GUIDE TO TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Module
6
New Technologies in Teaching and
6
Learning in Higher Education

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JUST BEFORE
YOU BEGIN

Reflect on the following as you work through this Module

113. The Tokyo and Dakar Conferences return to the question of

utilisation of new technologies, suggesting that ‘higher education institutions must
adopt new approaches for the packaging of information, for course delivery and for
rethinking traditional approaches to teaching and learning. Multimedia, CD-
ROM, the Internet and interactive video must all be used to promote CONSOLIDATED
interaction between students and their lecturers’. It also says that ‘teachers, DECLARATIONS
AND PLANS OF
professors and technical and administrative staff must be given training that ACTION OF THE
enables them to integrate new information and communication technologies REGIONAL
CONFERENCES ON
(NICTs) into their teaching programmes, and to examine the multiplier effect HIGHER
with regard to their use’. EDUCATION HELD
IN HAVANA,
DAKAR, TOKYO,
PALERMO AND
BEIRUT 1997-98

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Article 12. The potential and the challenge of technology

The rapid breakthroughs in new information and communication technologies will further change the
way knowledge is developed, acquired and delivered. It is also important to note that the new
technologies offer opportunities to innovate on course content and teaching
methods and to widen access to higher learning. However, it should be borne Extracted from the:
in mind that new information technology does not reduce the need for
teachers but changes their role in relation to the learning process and that the DECLARATION
continuous dialogue that converts information into knowledge and
OF THE UNESCO
understanding becomes fundamental. Higher education institutions should
lead in drawing on the advantages and potential of new information and WORLD
communication technologies, ensuring quality and maintaining high standards CONFERENCE
for education practices and outcomes in a spirit of openness, equity and ON HIGHER
international co-operation by: EDUCATION
(1998)
a. engaging in networks, technology transfer, capacity-building,
developing teaching materials and sharing experience of their
application in teaching, training and research, making knowledge
accessible to all;

b. creating new learning environments, ranging from distance education facilities to complete
virtual higher education institutions and systems, capable of bridging distances and
developing high-quality systems of education, thus serving social and economic advancement
and democratisation as well as other relevant priorities of society, while ensuring that these
virtual education facilities, based on regional, continental or global networks, function in a way
that respects cultural and social identities;

c. noting that, in making full use of information and communication technology (ICT) for
educational purposes, particular attention should be paid to removing the grave inequalities
which exist among and also within the countries of the world with regard to access to new
information and communication technologies and to the production of the corresponding
resources;

d. adapting ICT to national, regional and local needs and ensuring securing technical,
educational, management and institutional systems to sustain it;

e. facilitating, through international co-operation, the identification of the objectives and interests
of all countries particularly the developing countries, equitable access and the strengthening
of infrastructures in this field and the dissemination of such technology throughout society;

f. closely following the evolution of the 'knowledge society' in order to ensure high quality and
equitable regulations for access to prevail;

g. taking the new possibilities created by the use of ICTs into account, while realising that it is,
above all, institutions of higher education that are using ICTs in order to modernise their work,
and not ICTs transforming institutions of higher education from real to virtual institutions.

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6.0
Introduction and General Objectives

Introduction

The use of technology in education dates far back in history. From a crude form in
the early days of civilisation to the vast array of computer-technology driven devices
of the 1990s, technology has significantly impacted on educational theory and
practice (Okebukola, 1998). In his book, “The Road Ahead”, Bill Gates of Microsoft
Corporation envisions a rather rapid transformation of the educational delivery
process and assessment of learning by the fast developing information
superhighway. The dynamics of change and the flux in computer technology
development have made Gates (1995) to conclude that the information
superhighway will transform education in the first quarter of the 21st Century “much
beyond our wildest dreams”.

Instructional technology incorporates those tools and materials that present, support,
and reinforce teaching. The devices used range from the pad and pencil to the
computer. The use of technology in education started when the slate was introduced
as a supplement to texts. The slate gave way to the blackboard and the chalkboard.
From such beginnings came thousands of tools and devices to help teachers teach.

The communications revolution has had tremendous implications for education. This
is because education involves the medium and message of the communicative

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process. The chosen medium of communication influences the distribution of

knowledge over time and space. The technology involved in communicating has
been linked to learning throughout history. From clay tablets to paper and pen,
chalkboard to books, pictures, radio and tape to television and films, the new
educational technologies use the most sophisticated micro-electronics and
communication media. The range of new information technologies include the chip,
the microcomputer, the satellite and telematique (the merging of computer and
telecommunications).

After working through this module, you should be able to:

 distinguish between the methods and products of the new GENERAL

technologies; OBJECTIVES
 determine the role of the new technologies in enhancing
teaching and learning;
 identify the new technologies and their use in teaching and learning with
reference to the African context; and
 get acquainted with the potential as well as the limits of the new technologies in
the African context.

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6.1 Technology in Higher Education

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

 describe educational technology as a process and as a

product; and
 differentiate between traditional and modern technologies. SPECIFIC
OBJECTIVES

 Reading 6.1 NEW AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN HIGHER

EDUCATION
A.M. Simiyu

The term technology as explained by Simiyu (1999) has its origin in Latin. It
encompasses two concepts, that is, technic which means tools and materials, and logic
which covers the different approaches in solving a problem. The term technology as applied
to the process of education includes ways of organising events and activities to achieve
educational objectives as well as the materials and equipment involved in the
process.
The history of educational technology dates backs to the late eighteenth century and
early nineteenth century when various industrial products such as the camera and later the

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motion picture were invented. The invention may not have had anything to do with the
education process, but the benefits were soon realised by educators and the products were
consequently put to use. The still camera made it possible to reproduce a life experience
and share it elsewhere. The motion picture’s contribution was more dramatic because
features could be recorded and reproduced in actual motion. The invention of animation in
the motion picture added further qualities of being able to demonstrate, for instance, the
circulation of blood in the human body.
The greatest impact to education in the history of instructional technology came from
the 2nd World War efforts to teach various skills to the military. Soldiers had to be recruited
and trained to be ready for action within the shortest possible time. In this search for
efficiency in the training process, the logic aspect of technology came into play. There was
need to specify objectives, and organise the skills development process in a logical
sequence of steps. This process was refined leading to the systems approach to instruction.
The invention of the computer and programmed instruction were applied to education
with encouraging results. Correspondence education later developed into distance
education that we have today. While correspondence education utilised print materials and
programmed instruction, distance teaching has incorporated a variety of media to achieve
educational results.
The concept “new technologies” recognises that technology improves all the time.
New ideas are all the time being introduced by industry and these should be applied to the
process of education in order to help in resolving problems that educators are challenged
with. The new technologies applied to higher education should be considered within the
socio-economic context of each country.
In Africa, higher education has many problems. We face problems of inadequate
capacity for competent high school leavers to pursue further studies in the few tertiary
institutions including universities. Evidence of this fact is the number of African students who
raise large sums of money to study in Europe, America and elsewhere where they find such
opportunities. In Kenya over 150,000 high school students sit the KCSE. Out of about
40,000 who meet minimum university entrance requirements, only 9,000 get places in public
universities.
Higher Education is also plagued with lack if books and equipment for study in
various disciplines. Personnel is also inadequately trained. In cases where there has been
expansion of opportunities for higher education the lecturers have problems in handling large
numbers. Even where numbers are small, the quality of teaching does not meet the
expected standards because of lack of training in pedagogy. It is this scenario which attracts
us to consider new technologies in higher education so that the objectives of our institutions
of higher learning can be achieved with mutual satisfaction of the lecturers and students, and
eventually society may benefit from the role played by the graduates in the society.

