STUDY OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGIES IN SECRETARIAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN NIGERIA POLYTECHNICS

Abstract

This study was carried out to discover the possible implications posed by the office Technologies in Secretarial Education Curriculum in Nigeria Polytechnics. This study was conducted making use of institute of management and technology (I.M.T) Enugu.  The instruments used for data collection were questionnaires and documents, while a total of four research questions were also used. The data collected from the respondents was analyzed using percentage method and they were used in answering the research questionnaire. The data collected and analyzed showed that enormous implication were placed on secretarial education curriculum by constant changes in office technologies. The implication entails re-training and attendance to seminars, conferences and workshops by the teachers / lecturers or the uses and operations of the new office equipment / machines, this is with a view to imparting such knowledge to the student secretaries together with the introduction of some new relevant courses to enable them face squarely the implications of incessant office technological change now rampant in business environment. The finding upheld the need or easy introduction of accepted new courses. It was revealed that the staff of the department of the department should be co-opted by the polytechnics regulation body, the NBTE in the curriculum planning. Based on these, recommendation were drawn which the researcher feels if followed and adhered strictly, will give good answer to any future implication imposed on secretaries education curriculum by change in office technologies.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page

Approval page

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Abstract

Table of content

CHAPETR ONE

1.0   INTRODUCTION 

1.1        Background of the study

1.2        Statement of problem

1.3        Objective of the study

1.4        Research Hypotheses

1.5        Significance of the study

1.6        Scope and limitation of the study

1.7       Definition of terms

1.8       Organization of the study

CHAPETR TWO

2.0   LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPETR THREE

3.0        Research methodology

3.1    sources of data collection

3.3        Population of the study

3.4        Sampling and sampling distribution

3.5        Validation of research instrument

3.6        Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

4.1 Introductions

4.2 Data analysis

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Summary

5.3 Conclusion

5.4 Recommendation

Appendix

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

As life is becoming more dynamic, more complex in educational, socio-cultural, industrial and commercial developments due to the increasing technological advancements, the secretarial profession is not left out and the jobs of secretaries appear and at first sight among those threatened. This is because of new machines, which are threatening to take-over the jobs performed by thee categories of workers thereby making them face job hard of redundancy, retrenchments which will lead to mass unemployment will result.

In the 1980s, the traditional functions of confidential secretaries in office occupation were strictly Ianswering of phone calls, filing, faxing, photocopying, typing of letters, memos, taking notes in shorthand, keeping of office imprest, running errands and preparing tea for the manager of executive. The educational training made available to would be secretaries at the secondary schools or commercial colleges then were courses like typewriting, shorthand, bookkeeping, office practice, English Language while the tertiary institutions offered courses like business management, economics, principles of accounts, communication skills, shorthand, typewriting, commerce, human relations (Aliyu, 2006). In the 1999s, the International Association of Administrative Professionals, according to Fenner (2005) in a research finding, revealed that between 1999-2010, office occupation would experience an explosion of new office technology and information systems to improve productivity and enhance service delivery. This became a reality and indeed not only enhanced the functions of professional secretaries in office occupation but also elevated the status of secretarial professionals positively. Since 1999 to date, the rapid advancement of office technology and information systems, and its influx in industries, manufacturing companies, banking, educational and research institutes have in no small measure changed the structure, content and methodology of office occupation for secretarial administrators. According to Amoor (2008), the functions of professional secretaries both in private and public sectors of the economy have gone far beyond their traditional orthodox duties. Today, professional secretaries in office occupation are charged with the responsibilities of manipulating and managing databases, creating presentations and reports using suitable computer software and digital graphics. Professional secretaries also use computer to generate, process, store, retrieve, handle and disseminate information to staff and clients as well as handle administrative responsibilities with little or no supervision. In most of the organizations, professional secretaries are called information managers. The education and training made available for these professionals in tertiary institutions to enable them handle multi-task, business communications and participate in executive decision-making processes especially in today’s office occupation is far inadequate Akinyemi (2001), Okoli (2006) and Amoor (2010) posit that office technology has developed very rapidly but schools and training institutions have not yet matched it up by giving the type of training required for the automated office. The education and training for these professional in Nigerian tertiary institutions include courses such as shorthand, computer appreciation, organization and management, accounting, business law, economics, communication skills, office procedure, business statistics. In some tertiary institutions, in addition to the list above, also offer computer appreciation. These courses, Amoor (2010) further stresses do not adequately expose students to the knowledge of office administration, office technology and information systems. In his views, some tertiary institutions do not teach a single computer application package to their students. In view of this, most students graduate from tertiary institutions without knowing how to operate a single computer application package. This trend poses a lot of challenges to secretarial graduates in the labour market hence their lack of skills and competences in the operation of office technology and information systems today. The minimum computer application packages needed in the labour market for secretarial graduates are Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Power Point. In addition to these, the secretarial graduates are expected to handle busy and upwardly mobile executive calendar. Ironically, most of the tertiary institutions do not expose their secretarial graduates to these packages, (Amoor 2009).
Nigeria is undergoing technological revaluations just like any other developing country of the world. This technology advancement has actually revolutionized most office activities and procedures. Until recently, the study of secretarial educations programme in our polytechnics especially institute of management and technology (I.M.T), Enugu was based mainly on shorthand, typewriting and office practice. The activities had greatly changed since supervisor of the polytechnic by the NBTE.
The task and activities of these categories of workers in most offices and business circles lave also increased tremendously because of the high office responsibilities expected of the secretary to now handle with little or no supervisions. The scope of the course they now cover before qualification has also greatly increased.
They now have to be trained and educated in too many course and have to acquire more technical skills to be able to handle and manipulate the very modern office machines now inherent in most business offices if they have to be marketable and employable.
Secretarial professions now have to battle with the skills of handling the electric typewriters, scanners, ward processors, the facsimile (FAX) machines, the computers etc. This is to enable him meet up wit the increasing demand of information as and when urgently required which could not have been so carried out with the use of manual typewriters.
It should be noted that these automatic, light -technological machines couldn’t do everything or operate themselves without the human aid, thus making the needs and quests for the professionals in secretarial filed necessary.
The most current and implicating question in the minds of the present day secretarial studies educators and curriculum planners is what to do in order to keep peace with the technological changes in secretarial office equipment. This is because the more knowledgeable the secretaries are in the use of these office technologies, the better prepared our country will be to develop technologically. Hence, in the opinion of Kanu (1987), there must be positive attitude towards continuous up dating of knowledge for everyone, especially the secretaries, if this age of technological advancement is to be acquired and improved advancement and inter – personnel skills developed.

