ICSHER JOURNAL Vol. 1, No. 2 (September, 2015): 39 47 Towards a Technologically Enhanced Quality Open and Distance Learning Practices in the Open and Distance Education Programmes of the National Teachers Institute Kaduna Nigeria and its Implication for Capacity Building 1 Aminu Ladan Sharehu and 2Emmanuel Edoja Achor 1 Associate Professor and Director General and Chief Executive, National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna Nigeria. 2Professor of Science Education, Department of Curriculum and Teaching, Benue State University, Makurdi Nigeria; nuelachor@yahoo.com Abstract The supervisory body to all degree awarding institutions in Nigeria, the National University Commission (NUC) had acknowledged long before now that all stakeholders agree that the practice of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) by the conventional dual mode universities is far below acceptable best practice and that at best, they are in transition from the running of part time or sandwich courses to distance learning. Admitting that the National Open University, the only university with approval to run ODL certainly can’t satisfy the over 170 million Nigerians, the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) in Nigeria beyond other programmes it has mounted previously has decided to run ODL degree programmes also but using lecturers from the conventional universities as facilitators. It is the obvious challenge facing the workability of this arrangement that necessitated this paper titled towards a technologically enhanced quality open and distance learning practices in the open and distance education programmes of the NTI Kaduna Nigeria and the implications it has for capacity building. Best ODL practices worldwide are determined by how extensively it is ICT driven. The challenge of using the practically unfit conventional lecturers as facilitators has placed a demand on NTI that a strategic plan be made to train facilitators for fully ICT dependent ODL programmes. It is discussed in the paper the accompanying challenges in the area of cost, time and availability of such facilitators. The rural dominated settlement pattern in Nigeria is envisaged to place a major obstacle in the area of contacts, communication, power need and wooing sufficient patronage. It is recommended among others that a leave should be borrowed from successful existing ODL institutions world over as well as having the understanding that it is the facilitators that determine if a programme is ODL or face to face conventional type and so the programme must be given whatever it takes financially for adequate capacity building. Key words: Open and distance learning, best practices in ODL, ICT capacity building, ODL teaching. the other extreme end are countries with poorest practices that are competing with face to face conventional universities. It is in the face of this that the authors in this paper begin to question the take off point of the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) Kaduna Nigeria more especially that she is prepared to use facilitators selected from conventional universities and who by practice and experience are used to face to face approach of lesson delivery. There is apparent Introduction The drive to make the world a global village has in part made it expedient that majority is of the world population become ICT literate. This is further stressed by the fact that an advantage of this technology (that is, ICT) is being harnessed in Open Distance Learning (ODL) programmes world over. However, what is observed currently is a kind of continuum whereby on one extreme end are countries with best ODL practices and on 39 Aminu Ladan Sharehu and Emmanuel Edoja Achor strengthened the potentialities of ODL. ODL is now accepted world wide as an alternative mode of education. It has proved to be cost effective in improving educational opportunities and one of the most feasible and viable alternative modes of education which has broadened areas of education to all those who by one way or the other could not get access. Perraton, Robinson and Creed (2007) indicated that ODL is increasingly being used to: 1. Provide cost effective pre-service and inservice teacher education. 2. Support School based pre-service and continuing professional development programmes for teachers 3. Upgrade unqualified teachers and enable qualified teachers to acquire higher teaching qualifications 4. Provide teachers in remote or rural areas with access to professional training, thereby meeting their continuing professional development needs, and 5. Ensure quick dissemination of information to large number of teachers about curriculum innovations, new teaching methodologies, practical and new professional standards for teaching. The teacher is the most important factor in the school system. This is evident in some states in Nigeria that have made giant strides in the provision of basic infrastructure in schools and the huge investment made by the Universal Basic Education Commission in providing physical plants but they are now turning to teacher development. All stakeholders in education in Nigeria have seen that