ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMPUTER SCIENCE PROGRAMME IN UNIVERSITIES IN BENUE STATE

Abstract

The study assessed the implementation of computer science programme in universities in Benue State. Four variables of implementation, teacher qualification, teaching methods, teacher-students ratio and laboratory equipment were used. Four research questions guided the study and descriptive design was employed. 61 staff of Computer Science department in three universities in Benue State formed the population and this was used as sample. Checklist titled Computer Science Programme implementation checklist (CSPIC), adopted from the NUC minimum guideline for Computer Science programme implementation was used for data collection. The instrument was adopted from the mandated NUC minimum standards for the implementation of Computer Science programmes. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages. Graphs/Charts were used to visualize findings. The study revealed among others that Computer Science Lecturers possess the minimum qualification required by NUC. However, each of the departments lack the necessary 70% of teachers with a Ph.D. All required teaching methods were adopted, except for seminars and computer-aided instruction. The study concluded that there are several deficiencies in the Computer Science programme implementation in universities in Benue State. Hence, there is a need to devote more attention to improving the implementation of the programme to effectively enhance the educational experience. Recommendation among others were that departmental heads should prioritize training of teachers to embrace inclusive teaching methods.