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Online Study In Nigeria: All You Need To Know In 2020

Advantages and Disadvantages of Online study in Nigeria
Source – ulearning.com

Online study in nigeria has undoubtedly been a breath of fresh air in the context of education in Nigeria and it has been evident since traditional classroom education became passive, redundant and uninteresting for everyone associated.

It can best be described as a way of learning for a certified qualification without having to attend the four walls of the classroom.

Unlike what is obtainable with traditional classroom/face-to-face education, teachers and learners are separated when it comes to online education, which is why it is a perfect platform to achieve more with less.

Many Nigerian students now see online study as a good channel to go after their degree however it is worth pointing out that not everyone that has taken part via this channel has been successful therefore it is important for one to understand online education alongside its advantages and disadvantages before deciding to opt for it.

Majority of the students that opt for online study to pursue their degree were attracted as a result of the numerous benefits attached to it thereby paving way for the failures recorded from students, who never took time to also understand the disadvantages associated with online study.

With the ever-changing online environment in mind, online study represents a fantastic and viable opportunity for students to learn more effectively and efficiently.

Online study in Nigeria is literally a new kid on the block that has been warmly accepted by Nigerians though I have to point out that some decades ago this would not have been possible however the quest to achieve transformation in learning and experience new educational research fields with the weapons like Internet and enhanced technology has changed that.

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), which could be called a brainchild of the then President Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration is a major outlet that is being used todrive the ministry of online study forward in Nigeria. The higher institution is a perfect fit for workers interested in combining the prospects of having a degree at any level with their tight schedules.

Education is an important tool in human development and is responsible for the marked difference between us, human beings and other creatures. The high demand in education outweighed the supply from traditional classroom education thereby giving way to the establishment of the aforementioned NOUN in July 1983 as the maiden distance learning higher institution.

The Act of the National Assembly that established National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) was however suspended months later by the military government of General Muhammadu Buhari, who had dethroned the last democratically elected president Shehu Shagari whose administration initiated the Act, before it was later revitalised in 2002 by President Olusegun Obasanjo’s democratic government to fulfil its initial purpose in addition to making up the void created by government’s embargo on numerous university study centres as well as the need to enjoy the benefits associated with the giant strides made in the ICT field that has transformed the instructional delivery techniques in distance learning.

Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of Online Education in Nigeria

Advantages Of Online Study In Nigeria

1) Time Flexibility

Except for some rare cases where online students would be required to interact with their class instructors, students can come online at any time of the day to gain access to their course materials which allow them to have other commitments aside their education.

Like I touched on earlier Online Education makes it possible for workers to combine their work and study together without any cause for concern.

2) Great Alternative To The Normal University System

Many people are still in favour of the traditional classroom as the best way to learn however online study is a great alternative. With online study, you can study many fields and boost your self-discipline and self-motivation.

Increase In Online Programs – There is an increase in the number of online programs offered by schools thus giving online students numerous options to work with until they arrive at the program of their choice.

3) Easy And Unlimited Access To Courses

As long as there is Internet access available alongside a component online students have easy and unlimited access to online courses rather than what is obtainable in traditional classroom education, where students will have to attend classes at specific times.

4) Self-motivation

Online Students can gain access to their courses 24/7 and take their time to learn dependent on the difficulty they encounter along the way.

5) No Travelling

With the aid of Online Study, students can study in the comfort of their homes with no travelling whatsoever involved thereby saving time, gas as well as vehicle wear and tear.

6) Access To Materials In Multi-media Format

Students have the opportunity to learn with the aid of the following ways: CD/DVDs, Web cams etc.

7) Helps Improve Your Technical Skills

Through Online Study, you can tremendously improve your technical skills at your workplace.

8) Connect To A Professional Network

Online Study gives student the opportunity to tap into a wide variety of professional network with friends/classmates around the world.

9) Trend

Armed with your online degree, you can comfortably stay ahead of the trend.

Disadvantages Of Online Study In Nigeria

1) Lack Of Human Interaction

Online Study can’t offer face-to-face human interaction like the traditional classroom education would. Traditional classroom education teaches students on building friendship, competition and managing disappointment.

2) Lack Of Accreditation

There are some online degrees with no accreditation and this could lead to a worthless degree in the workforce market therefore it is important to make sure the online program is accredited before enrolling as online students.

3) Limited Spaces

Online courses don’t have the capacity to accommodate thousands of students during online discussions.

4) Additional Work

In comparison with traditional classroom courses, online courses normally require more work whether on assignments or reading.

5) Intense Self-discipline

Online study requires intense self-discipline on the part of students.

Online students are required to possess the necessary time management and organisational skills to carry out online tasks as well as prevent their coursework from suffering against other facets of life and vice versa.

6) Intense self-direction

Course advisors are always on hand to help students on how to chart their educational path when it comes to traditional classroom education however online students have to be self-directional in searching for information needed during the course of their degree plan.

Requirements

  1. Personal computer
  2. High-speed internet

In the event that you don’t have the aforementioned items, the use of a public cybercafe would suffice.

Finally…

Aside the fact that Online study in Nigeria still has a lot to improve on, it should best be seen as a complementary form rather than replacement form of study for traditional classroom education

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Adewale Michael

Proud Nigerian, Student and content writer at TheNigerianInfo. He's an expert in writing about anything related to Nigerians.View Author posts