25 The Changing Roles Of Higher Education Teachers In The Digital Era In Nigeria: Promises And Challenges

Abstract

The digital Era has brought a paradigm shift in education sectors and that has equally changed the role of teachers in higher education In Nigeria. Teachers role have become more complex, undergoing continuous evolution and they are expected to be technologically oriented in order to meet the educational needs and demands of the digital natives who are fed up with the rote learning method. Being a teacher in the digital era can be quite overwhelming. There are so many innovative tools and skills that many teachers feel they can’t keep up with or they feel they are not given the support on how to effectively integrate them into their classrooms.

One thing that everyone can agree upon is that as technology advances and radically changing the world we are today, it then becomes necessary that higher education teachers must advance with it. However, the question remains, are the higher education teachers especially digital immigrant /veteran teachers, really ready to embrace their changing roles and integrate 21st century tools and skills in teaching and learning?

Therefore this paper will identify the 21st century skills that higher education teachers should posses, it will look at the promises of technology, the challenges faced by teachers in adopting /integrating educational technology in teaching and learning in higher education. Finally suggestions will be made on the best practices in integrating technology in teaching and learning in higher education in Nigeria.

Key words: Digital Era, Teachers, higher Education.

Introduction

The field of education has not been unaffected by the penetrating influence of information and communication technology. information and communication Technology has revolutionalised the way we look at things, the way we act, the way we relate to people, the way we learn, relearn and unlearn. It has dramatically invaded every education territory, even the way we deal with students, automatically the role of the teachers in all levels be it kindergarten, primary, secondary and higher education have changed. According to Manisha (2017), now ,we talk of use of Interactive smart boards, hybrid or blended learning, flipped classrooms and digital libraries etc. during teaching learning processes. Due to this, most of the teaching and learning processes in the classrooms these days are changing from autocratic style to democratic or participatory style where learners play an active role. Manisha stressed that , teachers, and Instructors  are facing unprecedented changes with often larger classes, more diverse students with diverse needs, demands from Society and employers who want more accountability and above all this with ever changing technology. Meanwhile, Traditional rigid modes of classroom instruction are unlikely to inspire students whose online life outside the classroom is dynamic and evolutionary.

However, for teachers to embrace this digital transformation, they need a good balance of theoretical and practical knowledge to provide a solid foundation for their teaching. Consequently, educational Technology has been embraced in higher education globally,therefore Nigerian  teachers should integrate technology in their teaching and learning. In the past teachers used to be major source of knowledge, information giver ,teachers have authority in class, but now it is a different thing entirely, their role has changed to teachers that facilitate the process of acquiring knowledge,  collating, analyzing, interpreting and harnessing of information and idea. Therefore, it is paramount that teachers should master the skills of integrating these technologies, they should be able to identify the best technology to use in teaching a particular course. They need to be information technology experts. As a matter of fact, Most Nigerian higher education students have grown up online and will expect the same levels of technology in their learning environments as in their day-to-day lives. Many of the students, always want an access to the network and resources, wherever they are on or off campus, for a deeper and more flexible learning experience. According to  Harwati(2018),, due to the unique characteristics of the new generation of  higher education learners, teachers could not run away from integrating and applying technology in teaching and learning. Harwati emphasized that for these learners, technology is not considered an accessory to life but is viewed as a way of life and this has implications on pedagogy and it demands the transformation of education .Therefore, there’s no doubt that information and communication technology has come to stay in Nigeria higher education in teaching and learning but the question remain what are the promises, challenges and required skills to integrate these technologies in Nigerian higher education. Probably, creating awareness of these factors will help the teachers to change their mindset, and  perception , on rethinking and redesigning their course with educational technologies in Nigeria higher education .

Higher Education and digital Era in Nigeria: NEXUS

Education is the key to development and one of the most important needs for the well being of individual ,society and a nation. Thus, education is a powerful instrument of social, political, and economic progress, without which neither an individual nor a society can attain professional growth(Musibau , Afolabi  and Loto 2013).Similarly, higher education is a world on its own where individual are highly educated and equipped with quality knowledge and skills through research to discover strategies and solutions to world problems. All over, the world, higher education plays a strategic role in human capital formation. It is  a place where students are equipped with cutting-edge competencies to compete in the ever-evolving globalised world,( Stella Anasi2012).Unfortunately, the products of most academic institutions in Nigeria fall short of this expectation especially in this digital age which requires technology approach to many issues. .Abubakar(2009) declared that: “the stark reality is that the quality and worth of our human capital have gone down quite with serious long-term implications for the effective management of the nation’s affairs, its prosperity and its competitiveness in the global environment. Abubakar stressed that many see the universities as purveyors of stale and sterile knowledge that churn out half-backed products that can neither be employed nor can they engage themselves gainfully. Higher education in Nigeria has come under severe criticisms in recent time due to poor quality of its products. There is therefore an urgent need for academic institutions in Nigeria to catch up with innovations in educational practices in developed economies. Education sector is one of the sectors that have been hugely transformed by the digital era.  Globally, technology has played a tremendous role in shaping the current state of higher education. This digital innovation is tremendously impacting all levels of education, particularly in critical areas like higher education.Information and communication Technology has not only impacted a student’s university experience, it has changed the industry of higher education as a whole. Educators have adapted their methods of teaching and student-based learning. Universities, have adapted their pedagogy and delivery of programs to fit an online learning model. Innovations in technology not only have increased access to education but also have allowed a more personalized approach to both teaching and learning also helps to enhance access, improve the student experience and, in some cases, lower the costs of education. However, the situation in Nigeria higher education  is exceptional; there is still huge gap in the acceptance of technology integration in most Nigerian higher education system due to one reasons or another. Some Nigeria institutions are equipped with multimedia classroom, which is been ignored by teachers who are suppose to use them in teaching and learning .Most teachers are still skeptical and yet to come into reality that we are in the digital era and digital era comes with total transformation in all sectors, so embracing and integrating technology in Nigeria  educations system is a welcomed idea.

