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THE PROBLEM OF TEACHING AND LEARNING OF COMPUTER SCIENCE IN TERTIARY INSTITUTION

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Background information from creation shows that there has been consistent search by man to improve and raise the standard of his existence. The ever-increasing research has been necessitated and moved by the simple need to address the challenges posed by his environments.

As a result of this need, a number of inventions have been made in virtually every field of human life. The computer system is one of the most evident of such inventions. It is a tool specifically made for computable problems. In most areas, it is an indispensable tool. The knowledge of the ability to use the computer have become so important and indesperate that there is new ever need to teach it in our tertiary institutions.

The history or the modern computer date back to the nineteenth century, when in 1834 in England, an English Scientist named Charles Babbage developed a program controlled mechanical digital computer in-cooperating a complete arithmetic unit.

The first generation of computer include the types discovered by Babbage, it performs operations in predetermined sequence, Babbage used cardboard holes punched into them for present all types of information to the machine.

         The second generations of computer was based on punched card machines, the USN Census of 1890 utilized this technology. The third generation of computer resurfaced in the terties which was mainly for commercials, it was called UNIVAC. I designed by Eckert and Mandy, IBM 360/370 series and many more also included.

         The late seventies came up with well-known personal computer like Radio shark, Apell 11 113mpc, this group could be classified as the fourth generation of computer.

         The fifth generation of computer influenced the business community, this came in with a lot of software. We have computer with 80286, 80486, 80586, Intel Chips. They were of enormous speed and fund their way into every office and institution.

         The latest and sixth generation of computer is the Pentium technology. They are very fast, when computer first came to Nigeria,

 our colonial masters were in control of most of the firms that could afford one. As such the trend was to purchase foreign software packages. The fact that, there were few software manufactures in the country did not help matters at all. Computers were born and raised by armed forced and popularized by the consumer economy. But their greater in value may prove to be neither military nor commercial with the cold was recording. It is now apparent that we are controlled by two or more over whelming challenges. Computers were first applied to massive Mathematical problems for which the military wanted answers such as explaining the Terrence, greater by atomic explosions. Nowadays, the labour markets, it selective preferring candidates who posses the skill to use the computer. To prepare students on the new demands of the world labour market, institutions now introduce computer science in their curriculum.

         The accelerating awareness of the authentic and unique role of computer science in the social, economical and political life of a country led Nigeria to the social, economical and political life of a country led Nigeria to the introduction and adaptation of an education policy that necessitated the inclusion of computer science in the curriculum in the various institutions of higher learning. The processing of information whether in business, education or government has become one of the world major endeavour computers are indispensable in this effort and students at all levels particularly in tertiary institutions want to learn not only what computers are but also what computers can do and cannot do. Many of these students hope to understand how they can use computer to solve problems and to process information to help all such people achieve those educational objectives. Also the realities and international competition require business organization to be more effective and efficient through the development of the appropriate and necessary resources and the acquisition of essential skills.

         To realize the objectives of this program at all levels of education calls for employment of teachers whose educational qualifications training and expense both in science and social science sufficiently equipped them in turn to produce skilled manpower in the field. The over all aim of introducing computer science is therefore to train those who will hopefully look to gainful vocation in the field of education, business, industries and also government services. According to Garish (1997) stated that: it is very unfortunate that many Nigerians associate computer science with madness. One is often looked upon to be queer in the society when one introduces oneself as a computer scientist. This views worse still, many atimes students are meant to believe that computer science is very difficult course. This has a bad psychological effect especially on the beginners in tertiary institutions and they begin the course with fear, expecting total failure.

         From what Garish said above, one may say that one of the factors which help to retard the progress of computer studies in the country is that some students and even teachers associate computer science with insanity and difficulty. Contributing John Peter (1999) stated that it may also be because of loss of confidence on the part of the students usually through missing some steps in an argument or through failing to master some piece of technique example in programming a given information. If however, it is admitted that lack of success leads to loss of confidence.

1.2  STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This research work is designed to find out whether there are unqualified teachers/lecturers in the tertiary institution of the department of computer science, whether there is also the problems of poor teaching method in our tertiary institution and lack of computer science laboratories. The inappropriate teaching restore equipment and unconducive environment for teaching and learning is a problem that calls for study in this work.

1.3   PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to investigate the problems of teaching and learning of computer science in tertiary institution instigated into:-

-      Whether teachers and students are having any problem in teaching and learning of the course.

-      The kind of problem been faced by teachers and students.

-      Causes of these incidence of problems encountered by teacher and students.

-      Make contribution that should be of interest to teachers, students, researchers and even Ministry of Education.

1.4            SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be of great help to the present and prospective policy makers in Nigerians educational system in the area of planning and curriculum development. The knowledge is enriching and therefore will be of great help to students, teachers and other researchers who might be interested in this and other related areas. The findings of the study will help the administrator and student who are directly concerned in this topic/project to solve their problems.

1.5   SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research work was limited to the tertiary institutions in Enugu State with emphasis on problems of teaching and learning of computer science in tertiary institutions. It is however, believe that the findings and conclusions of this study will be applicable to other tertiary Institution in the country. The investigation was limited to student of computer science.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.  Are the Computer Science teachers/lecturers in high institutions qualified?

2.  Are there well equipped computer science laboratories for practical?

3.  Do lecturers/teachers use appropriate teaching method?

4.  Do students have access to the use of laboratory equipment with lecturers guide?

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