BUSINESS EDUCATORS’ RATING OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES NEEDED IN INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTH- SOUTH NIGERIA

Abstract

The study ascertained business educators’ rating of digital technologies needed in instructional delivery for skill development among undergraduates in tertiary institutions in South-South Nigeria. One research question guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 234 business educators in the nine public colleges of education in South-South, Nigeria. The entire population was studied without sampling as the size was not too large. The instrument for data collection was 14-item structured questionnaire. The instrument was validated by three experts. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine internal consistency of instrument and a reliability coefficient value of 0.83 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research question and determine the closeness of the respondents’ views, while t-test and ANOVA were used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that digital technologies such as computers, Google classroom, slide projector, mobile devices (tablet, smart phone), internet facilities (WiFi, modem) social network tools (WhatsApp, YouTube) amongst others are highly needed in instructional delivery for enhancing undergraduates’ skill development in tertiary institutions in South-South Nigeria. Gender and years of teaching experience significantly influenced the respondents’ rating on digital technologies needed in instructional delivery for undergraduates’ skill development in tertiary institutions in the area. The study concluded that adequate integration of digital technologies in instructional delivery by business educators is crucial for undergraduate students’ skill development. It was recommended among others that management of colleges of education should strictly enforce quality assurance monitoring to ensure that digital technologies are integrated in instructional delivery without hindrances.