STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING ICT COMPETENCIES OF LECTURERS FOR E-LEARNING IN POLYTECHNICS IN NORTH-EAST ZONE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

Proven from literature that teachers have poor competency and skill in the use of ICT facilities, the study investigated the strategies that could be adopted to improve the competencies of lecturers foe e-learning in polytechnics in North-East Zone of Nigeria. One purpose was pursued, one research question answered and one hypothesis tested. Descriptive survey research design was used in which a structured questionnaire, containing 11 items was administered on 324 lecturers drawn from three Colleges in the polytechnics, namely, College of Science and Technology, College of Engineering Technology and College of Administrative and Business Studies. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The F-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance.The study found that lecturers in the three Colleges of the polytechnics perceived as important the following strategies for improving their ICT competencies for e-learning: Proper institutional leadership support, training of soft-ware developers, training and re-training of polytechnic lecturers, reduction of tariffs on ICT infrastructure, and setting up of computer laboratories for the provision of on-line resources. The study also revealed that asignificant difference existed in the mean scores of the three groups of respondents regarding the strategies perceived important for improving ICT competencies of lecturers for e-learning in the polytechnics. A Scheffepost hoc multiple comparison test was undertaken which found that lecturers in the three Colleges were responsible for creating the significant difference in the mean scores of their responses. The study recommended among other things that Government needed to increase funding for ICT with a view to upgrading existing ICT facilities and supplying new ones, and the private sector should be actively involved in ICT funding, both in the area of training and facilities supply to polytechnics in the North-East Zone.