OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT (OTM) CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND REVIEW IN NIGERIA: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND TRENDS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN RIVERS STATE
Keywords:
Curriculum development, OTM curriculum review, opportunities, challenges and trendsAbstract
Curriculum development and review have become global issues because of their vital roles in shaping nations` employment opportunities. Therefore, this study explored the opportunities, challenges, and emerging trends in the development and review of the Office Technology and Management (OTM) curriculum in tertiary institutions in Rivers State. Five research questions guided the study and a descriptive survey research design adopted. From a population of 69 OTM lecturers, a census survey sampling was employed. A five-point response options questionnaire was used for data collection. It was validated by three experts with reliability values of .89, .88, .87, .81 and .82. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the five research questions and measure the spread in respondents` opinions. Findings revealed how highly rich OTM curriculum was developed but lowly reviewed, high level of opportunities available in OTM curriculum, high level of challenges confronting its implementation and highly trending issues that need attention during implementation. The study concluded that if the issues confronting OTM curriculum are adequately addressed, learners will acquire the needed employability skills. Among other things, it was recommended that Federal, state and local governments should improve on OTM curriculum review and implementation to include topic like artificial intelligence for reskilling and upskilling.