING BUSINESS EDUCATION COURSES

ABSTRACT

The study examines the availability and level of utilization of ICT in teaching and learning of business education courses in Ebonyi State University Abakaliki. The survey design was adopted in the study. A population of 200 respondents was used in the study. A sample of 100 respondents comprising business education students was selected using the simple random sampling technique. The technique of Mean and frequencies were employed in data analysis. The findings of the study indicate interactive ICT facilities are grossly lacking for teaching and learning of business education courses. Also, it was revealed in the study that interactive ICT are not utilized for teaching business education courses. Non interactive ICT devices were also revealed to be lacking for teaching of business education courses and were thereby rarely utilized in business education implementations. From the findings of the study, it was recommended that Government and other relevant stakeholders in education should provide adequate ICT resources for the teaching of business education courses in tertiary institutions. This will enable teachers to eectively utilize them in the classroom and at the same time help to equip students with appropriate ICT skills needed for eective functioning in the modern electronic age, In-service training programme such as seminars, onthe-job retraining and retraining programmes, workshops on ICT resources utilization should be mounted on a regular basis for serving business educators in tertiary institutions and finally, ICT agencies should assist with free distribution of ICT resources to tertiary institutions as their corporate social responsibility to communities. Free donation of ICT equipment will help communities of practice to utilize them since findings shows that non utilization is associated with non-availability of ICT resources.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Teaching and learning are inseparable concepts with learning playing more of judgmental role to teaching. It is believed that “unless the child learns the teacher has not taught”. Though teaching and learning are intimately linked processes and are interdependent as well as inter woven, teaching is a social phenomenon, while learning is a psychological phenomenon. It is teaching which generally results into learning but there can be learning without teaching. Teachers in the recent trend of teaching and learning are therefore seen as facilitators or guide, and I believe this can better be enhanced through utilisation of ICT facilities. The nub of teaching learning process lies in the moment by moment relationship between the willing leaner and the competent coteacher. Rao (2008) quoted Burton (2001) who argues that teaching can be made eective by relating it to learning; teaching objectives can be identified in behavioural term and appropriate learning situations may be created to realise these objectives. The appropriate teaching condition or structures may be generated for eective learning; the eective teaching aids may be selected for creating strategies and tactics may be selected to achieve the optimal object of learning; the concept of relationship of teaching and learning will be an aid to understand the nature of teaching and thereby, teaching theories may be evolved. The knowledge of the relationship will equally be helpful for teaching to produce effective Business Education teachers. ICT has been acknowledged globally as one of the greatest techniques infused into the teaching learning process.

It is used in the context of this research work to imply a diverse set of electronic technologies, technological tools and resources used to communicate, disseminate, store and manage information in the course of teaching and learning. ICT include computers, the internet, broadcasting technologies and telephony (Adoni and Kpangbam, 2010; Chukwudi and Ejita, 2008). The impact of ICT on learning is the vision that it enables learning anywhere, any time and anyhow. ICTs are utlised during academic activities especially by lecturers and students (Usang, Azubuike and Umoren, 2007). Anissimov (2009); Bless and Truth (2009) and Bliss (2009) agrees with this view but further noted that there is variation in the level of usage of ICT in tertiary institutions among countries. The emergence of information and communication technology (ICT) has totally revolutionalized the way we access, process, store, retrieve and disseminate within organisation or across the globe according to Miller and Akume (2009). Information and communication technology refers to a systematic process of gathering, processing, storing, sending and retrieving of information through the print, broadcast, computing and telecommunications media (Onwuagboke, 2009). Similarly, Achuonye (2002) sees information and communication technology as the collection, storage, processing dissemination and use of information. Information and communication technology has the potential to accelerate, enrich and deepen skills; motivate and engage students in learning; it also help in relating school experiences to work practices, helps to create economic viability for workers; contributes to radical changes in school; strengthen teaching and provides opportunities for connection between the school and the world (Kirschner and Woperies, 2003).

Ogunsola (2005) sees ICT as an electronically based system of information transmission, reception, processing and retrieval which has drastically changed the way we think, the way we live and the environment in which we live. Information and communication technology oer several opportunities in education, they can be used as a means of preparing the current generation of students for future workplace, that is, providing tools for tomorrows practices. This is underscored in the foreword written by Lemke .C. (1999) in the Milken exchange on education technology commissioned report. Lemke noted inter alia “ today’s students live in a global knowledge based age, and they deserve teachers use of technology (ICTs) students can be given the opportunities of becoming a part of the knowledge age and skills imparted to the young people in an increasing complex world. Teachers will need to use ICTs in order to equip tomorrow’s employees and customers with the requisite competence and knowledge to use ICTs within their work (Davis & Tearle, 1999). ICT has impacted on the quality and quantity of teaching and learning through its dynamic, interactive and engaging. ICT has simplified education through the application of electronics media, internet etc. Ndukwe (2006), emphasized that the production and introduction of calculators and computers in the education system worldwide has helped in simplifying teaching and learning in schools, thereby content, and it provide real opportunities for individualized instruction.