Assessing Digital Media and the Learning Process among Private Universities in Nigeria in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Assessing Digital Media and the Learning Process among Private Universities in Nigeria in the Post-COVID-19 Era

Victor Ojakorotu , Nicholas Idris Erameh & Phemelo O. Marumo

Issue: Vol.6 No. 4 April 2025 Article 4 pp.173 – 188
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2025644 | Published online 11th April, 2025.
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

21 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

ABSTRACT

Studies on digital media learning among schools in Nigeria have focused more on the experiences of both learners and facilitators in the COVID-19 lockdown with only a few reflecting on the post-COVID experiences of learning using the digital media. Relying on secondary sources, this study interrogated the fate of digital media learning among private universities in the post-COVID era in Nigeria. The findings revealed that unlike the public universities which struggled to respond to the challenges of learning amid the COVID-19 lockdown, several private universities responded firmly to ensure learning was sustained. This response, however, ushered in new challenges like limited finance, erratic internet services, poor student assessment procedure, lack of basic technology skills among tutors and learners, absence of defined coping mechanisms for coping with the changes and concerns about the integrity of evaluation and assessment in the context of digital learning. This has been made worse in the post-COVID-19 era where tutors and learners have struggled even more to meet the challenges of digital learning. However, the need to sustain digital learning as the new normal at private universities in Nigeria remains consistently compelling given the relative positive impacts of digital learning on students’ performances and teachers’ capacity-building across the globe. This study, therefore, concluded that private universities in Nigeria must ensure that they capitalise on the gains recorded from online learning by sustaining its practice in the post-COVID era to meet global standards. Also, the government must provide an adequate support system to sustain digital learning in universities.

Keywords: Covid-19, Education, Digitisation, Learning, Communication.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aboagye, Emmanuel. “Transitioning from Face-to-Face to Online Instruction in the COVID-19 Era: Challenges of Tutors at Colleges of Education in Ghana.” Social Education Research, 2021, 9–19.

Abu Talib, Manar, Anissa M Bettayeb, and Razan I Omer. “Analytical Study on the Impact of Technology in Higher Education during the Age of COVID-19: Systematic Literature Review.” Education and Information Technologies 26, no. 6 (2021): 6719–46.

Adedoyin, Olasile Babatunde, and Emrah Soykan. “Covid-19 Pandemic and Online Learning: The Challenges and Opportunities.” Interactive Learning Environments 31, no. 2 (2023): 863–75.

Adeoye, I A, A F Adanikin, and Ariyo Adanikin. “COVID-19 and E-Learning: Nigeria Tertiary Education System Experience,” 2020.

Adeyeye, Babatunde, Success Emmanuel Ojih, Damilola Bello, Evaristus Adesina, Darlynton Yartey, Charity Ben-Enukora, and Queen Adeyeye. “Online Learning Platforms and Covenant University Students’ Academic Performance in Practical Related Courses during COVID-19 Pandemic.” Sustainability 14, no. 2 (2022): 878.

Allen, Mike. The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. SAGE publications, 2017.

Azubuike, Obiageri Bridget, Oyindamola Adegboye, and Habeeb Quadri. “Who Gets to Learn in a Pandemic? Exploring the Digital Divide in Remote Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria.” International Journal of Educational Research Open 2 (2021): 100022.

Bakia, Marianne, Linda Shear, Yukie Toyama, and Austin Lasseter. “Understanding the Implications of Online Learning for Educational Productivity.” Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education, 2012.

Bozkurt, Aras, and Ramesh C Sharma. “Emergency Remote Teaching in a Time of Global Crisis Due to CoronaVirus Pandemic.” Asian Journal of Distance Education 15, no. 1 (2020): i–vi.

Bradley, Luke H, Brittany N Derr, Catherine E Durbin, Michael J Lauer, Fara Williams, Anthony P Sinai, Julie A Bradley, and Margaret Mohr-Schroeder. “STEM through Authentic Research and Training Program (START) for Underrepresented Communities: Adapting to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of STEM Outreach 4, no. 4 (2021): 10–15695.

