CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study       

The word of today is characterized by revolutionary advances powered by information and communication technology (ICT).The world is being reduced to a global village through the use of information ICT, ICT promotes national development and better relationship with other nations. ICT refers to the electronic and communication devices associated with human interactive materials that enable users to employ them for a whole range of teaching and learning process(Cox preston and Cox ,1999). ICT is the fusion of two technologies; They are Information Technology(IT) and Communication Technology temporary world especially in the industrialized societies to the extent of giving a new phase to the education system in terms of pedagogical approach(Ololube ,2006). According to Fari (2010), ICT facilities available for the identification ,generation, processing ,storage packaging,` preservation, conservation and transfer of information ,regardless of time and distance constraints. In other words, ICTs are information handling tools used for producing, storing, storing, processing, distributing and exchanging of information. Today it is an increasingly powerful tool for participating in global markets, promoting political accountability, improving the delivery of basic services and enhancing local basic services and enhancing local development opportunities (UNDP, 2006) ICT facilities influence and affect people’s private and corporate work life in one way or the other. These ICT facilities are all encompassing in areas like technology, socialization, politics, economics and education for global information. Therefore, it becomes pertinent for teachers, who serve as key implementers of the nation’s educational policy, to be well informed and adequately equipped with ICT facilities in order to function productively in this age of information explosion and technological advancement.

The Federal ministry of Education (identifies the role of ICT Policy on education amongst others as;

i.                   The policy provides the needed guidance on what is expected in the entire process of ICT

ii.                 Integration in education to all stake holders in education.

Its implementation, therefore, should lead to a speedy transformation of the teaching, learning and administration of education .This in turn will foster the production of graduates in the education system. That can survive in the contemporary society, sustain national development and compete Globally.

The realization of this policy statement lies basically in the capability of the key implementers of the nation’s educational policy i.e. teachers to integrate ICT –Driven instructional aids effectively through Computer Assisted mode of Instruction [CAI] in their day classroom activities for effective pedagogy. It is clear that ICT is a world of its own, it has various diversified aspects.  The aspects relevant to this study is ICT-Driven Instructional aid basically, the ‘’Computer Assisted Instruction [CAI] is one of the Products of computer technology and it proves to be an effective method of instruction delivery. It is pertinent to  note that CAI has a major advantage of individualizing self- instruction by presenting  varied and flexible experience to the individual learner and takes care of learners’’ indifference. It also make use of guided discovery and enquiry method which ensure the application of effective teaching methods to the learner. It therefore implies the provision of these ICT-driven Instructional facilities on their own cannot make any impact the student ‘’academic performance until they are effectively utilized in teaching and learning process. Okafor [2009] , states that that in applying the CAI mode of instruction, the computer is fed in sequential manner with that to teach , the steps to be followed ,how to evaluate success ,how and when other classroom activities are to be carried out. This informs the basis of investigating into the impact of teaching technology education in Kaduna polytechnic ‘’.

The national policy on education states that education is an instrument for effecting national development [Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004]. It makes the incorporation of ICT into teaching learning process a vital instructional tool in fostering the national educational goals and development .To buttress this, Galenough, Gordlier and Murphy[2004], opined that, the development and the role ICT in educational sector is believed to set the pace for any form of innovation and changes that can even happen to any nation. It was asserted by Albirini [2006] that, the wind of change in today’s education sector have made information communication technology to be programmed towards meeting the set educational goals.

These are challenges and concerns as a result of knowledge explosion due to the introduction of ICT in almost every field of human endeavor, which calls for an awakening in teaching profession likewise. Teachers need to be conscious of the quality of their teaching aids employed such as charts, model-static, specimen and slides [sansawal, 2009]. As an information handling tool ICT can be used in producing, storing, processing, distributing and exchanging of information. It therefore, implies that ICT could help teachers to be more effective in work-life and resourceful in content, management. Hence these will make teaching tasks to become less cumbersome and productive thereby improving student’’ academic performance. Basically, the utilization of ICT driven instructional Aids through CAI Is meant serve as an orientation stimulus to support the teachers ‘’ teaching strategies and not to replace them. A paradigm shift from the traditional ‘’chalk and talk’’ form of teaching to the use of ICT  through  CAI could make teaching –learning process more real and practical, thereby resulting to better performances of student academically. Technology education is the study of ‘’how people modify the natural world to suit their own purposes and generally refers to the diverse collection of processes and knowledge that people use to extend human capabilities and to satisfy human needs and wants, [ standards for technological literacy ,2010]. The above definition is simply explained as the practice of educating students about different technology and engineering concept as they relates to the’ human made’ world.

