Perception Of Students Towards The Introduction Of Webpage Design Into The OTM Curriculum

This study was carried out on the perception of students towards the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum using Fedreal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri as a case study. The survey design was adopted and the simple random sampling techniques were employed in this study. The population size comprised of OTM students of Federal polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo State. In determining the sample size, the researcher conveniently selected 160 respondents and 141 were validated. Self-constructed and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected and validated questionnaires were analyzed using frequency tables. While the hypotheses were tested using chi-square statistical tool. The result of the findings reveals that students perceive the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum to be significant. The study also revealed that students perceive the introduction of web page design as relevant to OTM undergraduates. And he introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum will positively influence OTM undergraduates employability. Therefore, it is recommended that OTM lecturers and instructors should be adequately re-trained by polytechnic authority in line with the curriculum components especially on web design to enable them deliver instructional activities effectively.

1.1 Background of the Study

The global economy has shifted from its primitive structure to a technologically-driven economy. This ongoing development has made jobs and skills to be changing dramatically and thus encouraging the integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into most spheres of life (CISCO, 2008; Partners in Education Transformation, 2010). As such, most jobs now require people who can use the Internet to access e-business services, communicate through email, Instant Messaging (IM) and other modern communication tools, using network computer technologies or other smart mobile devices (Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative, 2013).
Meeker (2012), had found that about 28% of Nigerian population uses the Internet resources and thereby making them the largest Internet users in Africa. Adewoye and Oni (2011), further traced the growth of the Internet users from the year 2000, pointing out that the Internet users in the year 2000 was about 0.1% of the population of about 142, 895, 600 and by the year 2011, the population had risen to about 26.5%, describing the growth as sporadic. This growth of the Internet usage implies a favourable digital marketing environment and a prelude for the growth of electronic commerce, or e-commerce in Nigeria (Oborah, 2014). The sporadic growth of the Internet is fundamentally changing job requirements. The 21st century workplace now requires workers who will keep developing and re-inventing themselves as the world keeps changing (Dede, 2007; Kotelnikov, 2009). Computers and other technological gadgets are now taking more routine tasks from human beings as they can be automated. With the advancement in ICT, cognition (thought and actions) are distributed across human minds and hands and as such having serious implications on what (content) and how (process) people learn.

To a large extent, the success or failure of any educational system depends on the successful planning and execution of the instrument called curriculum. A curriculum is like a plan of a house, it is a mapped out plan of instructions or guides to be followed in the process of teaching and learning in a formal learning institution. Some educationist claim that the wealth or poverty of a nation depends on the content of the nation"s educational curriculum. This is because, the value, dreams and desires of a nation are first of all interpreted in curriculum. Curriculum therefore, consists of a carefully mapped out programme containing what to teach, how to teach it, when to
teach, and how to evaluate.

The curriculum is defined in various ways due to its changing nature. The changes in concepts emanate from changes in the concept of the knowledge, the learner, and the role of the learner. The concepts change to cope with the knowledge explosion in the society. Based on the above, Ferdinand (2007) defined curriculum as the totality of all the experiences provided to a learner under the auspices of the school. Curriculum is concerned with all activities in the school which lead to the development of learner"s cognitive, affective and psychomotor. It is an official document used in the school or any formal setting prepared for a learner and serves as a guideline for a facilitator of learning.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

A worth-while curriculum is never static. It is subject to change. As societal needs change, it becomes paramount to match the polytechnic curriculum with the needs. This leads to the replacement of secretarial studies with office technology and management in order to meet societal changes and demands on information and communication technology (ICT) such as web design. Emphasis on ICT brought about drastic change in course offering in polytechnic with ICT carrying the highest unit. This is in line with the first goal and objective for the acquisition of secretarial skills which states that graduates of the Office Technology and Management (ND and HND) programmes should fit properly into the office of any computerized organisation and perform professionally the functions of a secretary (Iredia, 2006).

In this era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and how to maximally use it, human and material resources are very important in realizing the mission and vision statements of OTM in the higher institutions which was aimed at meeting the skill and competency needs of the industry and society in general. The availability and adequacy of the resources will help in full implementation of Office Technology and Management curriculum in higher institutions.