The new technologies can bring the following benefits to higher education:
• increase access to instructional resources through the Internet,
• share experiences through technologies such as the virtual university,
• increase access to higher education through distance teaching and learning,

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• increase flexibility in what to learn, how to learn, and when to learn, and
• motivate potential learners to engage in higher education.

To be able to realise the above benefits, we need to engage in various activities:

• train lecturers to improve their competence in using the new technologies in their
instructional activities,
• train and assist lecturers in producing teaching and learning resources,
• train lecturers and students in computer literacy,
• acquire adequate facilities so that the identified new technologies can be used as part of
the instructional resources in the institutions.
• run sensitisation workshops to promote new technologies in higher education.

Excerpted from Simiyu, A.M. (1999). New and Emerging Technologies in Teaching and Learning in
Higher Education. Lead presentation at the Regional Workshop on Teaching and Learning in Higher
Education, Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya, 18-22 May, 1999

New technologies as processes and products

The term “technology” as explained by Simiyu (1999) has its origin in Latin. It
encompasses two concepts, that is, technic which means tools and materials, and
logic which covers the different approaches in solving a problem. The term
technology as applied to the process of education includes ways of organising
events and activities to achieve educational objectives as well as the materials
and equipment involved in the process.

Yapi (1997) provides deeper insight into the meaning of the concept of
‘technology’. In his view, the variation in the use of the term “technology” suggests
several different explanations, each of which can be more or less accurate. One of
the plausible explanations is that: those who use this term in defining technology in
the strict sense of a product certainly do so because of the large volume of
commercial activities undertaken all over the world to display the material products of
high technology. It is because the general public (especially that of the developing

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countries with a less advanced research culture base) knows nothing other than
technology as a product, on account of the myriad advertising campaigns mounted
to that effect. Another explanation is that technology as a process expresses
something quite vague or at least represents technology itself, to the public, since it
remains the restricted domain for specialists. Thus, when a non-specialist is asked
to explain the term “technology”, he/she generally refers to it as the study of
equipment (machines, materials, electronic components, electromechanics, etc).
According to Thomas Kabayashi (1987), most people define technology as a set of
electronic gadgets (film projectors, tape recorders, audiovisual equipment,
microcomputers etc..).
Contrary to this point of view, technology is not solely a tangible asset that
can be acquired like any piece of equipment. It consists not only of the product but
also of the process (the whole domain taken together). However, the authors have
more holistic and more qualified points of view about this issue.
Some authors consider technology as an intellectual and practical trend dealing with
all aspects whereby systems are designed and controlled to produce a replicable
effect.
In other words, this is one way of defining and resolving a problem by taking
into account the theoretic and practical aspects as well as the relationship between
the two (Lapointe, 1991; Rheaume, 1993). Others say technology is a field of
knowledge and activities that make it possible to design and produce objects and
systems. It is also a process that allows for the automatic regulation of a system or
an operation, thanks to a constant feedback effect that helps in readjusting the sub-
systems or subsidiary operations, if necessary, in order to achieve the set objective.
In other words, technology is the art of ensuring the effective functioning or
management of very intricate systems (Gagne, 1987; Legendre, 1993).

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Some of these definitions refer to the technical object produced through

knowledge and know-how i.e. visible equipment (machines and tools). Others go
beyond this reference to the physical product to include methods, the set of ideas
and knowledge, as seen from the angle of their use for practical purposes. With
these definitions, we can theoretically distinguish technology as a product from
Lapointe (1993), this distinction makes it possible not only to consider technology as
an intellectual process but also to draw attention to the dynamics of the process
rather than the physical product alone. To clarify the various interpretations, we will
try to present and explain educational technology as seen from the general point of
view before identifying from this global notion the aspects that makes it possible to
distinguish between technology as a product and technology as a process geared
towards education.
Figure 6.1 is provided to give a better understanding of the contribution of new
technologies to the learning process. Four forces (horizontal and vertical
dimensions) are involved in realising the teaching act, and the learning process
represented by the intersection of the two dimensions.

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Fig. 6.1: The learning TO TEACHING
process AND
infrastructure LEARNING
and agents IN HIGHER EDUCATION

External Contributions to the process functioning Teaching and learning Content and
( follow –up ) material

Learning infrastructure

Learners Learning process Teachers

Technical infrastructure
And materials

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The dichotomy between technologies as teacher-centered (traditional, non-

verbal and non-dynamic) or learner-centered (new, verbal and dynamic) has been
demonstrated by Edgar Dale. Dale illustrates with visual and verbal symbol
representation on a continuum of experiences rising from a concrete base composed
of directly transferable experiences pursuing immediate objectives up to abstraction,
represented by verbal symbols, at the top of the cone. The divisions between the
various experiences are not strict and inflexible. The cone only clarifies the sensory
supports in terms of more or less concrete or abstract communication experiences.
In this illustration, the terminology used to refer to those concepts is covered
by the phrase “ learning resources and technologies ”.

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Edgar Dale’s ‘’Cone of Experience’’

Verbal
Symbols

Visual Symbols

Radio, Recordings,
Still pictures

Television

Exhibits

Field trips

Demonstrations

Dramatised Experiences

Contrived Experiences

Direct, purposeful, experiences

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Thus, once more we notice that the new technologies (at the cone base)
exploit methods and tools that encourage interaction much more than traditional
technologies (cone top) which use far more teacher- centered tools and methods.

Relevance of Educational Technology to Developing Countries

Achi Yapi
 Reading 6.2

Like the technological innovations which enhance performance in all sectors of economic
and social activities, educational technology has developed over the last thirty years and
ultimately improved the quality and efficiency of education and learning, educational
management and research. However, this technology is perceived in diverse ways by
authors and users. According to Thomas and Kobayashi (1987), educational technology
represents several things to different people. Thus, it is often mistaken for high technology
products and their implication in the education sector. To the less informed ones,
educational technology represents nothing other than the use of audiovisual equipment
and/or micro computers for teaching purposes. Gagne and Reiser (1987) maintain that
people usually understand educational technology as the use of communication media for
educational purposes.

