APPRAISAL OF LECTURERS USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IN ASSESSMENT IN FEDERAL COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH-SOUTH GEO-POLITICAL ZONE OF NIGERIA

Abstract

Digital assessment in federal colleges of education in south-south Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria aims to highlight lecturers’ use of digital technology in assessment, by examining lecturers’ digital literacy level, opportunities and challenges that are associated with digital assessment in federal colleges of education for students’ improved learning. It specifically focuses on the stakeholders directly and indirectly involved in the design and implementation of effective digital assessment practices – benefits and challenges. Consequently, the study adopted non-experimental survey research type. Four research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study consisted of six thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven (6,997) respondents made up of six thousand nine hundred and eight-nine (6,989) lecturers in four (4) federal colleges of education in south-south geo- political zone of Nigeria and the federal ministries of education in the states these colleges of education are located. The samples were made up of 241 lecturers from 20 departments in three colleges of education in south-south Geo-Political Zone. An instrument titled “Appraisal of Lecturers’ Use of Digital Technology in Assessment Questionnaire (ALUDTAQ)’’ was used to collate data for the study. The instruments were face and content validated by two experts from department of psychology, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, Owerri, Imo State. Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient was used to determine the instruments which yielded reliability coefficients of 0.88. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test statistics were used to test the hypotheses. The results revealed among others that most lecturers’ digital literacy level were low and not experienced in the use of digital technology in assessment. The study concluded that the use digital technology in assessment is currently at its infant state due to its limited understanding and knowledge by the lecturers. Hence the policy makers (ministry of education) and the college administrators need to do more in the training and retraining of the lecturers on the proper use of digital technology in assessment.