With the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic, the educational sector in various countries in the world and especially Africa is greatly impacted as teachers and students have not been able to return to school, and are without assurance of when the schools will reopen. This is therefore a time to maximize the benefits of the Internet in spite of the further difficulties created by the poor network conditions in many remote areas of Africa and other developing nations. Access to the internet due to the high cost associated with data subscription and poor rural electricity conditions are equally limiting factors that impinge on access to mobile learning. However, I still strongly advocate for mobile learning as a new approach to sustaining our educational system and reaching out to students in a difficult time such as this.
As nations begin to ease restrictions on the pandemic, new policies and strategies are emerging to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic. COVID-19 has led organizations, institutions, and industries to chart new or further develop not fully charted paths in their collective organizational strategies, policies, and regulations. The pandemic has opened our eyes to new realities that could enhance and improve our educational systems. Thanks to video conferencing softwares like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Team and etc, many students, especially in the developed nations, were not cut off from their campuses and professors. More than ever before, we have come to appreciate the transformational and informational power of the Internet in bringing people together, in bridging distances and in creating an atmosphere of interaction and learning. Although learning via conferencing software is classified as virtual, my experience of it has made it more physical than virtual.
While students in the developed nations have been able to complete their spring semester classes and are currently into summer classes, I am greatly distressed by the situation of students in developing countries especially Nigeria who have been at home for months now. This is most disturbing, especially in institutions of higher learning that are technologically handicapped. To ensure continued learning in a time like this, there is need for implementation of better educational strategies. This article calls for the widespread adoption of mobile learning(m-learning) as an addition to the traditional classroom teaching method.
In a country with a current population of 205,878,210 as of Tuesday, June 16, 2020, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data [1] Nigeria has 174 universities [2] and many polytechnics, colleges of education, and other institutions of higher learning. According to 2017 Nigerian universities systems statistical digest, the Nigerian Universities Commission ( NUC) Boss, Prof Abubakar Rasheed says 1.9 million students are currently studying in Nigerian Universities. This data has not been updated by NUC at the time of writing this article. Be that as it may, for the interest of this paper, I will use a more recent data collected by 2020 world university rankings on the University of Nigeria Nsukka as a convenient sample and point of reference. Key statistics are a total number of 34,227 students, 13.2 students per staff, 51:49 student ratio females to males, and 1% international students [3]. I will use the above statistics for illustration in this article. Let’s now look briefly at e-learning and mobile learning.
E-LEARNING
One type of service in the field of education that is very developed today is e-learning. E-learning is a student-centered education methodology that allows students to study anytime, anywhere, and whatever they want according to their learning goals [4]. Current technology has generated many new characteristics that can be applied to make teaching more attractive to students [5] Countries like Indonesia, seeing the great potentials in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based learning, created and developed an online learning media namely “Rumah Belajar”. Rumah Belajar is a no cost online learning platform developed by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture under the management of the Education and Cultural Information and Technology Center. It was launched on June 15, 2011, in the form of a website, and was available as an application for mobile devices on Andriod [6] I strongly advocate for such a mobile learning platform for Nigerian students.
WHAT IS MOBILE LEARNING?
According to Driscol & Barneveld [7], the earlier definition of mobile learning focused on the training and on the use of technologies, such, as, PDAs, smartphones, and mobile devices. Later, the definition of mobile learning evolved to focus on mobility (when the learner is not in a fixed place), then learning the acquisition of knowledge and skills through mobile devices. Most recently, a focus on performance put forth by the e-learning Guild is any activity that allows individuals to be more productive when consuming, interacting, or creating information mediated by a mobile device. Basically, mobile learning is learning through software applications on a smartphone, Personal digital assistant (PDA), Tablets running Android, iOs, or Windows operating systems. The use of smartphones is very common among students in higher institutions in Nigeria. Having a mobile phone is a necessity in Nigerian institutions since students are expected to access most school-related information on the school website or on social media. Furthermore, Students, as much as their data subscription allows, also use their mobile phones to access resources on the Internet for their assignments. The use of personal computers is not rampant.
According to statista.com, There are around 170 million mobile subscriptions in Nigeria. Yet, currently, only around 10 to 20 percent of the population is using a smartphone. Smartphone penetration is set to grow through 60% by 2025[8]. It can be inferred that young people, especially students, are the largest group using smartphones and their software applications. In South Africa for instance, according to the UN Children’s Fund, Unicef, 72% of those between the ages of 15 and 24 use cell phones. These provide a strong ground to argue for the need for universities in Nigeria to adopt a mobile learning platform to address the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The development of a mobile application that provides a complete curriculum for students in tertiary institutions could be time-consuming. To embed a complete curriculum to already existing mobile applications developed for an institution could also be time and resource consuming. But as a temporary measure to keep our students going at this time of the pandemic, Lecturers in tertiary institutions can adopt the following mobile learning options to keep students connected in learning .
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
While Zoom, Microsoft Team, or Google Meet, and other video conferencing software may not be efficient for teaching students due to poor networks and inadequate access to the internet, the use of Emails, Youtube Video, WhatsApp, Facebook groups, Telegram, etc., might be useful in delivering teaching materials, lecture notes, and other resources to students.
