The usefulness of computer skills for enhanced teaching and learning among lecturers in an open distance e-learning (ODEL) environment

Abstract

AbstractThis study reports on the usefulness of computer skills for enhanced teaching and learning among lecturers in an open-distance e-learning (ODEL) environment. Computer skills have become fundamental due to increasing new technological tools of web-based management systems, laptops, digital tablets, learning management systems, webinars, and the applications of Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and WhatsApp manufactured daily. The quantitative research approach was employed in this study where data was collected through an online questionnaire from respondents in two ODEL institutions. The purposive and snowball sampling technique was applied to enable reaching out to lecturers with whom the author has contact in the two ODEL institutions. First, the author purposively approach those in his contacts, before requesting those lecturers he contacted to help spread the good news of his research investigation to other of their contacts. The study sampled 80 lecturers from both countries’ ODEL institutions leading to sending out 80 copies of the online questionnaire to the lecturers. Of the 80 online questionnaires sent, only 50 were received. The results obtained were analyzed using Microsoft Excel presented in frequency and percentage. Findings reveal that the purpose of computer skills is to enhance teaching and learning among Lecturers in the ODEL environment between the country’s institutions. Exposition to programming languages and applications, ability to navigate within the online platform, use of communication/networking tools of social media of Facebook, Twitter, and teleconferencing tools of Zoom, Skype, Webinar, Webcast, Teams, WhatsApp) were profoundly enabled through computer skills. Findings further indicate that computer skills have influenced lecturers for personal development in multifarious ways, user experience, memory usage, and storage of information, ease students grading, and developing course materials, facilitate instructional delivery of courses/modules taught at a geometric progression, and support lecturers using the asynchronous and synchronous method in teaching and learning. Based on the findings, the study recommends upskilling lecturers to advance their knowledge in computer skills through continual use of new technologies for better and quality services in teaching and learning to meet students’ information needs.