The Nation Newspaper

Tag: e-learning

  • Slot boss urges schools to embrace e-learning

    Founder of Slot, Nnamdi Ezeigbo, has called on tertiary institutions to brace up for disruption in the education space by embracing e-learning.

    Delivering the second research and development public lecture of the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) titled: Disruptive Innovation and Sustainable Entrepreneurship, last Thursday, Ezeigbo said disruptions had forced changes in other sectors like ICT (for example BlackBerry versus android phones); transportation (traditional taxis versus ride-sharing cars); media (conventional media versus social media) and the like.

    With disruptions aimed at making products and services cheaper and more convenient for end users, Ezeigbo said embracing e-learning would help schools get more students and extend the frontiers of learning to people who would ordinarily not have been able to attend.

    Ezeigbo said: “Is your industry going to be disrupted soon or are you likely the disruptor? Let’s look at education. Regular universities – I  was at Covenant University for their annual entrepreneurship event. They have large space and they do not have any e-learning platform. My question is imagine if a company, or if an institution like YABATECH developed robust e-learning centre where people can actually attend courses and achieve whatever degree or diploma they want, imagine how many people would be admitted? Imagine how many people would love to come to YABATECH but because of the inconvenience  of leaving their homes. So E-learning is the next disruption that will happen to our traditional educational institutions,” he said.

    “One thing about disruption is that when it comes, many people won’t take it seriously.  They would say how many would want to do part-time online. Go to Open University, so many more students are going to Open University

    ‘’ Why are they going to Open University? It is basically because of convenience. Consumers love convenience,” he said.

    Commenting on the lecture, the YABATECH Rector, Mr Olufemi Omokungbe, praised Ezeigbo for being a worthy ambassador of the institution where he studied in the 80s. He said there were many lessons from the lecture contained in Ezeigbo’s book on entrepreneurship copies of which he hoped the Slot boss would donate to the institution.

    Ezeigbo reduced the price of the book, Entrepreneurship the Slot Way from N3,500 to N1,500 on appeal of another lecturer. He also said he could enter into partnership with the institution to train students in mobile phones repairs through the Slot Academy.

  • GE launches e-learning portal at Lagos Garage Week 2018

    GE has launched an e-learning portal for its Lagos Garage in line with its commitment to skills development and the empowerment of entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

    The portal was launched during GE’s Lagos Garage Week 2018, a year-end series of events held yearly at the Lagos Garage in GE’s Lagos office in Victoria Island.

    During Garage week, GE opens up its innovation hub to the public for interested entrepreneurs to register for carefully curated courses in advanced manufacturing and business development.  Courses on offer introdu ce participants to principles of 3-D printing and rapid prototyping as well as a range of business development skills in Finance, Personal Branding, Marketing and Innovation.

    Director, Communications and Public Affairs, GE Africa, Patricia Obozuwa, expressed pleasure at the continued success of the Lagos Garage since inception.

    “Our goal is to empower Nigeria entrepreneurs with the relevant skills required to compete on a global scale,’’ she said.

    I’m happy to say that so far, over 250 people have successfully graduated from the advanced manufacturing training program we offer here at the Garage” she said.

  • Firm launches e-learning portal for engineers, technicians

    Caterpillar has introduced technicians for Africa project, an e-learning website for engineering graduates, who desire to become technicians in Nigeria and other African countries.

    The website leverages Caterpillar’s  e-learning solutions and makes them available for anyone that has the interest to develop a career as a heavy equipment technician. It is expected to bridge the gap that exists between human labour and required skills.

    In Nigeria, three of the candidates, who successfully completed the Caterpillar e-learning modules, were honoured and given their certificates and Caterpillar kits by the company at their head office in Lagos.

    The Managing Director of Mantrac Nigeria Limited, Edmund Martin-Lawson, who described the initiative as giving back to the society, said the training would help the “beneficiaries to upgrade their skills and foundation knowledge of Cat products and their operations”.

    He said two other candidates, who successfully participated in the scheme in Port Harcourt, would also be honoured. Mantrac Nigeria Limited, he stated, was the sole authorised dealer for Caterpillar products and services in the country. According to him, the company supplies and supports machines for a wide and varied application in infrastructural, agricultural and mining development sectors as well as range of Forklift Trucks for material handling.

    He also told The Nation that the company also provides Caterpillar engines and generators for the oil and gas industry, industrial users as well as small range of generators for small scale industries and residential application.

