REQUIRED MODES OF CURRICULUM FORMULATION FOR UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP IN ELECTRICAL/ELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION PROGRAMME IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

This study sought to ascertain the different modes in which Electrical/Electronics technology education programme of universities in Northern Nigeria can partner with existing industries within its location in curriculum formulation. A mixed method research (MMR) design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted 101 respondents comprising lecturers of Electrical/Electronics Technology Education programme in nine universities in Northern Nigeria and industry professionals in the field of Electrical/Electronics technology in the study area. The sample of the study comprised the entire population of the study as the population was small and manageable. A University-Industry Partnership Interview Guide (UIPIG) and University-Industry Partnership Questionnaire (UIPQ) were used for qualitative and quantitative data collection respectively. The reliability of the UIPIG and UIPQ was established through Member Checking and Cronbach Alpha respectively. Thematic analysis was used to answer the research question qualitatively, mean statistic and standard deviation was used to answer the research question quantitatively, while t-test statistics was used to test the null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Qualitative data was obtained from 10 interview participants while quantitative data was obtained from 38 lecturers and 43 industry professionals, totalling 81 respondents from whom questionnaire was retrieved. Findings of the study revealed that industries are ready to collaborate with Electrical/Electronics Technology Education programme in curriculum formulation through a partnership that involves identification of curriculum requirements, identification of curriculum standards, identification of curriculum instructions, identification of competencies to be applied by learners, development of curriculum concept and structure, development of methodologies for delivering curriculum content, preparation of learning materials that will be used to implement the curriculum, quality assessment to ascertain if curriculum would be a success (curriculum viability), implementation of curriculum, and evaluation of curriculum. It was recommended that the Directorate of Academic planning should liaise with the Heads of Department and establish a formal curriculum development committee that includes representatives from both the electrical/electronics technology education programme and industry stakeholders. This committee should work collaboratively to ensure the EETE curriculum aligns with industry standards and emerging trends.