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

Since a lot of office work is based on the basic knowledge of key boarding and clerical skills, it became apparent that if secretarial education curriculum in our polytechnics are not reviewed, revisited and updated from time, to adequately take care of these technological changes, the products of this profession mighty not be able to face challenges they will meet in future in the course of their working life.
It therefore, becomes apparent that those concerned with the training and education of secretaries in our polytechnics and other institutions of higher learning should always adjust their curriculum so s to catch up and stay afloat with the incessant technological changes and advancements. The problems then is how far has I.M.T been able to adjust its curriculum to reflect the current development? How far have they been able to purchase the equipment required for the training? Do they have qualified personnel to handle these equipments? Are the students being adequately prepared?

1.3 PURPOSE FO THE STUDY 

The main purpose of this project is to find out the implications of office technologies in secretarial education curriculum in I.M.T Enugu, specifically, this purpose targets at:

1. i) Identifying the implications of office technology on the secretarial education curriculum in I.M.T Enugu
2. ii) The cause of frequent changes in educational curriculum especially that of secretarial education programme performance.

iii) To ascertain whether / if these office technologies that are used in the different to offices today are available in the Department of secretarial studies of institute of Management and Technology (I.M.T), Enugu where secretaries are trained.

1. iv) Identifying whether the curriculum planners re-cognized these implication before going on the drawing board, drawing especially for secretarial
   4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

H₀: office technology does not have any implication on the secretarial education curriculum in I.M.T Enugu

H₁: office technology does have an implication on the secretarial education curriculum in I.M.T Enugu

H₀: the frequent changes in educational curriculum especially that of secretarial education does not have any effect on the performance of the program.

H₀: the frequent changes in educational curriculum especially that of secretarial education does have an effect on the performance of the program.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 

Technological development has taken a rather tremendous new dimension since the middle of this century. According or Ndubuisi (1981), since there is need to promote interest in more and advanced technology, provision should also be made for institutions, the nation as a whole, curriculum planners and business world.
By finding out the implication of office technology on the secretarial educations curriculum in our polytechnics especially IMT, all that are involved in the training of these category of professionals and the curriculum planners, will be able to adjust their curriculum and course contents to suit the needs of the expanding technological business world. Their products, the students, secretaries would then be prepared well enough enter the now world of automated offices and still face squarely the implications inherent in high technological environments without fears of retrenchments. The study will among other things, serve as a guide to the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in determining these new trends that are designed to become an integral part of business studies and include some of the programmes in the school syllabus.
Finally, the country and the business parastatals swill also benefit from this study since the school of business has been producing very proficient and marketable personnel that will stand the vigorous test of time through updated planed curricula, especially in this ear of technological advancement.

1.6 RESEARCH QUESTION

In order to obtain more purposeful and significant results form the data analysis, the following questions will be tested in the course of the study
1. What are the implication of office technologies in the secretarial education curriculum in the institute of management and technology Enugu?
2. Is the institute prepared to meet up with the implication in training students for today’s and future technological office environment?
3. What effects have the frequent changes in curriculum brought to the secretarial studies department?

4. Being aware of the technological changes in the country do you think this will have any effect in your career as secretaries?

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS 

BREADING UNEMPLOYED GRADUATES 

Training and turning-out of graduates who cannot be employed because they lack of the required skills for handling and manipulating modern office machines and equipment.

CURRICULUM 
Subjects / courses included in course study like secretarial studies or taught in a particular school or collage.

OFFICE TECHNOLOGIES

The application of he use of modern office machines and equipment in performing office tasks for quicker and greater production.
COMPUTER LITERACY

Being educated or enlightened on the uses, functions and operations of the electronic data processing machine called the computer, which is capable of handling, processing, staring and retrieving information at the shortest possible time.

OFFICE AUTOMATION 

The use of different types / kinds of machines aided devices to work in an office in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the employed manpower.
TECHNOLOGICAL REVOLUTION

Drastic charge shift from the use of old fashioned machine and equipment to the recently manufactured (modern) are.

TECHNIQUES
Methods of getting things done or preferred

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study

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