    He congratulated the participants on being part of the pilot phase of the Caterpillar’s corporate social responsibility initiative.

    Technical Training Manager, Lateef Adenle said the free e-learning curriculum contained 18 modules of easy-to-understand, technical insights into safety and basic fundamental systems like electrical, hydraulics and power train.

    He said Caterpillar recognised the technicians by giving them certificates of completion, adding that the first five persons, who completed the modules, were equipped with Caterpillar special tools to aid their work in future. Their experiences would be shared on Caterpillar’s website, he added.

  • Firm unveils e-learning platform

    All over the world today, learning and skill acquisition have been made possible with e-learning. Several e-learning platforms abound through which this is achievable. Platforms such as Udemy, Cousera, GO1 and Edx are familiar all over the world, Nigeria inclusive.

    But the number got swollen recently with the advent of Dexlearn, an e-learning platform, wholly designed and developed in Nigeria by Nigerians. Any user of e-learning platform anywhere in the world today can join Dexlearn platform to hone skills and acquire knowledge.

    Hitherto, deficit infrastructures prevented African countries from exploring the massive opportunities available in e-learning both to spread knowledge and generate income. That, however seems to be changing with the recent arrival of fiber optic connectivity, access to satellite, which is the primary connectivity medium as well as gradual move to fiber optics cables that dramatically increases availability of bandwidth.  Furthermore, the ongoing rapid expansion in the telecommunication industries across the continent of Africa, must have provided the needed impetus for Dexlearn birth.

    Thankfully, this private sector led initiative of DexNova Consulting Limited, a strategic process management outfit, with offices in Lagos and Port Harcourt has thus become the newest platform emanating from Nigeria to join several global e-learning platforms that have millions of subscribers worldwide.

    Justifying the introduction of the platform, the Managing Partner/CEO of DexNova Consulting Limited, Mr. Adewole Oriade said Dexlearn LMS is designed in accordance with international standards and therefore can compete favourably with any other learning management system in the world.

    He stated that the objective of Dexlearn is to have a very robust learning management system for soft skill courses. Soft skills, he pointed, out are increasingly becoming the hard skills of today’s work force, stressing that it’s not just enough to be highly trained in technical skills without developing the softer and outer interpersonal relationship building skills that would help people to communicate and collaborate effectively.

    Mr. Oriade explained that considering the strategic position of Nigeria in Africa, the country cannot afford lag behind in this global trend, which is a major motivation for DexNova to have invested massively in this noble initiative.

    According to him, there are over 100 soft skills courses on Dexlearn platform as well as professional certification courses such as PMP Exam Prep, Prince 2 Exam prep, ITIL, Six Sigma, ScrumStudy, CBAP/CCBA, adding that the platform is set to revolutionise knowledge and skill acquisition among Nigerians and any discerning person around the globe.

    Speaking further, Mr. Oriade explained that though Dexlearn is homegrown solution, but it has international standard and features such as PayPal, which is an international payment gateway to make it attractive to Nigerians.

  • Jigawa trains 1,088 in e-Learning

    No fewer than 1,088 persons comprising students, teachers and technicians have been trained in e-Learning and e-Teaching in Jigawa State.

    Those trained included 1,000 students, 61 teachers and 27 student-technicians.

    The five-week exercise held in Dutse, the state capital.

    The state governor, Alhaji Muhammad Badaru Abubakar approved the deployment of over 8000 e-learning Tablet Computers tagged e-Mallam, to all senior secondary school students and teachers across the state.

    The 9.6-inch and 9-inch devices for teachers and students, respectively, come with pre-installed educational applications designed to enhance learning for students across the states.

    Earlier at the inauguration of the e-Mallam pilot programme, the governor said that the move became necessary because of the declining level of education his administration inherited from the previous regime with WAEC failure rate of over 95 percent.

    He added that e-Mallam Tablets will prepare students for examinations and train them on digital technology especially since examinations bodies are shifting from paper and pencil to computer-based testing.

    Commissioner for Education Hajia Rabi Hussein-Adamu Esiak, said the introduction of the tablet will help improve quality of education in the state.

    She said that statistics show that the students have not been learning well, hence, the decision of the government to initiate an intervention like the e-tablet to change the status quo.

    On request of the governor, the Project Coordinator, Basheer Adamu Aliyu, an engineer, demonstrated how the devices provide interactivity and simulation in various field in a manner that is easy for students to appreciate, understand, remember and apply in real life situations.

