The Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Olufemi Peters has reiterated the relevance of distance learning education in Nigeria saying, “There is a demand for new skills, new attitudes and new ways of doing things that cannot wait for our current traditional models of curriculum planning and development circle.”
Peters stated this in his keynote address delivered at the inaugural conference of the Open Distance and E-Learning Association of Nigeria (ODeLAN), in collaboration with the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), and hosted by the Backcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria.
The conference was attended by over 200 participants from and outside Nigeria from 40 institutions of learning.
The theme of the two-day conference held between Monday, May 1 and Tuesday, May 2, 2023, is “Global Spaces, Local Contexts: Digital Transformations and Creative Innovations in Open Distance and e-Learning (ODeL)”.
The NOUN VC emphasized, “Higher education can no longer do things the traditional way and expect a different kind of impact on our society. We can no longer revel in our preferred model of doing things that higher education leaders extolled at the first Glion Colloquium on higher education about a quarter of a century ago. University leaders from around the world confirmed that universities follow a deliberate evolutionary path in making adjustments in their academic enterprise. Unlike industry, which made major changes in virtually all its activities and has even reinvented itself in many cases, universities are staid institutions which talk a big game about change but are hardly responsive to change in ways that can show impact.”
Pointing out that several innovations have already exerted transformative impacts on open and distance learning over the past couple of decades that may give the impression of doing well in the parlance of contemporary Nigerian social-speak, the don argued, “With the advancement of technology in the 21st century, the landscape of education has changed drastically and E-Learning has become an increasingly viable option for many students and educational institutions.”
“Evolutions and growth of open educational resources, massive online open courses, the rise of artificial intelligence with the large wave of institutions that pivoted to an emergency, remote online teaching and learning following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, are some of the key accomplishments that professional distance educators and practitioners would be quick to tout”, he added.
In his paper, titled, “Micro-Credentialing as an Acceptable Model for Open, Distance, and E-Learning – A Path to Developing a Policy Framework”, he affirmed the postulation that new skills and new attitudes are necessary for the new realities of the world of work and with the consideration of the innovative and transformative option for open and distance E-learning yet to receive much attention in Nigeria.
Highlighting the importance of micro-credentials, a process for validating a learner’s competency, he noted that in the majority of definitions, the duration of the education programme associated with micro-credentials is described as “short” or the volume of learning associated with the credential as “small”. Micro-credential programmes are often designed to be more flexible in their delivery, compared to traditional degree programmes. Establishing that micro-credentials is no longer alien to the Nigerian educational system, he stated, “We can say we already have an appreciable subscription to the notion of micro-credentialing in Nigeria.”
Enumerating the benefits of micro-credentialing, he noted, “A micro-credential programme will be shorter than the usual number of years required to complete a college or university degree. It typically takes weeks or months to complete. The learner will be required to demonstrate skills, knowledge, and competencies through a mix of online lectures, group discussions, project work, presentations, and complete tests. Upon successful completion of a micro-credential course, the learner is awarded a digital badge or digital certificate.”
According to him, there is still a need for the involvement of local distance education communities in the development and provision of micro-credential courses to meet the evident needs of young people and corporate organizations.
He said, “Micro-credentialing is an uninvited pleasant attribute of ODL to be seen as a wake-up call to guard the distance education community going the way of conventional campus-based institutions due partly to our lack of responsiveness to the needs of our society and partly to the strangle-hold the NUC has on our accreditation status.”
Among the challenges he identified facing micro-credentials are the issue of policy and regulatory bottlenecks, the limited number of practitioners who are proficient in open, distance, and E-learning principles, and the question of the productive economy being amenable to the notion of micro-credentials.
He suggested the replacement of the nation’s academic programmes with a cocktail of short courses across all distance education institutions in Nigeria to be the goal of the conference.
He opined, “There is potential for micro-credentialing to be implemented in the Nigerian education system, especially within the open and distance learning institutions; but the policy framework must be designed to take into account the specific needs of the country.”
“Overall, I believe that the Nigeria distance education community cannot be a mere bystander waiting for bits of knowledge and insight to come from the global community. We must take charge of the implementation of micro-credentialing as an acceptable model for open, distance, and eLearning in Nigeria. Micro-credentialing is the future of education. Considering that micro-credentials are still in their early stages in Nigeria, this is a critical time for higher education institutions, particularly ODeL, to adapt to the evolving challenges in the face of the changing employment market and start rethinking how and what competencies and skills are provided to students to bridge the skill gap by diversifying their educational offerings to include micro-credentialing to equip students with the necessary skills to meet current and future labour markets needs”, he said.
He concluded, “The Nigerian higher education sector must prioritise micro-credentials that enhance an individual’s skills and knowledge in a specific subject area. Micro-credentials should be well integrated into current institutional programmes for re-skilling and up-skilling the individuals (workers and students) in their lifelong learning pathways to open up possibilities for them in the labour market”.
In his goodwill message, the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed revealed that the Open, Distance, and E-Learning Association of Nigeria was initiated to help in promoting quality delivery of education through the instrumentality of the open, distance, and digital learning mode in line with the global best practices to reposition the mode to effectively reduce the challenge of access.
