PROVIDING MOOCS FOR UNPLACED

JAMB CANDIDATES IN NIGERIA: A

VISION OF NOUNBy

*Vincent Ado Tenebe, Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

**Agbu Jane-frances, Head, NOUN-OER Unit

***Abel Caine, OER Programme Specialist, UNESCO, Paris

****Fred de Vries, Educational Technologist, Open University, the Netherlands

Presentation made at 2015 ICDE Pre-Conference, Sun City, South Africa

OUR ‘AHA” MOMENT

‘AHA’ …….The theme of this conference –“MOOCs4Development in Africa”….. got us thinking

A call for Africa to think inward and identify initiatives that will empower her people

Our thinking Cap: To ensure equity and equality in education by providing MOOCs for unplaced JAMB candidates in Nigeria

OUTLINE

1. A bit about National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

2. Its mission and vision/Expected Outcome

3. The youth - population: global/Nigerian statistics

4. The Problem - Our observations/Motivation

5. Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) – Mandate and

functions and admission statistics

6. The youths and post JAMB experiences

7. The vision: MOOCs for unplaced JAMB candidates in Nigeria

8. Illustrating the gains of this mission

A BIT ABOUT NOUN

Established in 2002

Headquarters, Lagos, Nigeria

VC: Prof Vincent Tenebe

Student Pop. 186,000+ (Active)

Motto – Work and Learn

2/5th of std. pop. aged 18-25 years

70 study centres

Website: www.nou.edu.ng

Schools: 6, CLL, Access and GS

Programmes: 50+

Courses: 750+

VISION AND MISSION OF NOUN

Ensure equity and equality in educationEnsure equity and equality of

opportunities in education

Provide wider access to education

Enhance education for lifelong learning

Provide educational resources via an intensive use of ICT

Provide flexible but quality education

Reduce the cost and inconveniences and hassles of education delivery

NOUN -VISION AND MISSION: EXPECTED OUTCOME

Ensure equity and equality in education

Raise the literacy level in Nigeria

Substantially increase access to university education

Help Nigerians to be on the right side of the digital divide

Meet the yearnings of Nigerians for university education

Reduce the pressure on admission placement, in the conventional universities.

Ensure that nobody interested in, and capable of having university education, is

left out.

LOOKING INWARDS: THE PLIGHT OF THE YOUTHS: STATISTICS

Global: 1.2 billion youths aged 15-24 years (2015)

226 million youth aged 15-24 years live in Africa (19% of

the global youth population) -2015

• 0-14 years: 43.2%

• 15-24 years: 19.3%

• 25-54years : 30.5%

In Nigeria, more than 70% made

up of children

and youths.

Image:techcabal.com

CIA World

Fact, 2015

Youth: Population in Nigeria

THE PROBLEM: OUR OBSERVATION..

Africa like other continents around the world, is one filled

with complexities while educational experiences differ

from one country to another.

In Nigeria there is an immense desire for higher

education and in particular for University education.

This situation has placed immense pressure on admission

seekers as well as their care givers.

Our point of intervention and concern is the plight

verging on the trauma that post-secondary school

admission seekers go through in seeking a place in

Nigerian tertiary institutions.

JOINT ADMISSION AND MATRICULATION BOARD: MANDATE

Regulatory bodies:

• National Universities Commission (NUC),

• Commission for College of Education

(NCCE)

• National Board for Technical Education

(NBTE)

• Joint Admission and Matriculation Board

(JAMB)

• JAMB: Established 1977

• Mandate - place suitably qualified

candidates into the tertiary institutions

through the University Matriculation

Examination (UME) after having considered

the available spaces in these institutions

Image: Bose Ajayi

JOINT ADMISSION AND MATRICULATION BOARD:

MANDATE

• Mandate: 1989 JAMB mandated to conduct

admissions into Polytechnics, Monotechnics

and Colleges of Education Examination

(MPCEME).

• 2009, UME and MPCEME - merged to

become Unified Tertiary Matriculation

Examination (UTME)

• Qualification for UTME examination -

at least 5 credits including English

language in qualifying examination – the

Senior Secondary Certificate Examination

(SSCE) or the General Certificate

Examination (GCE).

Image: Bose Ajayi

JAMB ADMISSION GUIDELINES

• E-Registration

• Choice of 6 institutions as follows

• 2 Universities

• 2 Monotechnics

• 2 Polytechnics

• Exam administration - online and

face-to-face, at designated centres

within and outside Nigeria

• Result: released within 3-4 working

days

• Result viewed online with JAMB

scratch cards.

• Result also compiled in computer

print-outs and sent to the

institutions of first and second

choices.

