Architectural Education in Nigeria (Essay Sample)

ChallengesFull paperJurnalTeknologi for the Adoption of New ICTs in Architectural Education in Nigeria
Chukwunonso, Franklyn1 and Ribadu, B. Mohammed2
1Department of Information System, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Johor Bahru, Malaysia
2Department of Information Technology, Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, Nigeria
franconicostelo@yahoo.com1, mb.ribadu@gmail.com2
Article history
Received XXXX
Received in revised form XXXX
Accepted XXXX

Abstract
The use of new technologies for educational purposes comes with several challenges, particularly with the highly proliferating and complex Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Understanding the implications of its adoption and use determines its effectiveness in improving teaching and learning. However, the real challenge has been how to properly evaluate these new technologies in the context of their intended purpose of adoption, and how to measure their effectiveness in achieving the intended goal. This study carried out a survey of five Architectural departments in five different Nigerian universities. Simple percentage statistical technique was used to analyze the collected data. The results identified five major constraints encountered in ICT adoption in Architectural education in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study proposes a guideline for best practices that will promote an effective and better rate of new ICT adoption in Architectural education in Nigeria.
Keywords: Adoption; Evaluation; ICT; Architecture; Education; Universities; Nigeria
© 2014 Penerbit UTM Press. All rights reserved.


1.0 INTRODUCTION
The influence of ICT on society has increased dramatically especially in the last decade but has however had minimal impact on teaching and learning [1]. Despite the advances recorded in the field of ICTs, integrating these technologies into educational activities has been a major challenge for most educational institutions. Most often than not, these technologies are adopted without proper planning and evaluation of the challenges that accompany the uses or adoption of such technologies. This has led to several of these ICTs being underused or unused and in most cases, misused [2]. [3] reported that several studies have raised the issue of educating the practitioners as a way of enhancing the effective use of ICTs in education. They posit that one of the major reasons why ICTs are not effectively used in Architectural education was because of the current mode of practice.
However, recent times have seen a tremendous increase in the application of ICTs for educational purposes, resulting to a proliferation of networked technologies and evolution of different e-learning approaches [4]. As technologies advance, particularly with the advent of Internet and web-based technologies, the mode and method of delivering educational and instructional materials have evolved from traditional face-to-face classroom teaching to e-learning. From an educational perspective, the adoption of these technologies for education delivery has led to the overthrow of most traditional methods of teaching and learning. From a simple and casual application of ICT to facilitate face-to-face classroom teaching and learning to the intensive use of ICT for educational purposes as in the case of e-learning, this evolution process has introduced a completely different method of teaching and learning [5,6].
Unlike advanced web technologies, traditional technologies employed in face-to-face classroom teaching had clearly understood pedagogical structures due to the transparency of function of such technologies like chalk and pencil, which were used for writing, microscopes and test tubes for viewing micro objects and testing samples in an experiment respectively. However, with the advancement and proliferation of technology, a single technology tool can be used to perform multiple and different or related functions such that teachers now have a thin perception of transparency regarding the functions and roles of these technologies in day-to-day teaching and learning [7]. Thus in order for teachers to understand the challenges posed with regards to the prospects and constraints of these new technologies when employed for educational purposes, there is need for a rethink of the teacher’s educational and professional training. More so, knowing when to use the technology and in what perspective to use it, is very vital in helping students achieve their learning outcome [8,9]. This paper therefore aims at identifying the major challenges faced with the adoption and use of new ICTs in education, particularly for architectural education, and proposes a guideline for best practices to address the issues.
The remaining parts of the paper is structured into the following sections: Section 2 discusses Nigeria as the case study, Section 3 looks at ICT usage in Architectural education, Section 4 presents and discusses the results of our survey, Section 5 presents the best practices guideline for the adoption of new ICTs in architectural education, and Section 6 concludes the paper.
2.0 CASE OF NIGERIA
The Federal Government of Nigeria introduced an ICT policy in 2000, aimed at placing Nigeria as a leading player in the use of ICT as a tool for sustainable development in Africa and the world at large [17]. One of the objectives of this policy was to institutionalize ICT use for teaching and learning purposes at all levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary). The campaign was kick started with so much resources sunk into the acquisition of computers, construction and furnishing of computer labs, acquisition and distribution of projectors and other ICT gadgets to all Federal tertiary institutions of learning, and computer networking of several tertiary schools into a local area network and wide area networks in some cases. Some universities of learning were also advised to subscribe for Internet bandwidths through the acquisition of VSATs. With so much money spent, the Federal Government of Nigeria did not envisage anything but success and an ICT-compliant educational system. This however was far from reality as most of the projects and policy implementations were quickly abandoned with the same zeal with which they were adopted. It was only after the policy had failed that many studies from the academia began to spring up with plausible causes to the failure of such policies and ways to avert its future occurrence [10]. However, with the changing role of technology and its proliferating uses for teaching and learning, more research is required to look into the new challenges that accompany the adoption of new ICTs particularly in tertiary education.
ICT has evolved from its traditional roles, forms and uses for teaching and learning, especially in architectural education. It can vary in forms such as texts, audio, video, graphic, chat and discussion groups, email, graphs, tables, websites, social portals, PowerPoint presentations, etc., all of which plays different and interrelated roles in instructional content designs, learning strategy, learning activity designs, and delivery methods, facilitating learning from any place, at any time, and at individual pace, via highly interactive and collaborative technologies [11]. Thus, the problem which initially militated against the adoption of ICTs in the early stages of adoption have also mutated into complex and dynamic issues that require a more aggressive and holistic approach to address. Common issues encountered in new ICTs adoption include a lack of teacher knowledge due to the unfamiliarity of these new technologies to teachers; their functions and their mode of use, leaving most of the adopted technologies unusable, misused or underused [12].
In a bid to address some of these adoption issues, some studies such as [13], have suggested for tertiary institutions in Nigeria to teach computer courses as part of their curriculum even though most of these computer courses are currently taught theoretically with no practical lessons. Also, the National University Commission (NUC) setup a virtual learning portal aimed at fostering academic research collaborations and resource and information sharing. However, due to the lack of adequate supporting infrastructure such as Internet access, steady electricity supply, inadequate networked computers, among others, the impact of these portals are yet to be felt. Several other initiatives including the establishment of centres of distance learning in some selected Nigerian universities have still not helped in addressing the technology integration issues encountered by improper adoption of these technologies in education. Rather than being felt in the academic sector of universities (i.e. for teaching and learning purposes), the benefits of these technologies are better enjoyed in the administrative sectors of these tertiary institutions [14]. ICTs are being used extensively for admission, registration, result processing and checking, transcript preparations, fee payments, etc. whereas the sole purpose of its adoption, which is for classroom teaching and learning is completely neglected [15]. [16] noted that even though little has been achieved in the area of using ICT for teaching purposes, its role and use in research (accessing digital resources such as online journal and conference articles, ebooks, information resources available on student portals, communication via email, etc.) should not be downplayed but rather encouraged.
ICT usage as instructional technology for teaching and learning is still at its infancy in Nigerian higher education. While there is need to acknowledge the institutionalization of these technologies, adequate if not more concern should also be geared towards the recognition that the instructional use of ICT is of paramount importance to the de...