Assessment of Office Technology and Management Students' Proficiency in the Use of Microsoft Application Packages in Tertiary Institutions in Bauchi State

Abstract

Office Technology and Management (OTM) education is an integral part of business
education programme in Nigeria. The course is expected to provide occupational skills
for its recipients in business or office related occupations either as employees or selfemployed. The central attention of the paper is that when students who are considered
future leaders are empowered, it subsequently leads to the social, economic and
political growth and stability of any nation. In view of this, the study sought to assess
Office Technology and Management students’ proficiency in the use of Microsoft
application packages in Nigerian tertiary institutions with particular attention to
Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was used for
the study. The entire population for the study consisted 2018 OTM students who were
59 Higher National Diploma students from Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi. A structured
questionnaire of 30 items was used for data collection after being validated by 3
experts with internal consistency coefficient value of.0.89. The data collected in
response to the research questions were analysed using percentage while data
regarding the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 levels of significant using t-test statistics.
It was discovered that the OTM students were proficient in the use of Microsoft
application packages and that there is no significant difference between the
performances of the students, hence the gender variable was not pronounced in terms
of performance. The study therefore concludes that Office Technology and
Management is a dynamic career that goes along with the waves of modern changes
and development. The study recommends among other things that OTM curriculum
designers should keep themselves abreast of this requirement and effect changes
whenever they occur in this age of technological breakthrough; moreover, the
government and other stakeholders of the polytechnic should ensure that the
institutions have a well-equipped computer laboratory with adequate numbers of
functional computer system for teaching and learning in their department.