Whereas certain specialists have a very good understanding of the concept of educational
technology, others are less informed about the concept, particularly in the developing
countries where it is relegated to a mere notion of material products. With this confusion
arising from interpretation, we wondered how educational technology could be basically
explained to smooth away the situation and demonstrate the relevance of educational
technology to a developing country.

This article seeks to clear up the inherent lack of understanding. In this regard, we have
drawn on the points of view expressed by various authors in identifying the concepts of
technology and educational technology. We have also tried to examined the possible
distinction to be made between technology as a product and technology as a process. This
brief conceptualization of technology enabled us to explain how educational technology can
help in promoting education in developing countries. Finally, we have explained the extent
to which it can help teachers to plan case studies to improve the learning process. However,

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before presenting the concept of educational technology, we digressed to focus on

technology itself: we did so because, on the one hand, an analysis of all aspects of
technology brings the problem of technology into focus straightaway; on the other hand, it
constitutes the first origin of educational technology, as established by Gagne (1987) and
Lapointe (1993). Consequently, a convincing conceptualization of educational technology
should start with that of technology itself.
In other words, this article first attempts to explain educational technology by defining
its concept and analyzing some aspects of the said technology that help in promoting
education in the third-world countries. With this explanation, we wish to first iron out the lack
of understanding of the concept of educational technology in developing countries and then
demonstrate the theoretical and methodological contribution this technology makes towards
the preparation of an instructional design aimed at improving learning and promoting its
transfer.

THE CONCEPT OF EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY

As in the case of technology itself, there is no universal definition for educational technology
because the concept has been defined in numerous and diverse ways in the literature. Non
specialist educationists generally consider educational technology as the use of
microcomputers and audiovisual equipment in particular. Rheaume (1993) observes that, to
certain teachers, the term “educational technology” refers to materials or equipment. Some
of them define the field in terms of audiovisual products and the media. Others lay emphasis
on programmed learning and observable behaviour (Stolovitch and La Rocque, 1988).The
confusion becomes more obvious in the case of non-teaching staff outside the domain of
specialists. This is because when you ask to know what educational technology represents,
you can be taken as far as possible with a long lecture on what can be achieved through
technology. Stolovitch and La Rocque observed that non educationists manifest an almost
complete ignorance about technology issues.

For their part, specialists consider educational technology as an intellectual process and
practice that addresses the needs of learners and those of teachers to enable them to
determine precisely the objectives of learning as well as the means of achieving them
(stolovitch and La Rocque, 1988; Lapointe, 1993). Finally, Thomas and Kobayashi (1987)
maintain that educational technology is a complex integrated process whereby problems
connected with all aspects of learning are conceptualized, analyzed, established and
resolved through interaction between people, techniques, ideas and resources within an
organizational framework.

With these definitions, it is noticed that, far from representing the mere use of the media and
other tools for instructional purposes, as purported by certain people, educational technology
is rather a scientific process whereby human and material resources are used to enhance
efficiency in teaching, training and learning. Let us now consider what is meant by
technology as a product and technology as a process.

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TECHNOLOGY AS A PRODUCT

Technology as a product is the end result of the systematic application of scientific

knowledge in finding practical solutions to specific problems. As a product, educational
technology can include teaching procedures, practices and materials. Consequently, the
inputs from technological developments comprise, on the one hand, non-physical products
(programmed learning, individualized learning, teaching skills, the use of computers in
learning, computer-assisted education, comprehensive educational syllabi or curricula,
multimedia, etc.);they also include, physical products such as microcomputers, mainframe
computers, video cassette recorders, radio and television sets, video-tape recorders, tape
recorders, overhead projectors, photographic slides, electronic acetates, etc..).
Some authors adds to this list of products, language, writing case, pencil, paper, books,
newspapers and films. Finally, these tools facilitate education and learning and also
enhance the performances resulting from the cost of education.

TECHNOLOGY AS A PROCESS

Viewed from the angle of process dynamics, educational technology is an approach geared
towards finding and improving solutions so it should not be associated with products of such
technology. It therefore includes functions connected with the management of organizations
and human resources, research (the setting of theories, rational methods and practices
related to the techniques of education and learning), logistics, the use and establishment of
systems (Gagne, 1987; Winn, 1991; Lapointe 1993).

Moreover, it is these different functions, together with the systematic analysis and design,
that distinguish educational technology from the traditional approaches. In other words,
educational technology is:
(1) systematic, in the sense that it uses a rationalized and structured technique as opposed
to the activities organised intuitively, haphazardly or without proper management
(Stolovitch and La Rocque, 1988);
(2) communicative, because any medium used is oriented towards the objectives of the
educational design to guarantee the efficiency, economy and enhanced output of the
selected model;
(3) scientific, in so far as all the decisions on the design and choice of medium are also
taken in terms of the objectives and instructional design and in accordance with the most
proven results of the learning process;
(4) systemic, because it allows for the constant analysis of the problem of learning in its
entirety. Thus, in a systemic process, every solution to a problem comprises interrelated
elements and is exclusively envisaged as part of the given problem.

The systemic approach is therefore one way of examining globally and not in isolation , a set
of elements interacting in a given environment to promote learning (Stolovitch and Keeps,

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1993; Garavaglia, 1993). With respect to methodology, Stolovitch and La Rocque (1988)
consider the systemic approach as a process connected with the planning and operation of a
system are identified and analyzed. The main concepts of this approach are:
• the phenomenon of self-regulation or feedback;
• the control unit which takes account of information and
• the energy required to operate the system and facilitate its adaptation to the surrounding
environment.

Consequently, any inappropriate interaction between the control unit and the feedback
mechanism or any inconvenient readjustment deregulates and disintegrates the system
(ibid). Moreover, educational technology requires three operational phases to establish a
given system; analysis, design and evaluation (Gagne, 1987, Gagne and Glaser, 1988,
Stolovitch and Keeps, 1993).
• The analytic phase precedes the model design phase and comprises seven stages of
which five cover the analysis itself (preliminary analysis, target clientele analysis,
contextual analysis) while two cover summary operations; (a) the preliminary analysis
covers the phase during which the technologists determines the difference between the
real needs of the target clientele in relation to the knowledge acquired and the
knowledge to be acquired;
(b) in studying the target audience, the technologist tries to acquaint himself with the
learner through his/her aptitudes and features that are most likely to interact with the
other components of the model; (c) in the contextual analysis phase, the technologist
identifies not only the contextual and environmental conditions underscoring the
educational situation; however, it also presents a better enlightenment through the data
collected to examine the manner in which the model to be designed is harmonized
correctly and naturally;
(d) the job analysis enables the technologist to make an in-depth study of the
instructional information to be imparted to the learner; (e) the concept analysis consists
in examining the content so as to identify the underlying concepts; (f) Stolovitch and
Keeps (1993) propose the preparation of a summary programme, plan of action and
results of all the analyses conducted previously; (g) whether it is intended for a course or
training session, before preparing the appraisal report, the technologist should
systematically prepare in a graphic form, a list of all the principal activities to be
accomplished, together with the duration, site and the agents involved.
• During the design phase, the technologist specifies the objectives of learning, prepares
criteria tests, determines the teaching method, strategy and framework; he also selects
the media and system of presentation, prepares a draft design, determines the set-up
and production plan of the prototype. The technologist therefore considers this phase as
the occasion to propose an operational model that normally includes solutions to the
issue examined.
• This design phase precedes the design evaluation, set-up and monitoring phase during
which the possible anomalies are detected and necessary corrections are made before
the system is put into operation. It is because, to prevent potential failures, the

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technologist should check his prototype with the help of experts, learners and/or
colleagues and make possible adjustments before the final product is adopted,
distributed and set up – as stipulated by Stolovitch and La Rocque (1988) and by
Stolovitch and Keeps (1993). To ensure the smooth execution of this phase, all the
preceding phases have to be implemented.