THE POST JAMB EXPERIENCE

• Cut-Off Scores: by JAMB

• Admission cut-off scores for

2015/2016 exercise were:

• 180/200 marks for University

• 150 for polytechnics and

colleges of education. (Note:

Most candidates are able to

achieve this)

• Post-JAMB examination - by

their institutions of choice.

THE POST JAMB EXPERIENCE

• The quota system guides

admissions into Federal Institutions

• 45% merit

• 35% disadvantaged areas

• 20% for educationally less

developed areas

• and 10% discretion.

• Limited absorption capacity for

Nigerian Tertiary Institutions: .

• Nigerian Population: 170+ million

• No of Tertiary Institutions: 261

JAMB ADMISSION STATISTICS (2010-2015)

-

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

1,800,000

2,000,000

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

No ofApplicants

Number ofAdmission

THE PICTURE/THE PLIGHT

THE VISION: MOOCS FOR UNPLACED JAMB CANDIDATES IN NIGERIA

This call for MOOCs for development in Africa

could be viewed as a challenge for Africans to

think inward and own its development by

increasing access to education through the use of

Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Obviously, in Africa unlike other parts of the

globe, the concept and practice of MOOCs is

almost alien but it is never too late to embrace it

and use it fully for common good especially in

this part of the world where the literacy level is

still relatively low and education absolutely

necessary to enhance development.

THE VISION: MOOCS FOR UNPLACED JAMB CANDIDATES IN

NIGERIA

NOUN embraced the MOOCs initiative through its Open Educational Resources project which was established in August 2014.

The concepts of OER and MOOCs were introduced to NOUN by UNESCO, COL, EADTU) - currently providing technical training in this area

NOUN under their guidance is currently designing its first set of MOOCs including those targeted towards unplaced JAMB candidates in Nigeria (the GST courses)

THE VISION: MOOCS FOR UNPLACED JAMB CANDIDATES IN NIGERIA

The Courses

General studies courses:

1. GST 101: Use of English and Communication

Skills

2. GST 105: History and Philosophy of Science

3. GST 201: Nigerian Peoples and Culture

4. GST 301: Entrepreneurship studies

Proposed platform

1. Wikieducator - OERu

2. MOOKIT – COL

INTERNET USE: GLOBAL STATISTICS:

R

a

n

k

Country Internet UsersTotal Country

Population

Country's

share of

World

Internet

Users

1 China 641,601,070 1,393,783,836 21.97%

2 United States 279,834,232 322,583,006 9.58%

3 India 243,198,922 1,267,401,849 8.33%

4 Japan 109,252,912 126,999,808 3.74%

5 Brazil 107,822,831 202,033,670 3.69%

6 Russia 84,437,793 142,467,651 2.89%

7 Germany 71,727,551 82,652,256 2.46%

8 Nigeria 67,101,452 178,516,904 2.30%

9 United Kingdom 57,075,826 63,489,234 1.95%

1

0France 55,429,382 64,641,279 1.90%

1

1Mexico 50,923,060 123,799,215 1.74%

1

2South Korea 45,314,248 49,512,026 1.55%

Source:www.InternetLiveStats.com)

Rapid rise of MOOCs: Contributory

factors:

• Also, increased rate of internet use -

Nigeria currently rank 8th in the world

• Technology has matured with

widespread use of notebooks, tablets

and smartphones, massive broadband

penetration and easy cloud storage of

data.

• Social factors - coming of age of the

‘digital native’ generation that has now

reached university age and with it the

all-pervasive use of digital social

networks for personal communication

(Aebischer and Escher, 2013).

That gap or vacuum between the time of graduation from secondary school and gaining admission into the University, as we know is often very critical and sensitive in the development of adolescents and the youths.

For those who are unable to gain placement in the higher institutions, it is a period of immense peer pressure, idleness and temptations to negative and addictive behavior that require proper management by the parents and relevant institutions and society.

Many of these youths fall prey to:

Video game addiction

Drug addiction, crime

Sometimes the parents and guardians are often at a loss on how to keep them constructively engaged within this period.

THE VISION: MOOCS FOR UNPLACED JAMB CANDIDATES IN NIGERIA:

COUNTING THE GAINS

• The Promise: Ensure equity and equality of opportunities in education

• Trigger the production of more experienced learners that are better prepared for the challenges of higher education.

• keep youths constructively occupied as they await placement in conventional universities

• Reduce the anxieties of parents and care givers

• Increase the self-esteem and self-worth of the youths

• Expose learners to the experiences of online education as well as stimulate the interest of learners to ODL mode

• Advance the common good