Evaluation of Learner Support Services in the Nigeria Certificate in Education by Distance Learning under the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna

Filed in Articles by on June 23, 2022

Evaluation of Learner Support Services in the Nigeria Certificate in Education by Distance Learning under the National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna

ABSTRACT

This research examined the Learner Support Services in the Nigeria Certificate in Education by Distance Learning under the National Teachers‟ Institute, Kaduna.

Five research objectives were articulated and centred on determining the adequacy quality of the NTI Learner Support Services; determining the extent to which the NTI Learner Support Services are being utilized by the Institute in its Nigeria Certificate in Education by Distance Learning System (NCE/DLS).

Determining the capacity of the NTI personnel and Course Facilitators on effective implementation of the NTI Learner Support Services; and determining the perception of students and Course Facilitators on the impact the NTI Learner Support Services on their learning.

An ex-post factor research design was adopted in which questionnaires with the reliability index of 0.87 co-efficient were administered to a sample population of 2,696 from a total population of 9,752 based on the Morgan & Kreycie (1971) table of sampling, from which 2,036 representing 75.52% were returned.

The Data from the respondents was subjected to statistical testing using the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Independent t-test and the findings revealed that; The Learner Support Services/Facilities being used in the Institute in its Nigeria Certificate in Education by Distance Learning are not adequate.

The Learner Support Services/Facilities being used in the Institute‟s Nigeria Certificate in Education by Distance Learning are not qualitative. The Learner Support Services/Facilities in the Nigeria Certificate in Education by Distance Learning are under utilized by the Institute in the training of its teachers through its distance learning system.

INTRODUCTION

Distance Education has a worldwide application, including Nigeria. It started as a correspondence program vide postal services to prepare oversea candidates for General Certificate in Education and update the capacities of the middle manpower between the late 50s and early 60s especially in the newly independent countries.

Distance Education Institutions around the world sprung up since then to address the issue of improved access to education arising from the surge in population and dwindling economy. It was also clear to most governments that providing and maintaining the required physical infrastructure in educational institutions were becoming increasingly difficult in both basic and higher levels of education.

Distance education is now seen as a remedial strategy to redress the issue of inaccessibility, which will amount to slow pace of development. The practice is still being used to train personnel on job worldwide in proficiency and lifelong skills that are essentially required for personal and corporate development of societies. It is thus seen as a catalyst for personal and societal development.

The National Teachers‟ Institute (NTI) has been using this approach to train large number of teachers in order to address the challenge of inadequacy of qualified teachers in the basic educational sector in the country which was initially witnessed as a result of the expansion of the primary education in 1976.

As the Institute continues to do so, it has remained focussed in the entrenchment of learner support services to address the unique characteristics of distance learners who by the convention of the programme study in isolation in remote and distant places with little help compared to their counterparts in conventional institutions.

REFERENCES

ACDE (2008), 2nd Annual Conference on Distance Education and General Assembly: Open and Distance Learning for Sustainable Development, NOUN, Nigeria.
Adeyemi B.A (2005), the development of distance Higher education in Nigeria. Africa Journal of Historical Science in education 2 (1) 55-63
Allsop, T & Raza, R. (2006), Using Distance Education for Skills Development. International Research Foundation for Open Learning (IRFOL): Cambridge
Bhaskar, S. (nd) Learner support services in open and distance learning: Issues and evidences from the State of Assam, wikieducator.org/images/d/d3/Bhaskar_Sarmah.pdf
Bloom, B.S, Thomas J. H, George, F.M (1971) A Handbook of Formative Evaluation of Students‟ Learning, Mcgraw Hillook Company; New York
Board of Regents (2000) Distance Education Standards for Academic and Students‟ Support- Guidelines for distance education credit program, www.wisconsin.edu/acss/acis/destandards.pdf

CSN Team.

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