the challenges of teacher quality and quantity cannot be met through the conventional face-to-face education alone (Danjuma & Achor, 2015). To get a technologically savy populace requires sound science and technology education. This will be midwifed by a crop of conscientious quality teachers. At the moment lecturers recruited as facilitators do challenge of misfit or expecting too much from those who by training were not prepared to use ODL lesson delivery strategy. This has obvious implications for training. Some of these challenges can be addressed in the training context. However, most of them relate to the wider environment that any learner of facilitation concepts and skills will eventually have to operate in, and therefore will need strategies other than training to enable the participants to practice their new facilitation skills (Braakman & Edwards, 2002). The unanswered question is how do the NTI in Nigeria ensure that facilitators recruited from conventional universities are made fit to handle courses using ODL strategies? This formed the focus of this paper. According to Sharehu and Achor (2014), the Institute has recently mapped out new areas for exploration. These are introduction of Bachelor degree programmes: B. A. (Ed.) Primary Education Studies, B. A. (Ed.) Social Studies, B. A. (Ed.) English Language, B. Sc. (Ed.) Integrated Science, B. Sc. (Ed.) Mathematics and B. Sc. (Ed.) Physical and Health Education. These programmes are for a start and more programmes will be included as the Institute progresses. Specifically in June 2015 the programme took off with facilitators recruited from existing face to face universities and other tertiary institutions. ODL is an umbrella term covering both Distance and Open education approaches in which education reaches teachers in their schools, provide learning resources for them, or enable them to qualify without attending the institution in person or open up new opportunities for keeping up to date, no matter where or when they want to study (Danjuma, 2014). It makes use of several different media. Students may learn through print, broadcast, the Internet and through occasional meetings with tutors and with other students. The use of ICT has 40 ICSHER JOURNAL Vol. 1, No. 2 (September, 2015) not have the necessary skills to execute the aforementioned objectives. of the material in the unit. Self-tests are interspersed throughout the units and answers are given within the units. Working through these tests will definitely help you to achieve the objectives of the unit and prepare you for the assignments and the examination. It is advised that you should do each selftests as you come across in the study unit. There will also be numerous examples given in the study units; work through them when you come to them, too. The practical strategies for working through the course are mentioned. If you have any trouble, telephone your facilitator/tutor or post the question on the Web CT site for discussion. Remember that facilitators are to help you. Here, you will get an opportunity to discuss with them your problems pertaining to the courses of your study. So, when you need help, don’t hesitate to consult your facilitator to provide it. How to Get the Most from the O D L Course Materials In clear terms tell the students what they can expect and what they cannot so that they prepare their minds for fairly independent work. It is expected that facilitators lead the learners to get the best out of the materials provided. They need to be told and be expected to make this part of instruction. For instance: In distance learning, the study units replace the lecturer. This is one of the great advantages of distance learning; you can read and work through specially designed study materials at your own pace, and at a time and place that suit you best. Think of it as reading the lecture instead of listening to a lecture. In the same way that a lecturer might set you some reading to do, the study units tell you when to read your set books or other materials, and when to undertake computing practical work. Just a lecturer might give you an in-class exercise, your study units provide exercise for you to do at appropriate points. Each of the study unit follows a common format. The first item is an introduction to the subject matter of the unit and how a particular unit is integrated with the other units and the course as a whole. Then, there is a set of learning objectives. These objectives let you know what you should be able to do by the time you have completed the unit. You should use these objectives to guide your study. When you have finished the unit, you must go back and check whether you have achieved the objectives. If you make a habit of doing this, you will significantly improve your chances of passing the course. The main body of the unit guides you through the required reading from other sources. It will enhance your understanding Best Practices in ODL Facilitation Success of ODL lies in how it is conducted. More often than not most facilitators hardly know the difference between being an ODL facilitator and a face to face normal class room practice