The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has stated that the online learning necessitated by the closure of schools over the coronavirus pandemic cannot work in Universities.

According to the union, aside from the challenge of capacity requirement, the quality in terms of content and presentation will be watered down.

“Many of us that teach in face-to-face arrangement we know the difficulties we face in explaining concepts, in illustrating presentations, so that dimension will be there. The quality in terms of content, in terms of the presentation, will be watered down”, the President of ASUU, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said.

The union is of explained that online teaching required some special pedagogical skills and training of lecturers who would be involved and giving them re-orientation which takes time for them to attune their minds.

“I am even focusing on tertiary institutions now because I don’t want to go to the lower level. So if you talk of tertiary institutions, the first thing is when they don’t have the skills they will water down the quality in terms of content generation, what should go into content, it is different from loading students with materials.

“What you are going to give to the students they should be able to digest and that also requires skills in preparation. Where they cannot digest, maybe at worst, it may just be garbage in garbage out because when you digest, you will be able to ingest and when you ingest, it becomes part and parcel of you and that is when you can apply." He further explained.