Parallel Session
An Assessment of University of Ibadan Undergraduate Students’ Knowledge and Disposition to ePeer-tutoring approach during COVID-19 Pandemic
Dr IA Olasunkanmi
Lecturer: Department of Science and Technology Education
Faculty of Education
University of Ibadan
Dr. Israel Olasunkanmi is Lecturer of Educational Technology in the Department of Science and Technology Education, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He holds the Nigerian Certificate in Education in Engineering and Science Education, Final Diploma in Physics/Production Engineering, Postgraduate Diploma in Education and Master of Personnel Psychology from University of Ibadan. He also holds B.Sc. (Edu.) in Technical Education from University of Ado-Ekiti, M.Ed. and PhD in Educational Technology from University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Israel joined the service of University of Ibadan in 1997 and worked in the Educational Technology Unit of the Department of Teacher Education until 2014, when he was assigned Research Administrator to the Faculties of Science and Technology of the University of Ibadan. He was Liaison Officer for Development Research Uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa (DRUSSA) and Secretary of Science and Technology Research Ethics Committee, University of Ibadan. He is a seasoned teacher and trainer of well over two decades’ experience. He has been involved in organizing training for teachers at primary, secondary and tertiary education levels across Nigeria. Olasunkanmi has attended and presented papers at conferences and facilitated workshops at both national and international levels.
His research focus is on the integration of technology into preparation of Pre-service and In-service teachers of science and technology education. His recent research efforts include areas of design and development of technology-enhanced instructional strategies, Learner-Generated Content and social media-based instruction in particular.
Olasunkanmi is a member of renowned academic and professional bodies including Science Teachers Association of Nigeria, Educational Media and Technology Association of Nigeria, e-Learning Network of Nigeria, West Africa Research Innovation and Management Association (WARIMA) and Association of Research Administrators in Africa (ARAA). Israel is a registered teacher with Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria.
Dr AL Akinyemi
Lecturer: Department of Science and Technology Education
University of Ibadan
Adetunmbi L. Akinyemi is a lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Education, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan. She has a B. Ed in Early Childhood/Communication and Language Art from the University of Ibadan and her M. Ed and Ph. D degrees in Educational Technology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Her research strength is in the area of design, development, and utilization of instructional materials across all levels of education using the latest technologies in support of classroom instructions to make learning easier. She also served as a mentor in Courseware Development for Female Lecturers, an initiative of World Bank STEP-B Programme in the University of Ibadan. She is passionate about using cutting-edge educational practices to improve learning in higher education. Since 2019, she has been a facilitator for the PedaL initiative.
Abstract
The rounds of COVID-19 pandemic across the continents brought a new-normal situation in which schools adopted different approaches including the Emergency Remote Teaching at a time when students were not allowed into the campus for venue-based interactions among students and teachers. The situation challenged educators to reflect on and use instructional strategies deemed assistive to students with varied technological capabilities to learn effectively. Thus, an online version of the peer-tutoring approach termed ePeer-tutoring approach was adopted for the teaching and learning of STE 353: Introduction to Instructional Technology course taken by undergraduate students of University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This study, therefore, assessed the e-Peer tutoring approach adopted by the teachers of the course. The study was a case study which involved 465 students (296 Females, 167 Males) of STE 353 from eight departments in the Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan. The departments involved are Arts and Social Sciences, Science and Technology, Adult Education, Early-Childhood and Educational Foundations, Guidance and Counselling Education, Special Education, Kinetic Education, and Health Education. The study used an instrument titled, Assessment of ePeer-tutoring Questionnaire (AePTQ) to collect data from the participants in the study. The results show that students have positive disposition to the use of ePeer-tutoring approach. They commented that the approach has positive influence on peer-tutors’ and tutees’ knowledge, mastery of the content matter, and the 21st century learning skills. The paper concludes that ePeer-tutoring enhances students’ learning outcomes, including mastery of subject matter, confidence in facilitating online interactions, the 21st century learning skills including communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking skills needed for survival during the new normal era. It is recommended that lecturers should be prepared to effectively adopt the approach to enhance students learning outcomes in the face of COVID-19 pandemic.
Keywords: ePeer-tutoring, COVID-19, Emergency Remote Teaching, 21st century learning skills, Introduction to Instructional Technology, University of Ibadan