lecturer. Consequently what exists is usually something between ODL and face to face classroom practices and never any of the two. Perhaps if we know what best practices in ODL are, it may help to keep facilitators on track all the time. Some of these best practices are: 1. Frequent communication with students a. A facilitator is expected to communicate with his students through text messages and or mails (e-mail, g-mail, face book, etc) on weekly basis. This could be initiated either by students or by the facilitator. b. What to communicate could either be assignment, tips on already given assignment, solution to problem 41 Aminu Ladan Sharehu and Emmanuel Edoja Achor c. Relevant information that were not included in the text which you passed to learners should be written out and given to the authority for perusal and possible inclusion in the next review. This also allows the authority to know how diligent you are and the correctness of self edited information passed to learners. 4. Face to face contact session should be well publicized and prepared for a. The number of face to face meetings should be determined before the commencement of work in a course (most often it is determined by the credit units of the course) and passed on to the learners b. Reminders and expectations to wet learners’ appetite should be sent at least twice before each meeting. c. Preparation ahead of such meeting makes it comprehensive, exciting and boost attendance. It is during preparation that it is confirmed if recording materials care available and in working condition. Others are how many students are being expected, what hall to use, what writing board is available and the screen. 5. Facilitator as a motivator to students a. Since many students may not be ICT literate from the onset the facilitator is expected motivate them by taking 5 to 10 minutes off during face to face contact to educate the students on how to use their phones and lap/desk tops to enjoy the best of ODL b. Sometimes the money may not be there for the students to buy lap top, moderm and other facilities necessary for their given earlier, date for submission of assignment, dates for next face to face contact, internet address on where to get information on assignment, downloaded materials, reminder on already sent information, seeking their views on next line of action, asking them to help find out source or internet address for a needed information, calling their attention to a news paper or published information related the course, etc. 2. Lecture materials passed down to students in both visual and audio forms. a. Students must be in possession of the text for the course before you can commence facilitation. Where the course material (that is, text) is not available, such course should be shifted to a semester or year that it will be made available b. Recorded lectures should be passed down in MP3 or other forms and at no cost to the learners. This could be done using Audacity programme. c. During face to face contacts, VCD should be produced for mass distribution. By implication study centres should have all the required ICT facilities that will enhance such recordings. 3. Editing of course materials a. A facilitator is expected to read through the course text material/s and identify errors with a view to pointing attention of learners to it at appropriate time. This is necessary as there can hardly be any text without errors. b. Recorded audio or VCDs should be edited by listening to it or watch the production to ensure that error is minimized. 42 ICSHER JOURNAL Vol. 1, No. 2 (September, 2015) no room for excuse for any tertiary lecturer not having these ICT facilities. Students are expected to have them and use them; therefore facilitators MUST have them and SHOULD know how to use them also. 7. Prompt feedback a. In ODL the lecturer is being gradually and systematically replaced by print, visual, audio and audio-visual learning materials. Therefore the learners should be promptly feed with outcomes of assignment submitted (ie, TMA or Tutor Marked Assignment), tests written and all posers given to students. b. In science and mathematics students need to see how to solve problems (ie, the working) given as work examples and TMA even when the answers are given at the end of their text books. c. Facilitators should tolerate students reminding them on the feedback for any hanging assignment, test or poser given which was not returned to them. By this, the issue of a facilitator forgetting to hand over such back to students may not be there. You should be approachable in this regard. 