Challenges confronting e-learning in higher education institutions in Nigeria amid Covid -19

Abstract

PurposeThe shutdown of normal face-to-face educational method of learning caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has made the education stakeholders reconsider and rethink education anew in light of the emerging challenges and opportunities imposed on e-learning in higher education in Nigeria post COVID-19. This study investigates the challenges confronting e-learning in higher education in Nigeria amid COVID-19.Design/methodology/approach Drawing upon data collected through a structured questionnaire administered to 395 lecturers in various disciplines in private, state and federal universities in Nigeria, the study adopts a quantitative research method. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.FindingsThe findings indicate that Nigeria Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are still in the early stage of adopting the e-learning mode of study. In addition, there was no existing e-learning curriculum before the pandemic. Also, adopting e-learning mode of teaching was an uphill task for both the lecturers and the learners, given the lack of experience in information and communications technology usage and inadequate infrastructure to support e-learning.Research limitations/implications A major limitation of the study is the inability to investigate the challenges facing students in using e-learning tools due to the unavailability of access to students during the lockdown. However, the limitations create opportunities for further studies into the subject matter.Originality/value The study is timely given that HEIs in Nigeria and some other countries in Africa are yet to adopt blended teaching methods. Literature reveals that most HEIs in Nigeria are using only brick and mortar mode of teaching despite the benefit of blended learning in a pandemic situation.

Readiness, barriers, and attitude of students towards online medical education amidst COVID-19 pandemic: A study among medical students of Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, Nigeria

“…The main strength of this study is its focus on user characteristics which influence the adoption of e-learning systems, considering that it is a prerequisite to introducing successful e-learning systems [ 16 ]…”

“…Even with the numerous benefits of e-learning, developing countries, including Nigeria, are still challenged to shift from the traditional teaching method to e-learning during the pandemic [ 16 ]. The challenges arise from varying degrees of preparedness of the institutions, including the inadequate skill of lecturers [ 16 ], social inequalities [ 1 ] and lack of infrastructures, irregular power supply, high cost of internet data services and personal computer (PC) and Laptop, poor internet connectivity [ 17 ], all of which threaten its applicability. Furthermore, although around 83% of Nigerians have mobile phone connections, the proportion is skewed towards the few high socio-economic and urban households, most of whom are private school students with a learning advantage over their public school peers [ 9 ].…”

Standards for Evaluating the Quality of Undergraduate Nursing Elearning Programme in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Modified Delphi Study

“…However, many challenges impact the implementation of e-learning in LMICs. The salient challenges include the lack of a relevant curriculum, lack of infrastructure, lack of ICT knowledge, weakness of content development, educators and learners' culture and lack of regular online training and seminars for educators and students to support the application of e-learning [90,88] The rather inconspicuous challenges affecting e-learning are nancial, managerial, insu cient professional development, copyright issues, and stakeholder motivation. This last aspect is rarely addressed but has an immense impact on the growth of e-learning in LMICs [91,92].…”

Learning Design in the Aftermath of COVID-19: Lessons from Online and Hybrid Learning During the Pandemic

“…Many countries are still in the early stages of implementing e-learning. Aside from the lack of an e-learning curriculum, adopting an e-learning teaching mode is a difficult task for both lecturers and students due to a lack of experience with information and communication technology and insufficient infrastructure to support e-learning [8]. Therefore, the readiness of educators and students to take advantage of features in online learning platforms is a determinant of e-learning success [9].…”