The Digital Era is the Era of advancement of technology from analog electronic and mechanical devices to the digital technology. It is the beginning of information Era. Digital era started in 1980s and is ongoing. According to Jill, (2014) The Digital Era can be seen as the development of an evolutionary system in which knowledge turnover is not only very high, but also increasingly out of the control of humans, making it a time in which our lives become more difficult to manage. Jill stressed that our understanding of the knowledge embedded within the human genome about how we relate to the world, generated in association with technology and freely available on the Internet, raises questions about our assumptions of control. Thus social and economic implications of the Digital Era are huge and will increase as technological functionality becomes more knowledge-based, our everyday lives and understanding of ourselves become more linked to it, and it takes on a ‘life’ of its own. In Addition, Digital Era is when information technologies are used to collect, store, control, manipulate and distribute the information associated with all forms of work. Digital Era can be referred as a technology boom era, an Era that all sectors embraced technology and an era that gave birth to digital natives, the millennial , these generation shares unique characteristics that define their generation. Millennials/digital natives expect to be engaged in their learning and they are not passive learners. Therefore, teachers must embrace and integrate  all these emerging technologies that will be part of the students learning. These technologies include the smart phones, laptop, computers and the internet. Howe and Strauss(2003) stressed that the millennial generation is characterized by seven common traits and can be perceived as achievement-oriented, team-oriented, pressured, conventional, confident, sheltered, and special. In fact, digital era has affected the way we communicate, According Opoku (2004) digital technologies have been integrated into virtually every facet of education, commerce, health, governance and civic activity, and have become critical factors in creating wealth worldwide. Meanwhile 21st century teachers must posses the required skills to help them reach the learners.

21st century skills for teachers

Critical thinking : 21st century teachers should  be innovators, inspiring their learners. The teacher should be capable of initiating ideas, methods and able to think fast. The teachers must be creatve, think critically and possess problem solving skills. According to Trilling and  Fadel (2009),creativity can be nurtured by teachers and learning environments, openness of new ideas and learning from mistakes and failures. The teacher should be able to initiate various teaching methodology and styles using education technology tools that will intrinsically and extrinsically motivate   both the introvert and extrovert students( Nwachukwu,Okop,Kolodeye and Imo 2016).The authors stressed that teachers should integrate technology to enhance teaching and learning and Teachers should be aware that 21st century students are becoming versatile and globally seek for knowledge, so teachers must equip themselves to be lifelong learners, willing to learn not only from peers but from their students as well. In addition, Nwachukwu et al emphasized   that failure to face the 21st century realities will mean producing half baked teachers who will produce unqualified students who cannot face 21st century challenges. According to Gard(2012) we need teacher-innovators because by their very nature they produce, encourage, develop and sustain student –innovators.

Collaborator: Nigerian teachers should be able to collaborate with their counterparts in Nigeria and other countries using technology. Open Educational Resources platform creates  opportunity for teachers all over the world to collaborate, rewrite, reuse, remit, redistribute, reproduce etc materials for teaching and learning.Teachers should master the best techniques to collaborate with students families and guardians if need arises. Teachers should collaborate with students,peers,parents,community members using digital tools and resources to support students success and innovation(Kentucky Department of Education program of studies,2009)The teachers must possess active partnership skills leverage on collaborative digital tools like blogger, wiki spaces,bebo,MNS,Myspace,Second Life,twitter,RSS,Ningetc to enhance and captivate learners.Nwachukwu et all opined that teachers  should design online spaces and opportunities for students to collaborates online with others within and outside the classroom.

Communicator :Digital age has attracted different ways of learning, learning can take place anywhere and anytime. There is no restriction to knowledge. A teacher must be good and fluent communicator, he must communicate effectively with technologies that enable communication and collaboration. Teachers should have the skills of facilitating, stimulating, moderating and managing students both online and offline. Becta,(2010),opined that 21st century teachers should have modern assessment and reporting system in place, these help them understand ,identify and meet the needs of the learners.