To sum up, the myriad definitions given in the writings do not facilitate the understanding of
the concept of educational technology. For one thing, while some authors base their
definition on the application of scientific results and the empirical process whereby
knowledge is acquired, others base their definitions on all the skills required in creating,
designing, using and improving teaching methods. However, upon analysis, the writings
show that educational technology is not only a physical object. It can be a product (physical
or non-physical) as well as process. It also allows for the systematic application of theory to
practical work in order to allow for the adoption and design of the most effective teaching
methods possible according to the set objectives and the circumstances under which
teaching should be conducted. Educational technology also entails the use of all available
resources (human, non-human and the media) in attaining the set goals. Finally, it requires,
as far as possible, that educational decisions be based on research results and first geared
towards improving and facilitating learning.

This brief presentation of concepts concerning educational technology, which we have just
made was intended to explain what this technology is (as summed up in the table below). It
would now be interesting to consider what educational technology can represent for
developing countries. However, the research into the relevance of such technology to
developing countries inevitably poses the problem of its transfer.

Excerpted from:
Yapi, A. (1997). The relevance of educational technology in developing countries. UNESCO-AFRICA,
14/14, 43-53.

1. How has educational technology as a process and as a product

impacted on your teaching?
Activity 6.1  2. List three ways in which you have used educational
technology (a) as a process; and (b) as a product, in your teaching.

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Reading 4.2
Reading 6.2

New Information Technologies in Education and New Role for Potential

Teachers
N.C. NWABOKU
The whole purpose of an educational system is efficient communication through the
instructional sub-systems that is, the transmission of information, knowledge, skills, values
and attitudes from a source to a recipient; bridging the gap between generations of learners.
A major purpose of communication is to influence the recipient of information. To influence
learners, and consequently society, in a desirable way, the future of the society has to be
kept in view.
Technology is a factor which has constantly changed the future of societies in usually
unforeseen directions. It is the single factor whose advancement makes the difference in
development for all the nations in the world. Technology has also made the difference
between the various sectors of the society with the educational sector lagging behind the
rest. In Africa, it can be said that technology, as it is known today, is virtually absent in the
educational sector.
Recent developments in technology, especially in computer technology has set the
pace of development at “fast forward” in all spheres. The educational sector is therefore in
danger of loosing contact with world realities in the very near future. The rate of advances in
computer technology and the transformation it brings in its wake for communication and
“work” cannot be ignored by the educational sector for two reasons; education involves and
depends on communication systems, and secondly education prepares the future society for
a world of work. This paper discusses the implication of technology in the classroom, at the
delivery level, and the roles of the teacher in preparing learners for a technological world.

Why Use Technology In Teaching?

The introduction and use of information technologies in teaching in the schools would serve
a dual purpose; for the purposes of acculturation and for more efficient instruction. For
acculturation purposes, a learner who is being prepared for technologically oriented world
needs to be immersed in technology early. Technology is a new world culture, and like all
cultures is best acquired in early life. This would ensure that schools do not produce
(technologically) maladjusted adults. By employing the information technologies (new or old)
the schools would be facing up to new facts of life, that the learners would be functioning in a
technologically dependent society. It is necessary to orientate the thoughts and attitudes of
learners through technology. For a learner at any level to seek information through
technology the awareness has to be created and a need established. Only then would the

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individual invest on and utilise technology. The use of the new information technologies
have become inevitably for survival. While adults have to adopt with difficulties to the use of
new technologies, young individuals can learn, and should be given the opportunity to learn
easily and naturally by early contacts with these technologies.
Technology is about “machines”. Machines make work easier, achieve more work in
less time. It can therefore be expected that employing technology in teaching would
introduce better efficiency in the instructional system. This is achieved in many ways:
(i) Expands the possible modalities of learning (redundancy)
(ii) Adds some measure of reality to learning (concreteness)
(iii) Increases the perceptual scope of the learner (immediacy)
(iv) Motivates the learner by making learning easier more interesting, and challenging.
(v) Provides the teacher with more reflective time for improving instruction.
(vi) Makes record keeping and evaluation easier.

In general terms the introduction of new technologies in education would provide education
with more productive learning systems, ensuring equal opportunities for learners.
Technology itself has generated new information at an exponential rate and it is only through
technology that the tremendous amount of available information can be harnessed and
accessed in learning.

What Is In the New Information Technologies?

All through the ages new developments in technology have revolutionised society.
The printing press produced the first book in 1456, and broke the monopoly of knowledge
and information. This also led to establishment of libraries, and more efficient information
storage and retrieval systems. Photography also caused a revolution in information
systems. It provided a means of capturing visual information on paper leading to
developments like motion pictures, still pictures, photocopiers etc. Photography has led to
further developments in information accessing in education through mass media like the
Television.

Developments in Mass Communication, mainly the radio and television, have had much
impact on education, making distance learning possible, telecommunications also produced
the telephone systems and satellite systems which have turned the world into an open
learning classroom. A combination of all these technologies have resulted in limitless
opportunities for the educational system.
The development of computers from earlier digital systems like the calculators has marked a
turning point in the technology evolution. This is because the computer is capable of
processing information from all other systems once the information is digitised. The
computer combines all the advantages of the other information technologies, processes
information at high speeds, generates new information and converts information from one
encoding system to another. Used in combination with any of the other technologies. The

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computer provides limitless possibilities in information processing and information

generation. The computer can also be to develop the other information systems further.
The main implication of the computer for instruction is not in data processing but in its
ability to aid the further development of all the other information systems used in education.
For instance, photography can be improved by using computerised cameras which adjust
automatically for light exposure and object distance. Viewed from this angle the new
information technologies in education includes:
• The telecommunication process of teleconference, telephone teaching, telewriting.
• Developments in motion picture production culminating in the video-tape and videodisk
(laser disk) which in combination with the computer provides interactive video systems.
• Interactive audio systems.
• Transmission systems, including satellite, through which instructional programmes, and
information can be accessed at a distance by radio wares, microwaves tele-systems, etc.
• The white board (electronic board) and,
• Finally the computer and computer software.
When new information technologies are discussed much attention is however focussed
on the computer because of its versatility. Its many advantages in combination with other
technologies include:
• High speed processing of information.
• The ability to adapt to various input formats and encoding systems.
• High capacity for information processing and storage.
• Convenient information packaging formats (compact discs etc).
• Relatively easy manipulation techniques.
• Relatively low cost of the technology.
• Adaptability to user conditions and modes.
The computer has also gained the attention because it is regarded as the main changing
agent for the future. It is envisaged that in the very near future most work will be done
through computers so the computer as a technology has become an important subject for
the educational system.