Speaking through his Director of Open Distance and E-Learning, Dr (Engr) Kayode Odedina, the Executive Secretary assured, “The National Universities Commission will continue to work with the Association in its ideas of contributing to the policy framework of orderly widening of access to university education in Nigeria without compromising its quality. The National Universities Commission is very firm in its position that quality must be maintained in all modes of delivery of university education in the Nigerian University system.”
The Executive Secretary described the state of education as one of a massive explosion in student enrolment, stressing that the number of university admission seekers is increasing in the face of inadequate space.
He said, “In Contemporary Nigeria, access to university education remains a challenge as over two million applicants seeking placement in the over 220 universities in Nigeria annually with less than 30 percent of the figure eventually gaining admission.”
According to him, to address this challenge, the federal government has continued to establish more universities leading to the country having 50 federal universities, 61 state universities, and 111 private universities.
Rasheed pointed out that the Federal Government is expanding access to education in Nigeria through Open, Distance, and E-Learning, adding, “NUC looks at expanding access through ODeL in three perspectives viz: Open and Distance Learning Mode; transnational education and E-Learning.”
He added that the Federal Government has licensed and continued to regulate the activities of 17 distance learning centres of Nigerian universities.
Earlier, the President/Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University, Professor Ademola S. Tayo stated that the conference came at the most opportune time as the global space is witnessing an unprecedented revolution in technological advancements and educational delivery, following the watershed Covid-19 pandemic.
Noting that technology is a vital element that cannot be ignored in any sector, Tayo pointed out, “The adoption of technology has resulted in the transformations that have impacted greatly on education, particularly distance learning, making teaching and learning more engaging and dynamic than ever. Methodologies, frameworks, and applications in the field of teaching and education are in a perpetual state of motion. It is no surprise – as technologies and societal needs evolve, so must the discipline of education. It is imperative for those working in the field – educators, teachers, researchers, scholars, and others – to stay up to date on the latest trends and developments.”
“The theme of the conference – Global Spaces, Local Contexts: Digital Transformations and Innovations in Open, Distance, and E-Learning – is more telling with the recent introduction of the CCMAS in the Nigerian University system with its focus on creativity, innovation, critical thinking, entrepreneurship, and employability. I am happy to note that this conference has not only brought together academics from various institutions of higher learning in Nigeria and across Africa, but it has included the industry especially tech industries, thereby bridging a gap and creating a much-desired intersection between the educational sector and the industry”, he concluded.
In his lead paper titled, “Revolutionizing Education: The Power of AI, VR, and the Metaverse in ODeL”, the Vice-Chancellor/ Chief Executive and Academic Officer, Summit University, Offa, Kwara State, Nigeria, Prof. Abiodun Musa Aibinu averred, “AI, VR, and the metaverse are transforming the ODeL space.”
Aibinu stated, “AI-powered technologies can personalize learning experiences, provide real-time feedback, and facilitate adaptive learning, while VR can create immersive learning environments. These technologies are at the forefront of the fourth industrial revolution and have the potential to revolutionize the way we learn and teach.”
“These technologies provide advantages such as accessibility and engagement, but challenges such as cost, technical barriers, and privacy concerns must be addressed”, he added.
In his speech, ODeLAN President, Professor Frances O. Egbokhare traced the history of ODeLAN and explained that the precursor to ODeLAN was the National Open Distance and E-Learning Network of Nigeria (NODEN), hosted by the Federal Ministry of Education, but the driving force was the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Egbokhare pointed out that NODEN had a short lifespan, highlighting the reasons for its failure to include the bureau pathology that undermines the best ideas in Nigeria’s civil service, the lack of adequate intellectual support and participation by the academic community, and the fact that NODEN appeared to have been conceptualised as a special purpose vehicle by some officials in the ministry for the nascent distance learning environment.
The Don lauded the Nigerian government for taking the bold step to open up the Nigerian education space to the teeming population of education-hungry Nigerians, adding that the government through NUC simultaneously instituted an elaborate regime of quality assurance.
His words, “Numerous distance learning centres have been licensed in conventional universities. The NUC is in the process of licensing private open universities. In addition, comprehensive e-learning and transnational education frameworks are in the pipeline. All these point to the need for adequate skills and competencies, deepening of quality assurance, innovative and creative ideas, staff resourcing, and sustainable modelling. Thus, we need research, training, and collaboration for effective intervention and efficient deployment of scarce resources.”
In her welcome address, the Director of Babcock University Centre for Open Distance And E-Learning (BUCODeL) and Chair, LOC, ODeLAN Conference 2023, Professor Mobolanle E. Sotunsa, noted that distance and E-learning is the future of education in Nigeria.
Sotunsa dispelled what she called an erroneous belief that students of regular mode are better than their ODL counterparts, adding that E-learning students are exposed to quality learning materials.
She said E-learning is technologically driven; hence, its students are groomed to be technologically advantageous over their regular mode students.
She revealed that the conference featured a Tech Fair, where organisations exhibited a cross range of technological tools and innovations, a roundtable discussion, where discussants from different IT companies enlightened the participants on the topic, “The Tech Eco System and Education Revolution”, two lead and other paper presentations, health check-up, where participants checked their blood pressure, blood sugar level, and eyes.
