Rethinking Media Arts Instruction in Nigerian Universities

Abstract

This paper explores the pedagogical challenges and dilemmas surrounding film and media arts education within Nigerian tertiary  institutions against deficient teaching facilities and infrastructure. Teaching film and media arts has rapidly developed in recent years. Many Nigerian universities now recognise the necessity of robust film/media pedagogy to complement and respond to the escalating  growth of the country’s indigenous film and entertainment industry. The onus is increasingly placed on Nigeria’s tertiary institutions to  spearhead the advancement of film and media arts education, premised on disseminating adequate practical knowledge, skills  acquisition, and integrating international best practices. However, a pivotal issue emerges regarding whether Nigerian tertiary  institutions possess the requisite facilities to fulfil and drive this pedagogical mandate. This paper argues that most Nigerian universities  continue to emphasise theoretical instruction over practical application, constrained by the unavailability of resources required to execute  a technologically immersive media pedagogy tailored to the needs of the nation’s thriving creative industries. Drawing insights  from a recent experimental pedagogical model undertaken at Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, this paper highlights how an  integrated pedagogical methodology combining conventional teaching formats with social media tools and platforms may potentially mitigate the difficulties imposed by insufficient practical teaching facilities for film education in most African tertiary institutions.