Ensuring Digital Equity In Nigerian Polytechnics: Empirical Analysis Of Legal Rights Awareness, Ethical Responsibility And Education Technology Integration
Afolabi, Saka Adebayo
Directorate of General Studies, Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Nigeria.
Keywords: Digital Equity, Educational Technology, Legal Rights, Ethical Obligations, Polytechnic
Abstract
The growing use of Educational Technologies (EdTech) in polytechnics in Nigeria has raised the concern related to digital equity and access to learning. This paper looks at the degree of digital equity in integration of EdTech and evaluates how legal rights knowledge and institutional moral responsibility has an impact on polytechnic students in Nigeria. Data were gathered using a quantitative and descriptive cross-sectional survey design on 300 students sampled out of federal, state and private polytechnics in Osun State using stratified random sampling. Multiple regression analysis and descriptive statistics were used. The results show that there is a medium level of digital equity in access to EdTech and this means that structural inequalities are not completely met by current digitalizing efforts. Legal rights awareness and ethical responsibility have a significant effect on digital equity, although the effect of ethical responsibility is higher. This paper indicates that there is a requirement in policy frameworks that can incorporate legal literacy and ethical governance in the implementation of EdTech. It draws the conclusion that a sustainable and inclusive digital education of polytechnics in Nigeria needs coordinated institutional and policy responses to technological supply.
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