E-LEARNING AND INSTRUCTIONAL PROCESS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (TEI) IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has defined its own way of doing things, it has also provided the knowledge and skills required for such activities. This has brought a transformation in every human activity including the education system. E-learning is now the modern and better way of carrying out instructional process. The tertiary education institution which is vested with the responsibility of producing the manpower needed to run the society ought to follow the trend to catch up with the technology-fused, knowledge-based global society. E-learning is about using technology for instructional purposes whether totally or in part, to complement the conventional methods. E-learning has the potentials to take care of the population explosion in the Nigerian tertiary education institution; being able to carry diverse learners along, overcome the challenges of incessant strike actions by allowing the learners the opportunity to carry on with their studies at their own pace and convenience using personal technology devices. In that way, it takes care of individual learners needs, irrespective of their locations. Though there are challenges in the use of e-learning in the tertiary education institution, as it is still in the teething stage in Nigeria, they can be overcome if the political will is there to make the right policies and plans to implement them. The paper therefore suggests that government, at all levels should play their role consciously, NGO and multinationals should collaborate with the government to make the e-learning policies and plans to work by providing and maintaining them, training and retraining of staff should be given due attention for them to be abreast with the best practices in e-learning strategies, there should be willingness and conscious efforts by tertiary education institutions education givers to use e-learning strategies in the instructional process amongst others.