STUDENTS’ DISENGAGEMENT AND E-LEARNING: ADAPTIVITY AS KEY CHALLENGE FOR POST-COVID 19 E-LEARNING SYSTEMS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Quite recently research interests in e-learning have shifted toward the post-adoption phase. Even though in less technologically advanced countries and among lower levels of learners its adoption has not yet been fully actualized there has still been increased attention to e-learning either as a supplement or as an alternative to conventional learning environment depending on prevailing social and economic circumstances of countries and their educational institutions. In this context, the COVID-19 pandemic and its accompanying circumstances are one major world incident that has caused an unprecedented swift and dynamic turn toward a wider embrace of e-learning even in traditionally unusual educational quarters. In retrospect, as a measure to curb the spread of the virus in Nigeria and elsewhere, a Nationwide lockdown was imposed which kept students at home for six to seven months in the year 2020. Being this long, education stakeholders attempted wide-scale e-learning adoption to mitigate the negative effects of prolonged students’     disengagement from learning. This paper posits that no matter the effort, so long as adaptive approaches were not followed, wide-scale e-learning adoption will produce little or no result. Its central argument is that radio and TV-based instructions cannot adequately be adapted to suit the needs and characteristics of learners at lower levels. The paper then followed with a concise discussion on general principles of adaptivity in e-learning. It finally suggested that existing synergy in the country between ICT and education stakeholders be extended to cover teachers and students at O’ levels and that e-resources of examination administering bodies such as JAMB, WAEC and NECO be expanded beyond content evaluation. Other suggestions are that e-systems should be aligned to both principles of pedagogy and andragogy equally and that continuity should be ensured in the development, implementation and evaluation of education e-systems at all levels