The Impacts of Life-Long Learning to Facilitate Both Teachers and Students of Computer Science in Nigerian Polytechnics

Abstract

It has become necessary for the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) to embark on training both the teachers and the students of computer science. This came as a result of unbundling Higher National diploma in Computer Science in all Nigerian polytechnics. The article analyses the possibility of lifelong Learning/Distance learning as a means to educate all computer science teachers/lecturers of Nigerian polytechnics via online studies through collaboration of NBTE with Commonwealths Learning-Google-Nigeria (COL-Google-Nigeria). This lifelong learning is conducted regardless of the age, location or social affiliation of either a teacher/lecture or a student. The development of new curricula by NBTE had arouse the need for special training to all lecturers of the concerned units of specializations. To sponsor all the teachers involved at the same time is tedious and time consuming. The best solution to the problem raised is long life/distance learning. The power of ICT and networks has greatly facilitated the online training/learning on which the finding shows that 75% of participants have fully completed their training within the time frame of the training, 16.7% not completed and 8.3% partially completed, even though every participant was learning at his/her own phase. The findings of this work have shown that it can be generalize to all the geopolitical zones of the nation. Lastly, it was realized the participant from different age group had participated and came up with different specializations.