Blended Learning and Utilisation: An Effective Means of Teaching and Learning of Stem in University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the utilisation of blended learning in teaching and learning of STEM in university of Maiduguri with specific objectives to examine the extent to which blended learning provides flexible and accessible learning opportunities in teaching STEM, assess the role of multimedia tools in enhancing students understanding of STEM concepts through blended learning, evaluate how blended learning promotes student centered approaches in the teaching and learning of STEM and determine how interactive and collaborative features of blended learning influence the teaching and learning of STEM. Research Design adopted was descriptive survey research design. The population of this study comprises all STEM lecturers and undergraduate students of Science Education at the University of Maiduguri, Borno State. The sample size for this study comprises 200 undergraduate science education students, with 50 students drawn from each academic level and 15 Science education lecturers were selected. The instrument for data collection was a structured questionnaire developed by the researchers. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages were employed to answer the research questions based on respondents’ opinions. The findings among others revealed that blended learning provides significant flexibility and accessibility in STEM (Science education), With regard to the role of multimedia, the results indicated that the use of tools such as videos, animations, and simulations improves students’ understanding of STEM concepts, Based on the findings, the study concludes that blended learning significantly improves the teaching and learning of STEM in higher institutions and Recommended that Universities and colleges should provide adequate technological infrastructure such as reliable internet access, learning management systems, and multimedia facilities to support blended learning, Regular training workshops and seminars should be organized to build lecturers’ capacity on the effective use of multimedia tools and online teaching platforms, Students should be given orientation on how to effectively utilize blended learning platforms for independent and collaborative learning, Blended learning strategies should be integrated into the STEM curriculum to ensure a balanced mix of face-to-face and online learning activities, Institutions should adopt continuous monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of blended learning and make improvements where necessary and Lecturers should design activities that encourage group work, peer-to-peer learning, and student–lecturer interaction to maximize the collaborative benefits of blended learning.

Keywords: Utilisation, Blended Learning, Teaching and Learning Stem.