Based on UNN statistics mentioned earlier, with 13.2 students per staff, it would not be difficult for lecturers to manage their students via online mobile platforms. I admit that there are classes with a large number of students but such classes can be divided into manageable units.
Professors can put together their lecture materials in small modules with videos 4 to 5 mins long on YouTube or on Facebook. They can also give live lectures on Facebook. Students who cannot access the live videos can watch the lectures afterwards on YouTube or on Facebook. The reading materials and notes could be delivered directly to the students’ emails. Where there are no university emails, private emails could be used. Students should be given instructions on assignments and provided an email for submission of assignments and feedback.
WhatsApp groups could also be used to upload lecture notes and to provide extracurricular instructions to students. Professors can schedule times to meet the students on the WhatsApp groups for brief instructions or guidance. I know it takes a lot of energy to do this but this is simply a sacrifice our professors can make for the time being. It is only a temporary measure.
As a step towards the implementation and adoption of mobile learning, Nigerian Professors should endeavour to get their teaching materials ready at the beginning of each semester. Later modifications are always anticipated. This will facilitate uploading the materials on educational management software like Canvas, Brightspace, etc; this makes it easy for students to have access to the curriculum, time table and all learning resources from the school website or from the software application on their smartphones. In the US, most Universities use the Brightspace, Canvas, etc., which are educational management software to provide all learning resources to students throughout the semester. This is the reason it wasn’t so difficult for them to transit to the online platform when the pandemic broke out. It is high time universities started adopting such technological infrastructure to provide centralized educational resources for Nigerian students. Where it is possible, the use of Zoom video conferencing is ideal for the virtual class sessions. Zoom has features that bring virtual learning close to a real classroom scenario.
Professors in institutions of higher learning need to adjust to the “new normal” by acquiring the technical skills needed to steer the learning boat in the right direction. Technological skills should be a mandatory requirement for anyone teaching in any school in Nigeria. The days have gone, when everything is on the black or whiteboard and where physical presence is required to learn. The Western World is getting ready to launch an era of virtual reality learning, so we should not be lagging behind.
AN APPEAL TO TELECOMMUNICATION PROVIDERS IN NIGERIA(MTN, GLO, AIRTEL, 9MOBILE)
One of the limitations or challenges to the implementation of mobile learning is the accessibility of Internet data subscriptions. Data provides the gateway to the Internet. Data bundles are very expensive in Africa, especially in Nigeria. The telecommunication companies are not really generous as they should. One of the often heard complaints among students is “I don’t have data to access, stream or download the file”. At this point in time, I call for the generosity of our Telecom providers. As a suggestion, universities can partner with local telecom providers to offer special data bonuses to students or students can be provided a platform for authentication of their IDs by providing their registration/matriculation numbers in order to qualify for special data bonuses. This is an urgent need since there are no public or personal WIFIs in the majority of Nigerian homes. Most students access the internet solely on their mobile phones as many do not have personal computers.
ADVICE TO STUDENTS
Time waits for no one. It is either you allow the Covid-19 restrictions to make or mar you. You can either help yourself and learn or you waste your time waiting for school to resume. If you have access to your academic curriculum, don’t just wait for your professor. There are an abundance of resources on the internet to learn about any topic, especially on Google and YouTube. For a list of other educational links, check on my personal links at www.eduinfomark.org. This is the time to acrualize your potentials. If your school provides an e-learning or mobile learning platform already, make the best use of it. Don’t waste your data on uploading new pictures on Instagram or watching Nollywood movies on YouTube. I hope you know that watching an hour and 30 mins video on YouTube can cost you as much as 1.5 GB of data which is your monthly subscription rate. We are in difficult times, so learn to be very conservative with data.
HOMESCHOOLING
For parents whose children are still in the primary and nursery schools, this is a time to be the home teacher. Homeschooling is very effective when parents are educated and can help their children learn at their own speed and style. If you feel unprepared to homeschool you might hire or exchange services with a teacher /tutor to help you in teaching your children at home. Don’t just leave them to the TV. Their minds are very quick in assimilation and should, therefore, be fed with something worthwhile daily.
I hope and pray my noble dreams for education in our country will someday come to realization.
Welcome to our new website: www.eduinfomark.org. Thanks for reading. If you have any comments, please do send it across to me Please do share this article.
REFERENCES
[1] https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/nigeria-population/(accessed 8:am June 17, 2020)
[2] https://www.nuc.edu.ng/#(accessed 8:30 am June, 17,2020)
[3]www.timeshighereducation.com(accessed 10:10 am June 17, 2020
[4] Rosenberg, M. 2001. E-learning: Strategies for delivering knowledge in the digital age.Columbus, OH: McGraw Hill.
[5] Keller, John & Susuki, Katsuaki (2004).Learning motivation and e-learning design. A multinationally validated process Learning, Media, and Technology. 29.229-239.
[6] Naufal, Arif & Suzianti Amalia. (2019) Analysis of Technology Adoption for a Mobile learning Platform on Generation Z in Indonesia. Chongquing, China Association of Computing Machinery.
[7] Driscoll, Margaret, & van Barneveld, Angela (2015).
Applying Learning Theory to Mobile Learning. Association For Talent Development.
[8] statista.com/smartphone users in Nigeria 2014/2025( accessed 1 pm on June 2020).