Dele-Ajayi, Opeyemi, and Abeba Taddese. “EdTech in Nigeria: A Rapid Scan.” EdTech Hub Country Scan.–2020.–DOI 10 (2020).

Dhull, Indira, and MS’ Sakshi. “Online Learning.” International Education and Research Journal (IERJ) 33, no. 8 (2017).

Eli-Chukwu, Ngozi Clara, Innocent Chiawa Igbokwe, Barnabas Ifebude, Daniel Nmadu, Wilfred Iguodala, Uzubi Uma, Robert Ugochukwu Onyeneke, and Florence Ukamaka Akudo. “Challenges Confronting E-Learning in Higher Education Institutions in Nigeria amid Covid-19.” Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education 15, no. 1 (2023): 238–53.

Falola, H O, O O Ogueyungbo, O P Salau, and M A Olokundun. “Empirical Investigation of E-Learning Opportunities and Faculty Engagement in Nigerian Universities: Moderating Role of Demographic Characteristics.” Cogent Arts & Humanities 9, no. 1 (2022): 2118741.

Faloye, Samuel T, and Nurudeen Ajayi. “Understanding the Impact of the Digital Divide on South African Students in Higher Educational Institutions.” African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development 14, no. 7 (2022): 1734–44.

Hedding, David W, Michelle Greve, Gregory D Breetzke, Werner Nel, and Bettine Jansen Van Vuuren. “COVID-19 and the Academe in South Africa: Not Business as Usual.” South African Journal of Science 116, no. 7–8 (2020): 1–3.

Hjelsvold, Rune, Shaun Nykvist, Madeleine Loras, Abdullah Bahmani, and Andreas Krokan. “Educators’ Experiences Online: How COVID-19 Encouraged Pedagogical Change in CS Education.” In Norsk IKT-Konferanse for Forskning Og Utdanning, Vol. 4, 2020.

Huxley, K. Content Analysis, Quantitative. SAGE Publications Limited, 2020.

Ibn-Mohammed, Taofeeq, Khairi B Mustapha, Janet Godsell, Zakariyya Adamu, Kazeem A Babatunde, Damilola D Akintade, Adolf Acquaye, Hidemichi Fujii, Mamadou M Ndiaye, and Francis A Yamoah. “A Critical Analysis of the Impacts of COVID-19 on the Global Economy and Ecosystems and Opportunities for Circular Economy Strategies.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling 164 (2021): 105169.

Johnston, Melissa P. “Secondary Data Analysis: A Method of Which the Time Has Come.” Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries 3, no. 3 (2014): 619–26.

Kaisara, Godwin, and Kelvin Joseph Bwalya. “Investigating the E-Learning Challenges Faced by Students during COVID-19 in Namibia.” International Journal of Higher Education 10, no. 1 (2021): 308–18.

Krippendorff, Klaus. Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. Sage publications, 2018.

———. Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks California 91320 : SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071878781.

Landa, Nhlanhla, Sindiso Zhou, and Newlin Marongwe. “Education in Emergencies: Lessons from COVID-19 in South Africa.” International Review of Education 67, no. 1 (2021): 167–83.

Maatuk, Abdelsalam M, Ebitisam K Elberkawi, Shadi Aljawarneh, Hasan Rashaideh, and Hadeel Alharbi. “The COVID-19 Pandemic and E-Learning: Challenges and Opportunities from the Perspective of Students and Instructors.” Journal of Computing in Higher Education 34, no. 1 (2022): 21–38.

Macupe, B. “Students ‘Dreams Are Crumbling’ .” Mail & Guardian, 2020. https://mg.co.za/education/2020-07-25-students-dreams-are-crumbling/.

McKenna, Brigid A, Ciara Horton, and Peter M Kopittke. “Online Engagement during COVID‐19: Comparing a Course Previously Delivered Traditionally with Emergency Online Delivery.” Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies 2022, no. 1 (2022): 6813033.

Meral, Kevser Zeynep. “Social Media Ethics and Children in the Digital Era: Social Media Risks and Precautions.” In Multidisciplinary Approaches to Ethics in the Digital Era, 166–82. IGI Global, 2021.