    Speaking on the project, Mr Abdussalam Ismail, the Country representative of Echo Telecoms, said Jigawa state has taken the lead becoming the first state in the whole of northern Nigeria to adopt innovative approach to learning.

    E-Mallam Tablets use Tech-driven innovative solutions to enrich quality of teachers’ output and encourage students to learn, explore and innovate.

  • OAU seeks students for e-learning programme

    The Obafemi Awolowo University Centre for Distance Learning (OAUCDL) has announced that applications for its 2015/2016 degree programmes in Accounting, Economics and Nursing are open.

    With a Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) score of 180 and five credit passes in relevant subjects, students can enrol for the eLearning undergraduate programmes online on the university’s website (online.oaucdl.edu.ng).

    This is coming after the successful completion of examinations for 317 pioneer students to be enrolled in the eLearning programme.

    The programme was introduced in April, last year upon approval by the Nigerian Universities Commission (NUC).  The students receive lectures at their various locations through a tablet device (VigiTabs) given to them when admitted.

    The OAUCDL Director, Prof Michael Adeyeye, said the programme has been successful.

    “We are excited about the success of this programme. This programme opens up opportunities for everybody to go to school – the worker who wants to further his studies whilst still retaining his job; as well as students who are qualified for admission but are denied due to space constraints. We are no longer limited by space and location. We have students from different states in Nigeria participating in the programme and we even have enquiries from outside Nigeria.

    “The eLearning programme is a step in the right direction. The existing higher institutions can only admit one-third of degree seeking Nigerians. E-Learning, therefore, is the way of the future,” he said.

    At the matriculation of the pioneer set, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Bamitale Omole,  assured the students that their education would not be inferior to conventional university education.

    “Our university guards jealously the integrity of its degrees and diplomas whether obtained in the conventional or distance learning mode. Hence your various curricula have gone through the usual high standards of excellence of the University Senate for which Obafemi Awolowo University is well known,” he said.

    He also noted that the three programmes are accredited and certificates would not have Distance/Online Learning stated on them.

    A pioneer student, Olawole Adebiyi, who is studying nursing, said she enjoyed the flexibility elearning offered her.

    “I have access to my lectures anytime and anywhere on my tablet. The lectures are also available for off-line viewing so I don’t have to worry about internet connection. I can pause, rewind or fast forward a lecturer. With VigiConnect on my tablet, I chat with my colleagues and lecturers. The flexibility is just awesome. I am proud to be associated with the great work that OAU has started,” she said.

     

  • Vodacom promotes e-learning in schools

    Furthering its mission to empower youth through communication technology (ICT), Vodacom Business Nigeria has hosted 56students from the S.S. Peter & Paul Nursery and Primary School, Ikate Elegushi on a special tour of the company’s facilities to learn about cloud computing and the technology behind e-learning.

    The students of the S.S. Peter & Paul Nursery and Primary School run by Loving Gaze, an independent non-profit organization, that serves the unprivileged communities in Lagos State, were given the opportunity to learn about new communication technologies and their importance to education. As a practical demonstration of e-learning, the primary five students aged between nine and eleven were introduced to virtual classroom and also communicated with their classmates placed in separate conference rooms located on different floors of the building.

    Abu Etu, Senior Manager, Product Portfolio, Vodacom Business Nigeria said, “We promote the education and training for students at primary level of education, empowering them at a much earlier stage of their lives. It is part of our responsibility to prepare these young ones for the post – digital age which will demand technical knowledge and skills”.

    The General Manager of Loving Gaze, Barbara Pepoli, who was present at the field trip said;: “We are excited that our students had the opportunity and learn new things beyond the walls of the classroom. Getting children interested in technology has been very important for our school and this field trip is a great way to make technology come to life for our students”.

    Vodacom Business Nigeria, through its Power to you project, uses industrial tours and field trips to educate students from primary, secondary and tertiary schools on new telecommunications technologies that are driving the economy. The program meis aimed at empowering Nigerian youths through ICT.

  • Babcock signs e-learning pact with EDUTECH

    Babcock signs e-learning pact with EDUTECH

    Babcock University and Edutech Advanced Business Solutions, a private education technology company championing e-learning in Nigeria, have signed an agreement to deploy e-learning solutions for some of the university’s programmes.

    • Prof Makinde (left) with Mr Bunmi Akinyemiju, Group Managing Director, Venture Garden Group at the event.
    • Prof Makinde (left) with Mr Bunmi Akinyemiju, Group Managing Director, Venture Garden Group at the event.

