It is a pleasure to serve again as the Editor for the current issue of the West African Journal of Open and Flexible Learning. I continue to be impressed with the quality of articles WAJOFEL attracts and I commend the scholars whose efforts are found in the pages herein. Without the unwavering support and outreach of the Regional Training and Research Institute for Distance and Open Learning, WAJOFEL, its journal, would not sustain itself, let alone churn out issues with regularity. Over the past 18 months, RETRIDOL will have published six issues of WAJOFEL, and a total of 45 articles, an impressive feat considering the journal runs with no full-time staff.
Recently, the Journal’s advisory board convened, and it was decided to start publishing WAJOFEL online as an open access journal, with sponsorship provided by the Commonwealth of Learning. Once launched, the online version will undoubtedly increase the readership of WAJOFEL exponentially and expand submissions from the region if not to a more global network. The trend toward open access is unimpeded and can now be considered mainstream. The heavyweights in the journal publishing sphere have periodic issues that are open access, and many allow an article to be open access with payment of a fee by the author or his / her institution. The notion of paying for open access is still egregious in this day and age when taxpayer dollars fund public universities where the bulk of such intellectual work occurs. Nevertheless, proponents of open access can see that tides are turning. The Directory of Open Access Journals (doaj.org) houses nearly 14,000 titles and over 4 million articles. One of the flagship journals in the open and distance learning space located in this directory is the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL). Earlier this year it had to post on its site that it was no longer accepting submissions for 2019 due to a lengthy backlog reflecting the immense popularity of the journal. IRRODL is also listed under the Social Science Citation Index, and it thereby illuminates that open access does not compromise quality. Let us rally around WAJOFEL for it to join IRRODL on the international scene and commit to having it join the Directory of Open Access Journals in the near future!
In the current issue, articles have been grouped along two main themes: Counselling, mentorship, and professional development as one major theme, and achievement and access as the other major theme. Under the first theme, readers will find six interesting articles on matters relating to supporting the well-being of students and teachers operating in the distance learning context. Given the isolation these individuals face – by definition distance learning is the separation of learner from teacher – this is an important issue, and the empirical work done on this topic makes important contributions to our understanding of learner support and teacher support. Other topics that fall under this theme address the creation of creativity in teachers (with evidence that creativity can be taught). The second theme is more focused on students and technology. The two articles under this theme underscore the importance of technology relative to enhanced learning and formative online assessment. Each provides a distinct perspective on quality. Readers, in particular, will find the article on formative online assessment quite novel, yet necessary. The need to quality assure assessments informed by evidence is imperative in an age of widening access and a multitude of educational providers. A synopsis of each article is presented below. I hope you enjoy reading these important contributions to scholarship and that they will serve as incremental advancements in the improvement of quality education in West Africa.
The article by Dr. Augustine C. Ukwueze & Professor Patrick E. Eya titled “Assessment of Pen and Paper Examination Development in Open and Distance Education: Implications for Academic Counselling” was an assessment commissioned to examine the appropriateness, meaningfulness and usefulness of this type of examination method given there have been issues regarding the quality of examination questions. Pen and paper examinations remain a mainstay at the National Open University of Nigeria. A study of 122 lecturers were used. The findings revealed that lecturers coalesce around particular procedures to develop examinations (e.g., simple language, clear marking guidelines), procedures in item generation (e.g., number of questions to answer, use of Bloom’s Taxonomy to craft questions), and validation procedures (e.g., external validation of questions, checking for adequate weighting to questions). The authors conclude that better mentoring is required of younger faculty by older faculty, enhanced external reviews of examination papers is needed, and a range of difficulty in questions, aligned to Bloom’s Taxonomy should be better applied.
The article of Bassey Edwin O. & Otu Bernard D. titled “Mentorship in Terms of Psychosocial Support and Teachers’ Job Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Cross River State, Nigeria” examined the role of mentorship and its impact on secondary school teachers’ job performance. It is well documented that teachers face tremendous isolation in their work. The demands of preparation, teaching, marking, counselling, etc., limit a teacher’s opportunity to engage and foster a community amongst colleagues. Participants (711) hailed from Cross River State, Nigeria. Data was drawn from a validated research instrument and the corresponding findings that were statistically significant revealed that mentorship, relative to psychosocial support, positively influenced teachers’ performance, signalling that addressing issues of isolation and availing teachers of time to engage in such professional development, as informal or formal, may pay dividends in their overall well-being and effectiveness in the classroom.
