“Being on the wrong side of the digital divide”: seeking technological interventions for education in Northeast Nigeria

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to report the initial findings of a project aiming to re-establish basic education in conflict-ravaged states in Northeastern Nigeria and to improve education providers' ability to plan and deliver basic educational services. The authors present a preliminary analysis of Nigerian teachers' access to information communication technology (ICT), their technology skills, as well associated national ICT policies.Design/methodology/approachThis case study uses results from two co-designed tools, administered using KoboToolbox to Education Managers in the first instance, and teachers in the second. The data from the tools form the basis for analysis.FindingsIn the first instance, educational managers reported a lack of access to technology, the internet and to training and professional development. In the second instance, teachers reported issues present in the classroom environment, including poor infrastructure, a lack of resources and over-crowded classrooms. Very few teachers had access to computers or to the internet.Research limitations/implicationsThe 33 educational managers represent a small sample size and may not be fully representative of the region covered. The ICT Capacity Audit tool listed Excel in two different areas – basic Excel skills and using Excel for data analysis – which could have caused confusion for participants. The data collection should be repeated, expanded and compared for consistency. For the team, changes to the proposed (SENSE) box content meant that we were not able to deliver low-tech tools, such as Boogie Boards, or high-tech tools, such as tablets, to schools.Originality/valueDespite seemingly insurmountable challenges, the research team identified low-tech tools as a feasible resource in the classroom. Existing tools, such as teachers' smartphones and use of the WhatsApp application, can be used for sharing educational resources and providing teacher training. This paper argues that Nigeria needs up-to-date national ICT policies to guide in-country efforts to develop implementation of information technology initiatives for education.

Impact of digital technologies upon teaching and learning in higher education in Latin America: an outlook on the reach, barriers, and bottlenecks

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Framework for enhancing students’ smartphone learning ability: a case study of Nigerian public Universities

“…Despite the abovementioned efforts by stakeholders to promote the use of smartphones, its adoption for learning purposes remains low (Halder et al , 2015). As a result, Nigerian students are yet to reap the enormous benefits of using smartphones for learning (Martens et al , 2020). According to Tarhini et al (2017), the low usage of smartphones by Nigerian students has wrinkled the quality of education and the needed national development in Nigeria.…”

“…Also, this category stressed the need for the government to reduce the high tax levied on telecom companies, subsidize the cost of smartphones and internet services, allocate more funds to adequately equip public universities. According to Martens et al (2020), adequate measures by the government will enable Nigerian students to reap the enormous benefits of using smartphones for learning.…”

“…Despite the effort, the use of smartphones for learning purposes among Nigerian students remains low (Onyema, 2019). Martens et al (2020), reiterated that Nigerian students are not obtaining the benefits of smartphones in terms of accessing vital information, learning and development.…”

Towards teaching analytics: a contextual model for analysis of students’ evaluation of teaching through text mining and machine learning classification

“…The use information or insights drawn from analyzing educational datasets such as SET, can help the Educators in the development of innovative teaching practices to foster the learning processes. Moreover, achievement of strategic or idiosyncratically analysis of the (educational) datasets, otherwise allied to the notion of “datafied-Education” has shown to be one of the most pertinent challenges that faces the effective delivery of the teaching–learning processes, both in the literature and in practice (Cerratto Pargman & McGrath, 2021 ; Hilliger et al, 2020 ; LALA, 2020 ; Mahmoud et al, 2020 ; Martens et al, 2020 ; Ndukwe & Daniel, 2020 ; Pettersson, 2020 ; Slade & Prinsloo, 2013 ). For example, while Cerratto Pargman and McGrath ( 2021 ) noted the main gaps with education in the literature and practice to be that the educational data-driven practices are highly context sensitive, not synonymous with evidence-based practices, and are not sustainable per se.…”