Introducing the New Information Techniques Into The School System In Africa

In the school system the computer can serve as subject, as media, and as a tool for creative
work. As a subject the pupil learns about computers. This is computer literacy. The
argument for computer literacy is that in the future the inability to use computers would be as
limiting as the inability to read and write. It has therefore become important at this age to
learn the basic uses of computers, to learn to operate the computer, to learn to use various
computer software and to learn to develop computer software for various purposes.
As media, the computer is used for teaching and learning. This is Computer Assisted
Instruction (CAI). The knowledge of computers and programmed instruction are used to
produce computer programmes that teach. It becomes possible to tailor instruction to
individual needs. Learners can advance at their own pace, or use the programmes at school

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or their homes. Teachers can utilise packaged lessons or produce their own courseware.
CAI adds a lot of flexibility to learning systems.
As a tool for creative work, the learner uses the computer to advance her/his ideas,
trying out new methods or projects, and experimenting with, and creating new concepts. In
this format to use the computer also serves as a problem solving tool, calculating,
manipulating and analysing data.
In the Sub-Saharan Africa formal school system, these three applications of
computers are yet to gain much ground. Outside the formal school systems however most
countries have seen the acknowledgement of the importance of computers in the
proliferation of “computer schools”. In countries like Nigeria and Senegal these schools are
popular and serve out of school learners who wish to improve their chances of securing a
good job. In areas like secretarial studies computer literacy, and often competence, has
become a requirement. In the private sector one finds that computers have made in roads
and most companies especially the financial companies, are heavily dependent on
computers and computer systems. These observations seem to indicate that the need for
information technologies are evident in spite of the poor state of our economies. What is not
clear is what the constraints are for introducing technology into the school systems.

A major constraint in the introduction of computer programmes into the school systems in
the developing nations is financial limitations. It is already claimed that a high proportion of
any nation’s budget goes to education. The older technologies of learning mentioned earlier
in this paper have not been employed much in our public schools systems. It would
therefore seem presumptions to expect that computers can be provided in schools. One
might just consider closing all discussions on this subject but the problem is that, like all
other problems facing our educational systems today there is no longer much choice in the
matter. If the educational systems do not advance at the same pace as developments in all
others socio-economic sectors, education in the region will become irrelevant to the society’s
needs. Also character of the computer as an all purpose tool could spell disaster for any
nation that fails to grasp its benefits.

The conclusion here is that financial constraints as an excuse for not improving our school
systems has reached a dead end. It is time to put technology into the African school
systems. Given the scope of informatics and other technologies of instruction the questions
are, where to start?, how to start?, who to start with?. This paper proposes that action
should start with intensive computer literacy programmes for teachers, now. There are
many ways in which the urgency of this new requirement for teachers could be impressed on
the minds of all concerned.
• short-term computer literacy programmes should be organised for teachers using the
already established private computer schools and personnel. The cost could be
negotiated and shared between the employers of teachers and the teachers.
• Computer literacy could be made a condition for promotion, for enhanced remuneration.
In this wise teachers could be forced to take advantage of the opportunities offered by
these private computer schools like anyone else in the public.

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• Selective in-service training could be organised for teachers in the use of computers.
Such action could produce computer specialists in the schools systems who could teach
other teachers to use computers on the job when available.

The training of teachers by whatever means should be a first step in the introduction of
computers to schools. These teachers would then participate in the decision on the
equipment and software to be provided in schools, and also what new curricula to introduce
for the use of computers. Training of all students in computer literacy should be encouraged
at the tertiary level also. Degree courses in computer science should include courses in
computer literacy and computer Assisted Instruction for education students at both first
degree and higher degree levels.

It would be possible to organise computer literacy programmes for teachers and students at
the secondary school levels using youth camp or youth organisation outlets. It is important
to use all available means to achieve mass computer literacy in a very short period. The use
of public television should not be ruled out. Acquiring computers, hardware and software, for
schools would require more financial commitment on the part of the government. Donor
agencies, NGOs, parents and the communities may have to be appealed to in this regard.

To avoid a wastage of resources and efforts in the introduction of computer literacy it is

necessary to make a distinction between specialised, vocational, and general computer
education programmes. What should be intensified is a general computer education
programme. The intention should be to create awareness in, and influence the attitudes of
teachers and learners to the use of computers. Specialised and vocational computer
education programmes should be left to vocational schools and for computer science and
technology courses at the appropriate levels.

Emphasis on higher order use of computers in the school system, i.e. CAI and the use of
computers for creativity, explanatory work, and research may be desirable but not advisable
at a period in which computer literacy is very low and specialists in that aspect of educational
technology are virtually lacking. The first step in that direction should be the training of
personnel to a high level of specialization and competence in application of computers in
schools.

The use of computers for school management, evaluation, record keeping should however
be given the same treatment as for all other instructional media in matters relating to their
use in instruction (CAI). This opinion is supported by the fact that there is no conclusive
research evidence for the superiority of the computer as a medium of instruction over any
other medium.

Our school system should look beyond the computer in the use of technologies of
instruction. One important and very effective technology which Africa schools systems have
failed to take advantage of is photography, and its products. The motion picture has evolved

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through the years and is versatile in its latest forms. The video tape and video disc are
suitable for various modes of study. Recordings and retrieval of information require far less
training for use. Video discs are compact and require very little storage space. This paper
would recommend the setting up of collection of video tapes and discs in school libraries at
all levels, or that where a media library exists, video materials should be an important part of
it. Video materials are also an important software for distance learning.

Countries in the Africa region should consolidate on the technologies already introduced in
their educational systems. Studies have shown that educational radio and educational
television have been used in almost all the countries in the developing world as a means of
reaching remote learners and cutting the cost of education. Any measures to reduce the
cost of education should be supported and exploited fully. Unfortunately most of these
technological innovations have not been sustained. Reasons for the breakdown of the
systems are largely related to technical know how in both utilisation and maintenance. Most
of these technologies were established through external aids which provided the initial
technical support. It is necessary to precede the installation of technology with the provision
of local experts. In other words what the African continent needs most as precondition for a
technological take off in education and other social sectors are seasoned indigenous
specialists. Unfortunately while other sectors of the economy make effort to provide these
educational sector is contended with ad-hoc training programmes and half-baked specialist
or no specialists at all.