Creativity: teachers should be creative ,able to use their imagination and critical thinking to creat new and meaningful forms of ideas where they can take risks,be independent,and flexible.Teachers should encourage the students to become more engaged in their education,which helps to facilitate learning, Teachers should be able to introduce unconventional learning materials both online and offline teachers should introduce different technologies in teaching and learning.

Promises of digital technology in higher Education.

Technology has immensely contributed to the quality and quantity of teaching and learning and research in higher education system. Some of the promises include

• Technology can be use  to democratize education, and  equip learners to control their own learning, move our schools and our educational systems out of the Industrial Age, prepare students for an increasingly multicultural world, and improve efficiency in teaching and learning. ,According to Renee Patton,(2018) It’s now easier for students to engage on their own terms – whether online, hybrid, or flipped – and no longer having to travel across campus for every single meeting makes it easier for leaders and faculty members to work together, too.
• Technology remove learning boundaries and also provides open  access to information and more data .
• Technology “makes learning and teaching to become flexible, there by accommodating and making up for deficiencies in the society.
• The world we are today are technologically driven and when the students are not technologically equipped it becomes a challenge for them to cope with the challenges in the workplace.

Information and communication technology facilitates greater connectivity for both students and teachers, enabling people to develop increasingly connected communities in their chosen fields. Being more available to students can also empower teachers to deliver more innovative, exciting lectures, whether face-to-face or online, while offering more personalized feedback and mentoring,( Renee Patton,2018).

• Education technology enhances teaching and learning through its dynamic interactive and engaging content and provides real opportunities for individualization of instruction.
• Education  technology has the potential to accelerate, enrich and deepen skills, motivate and engage students learning, helps to relate school experience to work practice, helps to create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers; contributes to the total development and help to relate school experience to work practice, helps to create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers; contributes to the total development of the institution; strengthens teaching and learning and provides opportunities for connection between the school and the world (Davis and Tearle, 1999).
• Kirschner and Weperies (2003) maintained that information and communication technology can make the school more efficient and productive, by organising a variety of tools to enhance and facilitate teachers’ professional activities.
• Yusuf and Onasanya (2004) opined that ICT provides opportunities for school to communicate with one another through e-mail, mailing list, chat room and other facilities. It provides quicker and easier access to more extensive and current information. ICT can also be used to do complex tasks as it provides researchers with a steady avenue for the dissemination of research reports and findings.
• Honey and Mandinach (2003) advanced three major reasons for information and communication technology in education. They, however, suggested that it is a tool for addressing challenges in teaching and learning situation; a change agent; and central force in economic competitiveness. As a tool for addressing challenges in teaching and learning, technology has the capabilities for delivery, management and support of effective teaching and learning. As a change agent, it is capable of changing the content, methods and overall quality and quantity of teaching and learning, thereby reducing teachers’ workload and ensuring constructivist inquiry-oriented classroom.

Challenges that affects teachers acceptance of technology in teaching and learning.

To attain the promises of technology cited above, we must hurdle many barriers, especially

• Barriers of access: Most universities in Nigeria are not equipped with necessary digital facilities,therefore it  affects the teachers integration of digital technology in teaching and learning.
• Already Built negative perception: Most of the time  teachers aready developed  negative attitude to towards the integration of technology in teaching and learning. So organizing training for most of them  is a waste of time because the response you will get from some of them is “this thing will not work in Nigeria”.Therefore,there is need to search for teachers who have the strong passion to integrate technology in teaching and learning to be the change agents
• Phobia: The digital immigrant teachers have phobia to integrate technology in teaching and learning,so trying to convince them is a waste of time.
• Lack of Skills :Most teachers lack the technology skills and also do not know the right technology to integrate in a particular course.
• Lack of University support and negligence : Some universities  have equipped their multimedia classrooms but do not care if the teachers integrate technology in teaching and learning.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Technology integration in education has come to stay and no amount of negligence will make it to be swept under the carpet. Therefore, Nigeria higher institutions should accept the reality. This paper has looked at the changing roles of the teachers, the skills teachers should posses in the 21st century,the promises of technology and the challenges. They should think, develop and implement strategic plans for integrating technologies in teaching and learning. Teachers that integrate technology should be rewarded, to raise their interest. All those barriers that affect the integration of educational technology must be dealt with.
Institutions should provide resources and reward faculty and staff to engage in capacity-building efforts while also holding them accountable. Institutions also should collaborate with edtech companies like digital bridge, Ksmart etc for mutually beneficial purposes. Companies can consult with administrators and faculty to discern how the companies can help them to accomplish relevant strategic priorities. There is also need to form and fund “Digital Teacher corp” a  team of passionate teachers in every Nigerian institution, who can help Nigeria teachers integrate the latest tools ,such as interactive white board,computers, mobile devices into classroom.These teachers should also be trained as curriculum designers,who teach teachers how to integrate technology tools in their lessons to leverage on topics that are traditionally difficult to teach and learn.

References

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Correspondence can be directed to:

Nwachukwu Ruphina.U.

ruphina.nwachukwu@unn.edu.ng (07015378097)

&

Eneh Eberechukwu Charity

Department of Adult Education and Extra/Mural Study.

University of Nigeria,Nsukka