AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ABA EDUCATION ZONE OF ABIA STATE

Abstract

This paper examines the availability of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in secondary schools in Aba Education Zone, Nigeria. The Aba Education Zone is made up of ten local government areas and spans the urban and rural areas of Abia State in South-Eastern Nigeria. The study employed a survey of secondary school teachers in the area to investigate the availability and use of LMS in the zone. The findings showed that LMS were not widely available in the Aba Education Zone: only one in five secondary schools had an LMS installed and in use. Furthermore, most secondary schools had no plans to install and use an LMS in the near future. The study also found that most school teachers did not have the skills necessary to effectively use and teach with an LMS. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the research for stakeholders in secondary education in the Aba Education Zone.The purpose of this study was to analyze the availability of Learning Management Systems (LMS) in secondary schools in ABA Education Zone, Nigeria. Two specific purposes and two corresponding research questions were raised to guide the study. The population of the study comprised 1763 teachers from 30 secondary schools making the total population of 1796 in the Aba Education Zone. Simple random sampling technique was used to sample 360 that is 20% of the entire population of Principals and Teachers of Aba Education Zone. The instrument used to obtain data was a structured online Questionnaire constructed by the researcher and online interview using phone call for some of the respondents that are not in social media. The instrument used was validated by three experts. The data collected were analyzed using mean statistics. Data were collected from a sample of thirty (30) secondary schools in the zone and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results show that there is limited adoption of LMS in ABA Education Zone, with a majority of schools not taking advantage of its benefits. Of the 30 schools surveyed, only 8 were found to have an LMS in place, while the remaining 22 reported not having one. Additionally, a major challenge faced by the schools with LMS in place was the lack of proper and adequate training of both teachers and students in the use of the system.

The findings of this study have implications for policy makers, school administrators, and teachers, as they provide insights into the extent of LMS adoption in secondary schools in ABA Education Zone, as well as the challenges schools face in terms of training and adoption. This information can inform policy decisions on the use of LMS in schools, as well as providing guidance to improve the quality of training received by both teachers and students.The findings showed that there are enough computers available for learning, television sets are available for to learn at home students, mobile internet accessible phones are available for learning and the is adequate internet connection in Aba Education Zone, Abia State, Nigeria. Also, it was found that desktop computers, laptops, televisions and mobile device are type of learning management system used in secondary schools in Aba Education Zone, Abia State, Nigeria Based on the findings of this study, the researchers recommended that enough computers should be purchased by the schools for successful implementation of e-learning system. The e-learning system should be accessible both on Local Area Network (LAN) and on internet.