Excerpted from:
Nwaboku, N.C. (1997). New information technologies in education and new roles for potential
teachers. UNESCO-AFRICA 15/15, 30-37.

Comment on Nwaboku’s claim that “what the African

Activity 6.2  continent needs most are seasoned indigenous
specialists (in educational technology)”. How do you
think this goal can be achieved?

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Old and New Technologies

In the past twenty years, there has been a significant expansion in the availability of
a wide range of technologies with the potential to improve the quality of teaching and
learning (Taylor, 1995). Apart from the more traditional technologies such as print,
broadcast television and radio, the following new technologies provide opportunities
for enhancing the quality of teaching: audiotapes, videotapes, computer-based
learning packages, interactive video (disk and tape), CDTV, audio-teleconferencing,
audiographic communication systems (e.g. Smart 2000) and videoconferencing. In
recent times, these technologies have been supplemented by the advent of the
opportunities for interactivity and access to instructional resources provided by the
computer communications networks popularly referred to as the “Internet”

Delivery technologies simply package information and instruction to give students

access to educational experiences. What matters is the quality of the instructional
message, rather than the inherent characteristics of the instructional medium used.
Clark (1983) makes the point that educational technologies are “mere vehicles that
deliver instruction but do not influence students’ achievement any more than the
truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition”(p.445). Taylor
(1995) extends this view by taking the position that a teacher can be surrounded by
a team of audiovisual technicians, graphic artists and computing specialists to vary
the style of the delivery of the educational message without producing a significant
increase in pedagogical efficacy. The key process for improving the quality of
teaching and learning in Taylor’s (1995) view is instructional design which has
received a significant boost from recent advances in instructional science, cognitive
science and artificial intelligence, particularly expert systems. The process of
instructional design entails a systematic fine-grained analysis of the knowledge base
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and associated cognitive skill that provide the foundation of professional expertise in
a particular discipline. This approach entails the application of such techniques as
cognitive task analysis, novex analysis, concept mapping, and knowledge
engineering.

Table 6.1: Generations of Educational Technology

TECHNOLOGY CHARACTERISTICS
Flexibility
Time Place Pace Interactivity
FIRST GENERATION- The Pre-computer age model

• Print Yes Yes Yes No

• Board Yes Yes Yes No

SECOND GENERATION – The Multimedia Model

• Print Yes Yes Yes No

• Board Yes Yes Yes No
• Audiotape Yes Yes Yes No
• Videotape Yes Yes Yes No
• Computer-based learning (e.g. CML/CAL) Yes Yes Yes Yes
• Interactive video (disk and tape) Yes Yes Yes Yes

THIRD GENERATION – The Telelearning Model

• Audioteleconferencing No No No Yes
• Videoconferencing No No No Yes
• Audiographic communications (e.g. Smart 2000) No No No Yes
• Broadcast TV/Radio + Audioteleconferencing No No No Yes

FOURTH GENERATION - The Flexible Learning

Model
Yes Yes Yes Yes
• Interactive multimedia (IMM, CD-ROM) Yes Yes Yes Yes
• Computer-mediated communication (CMC) (e.g.
Email, Cosy etc)

Source: Okebukola (1997)

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As noted by Okebukola (1997), The flexible access technologies allow the student to
turn the teacher on or off at will, as lifestyle and time permit. Also, access to the
Internet facilitates interactivity without sacrificing the benefits of flexible access, since
it can be used to support asynchronous communication. Such flexibility has the
pedagogic benefit of allowing students to progress at their own pace. While this
trend towards “technology-mediated” flexible learning is inexorable in a variety of
education and training contexts, it is crucial that the use of a range of instructional
media does not automatically enhance the quality of teaching and learning.

Traditional technologies are often the starting point of new technologies. They
include the chalkboard, the magnetic board, the overhead projector, and the slide
projector.

Suggestions for Using the Overhead Projector (OHP)

• Begin by placing the overhead projector in the best position for clarity of
projection-not so close to the screen that transparencies are too small to see
from the back of the room, but not so far away as to distort the image.
• Check to be sure the projector is not blocking students' view of the screen-ask
students to move if some obstruction is unavoidable.
• Don't overcrowd transparencies. It is difficult to read small fonts and cramped
lines, so a cluttered slide may be less effective than no slide at all. Instead,
use large fonts and plenty of space between items to help students read and
follow the information.
• Be careful not to scroll through prepared overheads too quickly. Slow the
pace by stopping regularly to ask students for questions.

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• Use only blue or black inks when writing on transparencies-red and green can
be difficult to see from the back of the room.
• If possible, avoid turning off all the lights in the classroom when using the
overhead. Keeping some lights on helps students stay alert, as well as letting
them see to take notes. Begin by placing the overhead projector in the best
position for clarity of projection-not so close to the screen that transparencies
are too small to see from the back of the room, but not so far away as to
distort the image.

Some advantages and disadvantages of new technologies are summarised in Table

6.2.

Table 6.2 Advantages and Disadvantages of New Technologies in Education

Advantages Shortcomings
• Relatively easy use as teaching • High cost
material. • Difficulty for user and maintenance staff
• Easy for trials and simulations. training
• Easy data storage and processing • Difficulty with respect to power supply
• Easy documentation follow-up • Inadequate resources to have access to
• Fast access to information hardware (machines) and software needed
• Easy access to external for new technology development
programs. • Even where the equipment is available,
• Facilitate distance education there is often an obvious lack of adequate
• Used and developed efficiently, services (maintenance, repairs and follow -
the new technologies prove to be up)
a strong and effective teaching • Teachers do not have the adequate
and learning tools. training needed to understand the concept
• Help teacher teach more and of pedagogy, the new learning
better, and integrate his learning. technologies and their uses.
• Bring together a larger number of • Non availability of teaching and learning
professionals who were apart in resource centres to support – teachers.
time and space. • Lack of skills and creativity to develop
supports to new technologies (software)
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• What is the current situation in use of new

Activity 6.3  technologies in your institution?

• What should be done to improve the situation?
• What are the constraints and opportunities?

Some applications of new technologies

Computer-assisted teaching/learning: This is the use of the computer to support the

teaching / learning process. Each learner works at his or her own pace and on
individual basis.

Simulation teaching: This involves using a computer to represent the operation of a

system in a real-life situation. Computer simulation programs were first developed for
training aircraft pilots. They represented exactly the operations executed by a pilot in
real life flying situation (e.g. take off, and landing in different weather conditions).
These techniques have been fully applied in teaching science and technology and in
engineering, geography, biological, chemical and medical sciences to help the
teacher explain concepts and the student to learn better.

