Designing IoT-based Curriculum for Industrial Education
A Framework for Skill Development in Nigerian TVET
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63996/njte.v25i1.55Keywords:
Internet of a thing, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Technical and Vocational Education, sustainable education Reform, Curriculum DesignAbstract
The rise of Industry 4.0 has necessitated transformative shifts in skills acquisition and re-skilling, especially among technical and vocational education trainees, owing to emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT). This study investigated the impact of IoT-integrated curriculum design on skill acquisition and re-skilling within Nigerian TVET institutions. Anchored on Constructivist Learning Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research employed the mixed-methods approach using 200 students and 15 trade instructors selected using a stratified random sampling technique from five technical institutions. IoT-based Curriculum Questionnaire-ICQ (r = 0.87) was used to obtain information from the students on their perceptions, learning experiences, and outcomes related to IoT-enhanced instruction, while the qualitative component involved semi-structured interviews with trade instructors. The IoT curriculum design was the strongest predictor of student technical competency, followed by infrastructural support as there was a strong positive correlation (r = 0.76, p < 0.01) between IoT curriculum integration and skill proficiency scores. The study 84% of students agreed that IoT-enhanced projects improved their ability to apply technical concepts in real-world situations, and 78% reported improved digital literacy through hands-on use of IoT dashboards and embedded sensors. The study concluded that curriculum reforms, educator training, and policy alignment will foster digitally resilient learners and bridge the skills gap in African industrial education.
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