The Impacts of Online Education on the Educational Advancement in Nigeria: a Study of National Open University of Nigeria (noun)

Online education in Nigeria is a recent phenomenon that is embraced by the populace. Some Two decades ago, online education was unthinkable but with the present realities such as internet and enhanced technology, Nigerians are experiencing transformation in learning and new fields of educational research. The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), identified with the Federal Government of Nigeria, is a distance learning higher institution aimed at awarding all levels of degrees to the populace especially the working class people due to tight schedules and other factors. The study reviews extant literature on online education such as Collins (2002) whose definition of Online education focuses on the “ the creation and proliferation of the personal computer, the globalization of ideas and other human acts, and the use of technology in exchanging ideas and providing access to more people”. It is a form of education that has to do with distance learning. It involves the use of internet for learning purposes. Greenberg (1998) defines contemporary distance learning as “a planned teaching/learning experience that uses a wide spectrum of technologies to reach learners at a distance and is designed to encourage learner interaction and certification of learning”. In other words, it involves the use of internet to receive lectures, write examinations and get degrees without having any face to face discussion with any teacher or lecturer and also without having any physical classroom. In addition, the critically evaluates the impact of online education on the standard of education in Nigeria, using the case of NOUN. This study uses both primary and secondary data in order to elicit information on the impacts of online education on the educational system and the how it affects the standard of education in Nigeria, whether positively or negatively. This study also gathered information about the performances of the products from distance learning institutions in the labour market.