Mercier, Kevin, Erin Centeio, Alex Garn, Heather Erwin, Risto Marttinen, and John Foley. “Physical Education Teachers’ Experiences with Remote Instruction during the Initial Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Teaching in Physical Education 40, no. 2 (2021): 337–42.

Muthuprasad, Thiyaharajan, S Aiswarya, Korekallu S Aditya, and Girish K Jha. “Students’ Perception and Preference for Online Education in India during COVID-19 Pandemic.” Social Sciences & Humanities Open 3, no. 1 (2021): 100101.

Nanda, Mahima, and Gurpreet Randhawa. “Smart Cities Project: Some Lessons for Indian Cities.” In Handbook of Research on Implementation and Deployment of IoT Projects in Smart Cities, 80–95. IGI Global, 2019.

Nwachukwu, Stephen Tochukwu, Chinweoke Methodius Ugwu, and Joseph O Wogu. “Digital Learning in Post Covid-19 Era: Policy Options and Prospects for Quality Education in Nigeria.” Library Philosophy and Practice, 2021, 1–18.

Nwanmereni, Daniel Nil. “Global Coronavirus Pandemic and the Improvised Online Lectures Perspectives in Select Universities in South-South, Nigeria.” Social Sciences and Humanities Open. Www. Papersssm. Com, 2020.

Obiakor, Thelma, and Adedeji Adeniran. “COVID-19: Impending Situation Threatens to Deepen Nigeria’s Education Crisis.” Center for the Study of the Economies of Africa, 2020.

Okoye, Obiageli C. “Strategies of the Dominican University Nigeria in Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Alliance for African Partnership Perspectives 1, no. 1 (2021): 43–48.

Owusu-Ansah, S. “Human Factor Issues in the Use of E-Government Services among Ghanaian Middle Age Population: Improving Usability of Existing and Future Government Virtual Interactive Systems Design,” 2014.

Oyediran, Wasiu Oyeleke, Ayodeji Motunrayo Omoare, Maryam Adebusola Owoyemi, Abayomi Olatoke Adejobi, and Rafiat Bolanle Fasasi. “Prospects and Limitations of E-Learning Application in Private Tertiary Institutions amidst COVID-19 Lockdown in Nigeria.” Heliyon 6, no. 11 (2020).

Plessis, Marieta Du, Carel D Jansen van Vuuren, Abigail Simons, José Frantz, Nicolette Roman, and Michelle Andipatin. “South African Higher Education Institutions at the Beginning of the Covid-19 Pandemic: Sense-Making and Lessons Learnt.” In Frontiers in Education, 6:740016. Frontiers Media SA, 2022.

Rieley, James B. “Corona Virus and Its Impact on Higher Education.” Research Gate 2, no. 3 (2020).

Rogers. E, M. Diffusion of Innovation . 4th ed. New York, NY: Free Press, 2003.

Rogers, E. M. Diffusion of Innovations. 5th ed. Tampa. FL: Free Press, 2003.

Rogers, Everett M, and Leticia Smith. Bibliography on the Diffusion of Innovations. Department of Communication, Michigan State University, 1962.

Said, Ghada Refaat El. “How Did the COVID‐19 Pandemic Affect Higher Education Learning Experience? An Empirical Investigation of Learners’ Academic Performance at a University in a Developing Country.” Advances in Human‐Computer Interaction 2021, no. 1 (2021): 6649524.

Segbenya, Moses, Brandford Bervell, Vincent Mensah Minadzi, and Beatrice Asante Somuah. “Modelling the Perspectives of Distance Education Students towards Online Learning during COVID-19 Pandemic.” Smart Learning Environments 9, no. 1 (December 9, 2022): 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-022-00193-y.

Singh, Vandana, and Alexander Thurman. “How Many Ways Can We Define Online Learning? A Systematic Literature Review of Definitions of Online Learning (1988-2018).” American Journal of Distance Education 33, no. 4 (2019): 289–306.

