University of Ibadan
Submission for Part B of the PHEA Educational Technology Initiative
Table of Contents
University of Ibadan Educational Technology Strategy
Introduction to the University of Ibadan
Teaching and Learning
Investment in ICT
Current ICT Targets and Progress
Rationale for Focusing on Educational Technology
Key Principles Governing Implementation and Use of Educational Technology
Educational Technology Vision
Educational Technology Priorities
Stakeholders
Key Projects
Educational Technology Strategy Governance and Management
PHEA ETI Part B Projects
Introduction
Project 1: Capacity Building and Digital Content Development
Project Description and Rationale
Project Outputs
Project Activities
Project 2: Open Courseware Development for Science and Technology
Project Description and Rationale
Project Outputs
Project Activities
Project 3: Tele-Classroom Teaching in the General Studies Programme
Project Description and Rationale
Project Outputs
Project Activities
Project 4: Use of Educational Radio and the Mobile Phone for Tutorials in Distance Learning
Project Description and Rationale
Project Outputs
Project Activities
Part B Projects Monitoring and Evaluation
Part B Submission Logical Framework
Part B Project Budgets
University of Ibadan Educational Technology Strategy
Introduction to the University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan (UI), founded in 1948, is the oldest university in Nigeria. With a total staff complement of 5,800,of whom 1,300 areacademic staff and 4,500 support staff, the University enrols about 26,000 students across 13 faculties, four institutes, and four centres. About 30% of UI students are postgraduate students, and more than 40% of the student population comprises distance-learning students. The Vice-Chancellor is the Chief Executive, and he is supported by a management team of two Deputy Vice-Chancellors, a Registrar, a Bursar, and the University Librarian. The University is run by a committee system. The Governing Council provides oversight, sets policy, controls finance and properties, and is the employer of all university staff.
The University experienced a decline in state funding in the late 1970s due to several factors:
•The simultaneous establishment of several federal universities in the mid to late 1970s;
•The gradual withdrawal of support by international donors mainly because of the oil boom and military rule;
•Political instability and government policy inconsistency;
•Failure to back policy pronouncement with funding; and
•Devaluation of the Nigerian currency.
Despite this decline in state funding, the established record of accomplishment of academic excellence at UI, built in the first 25 years of its existence, has largely endured. This has been partly due to increased sourcing of external funding, which has enabled the sustenance of quality teaching and learning that the University always strives to achieve.
A major strategic shift of the University in the last five years has been the emphasis on postgraduate education and a rejuvenation of the system to achieve excellence in teaching, research and community service. There has been a steady increase in postgraduate intake and output, as well as new courses and programmes. The University considers this an important vehicle for implementing its vision to be a world-class institution for academic excellence, geared towards meeting societal needs.In achieving the University’s mission of expanding the frontiers of knowledge through provision of excellent conditions for learning and research,information and communications technology (ICT) has played a major role.The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa Educational Technology Initiative (PHEA ETI) will assist in deploying modern ICT tools and methodologies in the development of teaching and learning materials that can be used to enhance teaching and learning.
Teaching and Learning
In the University’s Vision and Mission, twelve core values are identified, of which teaching, learning, research, development, and innovation are part (UI Strategic Plan, 2009). The strategic goal of teaching and learning is to create and sustain an environment conducive to teaching and learning that promotes the development of excellence and innovation. Relating to research and development, the strategic goal is to promote the spirit of enquiry, research, and discovery while contributing to local and global development through creativity and innovation. The current efforts of the university management are directed at achieving these goals in a cost-effective way, while ensuring quality, with the cooperation of stakeholders as well as development partners.
Investment in ICT
Educational development at UI is designed to ensure that staff and students acquire adequate capacity for deep inquiry, critical thinking, and problem-solving as part of the teaching and learning experience. Opportunities are made available for students to benefit from research activities to enable them to compete effectively in the global market place. Consequently, the university needs to facilitate measures that will ensure unhindered interaction and exchanges between staff and students, pursue continuous improvement and achieve internationalisation of curricula. In pursuit of this, the University has, in the last eight years, pursued an agenda that uses ICT as the fulcrum for achieving the envisioned goals.
A partnership with the MacArthur Foundation has resulted inmore than US$1.5 million of investment in ICT infrastructure and initiatives in the last eight years. The objectives of the ICT interventions include:
•Improving internal and external communication systems in the University;
•Developing an efficient staff and student information management system;
•Establishing a robust ICT architecture to serve as a structural backbone for current and future needs of the University; and
•Improving the level of IT literacy among staff and students.
To facilitate implementation of ICT initiatives, an ICT Unit was formed. This unit has developed the infrastructure and overseen use of ICT resources in a strategic partnership with functional units of the university to achieve organic growth in ICT resource deployment and use. The core ICT facility revolves around twovery small aperture terminals (VSATs) with a combined bandwidth of 2Mbps/9Mbps. Functional units of the university have individual local area networks (LANs) which are connected to the university network via fibre optic and wireless radio antennae. InMcArthur Foundation’s eight-year investment period, the number of computer systems on the network has increased from just over 200 in 1999 to over 3,000 in 2009.
