THE ROLE OF ICT IN ENHANCING TEACHING AND LEARNING OF BIOLOGY EDUCATION

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the role of ICT in enhancing teaching and learning of Biology education in Faculty of education University of Benin. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. The population of the study comprised of One hundred and eleven(111) Final year Biology students of the department of Curriculum and Instructional Technology, and thirty nine(39) penultimate students of the same department. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire, which was developed and administered to students. The questionnaire was validated by the researcher’s supervisor as well as two other experts in the Faculty of Education. Cronbach alpha method was adopted to ascertain the reliability of the instrument which yielded a coefficient of 0.684. Data were analysed with mean and standard deviation. The study concluded that the University of Benin has begun implementation of ICT in its educational process; it also showed that personalized learning became much more effective as a result of ICT tools. The study also showed data Virtual laboratories needed to supplement physical practical is not fully integrated into the educational process. Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made: Virtual laboratories and its applications should be made to supplement physical laboratories, Video conferencing tools can be used to substitute physical classes when classrooms are not favourable for use, Visual aids that enhance receptiveness and understanding of complex biological concepts should be used.