The purpose of the article titled “Effectiveness of Ideation Creative Thinking Technique (ICTT) Training on Creative Problem-Solving Skills (CPSS) of Teaching Personnel in Ogun State, Nigeria” by Dr. Oba-Adenuga, Olusegun Adeleke, Dr. (Mrs.) Oba-Adenuga & Modupe Ayodele was aimed to demonstrate that through professional development, teachers could enhance their creative abilities with the aim that this would diffuse to their teaching practice and better stimulate their learners. Contexts were curriculum is stringently prescribed limit teachers’ opportunities to infuse creative elements in their teaching. Some argue that creativity varies between individuals and can be characterized as an innate ability in some, but not others. Participants (80) were sampled from a district in Ogun State. Based on training and post-tests, statistically significant results revealed that the application of a creative thinking technique generated positive outcomes on the development of creative problem solving skills. The findings counter the notion that creativity cannot be taught, and consequently, the authors call on widening such training opportunities to the betterment of teachers’ professional development with the intent this will foster a more creative learning environment for students.
Fidel O. Okopi & Clifford Amini in the article titled “Influence of Clients’ Counselling Expectations on Psychological Help Seeking Behaviour Among Students in National Open University of Nigeria” aimed to ascertain the merits of counselling for learners studying at a distance with use of a questionnaire. The study included a sample of 600 students studying in various study centres with the system of the National Open University of Nigeria. It was found that the most influential factor in students’ expectations was a counsellor’s expertise.
Agbu Jane-Frances, Olugbenga Ojo & Mukhtar Salihu Anka in the article titled “Assessment of Type A Behaviour Pattern Among National Open University of Nigeria Academic Staff” was aimed at understanding whether behaviour traits are aligned to gender, age, or position? This question served to better understand issues faced by academic staff at the National Open University of Nigeria. Drawing on the continuum between Type A personalities, characterized as ambitious and stressed, and Type B, characterized as patient and relaxed, the study applied the Type A Behaviour Scale to a sample of 173 faculty (95 female). Findings revealed significant differences based on age and position (academic rank) – older faculty and more senior faculty demonstrated greater Type A behaviour. Given the associated health risks with individuals who exhibit Type A behaviour, the authors conclude that interventions for such faculty may be necessary to ease stresses associated with their academic work.
The article by Dr. Ezeribe S. N. titled “Counselling Implications of Effective Self-Directed Learning Among Undergraduate Students in Open and Distance Learning Universities” was focused on advocating for self-directed learning as a means to better support distance learners and provides a general overview of the area and how it is well-aligned, if not essential to be successful as a distance learner. Learners studying at a distance lack the regular stimulation offered by being in the physical presence of a teacher and other learners. Most effective distance learning programmes recognize this reality and incorporate learner support structures to enable distance learners to be successful in their programmes of study.
The impact of multimedia (computer based learning) on math achievement was the focus of the article titled “Influence of Multimedia on Students' Interests and Achievement in teaching the Concept of Lines of Symmetry in Geometry” by Isaac B. Ado, Dr. Gabriel C. Job & Gideon G. Essien. A sample of 92 junior secondary students were involved and data utilised was test scores and questionnaire. The results revealed that students whose learning was supplemented by multimedia fared better than those students who used print-based materials, only. Equipping students and teachers, the authors conclude, may lead to enhanced achievement in mathematics.
The article titled “Evaluation of Validity of Computer Based Test Items in NOUN” by Mrs. Charity Akuadi Okonkwo is aimed to look at the use of multiple choice items in computer based assessment. Using several indexes – difficulty index, discrimination index, and distracter efficiency – to ascertain validity of multiple choice items, the study sought to identify the strength of multiple choice items and thereby which to keep, revise, or discard. To conduct the analysis, 240 multiple choice items were selected in a course offered from the School of Education at the National Open University of Nigeria. The sample was 878 students. Findings revealed that over 95 percent of the multiple choice items selected scored well in terms of their intended purpose to measure competencies. The authors rightly conclude that such an exercise is warranted by any institution to safeguard the quality of their programmes and the instruments they use to assess learners.
Kirk Perris, PhD – Adviser: Education at the Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver Canada
Guest Editor