Students’ Perception on the Use of Virtual Learning as a New Innovation of Learning in Tertiary Institutions for Global Best Practices in Gombe State

Abstract

This study examined the students’ perception on the use of virtual learning as a new innovation of learning in tertiary institutions for global best practices in Gombe State. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were also tested. Descriptive survey design was adopted. The population comprised 350 final year and 515 penultimate students in five tertiary institutions in Gombe State. A sample size of 250 students was selected for the study using simple random sampling technique. A structured and validated questionnaire on four-point rating scale containing 48 items was used for data collection. Cronbach Alpha method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument which yielded coefficients of 0.87, 0.80, 0.68 and 0.84 for the different clusters with an overall coefficient of 0.79. Data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while t-test was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The analysis was carried out using SPSS version 23.0. Findings revealed that not all the students have access to virtual learning services, virtual learning services were not adequately available for some students of tertiary institutions especially those living in rural areas. Students’ competency in internet usage was fair and that virtual learning service delivery is constrained by a lot of factors. Therefore, it is recommended that urgent steps should be taken to provide technical resources and improvement in internet connection for ensuring uninterrupted online education in Gombe State to fulfill the education needs of tertiary institution students.