Current ICT Targets and Progress
In building up the ICT infrastructure and embedding ICT in the core functions of the university, a number of targets were set. These related to deployment of infrastructure, access to the university network, on-line literature access, and ICT training among others. Table1 gives an overview and status of ICT interventions and projects in the University, from 2001 to date.
Impact Indicator / Targets / Performance Status2001 / 2004 / 2007 / 2009
No of VSATs / 0 / 1 / 2 / 2
Campus LANand Nodes
(Wireless radio link/fibre) / 7 / 15 / >50 / 70
Systems in campus networks / 15 / 650 / 2000 / >3000
% Wireless internet access points / - / - / - / >50
Bandwidth: Main Campus (kbps) / Dial-up/
ISP Link / 256/1024 / 512/2048 / 1536/7352
Bandwidth: College (kbps) / Dial-up / 128/512 / 256/1024 / 740/3072
Bandwidth: Cost ($/kbps) / - / 3.75 / 2.50 / 2.33
Optical Fibre Network(% coverage) / 0 / 0 / 50 / 50
University website / Nil / Yes / Yes / Yes (
Portal / Nil / Nil / Yes / Yes (
Communication (VoIP) / - / - / - / Pilot test
(2 Nodes)
Principal Officers with internet access / 1 / 5 / 5 / All Principal Officers have internet access
Deans with internet access / 6 / 13 / 13 / All Deans of Faculties have internet access
Staff IT-literacy training / 0 / 200 / 1000 / 1000
Network technical training / 0 / 100 / 150 / 150 (100%)
% staff with on-line literature access / 20 / 60 / 70 / 95
On-line university operations / 0% / 15% / 100% / 60%
Table 1Current ICT Targets and Progress
As the table shows, substantial progress has been made by the university in the areas of infrastructure procurement, increase in bandwidth, making bandwidth cost more affordable, access to online resources, and use of ICT for administration and staff training.
While targets have substantially been met relating to deployment of ICT infrastructure and access, use of ICT to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning is still very limited. Hence, the PHEA ETIis timely as it provides an opportunity for staff to access funding to develop and implement innovative teaching projects using technology. However, for uptake of ICT to be enhanced, it needs institutional backing, hence the need for an Educational Technology Strategy that embeds the significance of use of ICT for productivity and efficiency within institutional strategy, and outlines institutional goals related to educational technology.
As part of the plan to achieve the University’s Vision and Mission, one implementation strategy is to upgrade existing ICT infrastructure and other facilities such as power, water, the library, and laboratories, amongst others (UI Strategic Plan, 2009). The power situation is being tackled through provision of large generators to backup the erratic state power supply,while use of renewable sources such as solar power is being considered. The water supply system is also being upgraded, while the library has been sourcing digital systems for efficient literature searches and providing campus wide and external access to on-line library resources.
Rationale for Focusing on Educational Technology
Amongst others, key reasons for investing in educational technology at the University of Ibadan are to:
•Implement discipline-specific pedagogical strategies that require students’ active engagement and that develop problem-solving and problem-posing skills in the context of technology-enabled learning environments,
•Create learning environments that challenge students to become actively engaged, independent, lifelong learners inside and outside of formal learning spaces,
•Create interactive learning that is technology driven,
•Offer flexible and cost effective quality learning to time-constrained and economically deprived students,
•Alleviate staff and space capacity constraints within the institution,
•Achieve learner-centred teaching and learning using ICT tools that enable open and distance learning, and
•Develop teachers who can, through a technology driven environment, make learning relevant, exciting, and effective, at the same time achieving efficienciesthat will give them time to embark on other activities expected of them, like research and community service.
Key Principles Governing Implementation and Use of Educational Technology
The key principles that will underpin the Educational Technology Strategyat the University of Ibadan are as follows:
1)Training, to ensure improved ICT skills among staff and students so that they can optimally use deployed ICT. Training will focus on end-user skills, development of materials using technology, and improving staff pedagogical skills in use of educational technology for teaching and learning.
2)Advocacy:A sensitization programme on how ICT can support teaching and learning will be launched, focusing on the strengths and possible challenges of educational technology use.
3)ICT and Support Infrastructure deployment.There will be continuous monitoring of demand for ICT resources and provision for expansion to meet needs. The university will improve power supply on the campus by exploringalternative power sources such as solar power, batteries, inverters, dams, and windmills, to back up main sources of electricity supply.
4)Awareness-raising. Improved bandwidth utilization will be achieved by educating users on ways of optimizing bandwidth,for example, elimination/control of viruses, adjusting screen settings, and purchasing power-saving computer monitors.
5)Distance learning. Technology will be used to support distance learning and enhance the quality of learning for distance learning students.
6)Deployment of specialized units.Specialized units will be established for developing print and digital educational materials.
7)Pedagogical Research.All new interventions will be evaluated for impact and effectiveness in order to enhance them in the future.
