THE PLACE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SECRETARIAL SKILLS IN POLYTECHNICS

Project Abstract

This research is focused on the place of Information and Communication Technology in the teaching and learning of Secretarial skills. The main purpose of this research was to find out the teaching and learning of word processing skills, the teaching and learning of internet skills, the teaching and learning of Management information skills, the teaching and learning of data processing skills. Four research questions were formulated and questionnaires were used to obtain data from the population of 60. From the data analysis the following findings were made that ICT plays important role in the teaching and learning of word processing skills in polytechnics, that the role of ICT in the teaching and learning of internet skills include acquisition of new ideas, helps in training of students in distance areas, provide teachers with current teaching aids among others. That ICT helps in the teaching and learning creation of document, storage of document, retrieval of document, disposal of document and protection of document, all these are the roles of ICT in Information Management system. That the roles of ICT in the teaching and learning of data processing skills includes; the teaching and learning of calculation skills, sorting of data, classification of data, recording of data and the teaching and learning of storing of data.

Project Overview

INTRODUCTIONBackground of the StudyThe world is undergoing drastic changes everyday due to technological innovations. The change in technology especially in information and communication technology (ICT) has a great impact on secretarial profession and in the performance of their duties as a secretary as well as their training. Information and communication technology of today has made the work of a secretary to be carried out with a lesser fatigue, it has also served as a motivating factor for secretaries. The application of information and communication technology tools in the teaching and learning of secretarial skills, has made it very easy and less tasking in becoming a professional secretary. Today, there are pools of information resource site in the internet through the World Wide Web (www).Information and communication technology equipments used in the teaching and learning of secretarial skills in polytechnics have brought about great revolution in the secretarial field, secretaries can now transmit message, prepare itinerary for their boss no matter the distance within the shortest period of time through the use of internet. ICT has globalised the world. Ayeni (2005), said that ICT has reduced the world to a global village turning all parts of the world to everybody’s neighborhood. Thus, events in one part of the world are felt by the people and societies far away and vice-versa.The roles of secretaries have changed form the old fashioned secretaries. Gone are those days where the job of secretaries depends only on the use of manual typewriters, computers have succeeded in taking the place of the manual typewriters with the present development in the field of management information system and information and communication technology. Teaching and learning of secretarial skills via ICT became inperative because of the wide spread of information and communication technology of our time which has virtually affected every area of man’s life.It is on the foregoing that this paper examined the place of ICT in the teaching and learning of secretarial skills in polytechnics.Statement of the ProblemsIt has been observed that polytechnic students in Nigeria cannot operate the information and communication technology gadgets effectively.Worst of it all, steady power supply is another vital problem. It was also observed that some ICT instructors lack the competence to enhance teaching and learning.Also, the costs of acquisition of these ICT equipments are slowing the pace of acquiring these secretarial skills.If the above problems are not adequately solved, they will hinder the students from acquiring the basic ICT secretarial skills that makes them to contribute their quota to the development of their organization.Purpose of the StudyThe major purpose of this research work is to determine the place of information and communication technology in the teaching and learning of secretarial skills in polytechnics.This study will specifically seek to:

• To determine the place of ICT in the teaching and learning of word processing skills in polytechnics
• To determine the place of ICT in the teaching and learning of internet

skills in Polytechnics

• To determine the place of ICT in the teaching and learning of Management information system (MIS) skills in polytechnics.
• To determine the place of ICT in the teaching and learning of ICT in the teaching and learning of data processing skills in polytechnics.

Significance of the StudyThe result of this research work will be of great benefit to students in polytechnics and other higher institutions of learning.The research work will also be important to the government, since it will educate them on the need to equip tertiary institutions with modern information and communication technology equipments.Lastly, it will also be of significance to the students as it provides a fore-sight on their professional expectations in the modern business world and as a research material for further studies on relevant topic.Research Questions

• What are the roles of ICT in the teaching and learning word processing skills in polytechnics?
• What are the roles of ICT in the teaching and learning of internet skills in polytechnics?
• What are the roles of ICT in the teaching and learning of Management information skills in polytechnics?
• What are the roles of ICT in the teaching and learning of data processing skills in polytechnics?

Scope of the StudyThe study covers the place of ICT in the teaching and learning of secretarial skills in polytechnics, the advances made in technology, cost of acquiring ICT gadgets, competences on the side of the instructors, ability of the students to operate ICT gadgets and the effect of poor power supply.