8. Helping students who are not well informed generally and deficient in ICT a. Peculiar to developing nations like Nigeria more than half of your students are likely to be poorly informed: do not read newspapers, do not listen to radio, have no access to internet, no source of light, have no laptop and stay in rural areas. Your ingenuity as a professional studies but with information and encouragement on advantages of having them, how and where to get them very cheap, etc they may decide to go extra miles to buy them c. Your students should be your friends as you make it easy for them to approach you, call you on phone, send text or e-mail to you and so on. It is expected that you tell them during first contact your preferred means for them to contact you when there is need. This will prevent students from offending you. Note that students MUST contact you whenever they want but tell them how. d. You can encourage them to willingly accept to go for computer/ICT training to enable them enjoy your lessons and information that you will be sending to them. 6. Facilitators should be able to do what they say a. It is one thing to expect learners to use their phones, lap tops, emails, face books and it is another thing for the facilitator to be able to use them also. If any facilitator was engaged without knowing how to use these means of passing on information, it is considered to be a serious error but you can quickly help the situation by enrolling with an ICT training centre to train. Asking people to do these for you at pay limits your frequency of contacts with your students. b. It is expected that facilitators have internet ready phones, lap tops and moderm for internet provision. The age we are leaves 43 Aminu Ladan Sharehu and Emmanuel Edoja Achor teacher should be called to play to ensure that you baby seat as a counselor help such students to get connected communication wise, enroll for ICT training, give them personal calls to confirm receipt of information, and so on. b. Taking a little time during break period during contact days to discuss, educate, rehearse and give such students opportunity to ask questions and become close to you to enable them ask questions would be regarded as professional maturity on your part and going extra mile to help. How to even check their mails, send mails, download information, surf on internet could be part of the help. used extensively. 4. The course must not commence unless all students have the print course material or the module/s. it is a basic requirement for take-off. 5. Many educational resources educational resources available for use and adaptation are referred to as Open Educational Resources (DER). They include full courses, courses materials, modules, text books, streaming videos, tests, software, virtual labs, remote labs and any other tools, materials or techniques used to support access to knowledge (NTI, 2012). To get the maximum benefit from OERs you need to be computer literate possess the relevant skills such as: • Open Education Resources (OER) and Technologies to be Used to Teach ODL depends on technologically enhanced environment for effective facilitation. Some of the modern technologies or means of facilitation include: 1. Mobile phones for text messages, phone calls, e-mails, face book, twitter depending on the capacity of the phone. Students should be encouraged to buy phones that could have all the facilities mentioned as some may not be able to afford lap top immediately or have access to internet regularly. 2. Laptop for internet access if there is a modem or any other internet facility. Formal arrangement should be made to enable students get very cheap laptop on their own (no middle person). 3. CD ROMs, video conferencing, audio recorded tutorials, VCD tutorials should be used and sent to students. Science requires a lot of face contacts and so this technology will solve 80% of the face contact requirements. It should be • • • • • Ability to search, collect and process electronic information, data and concepts and use them in a systematic way. Ability to use appropriate aids such as presentations, graphs, charts, maps, etc. Ability to access and search a website and to use internet-based services such as discussion forums and e-mails wherever infrastructure permits. Ability to evaluate the materials in terms of appropriateness for use, quality, currency, language, credibility, etc. Ability to recreate and share materials with others. Users forum exist where users exchange ideas. Some of the online OERs that may be very useful to facilitators are MIT Open courseware, MOOC, Free Videos Online, TESSA, NSTA Express Learning Centre, NOUN. One of the issues bothering science teacher educators has been how an ODE can effectively teach the practical skills at a distance. The design of the programme may not create adequate time for practical work. 44 ICSHER JOURNAL Vol. 1, No. 2 (September, 2015) Practical handbook that may guide facilitators may be non-existent. Thus, negotiating the practical component of the science teacher education programme is major challenge in ODE. To address this problem tutors can explore the use of virtual and remote laboratories on the internet. a. Virtual laboratories Virtual laboratories are used as an alternative or a supplement to the physical or real laboratories in the teaching and learning of science. Virtual laboratories are defined as one type of interactive multimedia objects. Interactive multimedia objects are composed of various formats that include text, hypertext, sound, images, animations, video and graphics. Virtual laboratories are available in three formats: i. Virtual laboratories with 2-D simulations ii. Virtual laboratories with 3-D simulations and