Internet: Through digital telecommunication networks Internet explores information

super highway which almost instantly offers users unlimited research and information
opportunities in various specialised fields. Thanks to its accessible data, it becomes
a veritable teaching, learning and research tool.

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Closed circuit television: The closed circuit television - assisted teaching system
restricts the teaching and information only to identified learners linked with the circuit
by means of a cable. .Such a teaching system permits a simultaneous presentation
of a subject to a large number of clients. This technique may prove efficient when
combined with verbal and non-verbal supports and if it makes room for learner’s
participation.

Satellite - assisted teaching: The use of communication satellites enables learners in

far - flung and large areas to benefit from teaching offered in a remote location.
Distance teaching becomes the most efficient means of teaching far - flung clients
according to their specific needs in terms of time and place.

Identify in a comparative table the technologies and

Activity 6.4  products used in the following cases:

Teacher - centered Learner – centered technologies

technologies (verbal role) (non verbal role)
Examples
- chalk - TV sets
- blackboard - computers

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What other new technologies are there for use in Higher Education?

Televisions WWW
Films e-mail
Videos fax
Tape recorders Satellite
Photocopiers Data bases/CD ROM
Microphones LCD Projects
Teleconferencing/video conferencing Overhead projectors

The level of readiness to use these technologies?

Readiness is on the level of:

- Affordability - Skills
- Attitudes - Management
How ready are we?
- User training needed
- Maintenance strategies required
- Adequate physical facilities (space, security, electricity, power, backup,
accessibility) required.
- Need to sensitise the public to enhance acceptance, including
university senates.
How do we proceed?
Needs:
- Training of staff in use of technology.
- Acquisition of technologies
- Change of attitudes
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- Have a maintenance culture

- Adapt technologies to our institutional needs
- Make our own programmes and software
- Lecturers should be helped to acquire computers.
- There should be common facilities for new technologies in each
institution.

Recommendations

1. Train prospective users in use of new and emerging technologies

2. Provide facilities, security and maintenance of the new technology.
3. Provide guidelines for adoption and adaptation of new technologies.
4. Enable academics to purchase own computer hardware and software.

6.2
Using New Technologies in Higher
Education

At the end of this unit you should be able to:

 describe the role of new technologies in enhancing teaching

and learning ; SPECIFIC
OBJECTIVES
 examine problems associated with the use of new
technologies in teaching, learning and testing; and

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 state how the library can be used effectively as a technological resource for
teaching and learning in higher education.

Using New Technologies in Higher Education

The development of new technologies has permitted greater interactivity, the design
of interactive self-teaching programs for users, as well as feedback. Indeed, through
an integration of various types of information, the whole range of sounds can be
exploited and the learner’s emotional and cognitive processes better integrated.
Above all, new technologies have permitted individualisation, self-teaching and
distance education by creating open universities in a wider space.

Learner behaviours have undergone major changes as a result of easier

communication and interaction with other learners and teachers through the use of
computers. In short, thanks to new technologies, greater pedagogic efficiency has
been attained. To sum up, the pedagogic support of computer technology in higher
education have made possible:

- the visualisation of processes and procedures.

- diagnosis: self - testing as the exercise goes on.
- reflection: on acquisition and learning.
- the creation of situations: contextualisation.
- autonomy.
- rhythm of work
-motivation
- group work

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-integrated knowledge
-access to learners from various social backgrounds and traditional teaching
systems.

In some fields, the new technologies are unquestionably better and give greater
priority to individual work: one remembers, retains what one hears, one
understands what one sees and one best assimilates self-taught knowledge.

If the new technologies were developed in Africa, they could help solve three major
problems:
- remedy the lack of access to information and teaching resources, and
- the lack of communication opportunities among the actors involved in the
pedagogic process: learners, teachers and parents
-and put an end to research workers isolation: providing them with
information on recent developments, experiences.

Computers can be compared to books and libraries. As multimedia items, they

facilitate learning since they include most of the educational proprieties of older
technologies such as books, the radio, films, television, which they improve and
transmit more efficiently. They encourage more learner - centered and interactive
pedagogic approaches.

The new technologies have changed the bureaucratic and authoritarian approach of
traditional methodologies by making the learner independent (convenience of ease,
flexibility in terms of time). The teacher has to deal with a different type of learner
who is better motivated, better educated, more critical, more autonomous. He no

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longer has the authority he used to enjoy in traditional education, and now the
individual selects information according to his own interests and motivation.

The use of such a media - based teaching system (multimedia centers) is limited due
to some drawbacks:

 expensive acquisition and exploitation, and therefore not affordable to everybody.

 requires user training: initial and further training for the use, pedagogical and
didactic application of audio - visual material (teachers and learners: courses,
seminars).
 requires technical training for repairs and maintenance.
 requires basic documentation and acquisitions for easier communication and
interaction with other computers (networks).
The prospects for the use of these new information and communication
technologies in higher education are limited by the African universities’ unequal
opportunities of access to these technologies for obvious reasons;

 Non-availability of the basic facilities of access to the technologies: budget,

power, reliable telephone (networks).
 unequal distribution of resources to the various economic and social sectors in
each country.
Due to poor experience with older technologies (films, radio, television), which were
expected to be able to bring about drastic changes in the world, disappointed users
are no longer enthusiastic about technologies. Most of the actors have faith in the
nature of the educational activity that traditionally depends largely on the quality of
human interactions for the realisation of its objectives; they can hardly perceive any

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possible improvement with technology. In education, the problems raised by

traditional teaching with regard to teacher / learner relationship in a face - to - face
situation has so far been scarcely touched upon. How then can the new technologies
be tackled when the older ones have not yet even been entirely tapped? In Africa, in
the few universities where computer science has been introduced in the faculties or
other educational institutions,

- it is used much more as a support to administrative services than to

teaching;
- instructors use it for their own research work more than for teaching
purposes.
It is learned as subject rather than as a support to learning and training.
It must therefore be used beyond that level, as a support to improving education, the
various subjects and learning. The risk is that the teacher may no longer be
consulted whereas he must remain a facilitator.

With the new technologies the teacher may become lazy, relying only on the Internet
content without making any effort to design, compare and simulate. On the other
hand, the lack of control over the style and quality of the information provided by
Internet may make teachers, parents and politicians sceptical and apprehensive, as
they can no longer control these contents.

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Reading 4.4
Reading 6.3

The Library as a Resource

Philomena Fayose

A guide to teaching and learning in Higher Education is incomplete without any

reference to libraries and library resources. Not a librarian from the tertiary institution
or a library educator from the 12 library schools in Nigeria had been given the
opportunity to speak at this very important workshop. The library should be the hub
of teaching and learning in higher education. It provides a wide variety of teaching
and learning resources including the new terminologies which actually are
refinement of some traditional learning and teaching resources. The book here used
in its widest sense will continue to be the main instrument of teaching and learning.