It has been observed that most of OTM graduates cannot effectively operate ICT gadgets like smart phones, camcorders, laptops, Ipods, Iphones, superior version of VCDS, PCS, Computer notebooks, pedometers and so on talk less of designing a website.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The main aim of this study is to examine the perception of students towards the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum.

Specifically, other aims of this study are to:

Determine whether web page design has been introduced into the OTM curriculum.

Determine whether students are perceive the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum to be significant.

Determine whether students perceive the introduction of web page design as relevant to OTM undergraduates.

Ascertain the perception of students on whether the introduction of web page designinto the OTM curriculum will positively influences OTM undergraduates employability.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions will be answered in this study:

Has web page design been introduced into the OTM curriculum?

Does students perceive the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum to be significant?

Does students perceive the introduction of web page design as relevant to OTM undergraduates.

Will the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum positively influence OTM undergraduates employability?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses will validate this study:

H0: Students does not perceive the introduction of web page design to be relevant to OTM undergraduates.

Ha: Students perceive the introduction of web page design to be relevant to OTM undergraduates

1.6 Significance of the Study

The findings of this study would be of immense benefits to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) which is the supervising body of all the polytechnics in Nigeria, polytechnic administrators, OTM academic staff and students, authors and publishers as well as researchers.

National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) will benefit a lot from the result of this study as it concerns the OTM curriculum. This is because the inadequacies detected in this report would become resourcereference materials on which curriculum reform can be carried out for better outcome. It is believed that a good curriculum reform will, to a great extent, meet up with the societal needs and individual"s efficiency and effectiveness in their community.

To the polytechnic administrators, the findings will enable them to establish effective methods of recruiting competent lecturers, who must have specialized in Office Technology and Management. It will also help the administrators to draw up proper monitoring and assessment programmes of Office Technology and Management courses at the various level of studies and also help them make the necessary adjustment, or changes which will definitely improve on the implementation of the Office Technology and Management curriculum, and it will also act as an elixir for the realization of set goals of Office Technology and Management programmes.

The OTM academic staff would benefit from the knowledge gained from this study since it will be an eye-opener, having assessed the implementation of office technology and management programmes in making constructive suggestions in areas of the programme that need modification and as well understand the importance of utilizing available equipment/facilities and instructional materials in teaching. The utilization will help to improve students" mastery and performance

The revelation of the findings of this study will also enable the OTM students to have a better understanding of the course content, be well prepared and have confidence in themselves with a view to meeting and proffering solutions to challenges in their work places.

More importantly, researchers, authors, will use the findings of this research as a guide in developing relevant textbook and other instructional materials in relation to the current OTM curriculum, as well as updating the relevant materials to meet up with the technological changes in our modern offices. The information and data from this study will also help researchers who may wish to carry out related studies in the future.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study focuses on the perception of students towards the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum. Specifically, this study focuses on determining whether OTM students are aware of web page design, determining whether web page design has been introduced into the OTM curriculum, determining whether adequate preparation has been made for the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum and determining whether adequate preparation has been made for the introduction of web page design into the OTM curriculum. The study will be carried out in Fedreal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents. However, the researcher were able to manage these just to ensure the success of this study.

Moreover, the case study method utilized in the study posed some challenges to the investigator including the possibility of biases and poor judgment of issues. However, the investigator relied on respect for the general principles of procedures, justice, fairness, objectivity in observation and recording, and weighing of evidence to overcome the challenges.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Web Page Design:

Web design encompasses many different skills and disciplines in the production and maintenance of websites. The different areas of web design include web graphic design; user interface design; authoring, including standardised code and proprietary software; user experience design; and search engine optimization.

1.10 Organization of the Studies

The study is categorized into five chapters. The first chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, objective of the study, research questions and hypothesis, the significance of the study, scope/limitations of the study, and definition of terms. The chapter two covers the review of literature with emphasis on conceptual framework, theoretical framework, and empirical review. Likewise, the chapter three which is the research methodology, specifically covers the research design, population of the study, sample size determination, sample size, and selection technique and procedure, research instrument and administration, method of data collection, method of data analysis, validity and reliability of the study, and ethical consideration. The second to last chapter being the chapter four presents the data presentation and analysis, while the last chapter(chapter five) contains the summary, conclusion and recommendation.

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