iii. Sensor-actuated and remotely controlled virtual laboratories While the benefits they offer and the costs are not the same, they all contribute positively to the teaching and learning of science and technology at a distance. The benefits include: - The requirements for space, instrumentation, human support is very high in real laboratories but these are of little concern in virtual laboratories even when dealing with large number of students. - The cost to set up a virtual laboratory is relatively low compared to a real laboratory. - Maintenance costs are very low as there is no need for daily maintenance and expertise to function. - Virtual laboratories give unlimited opportunities to ODE students to conduct laboratory experiments without going to physical laboratories. - Virtual laboratory have no safety concerns compared to real laboratories. - Students are more active in a virtual environment because of its user friendly interface and easy to understand concepts by students. - Complex problems or difficult practical are easily carried out in virtual laboratories. - The facilitator also benefit from virtual laboratories as parameters for experiments can be changed at will which can be otherwise timeconsuming in real laboratories. Virtual labs and computer simulations of experiments and/ or complex instruments have been used to enable learners to gain experience in the use and control of science apparatus and instruments without the necessity of having the equipment available (Danjuma & Achor, 2015). However, it should be noted that although virtual labs are valuable educational tools, they do not provide hands-on manipulation of laboratory equipments and techniques. Ferinash and Wisman (2001) cautioned that they should not replace practical laboratory experimentations. Lofty as the benefits of Virtual Labs are to ODE, it is doubtful whether its use in a developing country like Nigeria can be so seamless giving the level of infrastructural development and ICT expertise. Also, the ODE courses will have to be designed to take cognizance of the use of virtual labs and multimedia packages. Most of the selfInstructional Modules do not take cognizance of this. The study centres too should be able to accommodate the use of virtual laboratories where individual students do not have the resources. The facilitators must be abreast of this development. Monitoring of its implementation must be guaranteed. Other quality assurance measures must be put in place. All these will cost money which I 45 Aminu Ladan Sharehu and Emmanuel Edoja Achor doubt will be readily available. Using VL needs serious planning and organisation. In addition to the above, the requirements for using virtual laboratories in ODE will include: - Students are required to have basic computing and ICT knowledge otherwise they cannot benefit maximally from the use of virtual laboratories. - There are some hardware and networking requirements. These may not be available at the study centres. - The cost of virtual laboratories too can be high. The software are also continuously changing as the technology does. They can become obsolete very soon. - Ethics of science can be easily compromised as data manipulation by learners to obtain a specific outcome or result that favors them is highly plausible. No matter how sophisticated a virtual laboratory is, it can never replace the unexpected characteristics of real laboratories – the word, noise, the random error, the faulty machinery, etc. Thus, it can never replace a hands-onlaboratory due to its less realism. However, for virtual laboratories to have a positive impact, the simulation must be as close to the real setting as possible. The import of this is that science teacher education through ODE without the provision of science kits, virtual field work and virtual laboratories will be grossly inadequate. The required hands- on activities that will instill in the trainees the necessary competences may not be effectively carried out or may be left out completely. b. Remote Laboratory With the advent of World Wide Web there has been a great deal of efforts placed on bringing the student laboratory experience online. A virtual environment can prepare students for a real laboratory environment or reinforce concepts from theory or experiment. However, a remote lab achieves many of the same things as a virtual laboratory but also allows learners to physically carry out real experiments over the web. Students obtain real results using real substance and make real conclusions, just as if they would if they were in the laboratory with the equipment (Kennepohl, 2001). Remote laboratories represent the best alternative to working in a real laboratory. They are employed to: 1. Allow observations of natural phenomenon on experiments. 2. Carry out measurements. 3. Manipulate instruments or physical objects in experiments. 