Tamrat, Wondwosen. “Enduring the Impacts of COVID-19: Experiences of the Private Higher Education Sector in Ethiopia.” Studies in Higher Education 46, no. 1 (2021): 59–74.

Turnbull, Darren, Ritesh Chugh, and Jo Luck. “Learning Management Systems, an Overview.” Encyclopedia of Education and Information Technologies, 2020, 1052–58.

Udem, Obiora Kingsley, Tochukwu Kingsley Ejike, and Uche Okpalibekwe. “Covid-19 and Future of Tertiary Education in Nigeria.” Contemporary Issues on Covid-19 Experiences in Nigeria, 2021.

Watson, William R, and Sunnie Lee Watson. “An Argument for Clarity: What Are Learning Management Systems, What Are They Not, and What Should They Become?” TechTrends 51 (2007): 28–34.

WHO. “ 14.9 Million Excess Deaths Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 and 2021,” 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/05-05-2022-14.9-million-excess-deaths-were-associated-with-the-covid-19-pandemic-in-2020-and-2021.

Yakubu, N., and S. Dasuki. “ Emergency Online Teaching and Learning in a Nigerian Private University: An Activity Theory Perspective.” Working Paper. UK Academy for Information Systems, 2021. https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/172592/1/UKAIS2021 AT Paper.pdf.

Yonazi, E., T. Kelly, N. Halewood, and C. Blackman. “ ETransform Africa: The Transformational Use of ICTs in Africa.” World Bank, 2012.

AUTHOR(S)

Prof. Victor Ojakorotu, is currently the deputy director of the School of Government Studies at Mafikeng at North West University, Mafikeng, South Africa. Victor is also an Honorary Research Professor, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa. His research interests are African politics, Nigeria, conflict and peace, and environmental politics and security. He is widely published in internationally accredited academic journals on the vexing subject of the Niger Delta. Some of the books he has published on the Niger Delta are Contending Issues in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, Fresh Dimensions on the Niger Delta Crisis of Nigeria, Checkmating the Resurgence of Oil Violence in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, and Anatomy of the Niger Delta Crisis: Causes, Consequences and Opportunities for Peace.

Erameh Nicholas Idris possess a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Masters of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Political Science with specialization in International Relations, from Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan. His research interest includes; Global Politics & Security, Human Rights, Human Security, Mass Atrocities, Peace Keeping, Post Conflict Reconstruction, Refugee and Migration, Armed Conflict, Ethnic & Genocide Studies, Humanitarian Intervention, and the Responsibility to Protect. Erameh is currently a Senior Research Fellow and currently Head, Division of International Relations at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). He was recently appointed as an Extra Ordinary Research Fellow at the Afrocentric Governance of Public Affairs (AGOPA) Entity North West University, South Africa. Earmeh once taught at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and was also a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Politics and International Relations, North West University, South Africa. Erameh is a recipient of several grants, awards, and scholarship prizes and also published several articles in well referenced international journals and books. He has also attended and presented academic papers at several local and international conferences within Africa and across the globe. Erameh’s most recent co -edited work include: Africa’s Engagement With the Responsibility to Protect in the 21^st Century (Singapore: Palgrave Macmillan, 2024).

Phemelo Olifile Marumo is currently a Associate Professor in the school of philosophy, the faculty of humanities, North West University, South Africa. He specializes in African philosophy, which he blends with missiology and African developments to bring out a better understanding of Africanism. He independent research, especially on African history, can be attributed to his contribution during Covid-19, wherein his articles highlighted new knowledge that linked African thought and Western ideology. He has served as a key note speaker in International Conference and presented papers in different conferences. Most of his articles have been peer reviewed to guarantee quality and new knowledge. He can be contacted on the research gate, linked for further information and details. His email address is phemelo.marumo@nwu.ac.za

TO CITE ARTICLE

Ojakorotu, Victor, Nicholas Idris Erameh, and Phemelo O. Marumo. “Assessing Digital Media and the Learning Process among Private Universities in Nigeria in the Post-COVID-19 Era.” Journal of Education and Learning Technology 6, no.4 (2025): 173 – 188. https://doi.org/10.38159/jelt.2025644