The benefits of ICT in the acquisition and diffusion of knowledge which are the fundamental aspects of the educational process is as important as anything else in learning. It is offering increasing possibilities, absent teaching and for invocation in teaching activities through being able to deliver learning cognitive activities anywhere at any time. The availability of the internet has given rise to an electronics approaches to the educational system called e-learning. Tertiary educational institutions have always be the forefront of new scientific discoveries and innovations brought about by the activities of teaching, learning and research. E-Learning is becoming increasingly primmest in tertiary education; e-learning is being delivered on the platform of ICT infrastructures promise to widen access to education and at reduced cost. Apart from electronics learning ICT infrastructures are being widely used to support teaching, learning, administration and research activities in tertiary institutions, such infrastructures include personal computers specialize software, hand held devices, interactive boards, internet and visual literacy.

Jegede (2002) , opined that society is too slow in its approach ton take-up ICT usage despite its ‘’enormous advantages .This in-turn could pose a threat to development of a nation like Nigeria ,having education as the instrument ‘’par excellence’’ for affecting national development .Therefore , if Nigeria will meet up with the global technological advancement through the use of ICT then the education most be given utmost priority  and teacher education must be its guiding principle since no nation can rise above the standard of her teachers (FRN,2004). The federal ministry of education (2010) has mandated the integration of ICT in education as a positive step in the right direction. Therefore, it becomes pertinent that a study on the ‘’the impact of ICT in teaching Technology Education in Kaduna polytechnic’’ to ascertain its availability and level of impact on the learners.

Statement of the Problem

The pattern of teaching and learning process today is expected to shift from the conventional method to a more dynamic and flexible one, which is learner-centered (This learner-centered approach makes student to influence the content, activities ,materials and pace learning, which places them in the center of the learning process and enhances  independent learning[ Collins and O’’Brien,2003]. However, despite the glaring relevance of ICT in education ,coupled with the huge capital investment of both Federal and State governments through ICT driven project known as ‘’school net’’ Adomi,[2006] and Okebukola (2004) and donations from Non-Governmental Organizations to secondary schools in Nigeria ,some teachers are still reluctant ,ineffective , and unproductive in using ICT facilities to improve students’ academic performance , especially in Technology Education. Beetheng and Sim (2008) asserted that ,there is still a long way to go before secondary school teachers in developing countries like Nigeria will be able to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the 21st century technology and this was substantiated by Adomi (2010) who reported that 75 percent of teachers in Nigerian secondary schools including tertiary institutions have little or no experience regarding ICT in education.

In the vain, Unwin, (2009) have pointed out that the ‘’ICT can be a catalyst by providing tools which teachers use to provide teaching and by giving learners access to electronic media that makes concepts clearer and more accessible’’ however, one can also agree that without a proper ICT in a place, an institution can find the going very tough and in most cases the institution will be fighting endless fights to extinguish the flame rather than preventing the fire from the staring. Orungbemi (2008) opined that the oldest presentation tools used in classrooms is undoubtedly the chalkboard. It is an essential tool and will remain so as it is in many places and institutions. The crude material has been replaced or complemented by flip charts and overhead projectors Maiwada,(2004). Higher institutions in Nigeria faces challenges such as inadequate funding of making these ICT facilities available ,and where they are made available, these facilities are misused or mishandled by the operators and users.

One of the objectives of teaching Technology Education in tertiary institutions most especially in Kaduna Polytechnic is to produce graduates will full knowledge and practical skills on different technology and engineering concept as they relates to the ‘human made’ world.

However ,reports has revealed that these objectives are not yet to be achieved due to inadequate knowledge of the subject matter, and inability of the learners and teachers to access technology equipment resulting to a declining academic performance. These problems as perceived could be as a result of the teaching strategies adopted on the part of the teacher’s .Employing the use of ICT-DRIVEN instructional aids through the Computer Assisted Instruction Designed for teaching some aspects of topics in Technology Education teachers to operate properly the available technology equipment. This might be due to some observed limitations of the traditional ‘’chalk and talk’’ system of teaching which is more of a teacher-centered approach than the learners - centered as practiced in some tertiary institutions today, thereby affecting student performance at various examinations and labour  market The information technological age offers ICT instructional strategies such as CAI designed to make teaching and learning faster, easier , immediate , effective , efficient , individualize and takes care of learners’’ individual differences regardless of their gender and location. These identified problems therefore, have informed the need to conduct a study on the ‘’The Impact of ICT in the Teaching Of Technology education in Kaduna polytechnic.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to develop an overall framework for understanding various ICT systems and their impact in teaching and training technology education in Kaduna polytechnic. Therefore, the study will attempt to;

i.                   Determine the availability of ICT facilities in the Department of Education (Technical), Kaduna Polytechnic.

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