Educational Technology Vision
In particular, the UI Educational Technology Strategy aims to achieve uninhibited access to global learning resources and full integration of ICT teaching and learning tools into the curriculum. The UI Educational Technology Vision is:
An ICT enableduniversitythat effectively and efficiently deploys ICT resources for enhancedteaching and learning, improving staff productivity and student achievement.
Educational Technology Priorities
To achieve the above vision, the educational technology priorities of the University in the next five years include the following:
1)Within the first six months of the Educational Technology Initiative, develop a comprehensive ICT policy document which addresses issues such as copyright, intellectual property, security, use, budgeting, staffing, and procurement.
2)Development of faculty skills in design, development,and application of ICT based materials.
3)Design and development of online course materials from selected faculties within the first year of the Initiative. Successful adaptation of course materials will motivate institutional investment in adapting more courses for online teaching and learning.
4)Upload the selected online courses onto the university website within the first year.
5)Provision of adequate monitoring and support to the online courses by keeping linked readings and web sites updated.
6)Course updates based on user feedback.
7)Provision of adequate security of the system to ensure that students’ assignments and grades are not compromised.
8)Provision of help-desk support where students of the online courses can turn to whenever need arises.
9)Creation of a feedback system of the online courses,for staff and students.
10)Regular (bi-semester) assessment of system performance and redesign of courses when necessary.
11)Make use of educational technology to improve access to quality higher education.
12)Facilitate research and development activities that leverage on ICT for sustainable development.
Stakeholders
The University of Ibadan operates a committee system based on devolution and decentralization to enable effective decision-making. In pursuing implementation of the Educational Technology Initiative, a number of key stakeholders within the university will play varying roles. This is to ensure effective implementation, monitoring, and evaluation in achieving the goals of the Initiative and the Educational Technology Strategy. Other external stakeholders are also critical to implementation of the Strategy. The stakeholders’ roles and their degrees of influence to the success of the strategy are highlighted below.
Table 2Stakeholder Analysis
Key Stakeholders / Relationship to / role in the Strategy / Degree of InfluenceVice Chancellor (VC) / Global oversight / High
Committee of Principal Officers / Global oversight (advising VC) / High
Coordinating Committee / Direct Oversight / High
ETS subcommittee / Development and implementation of ETS / High
Project Teams / Develop and implement change initiatives to support the goals and vision of the ETS / High
Staff and Students / Beneficiaries of ETS / High as a group/ Medium as individuals
PHEA / Provision of funding for project implementation / High
SAIDE/CET / Support in project development / High
External Consultants / Provision of training and content development support / High
External evaluator / Providing guidance on internal monitoring processes and extracting best practice examples from all universities involved in the PHEA ETI, to inform future practice / High
Key Projects
The university is focusing on four projects that cut across the faculties as part of the Educational Technology Initiative:
1)Capacity Building and Digital Content Development;
2)Open Courseware Development for Science and Technology;
3)Tele-Classroom Teaching in the General Studies programme; and
4)Educational Radio and Mobile Phones for Tutorials in Distance Education.
The Strategy is to enable stakeholders to see demonstrable benefits in order to achieve wider adoption of educational technology for efficient and effective course delivery. The projects articulatewith the vision of the Educational Technology Strategy and contribute to accomplishinginstitutional priorities of faculty training for ICT skills, materials development and use thereof, providing online access to learning materials, providing access to quality education to distance learning students, and improving the use of educational technology through empirical research. Detailed descriptions of these projects are provided in the section on PHEA ETI Part B projects.
Educational Technology Strategy Governance and Management
Currently, the Management Information Systems (MIS) unit manages the university databases and takes care of administrative processes such as admissions and allocation of halls to students, among others. The ICT Unit oversees the deployment of ICT infrastructure. The plan is to mergethe two units so that they can work as a single autonomous ICT unit. The new ICT unit would be responsible for training faculty in ICT instructional design and pedagogy. The unit will have a well-equipped multimedia laboratory where faculty can use the facilities and software to design instructional materials, which would then be forwarded to the ICT unit for uploading onto the intranet. The unit will offer support to existing units in several departments that are already coordinating ICT integration efforts. Serious consideration will have to be given to whether the existing ICT units in some departments, like the Distance Learning Centre(DLC), should remain autonomous or be integrated within the new ICT Unit. However, such decisions will only become clearer once the unit has been set up and there is a clearer sense of implementation of the educational technology strategy.
The current ICT unit hardware, software, and systems sub-units will be the fulcrum for the PHEA ETI Initiative. This is to avoid proliferation of units while ensuring efficiency of human resources. The success of the Initiative from a governance point of view is ensured in that the ICT Committee has a direct relationship with, and reports directly to, the VC. The PHEA ETI Committee, which has a sub branch, the ETS Committee, is headed by the former Chair of the ICT Unit, now Dean of the Faculty of Technology, Professor Ayodeji Oluleye. He will keep management abreast of developments and progress with the Initiative. Each project will be driven by a project team, managed by a project leader who will report directly to Professor Oluleye. The relationship of the PHEA ETI committee and the project leaders, within the locus of the ICT Committee and the university management, is depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1Educational Technology InitiativeOrganogram