    Speaking at the ceremony, the President/Vice-Chancellor of Babcock, Prof. James Kayode Makinde, said the platform would make education more accessible.

    “E-learning is the way of the future and we are delighted to be a part of it. It is a significant day for Babcock, and not just Babcock, but for Nigeria as well because this development makes education accessible, available and affordable.

    “The e-learning programme would also allow Babcock quadruple its student population whilst still maintaining existing infrastructure because students will be able to have access to education without necessarily being in the classroom,” he said.

    General Manager of Edutech, Prof. Abiola Awosika, said the company is supporting institutions to roll-out their distance learning programmes through its e-learning solutions.

    “We are working with schools across Nigeria to provide the vital logistical components of their online programmes, including comprehensive student support services from orientation to enrolment and through to graduation; as well as practical learning experiences within distant communities around the country,” he said.

    The MoU kicks off a series of activities to prepare the university for the eLearning programme. These include setting up of the hosting and networking infrastructure, course content digitizing and video lecture capture.

    All of these deployments will create a suitable environment for the constant functioning of eLearning channels and materials to ensure 24-hours accessibility.

    Upon the National University Commission’s (NUC) approval, Prof Makinde said courses for the university’s distance learning programme will be announced.

  • Lagos plans e-learning centre

    THE Lagos State Commissioner for Education Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, has disclosed that the state government is building an ultra-modern e-based learning outfit that will incorporate e-instructional television, e-classroom and e-drama, among others.

    She spoke in Lagos on Monday at the close of the Festival of Instructional Materials organised by the Ministry of Education to showcase creativity and promote the use of e-based instructional materials for the educational development of children.

    The theme of the programme was: “e-based instructional materials: Helping the curious mind to achieve greater things.”

    She said upon completion, the e-learning outfit would be accessible to all learners and teachers in Lagos state and beyond.

    “Let me stress that this platform will be accessible to all learners and teachers in the state and elsewhere in the world,” she noted.

    The commissioner said e-learning is the trend in education as it offers flexibility and convenience to learners, facilitates communications between teachers and learners as well as expose learners to varieties in learning experience with the use of multimedia and non-verbal presentation of teaching materials among other benefits.

    “In today’s technology-driven world, our children should not lag behind in embracing new sources of increasing their knowledge so as to be at par with their counterparts in the civilised world,” she said.

    She pointed out that the realisation of the importance of instructional materials informed government’s decision to invest heavily in the provision of relevant instructional materials to empower teachers, make their lessons more interesting, clearer, lively and enjoyable to pupils.

    She explained that no fewer than 600 secondary school teachers have been trained on Special Audio Visual Media Workshop and Mobile capacity building programmes for teachers in rural and riverine areas of the state to improve their capacities.

    The commissioner, therefore, charged teachers to redouble their efforts and show more commitment to their jobs.

    The event also witnessed the exhibition of instructional materials by schools and teachers. Mrs. Grace Okwudiri Njoku of Isolo Senior High School, Isolo emerged winner in the teacher’s category while Lagos Progressive Senior Secondary School, Surulere won in the school category.

  • Free learning on laptop

    Free learning on laptop

    Opportunities for Nigerians interested in E-learning has been boosted by Allversity, a free service that links users with online courses and learning materials in health, entrepreneurship, agriculture, life skills, and human rights.

    Based in Berlin, the not-for-profit e-learning platform according to a statement by Ysanne Choksey Program Manager, invites Nigerians to join its community in “creating a brighter future while enjoying the simple Magic of learning.”

    Allversity.org   helps users connect with experts, creators, and one another while sharing in the simple beauty of learning.

    “Allversity is offering the people of Nigeria the opportunity to learn for free from a laptop, computer or smartphone device. Smartphone usage in Africa is expected to reach 40% by 2017.

    “All it will take to start an education revolution is the accessibility of good content — and Allversity aims to enable emerging economies to create and innovate solutions with the rest of the world, ” the organization stated.

    It noted that Nigeria is following the trend in e-learning which is on the rise in the country.

    “E-learning Nigeria provides online testing and education materials for learners at university level, which has proved invaluable for distance learners and those without the time to go back to university or college.

    “But there is an accessibility gap for users in low-resource areas in connecting with practical learning materials designed to help them meet the unique challenges they face. This leaves a large part of the population uncatered for by the e-learning sector — namely the majority of Nigerians who do not go to university, but would like to continue their education beyond the primary school level.”