DIGITAL SKILLS REQUIRED OF BUSINESS EDUCATORS IN IMPLEMENTING BUSINESS EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA FOR DIGITAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The study sought to assess the digital skills required of Business Educators in implementing Business Education curriculum in tertiary institutions in south east, Nigeria for digital economic development. Two research questions were adopted for the study while two hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study was 215 Business Educators from public Universities and Colleges of Education in the five South east State. Due to the manageable size of the population, the entire 215 Business Educators comprising 97 Business Educators from Universities and 118 Business Educators from Colleges of Education were respondents for the study, hence there was no sampling. The instrument for data collection for the study was a 20-item structured questionnaire by the researchers. The instrument was face-validated by three experts from Business Education and Measurement and Evaluation, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Cronbach Alpha reliability method was used to determine the reliability of the instrument which yielded a coefficient of 0.88. Data for the study were collected with the help of 10 research assistants. Data collected were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and t-test statistic. The results of the study identified 10 digital skills required by Business Educators and 10 strategies for integration of digital skills in Business Education curriculum for digital economic development. The results of the hypotheses tested showed there was significant (p<0.05) difference in the mean ratings of the responses of Business Educators from universities and colleges of education on digital skills required by Business Educators; whereas on the strategies for integrating digital skills in curriculum of Business Education, there was no significant (p<0.05) difference. The study among others recommended improved skill training and capacity building of Business Education lecturers in digital teaching and learning skills for effective teaching and learning with digital facilities.