History of Science education

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE EDUCATION FACULTY OF EDUCATION

NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, AWKA

 BIOLOGY EDUCATION

CHEMISTRY EDUCATION

COMPUTER EDUCATION

INTEGRATED SCIENCE EDUCATION

MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

PHYSICS EDUCATION

 

PUBLISHED BY THE

DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE EDUCATION

UNIZIK ANTHEM

Stanza 1

Hail Unizik!

Pride of the State

And our Nation

Fountain of Knowledge

And of Wisdom

Sources of our Hope and Confidence,

Where Freedom Through

Education we Gain,

With Reverence we Honour you

Stanza 2 Hail Unizik!

Seat of Science

And Centre of Arts

Where knowledge and

Abundance Flows

Your Name and Virtue with Pride we Uphold

For through this Varsity

Our Intellect Blossoms

With Reference, We Honour you

Refrain

Our Unizik

Our Unizik

Where we learn

Discipline, Self-reliance, and Excellence

Great Unizik

We hail you

We hail you

MISSION AND VISION OF

SCIENCE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

VISION

The vision of the Department of Science Education is to continuously position the department as one of the best departments in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in terms of producing quality graduates (competent and dedicated science teachers) and engaging in the highest standards of excellence in all aspects of teaching, research and rendering services to the university, surrounding communities and the nation.

MISSION

The mission of the department is to produce graduates with a broad spectrum of knowledge in Science Education with specialization in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Integrated Science, Mathematics and Physics Education who can as well demonstrate excellence in leadership, service, research, and education in a technology-driven world.

PHILOSOPHY AND OBJECTIVES

OF THE PROGRAMME

PHILOSOPHY

Science Education Department is concerned with the production of competent and dedicated teachers in Science Education who will be able to engage creatively in science teaching, scientific research, development of new technologies and their applications to economic, social, and human needs.

OBJECTIVES

Towards this end, the programme is designed to provide:

1. A sound academic preparation in Science Education (with options in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Integrated Science, Mathematics and

Physics).

2. A theoretical understanding and practical application of skills in development, implementation, and evaluation of secondary school science curriculum, which is geared towards meeting the needs of the learner, society and the changing times.

Every student in the Science Education programme is expected to take core courses in education, courses in their various options and courses in science methods. It is expected that on successful completion of the degree programme, a graduate of the department would have been sufficiently equipped to:

i. Teach his/her subject of specialization in secondary school,

ii. Develop challenging and age-appropriate science curriculum relevant to the needs of the student and society at large,

iii. Use various forms of traditional and alternative assessment techniques to monitor, enhance and evaluate students learning,

iv. Perform administrative and supervisory duties within the country‟s educational system and,

v. Continue to advance studies in Science Education.

 

HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF

SCIENCE EDUCATION

INTRODUCTION

The department of science education is one of the departments in the faculty of education of the university. It was one of the early departments to take off in the university under the old Anambra State University of Technology (ASUTECH) Enugu. The department started as Department of Science and Technology Education Enugu Campus.

EARLY TIMES

The department started in 1984 a few years after the Anambra State University of Science and Technology (ASUTECH) was inaugurated with staff strength of five lecturers. The department awarded only Bachelor of Science degree in science education (B.sc (ed)) until 1989 when it started higher degree programmes, both Masters of Science Education and Doctor of Philosophy in Science Education. The department had at the very beginning five programmes; they are as follows:

i. Biology Education

ii. Chemistry Education

iii. Integrated Science Education

iv. Mathematics Education

v. Physics Education

Computer Science Education programme was added in 2003.

ACCREDITATION EXERCISES

The department have had full accreditation for her five programmes on different occasions. The first was in 1991/1992 academic year when the first five programmes were fully accredited. In 1999/2000, the existing five programmes were fully accredited again, and she was named the best Science Education Department in Nigeria after that exercise.

In 2002 the department was merged with the department of Educational Foundations. The two departments were however demerged in 2004 and once more it became a fullfledged department. At 2005/2006 accreditation exercise, she once more had full accreditation for the six programmesas she now has, and till present has not lost any accreditation for any of her programmes.

STAFF POSITION

Eight professors and two readers have been produced by the department. They are:

• Prof. E.U. Akusoba (Retired)

• Prof. F. O. C. Ndu (Retired)

• Prof. E.O. Akuezuilo (Retired)

• Prof. S.O.C. Okeke (Retired)

• Prof. F.C. Offiah (Retired)

• Prof. J.N. Okoli

• Prof A.M. Osuafor

• Prof. E.C. Okigbo

• Dr C.O. Okafor (Reader) (Retired)

• Dr. N.N. Achufusi-Aka (Reader)

The staff strength of the department is currently forty-eight;three professors, one reader, four senior lecturers, four lecturer 1, twenty-one lecturer 11, four assistant lecturers, eleven graduate assistants.

HEADSHIP OF THE DEPARTMENT

The affairs of the department had been manned by several eminent education scientists starting from:

• Dr. E. U. Akusoba (1985 – 1990)

• Dr. F.O.C. Ndu (1990 – 1993)

• Dr. E.U. Akusoba (1993 – 1994)

• Dr. E.O. Akuezuilo (2000 – 2002)

• Dr. C.O. Okafor (2002 – 2003)

• Dr. S.O.C. Okeke (2003 – 2006)

• Dr. F.C. Offiah (2006 – 2008)

• Prof. S.O.C. Okeke (2008 – 2010)

• Prof. F.C. Offiah (2010 – 2014)

• Dr. J.N. Okoli (2014 – 2015)

• Dr. A.M. Osuafor (2015 – 2016)

• Prof. S.O.C. Okeke (2016 – 2018)

• Prof. E.C. Okigbo (2018 – 2021)

• Prof. A.M. Osuafor (2021-till date)

STUDENTS OUTPUT

Hundreds of men and women have successfully passed out of the department with Bachelor of Science in Education degree over the years. In the 1999/2000 academic year, the first higher (doctorate) degree student was produced by the department. Ever since then, many masters and Doctorate degrees have followed in quick succession. Currently, there are many students engaged in higher degree programmes of the department.

STAFF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

All the academic staff of the department are actively involved in research in various areas of science education, and this is supported by the many professors and readers produced in the department.

Three academic staff members successfully mounted a

“science camp” for improving the art of science between 1996 and 1998. They are professors F.O.C. Ndu, E.O. Akuezuilo and Dr. S.O.C. Okeke. All the academic staff are involved in community development through participating in training and retraining programmes for primary and secondary school teachers.

One of our students, Okwuduba Emmanuel N., was the first to win Stephen Oluwale Awokoya Foundation Scholarship for the Best Science Education Student in Nigeria in the

2010/2011 academic year. Other students also won various scholarships which comprised of Federal government scholarships and Private scholarships.

The department houses one Journal known as Unizik Journal of STEM Education. The journal since its inception in 2009, six issues of four volumes have been produced and is now online.