EFFECT OF VIRTUAL PLATFORM ON STUDENT ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN AUTOMOTIVE BRAKING SYSTEM IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION (TECHNICAL) IN NORTH-EAST, NIGERIA

Abstract

The integration of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) represents a strategic response to global digitalisation and the need to align workforce skills with 21st-century labour markets (Abubakar, 2021). In Nigeria, the technical and vocational education sector faces significant challenges, particularly in the North-East region, where educational infrastructure has been severely impacted by insurgency, economic disadvantages, and chronic underfunding (World Bank, 2021).
The automotive braking system, a core component of automotive technology programs in Colleges of Education (Technical), requires practical, hands-on training essential for skill acquisition. However, the region faces a critical shortage of modern functional automobile workshops, up-to-date braking system components for practicals, and inadequate consumable practical materials. Consequently, instructional delivery in automotive technology often relies heavily on theoretical and chalk-and-talk methods, which are inadequate for conveying the dynamic, hands-on skills required for troubleshooting and repairing modern braking systems (Nwagwu, 2023). This theory-practice gap results in graduates who lack the requisite technical competence, thereby contributing to the skills deficit in Nigeria's automotive industry and worsening youth unemployment.
Virtual learning platforms offer a compelling solution to many of these challenges. A virtual platform for teaching an automobile braking system can provide a cost-effective, safe, and highly interactive learning environment that allows students to explore the internal workings of a master cylinder, calipers, brake lines, and anti-lock braking system which is difficult to achieve with physical models alone (RSIS International, 2025). Trainees can perform complex procedures like brake fluid bleeding, disc and pad replacement, or troubleshooting an ABS failure without the risk of injury, damage to equipment, or the cost of consumable materials (Edquip, 2025).
Research has consistently shown that virtual learning platforms, when properly designed and integrated, can significantly enhance student academic achievement. Adesope, Oke and Odekunle (2018) found that virtual learning instructional media tracks students' work, tailoring feedback and hints along the way, and encourages the shift from teacher-centred to student-centred instruction in which students are active learners. When students are actively involved in their learning, they are more likely to remember what they did rather than what they read or heard. In other words, learning with intelligent tutor instructional media is conducive to enhancing cognitive achievement, psychomotor achievement and learning retention of students.
It is against this background that this study investigated the effect of a Virtual Platform on student academic achievement in automotive braking systems in Colleges of Education (Technical) in North-East Nigeria.