There may be CD-ROMs and microforms but these were first in book forms before
being transferred into electronic media. Books are cheaper to use and easier to
come by. Books, computers, microforms and the like will complement each other
and help to bring fresh insight into the traditional teaching and learning resources.
Tertiary institutions’ libraries will increasingly become multimedia based. This is why
they are now called library resource centres, instructional resource centre, etc. The
library will be the umbrella site for all learning and teaching resources in the tertiary
institutions.

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Besides the provision of resources, the library will provide opportunities for teaching
staff and students skills required for the effective use of books and other learning
resources. Some of the ideas in my book titled “School library Resource Centres for
Educational Excellence” can be adopted for use in tertiary institutions.

Beside the provision of support and enhancing facilities for teaching and learning,
the library and its staff can provide opportunities for teaching skills in the use of
books and libraries. Too often, University and other tertiary institutions assume that
the two-hour tour of the library by fresh students is enough to make them users of
the library. This is not true. Many students do not come across good libraries until
they enter tertiary institutions. The library can be a bewildering place for the
uninitiated. Besides the orientation tour, there are library skills that can actually be
taught to teachers and students. The courses should be taught throughout the first
year. They include:

LIBRARY RESOURCES

This course will introduce students to the wide variety of learning resources printed
and unprinted. The division of printed materials into reference and non-reference.
Reference books are those consulted for specific pieces of information. They are not
meant to be read from cover to cover. Non-reference books are further sub-divided
into text books and supportive books. Text books are used teachers and students in
the pursuit of a course of study. Supportive or complementary books elaborate on
text books and enable teachers and students to have a broader perspective of the
topic.

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The references and reading lists given by lecturers provide the extra reading that
leads to a mastering of the subject. Periodical and journal articles further
complement books and provide up to date information especially in the fields of
science and technology. Fiction and creative writing in general build up
vocabularies, educates, the imagination, provide vicarious experiences which nature
and develop our sensibilities and keep the student in tune with the rest of humanity.

NON-PRINTED RESOURCES

These are made up of audio-visual software and hardware – sound of all types,
particularly useful for teaching languages, music and drama, visual resources which
concretize learning, reducing the problems of over verbalization and a combination
of the visual and aural video cassettes; film slides with their attendant gadgets for
use. Students and teachers should be taught how to operate and use these gadgets
in various teaching and learning situations. The availability of these materials will
encourage self investigation and reduce dependence on the lecturers. All teachers
should be encouraged to produce audio-video resources in their subject areas.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC SOURCES IN BROAD SUBJECT AREAS

Science and technology, mathematics, the humanities and the social sciences. The
course will also include bibliographic citations and compilation.

THE LIBRARY CATALOGUE

The library catalogue is a tool for unlocking the treasures of the library. The
components of the book and their various uses. Many students and their teachers
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for example, do not know the value of the back of the book index. Others do not
realize that books have authors and publishers. All tertiary teachers should be
encouraged to provide their students with extra reading lists. Students should be
encouraged to read outside their various disciplines so that they can have a better
perspective of life and knowledge. A proper use of library resources will produce
robust students who are self-reliant and creative, who are able to weight one opinion
against the other thus arriving at their own judicious conclusions. These will become
the thought leaders and entrepreneurs of the 21st century. Finally, tertiary institutions
with the support of the governments should provide all the infrastructure that would
make the use of the new technologies possible.

Excerpted from:
Fayose, P. (1998, September). The library as a resource in higher education. Presented at the
UNESCO Workshop on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Ibadan, Nigeria.

Activity 6.5  (a) Identify the new educational technologies used in

your institution and in each case indicate the
advantages and drawbacks of each technology.
List of Educational Strengths Weaknesses
Technologies used in your
own teaching
1---
2--
3---

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4---
5---
---

(b) Identify the technologies used in your own teaching and examime them critically
List of Educational Strengths Weaknesses
Technologies used in your
own teaching
1---
2--
3---
4---
5---
---

(c)Propose a new participatory approach to enhance teaching and learning for your
students.

List of Educational Strengths Weaknesses

Technologies used in your
own teaching
1---
2--
3---

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4---
5---
---

Summary and Conclusion

In this module, we defined technology as a process and as a product. We found that

the new technologies can bring the following benefits to higher education:
• increase access to instructional resources through the Internet,
• share experiences through technologies such as the virtual university,
• increase access to higher education through distance teaching and learning,
• increase flexibility in what to learn, how to learn, and when to learn, and
• motivate potential learners to engage in higher education.

To be able to realise the above benefits, we need to engage in various activities:

• train lecturers to improve their competence in using the new technologies in their
instructional activities,
• train and assist lecturers in producing teaching and learning resources,
• train lecturers and students in computer literacy,
• acquire adequate facilities so that the identified new technologies can be used as part of
the instructional resources in the institutions.
• run sensitisation workshops to promote new technologies in higher education.
The module has presented to
We described the uses of the following new technologies:
Computer-assisted teaching/learning: which is the use of the computer to support the
teaching/learning process. Each learner works at his or her own pace and on
individual basis.
Simulation teaching: using a computer to represent the operation of a system in a
real-life situation.

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Internet: Through digital telecommunication networks Internet explores information

super highway which almost instantly offers users unlimited research and information
opportunities in various specialised fields.
Closed circuit television: which provides teaching and information only to identified
learners linked to the circuit by means of a cable. .Such a teaching system permits a
simultaneous presentation of a subject to a large number of clients. This technique
may prove efficient when combined with verbal and non-verbal supports and if it
makes room for learner’s participation.
Satellite - assisted teaching: The use of communication satellites enables learners in
far - flung and large areas to benefit from teaching offered in a remote location.
Distance teaching becomes the most efficient means of teaching far - flung clients
according to their specific needs in terms of time and place.

The library as an important resource was also described. On how we can proceed,
the following needs were identified:
- Training of staff in use of technology.
- Acquisition of technologies
- Change of attitudes
- Have a maintenance culture
- Adapt technologies to our institutional needs
- Make our own programmes and software
- Lecturers should be helped to acquire computers.
- There should be common facilities for new technologies in each
institution.
Recommendations made to ensure greater use of new technologies in higher
education in Africa include:
1. Train prospective users in use of new and emerging technologies
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2. Provide facilities, security and maintenance of the new technology.

3. Provide guidelines for adoption and adaptation of new technologies.
4. Enable academics to purchase own computer hardware and software.

REFERENCES

UNESCO, Higher Education in Africa: Trends and Challenges for the 21 st

Century Dakar, 1992
UNESCO, Enhancing instructional competence in Higher Education: A study
of pedagogic needs in some african universities, Dakar, 1996
UNESCO, Workshop on Teaching and learning in Higher Education,
Nairobi 18-22 Nov. 1996
UNESCO, Séminaire-Atelier de pédagogie universitaire à l’intention des
institutions d’enseignement supérieur des pays africains de
langue officielle portugaise et espagnole, Luanda, 9-13 juin 1997

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