TEACHING AND LEARNING OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE EDUCATION IN OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING USING ELECTRONIC PLATFORMS

Abstract

Educational institutions in Nigeria are mostly based on traditional methods of learning. In other words, focus is centered more on face to face process of teaching and learning. However, the recent outbreak of the deadly disease corona virus (COVID -19) globally has imposed a shift in teaching and learning approaches in many higher institutions globally especially in the developing countries. Hence, this study evaluated the impact of using electronic platforms in teaching and learning of LIS, the perception of LIS students towards the use of electronic platforms in learning and the challenges students and lecturers face in teaching and learning LIS using electroniclearning platforms in National Open university of Nigeria. The survey design was adopted for this study. The population of this study comprises all 254 undergraduates and seven (7) lecturers in the Department of Library and information science in NOUN. The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used for analysis of the data. The study identified Zoom and WhatsApp as the electronic platforms used for teaching and learning. The findings revealed that electronic platforms were found to foster intercultural communication irrespective of time, allow teaching irrespective of location and space which came with some. Also, e-learning platforms are user-friendly and have provided flexibility to study at any time convenient to the students. The challenges associated with are poor network, excess workload on the facilitators and lack of ICT skills needed for participation and use of the electronic platform. The paper recommends that orientation of new staff should be carried out effectively, training of both staff and students, first and second year students must be made to study electronic learning content as a general course, availability of study packs at reasonable costs and virtual lectures.