CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY                                                                   

Education is a critical component of long-term growth (Chimombo 2005). Most developing nations in the world, including Nigeria, today see education as a critical aspect in catching up to the developed world in areas such as global competitiveness (Hawkins 2002). Predictably, educational environments in poor nations differ from those in wealthy countries, such as low educational quality and limited opportunities to attend school in remote areas due to long distances and high opportunity costs (Ibid 2005). To promote universal access to education, Chimombo (2005) believes that country-specific circumstances affecting compulsory and free education must be rectified. The right to compulsory and free education for all is already enshrined in Article 26 of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UN Human Rights 1948).

On a yearly basis, more individuals throughout the world get linked to the internet network, its capacity expands, and its use becomes increasingly intertwined with global events. Individuals' access to this internet network has become a crucial determinant in their possibilities, success, and contentment. Information, communication, and technology are now being regarded in Nigeria as a means of achieving an e-enabled and knowledge-based society by the year 2020. Technology is transforming the learning and teaching environment, just as it has altered the globe. E-learning, blended learning (Maier, 2007), and distant learning are only a few examples of learning methods that make use of information and communication technologies (ICT). ICT can benefit students in remote regions by allowing them to attend classes as distance learners and improving their learning abilities. In this light, e-learning is thought to be a feasible safeguard for educational advancement. However, information transfer between industrialized and underdeveloped nations is not only difficult but also expensive.

E-learning is defined as the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by both teachers and students. Traditional training, such as classes, ad-hoc training, chosen learning objects, formalization through document collections, and community development, which may be accomplished using social software, are all examples of e-learning. 'Schmidt' is a (2005). Several research have demonstrated that a variety of e-learning systems are currently available in developing nations (Kohn et al. 2008). Various national and international efforts in the country are developing these programs. According to Lockwood and Gooley (2002), the creation and extension of e-learning programs is driven by the desire to provide education in more accessible and cost-efficient methods, as well as enhanced access to information, effective learning, and greater flexibility.

Despite the widespread interest in online learning, Stephenson (2001) underlined the need for more thorough study on its overall efficacy. While there is still much work to be done, he concedes that a number of e-learning courses focused at making sustainable development a reality have been produced, demonstrating how e-learning may reach thousands, if not millions, of minds and potentially plant the seeds of change. Students in higher education institutions who used E-Learning did better than those who took face-to-face classes, according to research. According to (Holley, 2002), students who participate in E-Learning obtain higher marks than those who study traditional methods. As a result of these discoveries, E-learning is rapidly gaining in popularity, and many higher education institutions are implementing virtual learning systems, which, while costly to operate, are extremely convenient for students. Today, numerous colleges throughout the world employ e-learning. Some higher education institutions' E-learning adds little value to the institution's teaching and learning activities, and they may not evaluate the influence of virtual learning on students' academic achievement. This research will examine how E-learning influences students' academic achievement. This study is highly significant because it will determine the association between E-Learning use and undergraduate students' academic achievement at the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

1.2     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The goal of implementing E-learning in schools is to improve the teaching-learning process' efficiency and effectiveness. Thus, in a developing country like Nigeria, E-learning is currently facing challenges such as the lack of computers, well-equipped computer laboratories with internet access, videophone systems and teleconferencing devices, fax and wireless applications, digital library, digital classrooms, multimedia systems, and the problem of developing multimedia courseware, among others (Global Information Technology Report, 2010). Other studies have indicated that there are a shortage of qualified E-learning teachers, as well as a lack of facilities, infrastructure, and equipment (Ikemenjima, 2005; and Jegede & Owolabi, 2003).

In the industrialized world, e-learning has already had an impact on teaching, training, and development. A growing number of higher education courses are being delivered through the internet, resulting in an increase in student numbers (Chang, 2001). Many educational stakeholders believe that online learning is the way of the future for their educational programs (Barron, 1999). However, there isn't enough evidence to indicate that E-learning is a successful delivery system for the people who are being taught. Many education system researchers, according to Aroyo and Dicheva (2004), are concerned with transferring their study to a coherent realm of collaborative intelligence from dispersed intelligence. There are few research that have looked into distant learning students' perceptions of the impact of e-learning on their academic achievement. This study will therefore investigate the perception of distance learning students on the influence of online interaction on the academic performance of distance learning students of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria.

1.3     OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to investigate the perception of distance learning students on the influence of online interaction on their academic performance of distance learning students of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria. However, the specific objectives are:

i.          To examine the effects of online interaction on distance learning students of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State Nigeria.

ii.        To find out whether there is any  relationship between distance learning students of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria engagement in online interaction and their academic performance 

iii.      To determine the challenges faced by distance learning students of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State Nigeria on online interaction and its effects on their academic performance.

iv.      To proffer solutions to the challenges faced by distance learning students of Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Abia State Nigeria on online interaction on how it will enhance their better academic performance

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