4. Facilitate collaborative work at a distance. The importance of the opportunity to do real experiment as opposed to simulations cannot be understated and has often been stressed by researchers (Cooper, 2005). Remote laboratories provide viable alternatives to a real experience. Implications for Capacity Building Amidst cost, time and waste of resources, there can be no meaningful progress if the facilitators are oblivious of using technology enhanced ODL strategy as mode of instruction. The categories of facilitators engaged are novices in use of ICT for lecture. Though identified and briefly discussed in this paper, deliberate, intensive and continuous training is necessary for the teachers to catch up with the technology related demand upon them. What is not certain is the availability of the facilitators for this laborious training if the funds are made available. This worry is anchored on the fact that the facilitators have their primary assignment. Second, they are already used to a strategy and have become experts in it; there are therefore some elements of doubts as to whether the facilitators are prepared for the expected adjustments. Nigeria is a rural dominated country and therefore both the students and the facilitators from such location are disadvantaged in use of ICT for teaching and learning. The deficiency is in both availability of networks, poor knowledge of ICT and absence or irregular power supply. NTI degree programme in Nigeria is expected to draw majority of her ODL programme students from the rural dwellers who are not close to conventional universities and who may be disadvantaged in many ways. If such groups of people are excluded from the programme it may have depleting effects on the enrolment. Ordinarily it may be appropriate that the programme should be put on hold until the expected training is carried out and the facilitators tested and found fit for use. If this is 46 ICSHER JOURNAL Vol. 1, No. 2 (September, 2015) Danjuma, I. M. (2014). Challenges of producing science teachers through Open and Distance Education (ODE). A paper presented at the 4th National Teachers’ Summit, NTI Kaduna. Danjuma, I. M. & Achor, E. E. (2015). NTI/NOUN bachelor’s degree programme through open and distance learning system: A guide for instructors/tutors of integrated science. In T. K. Adeyanju (Eds.), Guide to facilitators. Kaduna NTI pub. Ferinash, K. & Wisman, R. (2001). The viability of distance education science laboratories. T.H.E Journal, 29 (2), 38 – 45.Retrieved, September 17, 2014 from: http://www.thejournal.com/articles/15590 Kennepohl, D. (2001). Using computer simulations to supplement teaching laboratories in chemistry for distance delivery. Journal of Distance Education, 16 (2), 58 – 65. Kennepohl, D. (2007). Using home laboratory kits to teach general chemistry. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 8, 337346. MDGs (2012). Primary School Resource Persons’ Guide. National Teachers’ Institute, Kaduna Press. NUC BMAS (2007). National Universities Commission Benchmark for Minimum Academic Standards, Abuja. Perraton, H., Robinson, B., & Creed, C., (Eds). (2007). International case studies of teacher education at a distance. Vol. 12. Centre for Distance Education, Carl von Ossietzky University: Oldenburg, Germany. Sharehu, A. L. & Achor, E. E. (2014). Repositioning national teachers’ institute in Nigeria for optimum distance learning service: Challenges and prospects. In D. Dichaba & D. Nwaozuzu (Eds.), Rethinking teaching and learning in the 21st century (78-85). Pretoria South Africa: African Research Forum Pub. not the case, the alternative of intermittent training and comprehensive Teachers’ Guide may have to be dispatched in advance before commencement of the programme. Though the intention of using facilitators from existing institutions is to save money, money may have to be expended at the beginning to ensure that it is ODL and not conventional face to face programme. Conclusion and Recommendations The challenge of using the practically unfit conventional lecturers as facilitators for NTI ODL degree programme in Nigeria has placed a demand on NTI that a strategic plan be made to train facilitators for fully ICT dependent ODL programmes. This is further faced with challenges like cost on the part of the proprietor, time and availability on the part of the facilitators and the barriers due to location differences such as energy, poor communication and low enrolment. It is recommended that the programme should not commence until the facilitators are trained and tested fit for use for the programme. In the alternative, intermittent training and guide to teachers should be produce and discussed with all recruited facilitators in a seminar. Deliberate efforts should be made by NTI management and the proprietor, that is, the Federal Government of Nigeria to minimize location barriers such as poor communication, poor energy supply and poor patronage. Facilitators who are overloaded in their places of primary assignment should not be engaged as it will affect their availability to students and for training too. References Braakman, L. & Edwards, K. (2002). The art of building facilitation capacities: a training manual, video and self-study CD. Bangkok: RECOFTC. Cooper, M. (2005). Remote laboratories in teaching and learning: Issues impinging on widespread adoption in science and engineering education. International Journal of Online Engineering, 1, 1-7. 47