ADOPTION OF MACHINE LEARNING PEDAGOGY FOR ACADEMIC STAFF DELIVERY IN OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study explores the adoption of machine learning pedagogy for academic staff instructional delivery in tertiary institutions in Southwest Nigeria. The objective of the study was to identify the machine learning software needed by office technology and management academic staff for instructional delivery in tertiary institutions in Southwest Nigeria. Three research questions and one null hypothesis guided the study. The population of the study comprised all office technology and management lecturers in tertiary institutions in the Southwest of Nigeria. Sixteen lecturers were randomly selected from the 163 lecturers in the tertiary institutions offering office technology and management programmes. A structured questionnaire was used for the study. The questionnaire was validated by three experts from the Test and Measurement, Business Education, and Office Technology and Management departments. Reliability of the instrument was ensured using Cronbach’s alpha, and a reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained. The data collected were analysed using means and standard deviations for the research questions and correlations for testing the hypotheses. The findings revealed that OTM academic staff have been adopting machine-learning pedagogy for the instructional delivery of OTM courses. The study concluded that the latest innovative strategies for the adoption of machine learning pedagogy are highly required, and that machine learning facilities are needed for the instructional delivery of OTM courses. It was recommended that the management of the institutions should procure the latest machine learning facilities, with reliable networking, such as internet connectivity, to enhance the performance of the OTM lecturers. Also, OTM lecturers should be sent for training and retraining to upskill in the application of machine learning pedagogy for instructional delivery in the new normal, enhancing performance.