Student Accessibility and Utilization of E-learning Resources and Their Academic Achievement in College of Education

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education is a critical component of long-term growth (Chimombo, 2005). The importance of education is growing, particularly in emerging nations, as demand mounts to catch up with the developed world in areas such as global competitiveness (Hawkins 2002). As one might expect, educational environments in underdeveloped nations differ from those in rich countries, with low educational quality and limited opportunities to attend school in rural regions due to long distances and high opportunity costs. According to Chimombo (2005), country-specific circumstances affecting compulsory and free education must be adjusted in order to ensure broad access to education. The right to compulsory and free education for all is already enshrined in Article 26 of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN Human Rights 1948).

The constant introduction of new technologies has increased the demand on academic personnel to respond to these significant changes in a very short, and often impossible, time period. One of the primary obstacles of teaching using technology, according to Bates and Poole (2003), is that you can’t possible keep up with the technology. The paradox of technology-enhanced education is that technology evolves at a rapid pace while humans evolve at a slower pace. Electronic resources are information extracts that are developed using modern information communication technology devices, refined and redesigned, and more often stored in cyber space in the most concrete and compact form, and can be accessed simultaneously by a large number of people from a variety of locations.

The quantity of e-learning materials is less crucial than their feasibility; in other words, resources should be easily available to everybody. Prior to the introduction of computer and internet technologies, printed resources such as books, journals, encyclopedias, dictionaries, workbooks, and other similar materials played an important part in the learning process. Printed editions are usually out of reach for the general public and are also costly. For example, if two students wish to refer to the same book at the same time, the library will require two copies of the same book. Instead of having a printed edition of a book, if we have an electronic or e-version of the book, the same book may be readily accessible by many people at the same time and from their living room using a personal computer. E-versions of books, journals, and other e-resources have become unavoidable in this computer age, and it is thus critical to convert the printed version into an e-edition for future demands.

As a result, Nigeria’s teaching and learning practices are shifting away from traditional approaches and toward substantial use of e-learning materials. However, there has been little or no effort put out in determining the influence and impact of e-learning on student academic achievement in higher institutions. As e-learning becomes more widely used in higher education, it is becoming increasingly vital to investigate the influence of this learning method on student performance. As a result, this study used Emmanuel Alayande College of Education in Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria to explore students’ access to e-learning materials and their academic accomplishment in college of education.

Statement Of The Problem

Education is becoming more important as demand mounts to keep up with the developed countries in areas such as global competitiveness (Hawkins 2002). Many people who wished to get a postsecondary degree had to fight for the few spots available at public institutions before the introduction of e-learning. Those who were offered positions were required to apply for study leave in order to complete the standard learning system. This type of further education system was marked by a restricted number of students who could be absorbed every academic year and, as a result, their withdrawal from their jobs for the duration of their studies.

Several studies have been conducted on academic achievement, particularly among students, however there has been little study on e-learning students in the Nigerian educational system. There does not appear to be any research on the relationship between students’ access to e-learning tools and their academic accomplishment in Nigerian colleges of education. Certainly, that is the objective of this research, which will be conducted with students from Emmanuel Alayande College of Education in Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Research Questions

The following are some of the questions which this study intends to answer:

i) what is the accessibility of e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education?

ii) what are the factors that affect the utilization e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education?

iii) What are the reasons for the adoptions of e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education?

Objectives Of The Study

The main objective of this study was to investigate the -. However, the specific objectives were:

i) to  examine the accessibility of e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education

ii) to establish the factors that affect the utilization e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education

iii) to survey the reasons for the adoption of e-learning among the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education.

 Significance Of The Study

The purpose of this study was to look at the relationship between students’ access to e-learning tools and their educational achievement in college. The research would give information and advice that might be useful to policymakers. As a result, planners and other social scientists should take note of the findings. Finally, this research contributes to the field of e-learning by providing information to students, instructors, and researchers.

 Scope Of The Study

This study will cover undergraduate students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Limitation Of The Study

Apart from time constraint faced by the researcher, another limitation was that the study did not consider all students studying through the e-learning mode but only focused on the students of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Lanlate, Oyo State, Nigeria.

 Definition Of Terms

The following terms were used in the course of this study:

Academic achievement:  is the extent to which a student, teacher or institution has achieved their short or long-term educational goals.

Access: a means of approaching or entering a place.

E-learning: learning conducted via electronic media, typically on the Internet.

Student: learner or someone who attends an educational institution.

Organizations of the study

The chapter one consist of the introductory part of the study which includes the study background, the statement of the research problem, the study objective and scope of the study.

The second chapter is a critical review of other literatures relevant to the study and its objectives including the theoretical framework for the study. While the third chapter is methods of data collection, sampling and data analysis used in conducting the study. The fourth chapter centres around the research findings including an analysis of how it relates to previous findings. The fifth chapter consists of the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendations base on the study objectives.