A Critique of Skills Acquisition in the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)
Keywords:
Open and Distance Learning, Skills Acquisition, Technology-Enhanced Learning, ACETEL, Higher Education and DevelopmentAbstract
Open and Distance Learning has reportedly been very successful globally. The Open University, UK, the Indira Gandhi National Open University of India, and the University of South Africa (UNISA) are a few ODL institutions with testimonies of significant success. The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) was established to further widen the opportunities for tertiary education in Nigeria. There is high demand for both knowledge and skills in the Nigerian education system, but as a developing country, there should be a higher priority in turning existing knowledge to skills than simply extending the frontiers of knowledge. It has been reported in the literature that the use of ODL in transmitting certain skills may present some challenges (Burns & Kretlow 2007). As an industry partner to the African Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL), a centre in NOUN, this investigator takes a critical look at how ACETEL engages the challenges of skills acquisition via ODL.
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