Editorial

Online Education in Nigeria: How to Make the Most of Online Learning

— 04 October 2024add comment

Gone are the days where you had to attend classes physically to gain knowledge. Now you can stay in the comfort of your home and sign up for classes in other countries.

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Moreso, ever since the outbreak of COVID-19, the rate of online education in Nigeria has really skyrocketed. This is as a result of the lockdown which brought about major changes in the world.

But how do you make the most of online education in Nigeria? You’ll learn about it in this article.

Let’s get started.

What is Online Education?

Online learning is the process of gaining knowledge from institutions or individuals without actually being in such an institution. It happens on the virtual space through different platforms.

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Benefits of Online Education in Nigeria

Online education comes with benefits. If you are in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world, these are what you stand to gain by opting for online learning:

1. Flexibility

Whether you’re working or not, you can take an online course completely at your pace. You don’t have to worry about beating traffic, skipping work or waking up early to arrive on time. Your schedule is on you so you can do what works best for you.

In addition, with online education, you don’t have to worry about going to see a lecturer to repeat particular thing to you. You can always revisit materials and get knowledge from them. You can as well pause the lecture to do extra research.

This will enable you to get the most of your course.

2. Accessibility

Wherever you are, you can access any course without travelling to anywhere. This is what online education offers. It has made education more accessible.

That is, so long as you have access to a smartphone or laptop and a good Internet connection, you are good to start learning. Just pay the necessary fee and get the knowledge you want.

3. It Boosts Your Tech Skills

While navigating your preferred online learning platforms, you’ll also increase your tech skills. This is because you’ll use different websites and virtual spaces you hitherto didn’t know about or never used.

For instance, when you’re working on a group project, you may not be able to share large files via email. Hence, your instructors may ask you to use project management tools such as Slack, Trello, Basecamp, Dropbox, Skype, etc.

4. It Broadens Your Horizon

Staying in a particular location and learning something from instructors mils away from you will broaden your horizon. In addition, you’ll get to connect with students who also share different cultures and ideologies different from yours.

This way, you learn even more than you paid for and stimulate your creativity in the process. Furthermore, you can also increase your network and connect with companies looking for more hands to grow.

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List of Online Courses in Nigeria

If you want to take a distant learning course in Nigeria, here are some of the professional courses you can give a shot:

Platforms for Online Learning

Looking for a platform that’ll enable you take that course to push your career further? Here are the best platforms for online education in Nigeria.

Some of these platforms also offer free courses that you can still opt for if you don’t have the financial wherewithal to take up paid courses.

SEE ALSO: 10 Sites Offering Free Online Education for Students and Aspiring Scholars

List of Nigerian Universities that Offer Online Education in Nigeria

The following are the accredited universities in Nigeria that offer distance learning:

  • National Open University (NOUN) – Distance Learning Office
  • Ahmadu Bello University Zaria (ABU) – Distance Learning Centre
  • University of Ibadan (UI) – Distance Learning Centre
  • University of Lagos, Akoka (UNILAG) – Distance Learning Institute
  • Lagos State University (LASU) – Open and Distance Learning and Research Institute Education
  • University of Abuja (UNIABUJA) – Centre for Distance Learning and Continuing
  • Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola (MAUTECH) – Distance Learning Centre
  • Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU) – Centre for Distance Learning
  • Federal University of Technology Minna (FUTMINNA) – Centre for Open Distance and e-Learning
  • University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) – Centre for Distance and e-Learning
  • Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU) – Centre for Distance and e-Learning
  • Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso (LAUTECH) – Distance Learning Centre
  • University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) – Distance Learning Centre
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How to Make the Most of Online Education in Nigeria

Online education comes with many benefits to suit your schedule. However, if you aren’t careful, you may not make the most of it.

This isn’t the purpose of taking online courses. Therefore, if you want to make the most of online education in Nigeria, these are what you should do:

1. Take the Course as a ‘Real’ Course

You should imbibe this mentality if you want to make the most of the courses you take online. Never see them as a joke. Instead, take them as “real” courses that happen physically in tertiary institutions.

For instance, if it were a physical course, you wouldn’t fail to attend classes, you’d pay attention to your lecturers and wouldn’t miss a test. The same should happen to the online courses you take.

Remember that you pay for the course like you do for in-person education. And as such, you should resolve within yourself to give it your all. That is, show up when it’s time and complete your tasks in your flexible time so you can get the most value for your money.

2. Get Rid of Distractions

When there’s no instructor monitoring you, you may get tempted to stray off to social media or other activities while your course is going on. This itself is a major distraction for online students.

Thus, you have to get rid of distractions with all your heart. You can do this by setting a time limit for yourself to follow up resources or complete the tasks your tutors give you. You can as well work only on one tasks, take a break and repeat the process for all.

In addition, if you find yourself still checking your email, Netflix and social media, you could switch off your cellphone. Or better still, use applications like Freedom that can block a particular application or website that is distracting you.

This will enable you make the most of online education in Nigeria.

3. Join Study Groups

In addition, you can interact with fellow students and share knowledge with them. You can as well have a group chat where you meet with them to discuss issues. When you see others doing their best pertaining to the course, you’ll shake yourself to do better.

Furthermore, if you can’t access your coursemates through a virtual study group, you can as well get an accountability partner. This person may not necessarily take the same course as you. But they’ll be all about your success and ensure you complete your distance learning classes every day.

4. Manage Your Time

Online courses will take your time. And since you merge them with your work and other activities, you have to create time for it. However, if you don’t know how to manage your time, your investment in taking a course online may be a waste.

Thus, it is important that you create a weekly schedule you can comfortably follow. This schedule should be in tandem with your distance learning timetable. Also, every learning activity you do should have a time frame allocated to it. This way, rather than spend time playing around, you’d know that you have limited time for a particular task so you can get on to others.

Time management really helps when it comes to distance learning and online education in Nigeria. Equip yourself with this skill.

5. Create a Good Learning Environment

You know online learning doesn’t give you the privilege of being around your instructors and other students. But you can simulate that environment while in your home.

For instance, you can go to a co-working space, a library or make one in your home. It’s not difficult at all. A table and chair far from your bed will pep you up and set you in the right learning mood.

Just make sure wherever you set as your learning environment has:

  • A high-speed Internet connection.
  • Earphones available to watch videos and listen to sounds clearly.
  • The necessary study materials to facilitate your learning.

There you go with the necessary knowledge to make the most of online education in Nigeria. Which course do you have in mind to study? If it’s a digital skill you want, you can always get it through distance learning. Just make the dream come true by signing up on any online learning platform right away.

Originally posted 2021-04-05 11:21:06.



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