Project Abstract

Learning objects (LOs) are electronic based (digital) instructional materials developed within the context of specific themes that actively engage learners’ cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains during the learning process. They appeal to learners’ senses of sight, hearing, touch and interest in ways that promote achievement and retention of learning. Characterized by the creative adoption of concept mapping, use of animation, colourfulness, LOs are trendy, flexible to use in teaching abstract/difficult concepts in technical vocational education (TVE) subjects. Literature is replete with poor students’ achievement in TVE subject and teachers’ frustration in teaching certain difficult and abstract concepts. Being that the development and utilization of LOs are competence-based, their uses for TVE instruction empower the learners, exhilarate the teacher and facilitate learning-for-all due to their mobile-learning potentials because they are downloadable to mobile devices like the mobile phone and computers. However, the use of the LOs in developing countries are challenged by educators’ lack of expertise in using/developing them, high cost of importation and socio-cultural unsuitability of the foreign LOs. Thus the objective of this project is to design, develop, facilitate, access and build capacity on use of digitalized learning objects on difficult/abstract concepts on technical and vocational education (TVE) subjects for teachers and students in Nigeria.
In order to achieve the project’s objective, the following activities, which would be based in south eastern states of Nigeria,would be undertaken: 1) Conduct secondary data analysis of students’results (from NABTEB, WAEC/NECO)/literature to determine difficult concepts in different TVE subjects (e.g auto-mechanics, computer appreciation, crop production, child development/nutrition, office practice), 2) develop the blue-print on the content, logic and development of the learning objects on different TVE subjects, 3) develop prototypes of the digitalized LOs in formats that can be downloaded on smart cell phones and production of stand alone CD/DVD versions, 4) training TVE teacher/student from south eastern states’ institutions on how to develop and use the learning objects for instruction, 5)develop the web page on the Center for Vocational Technical Education Training and Research (CETVETAR) website, hosted by the University of Nigeria, to upload the digitalized learning objects so that they can be accessed by all Nigerians.
This novel project will provide battery of ready to use instructional materials for TVE teachers and will blaze the trail in developing similar instructional material in other teaching subjects like science and mathematics. Regarding the project’s sustainability, private companies can readily sponsor development of more instructional units of LOs that will bear their names and promote their corporate social responsibility. Subsequently, when more students are involved in developing these LOs there will be production cost reduction and in the final analysis this initiative will increase the quotient on learning-for-all across the country.