E-LEARNING POLICY

E-LEARNING POLICY

UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

PORT HARCOURT

NIGERIA

 

 

E-LEARNING POLICY

 

     TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

CONTENT

PAGE

1. Introduction

1

1.1 Vision of the University

1

1.2 Mission of the University

1

2. Policy Statement

2

3. Vision Statement

2

4. Principles Guiding the Implementation of the Policy

2

5. Objectives of the Policy

3

6. Relationship With Other Policy Documents

4

7. ICT Infrastructure

4

8. Role of Faculties, ICTC and Library

5

8.1 The Role of the Faculties

5

8.2 The Role of the ICTC

5

8.3 The Role of the Library

5

9. Policy Implementation

6

9.1 Faculty

6

9.2 Non-Faculty Staff

6

9.3 Students

6

9.3.1 Students’ Registration

6

9.2     Policy Implementation Committees

7

9.2.1 E-learning Governance Committee

7

9.2.2 E-Learning Implementation Committee

7

10. E-Learning Policy Evaluation

8

11. Course Delivery

8

12. Learner Support

8

13. Assessment Of Students

9

14. Continuous Professional Development

10

15. Students’ Assessment of Lecturers on Online Teaching

10

16. Policy on Open Educational Resources

11

16.1 Policy Overview and Purpose

11

16.2 Policy Statement

11

17. Policy on Virtual Learning Environment and Learning Management System

12

17.1 Policy Overview and Purpose

12

17.2 Policy Statement

13

18. E-Learning Timelines

13

19. E-Learning Platforms

14

 
  1. Introduction

“The terms virtual education, online learning and e-learning are often used to describe the application of ICT to enhance distance education, implement open learning policies, make learning activities more flexible and enable these learning activities to be distributed among many learning venues” (Andrea-Hope, 2005). The gradual changes of learning from the traditional type of courses where there was no use of online technology, and the content delivered in writing or orally is becoming obsolete. Unfortunately, this is still the order of the day in Nigeria and some developing countries as against online or e-learning where 80 – 100% of content is delivered online and typically there is no face-to-face contact. This has helped to open up educational opportunities for people at anytime, anywhere and for anyone. This is also helping individuals and nations to develop themselves and their human resources.

E-learning consists of all forms of teaching and learning that are supported electronically. The information and communication systems, be it networked learning or not, serve as media in implementing the learning process. Basically, E-learning is computer and network-enabled transfer of skills and knowledge. Computer-based learning, Web-based learning, digital collaboration and virtual education opportunities are all applications and processes of e-learning. The e-learning content is delivered via the Internet, intranet/extranet, video or audio tapes, satellite TV, and CD-ROM. It can be instructor-led or self-paced and includes media in the form of text, image, animation, video and audio streaming etc.

In the above context, the University of Port Harcourt e-learning Policy is to be established and implemented to guide in the usage of the e-learning resources such that both staff and students achieve the expected course outcomes. In line with its vision and mission, the University is committed to the enhancement of quality and flexible learning, consistent with its strategic priorities, such as increased use of information and communication technologies in teaching and learning, flexible modes of learning and cost-effectiveness of courses.

1.1       Vision of the University

The University of Port Harcourt aims to be ranked amongst the best universities in Africa, renowned for its teaching, research, creativity and innovation.

 

1.2       Mission of the University

The Mission of the University of Port Harcourt is the pursuit of academic excellence, advancement of knowledge and community services through quality teaching, life-long learning, social inclusion, strengthening civil society and policy-relevant research that addresses the challenges of contemporary society. 

 

2.       Policy Statement

In-line with the national ICT policy, the University of Port Harcourt will use e-learning where appropriate to achieve its goal of providing e-learning experiences that will be flexible, responsive, effective and meet the needs of all learners and stakeholders. Where necessary, the University will factor relevant aspects of the e-learning policy to its existing policies and procedures for a consistent and corporate approach to associated systems and processes. For effectiveness of the e-learning process, a student will have access to all required materials/resources so that he/she is able to achieve the learning outcomes of the course.

 

3.       Vision Statement

The e‐learning policy is intended to realize the following vision:

To effectively enhance the teacher-student learning experience, through the provision of the required ICT environment, which will promote efficient learning in such a way that both the teacher and learners can satisfy their quest for knowledge using state of the art ICT equipment in the most cost-effective way.

The University of Port Harcourt shall undertake the role of ensuring that through e‐learning and teaching approaches, all its programs are effectively enhanced. The approaches used by staff shall therefore be reviewed critically to ensure conformity to the utilization of modern technologies in teaching and learning.

 

4.       Principles Guiding the Implementation of the Policy

The following shall be the guiding principles for the implementation of the e-learning policy:

 

  1. The University shall ensure that its e-learning courses and pedagogy, the relevance of content covered, the appropriateness of student activities and the nature of assessment are in line with the curriculum and the National Universities Commission guidelines respectively.

 

  1. The University shall ensure that teaching strategies will engage and motivate learners such that the experience will be enjoyable and make them want to continue to use the ICT for learning.

 

  1. Students taking courses with e-learning content shall be given formative assessments which are assessments primarily aimed at improving learning. This can be achieved through the following ways:
  1.   providing feedback to help learners see how they can and what they must do to improve,
  2. providing opportunities for group and self-assessments with the students understanding the criteria or standards of performance required.

 

  1. Courses with e-learning content shall be coherent and consistent in the way the objectives, content, student activity and assessment match each other.

 

  1. The University shall ensure that all manual and electronic systems deployed in the e-learning process, interoperate in the most effective way so that learners will have an effective, individualized and a holistically Managed Environment for Learning.

 

  1. The University shall exploit the range of technologies used in the e-learning process, work with individuals, employees and organizations, to enable it meet its goals of supporting the learner and continuing professional development.

 

  1. Through quality assurance processes, the University shall ensure that e-learning provisions are up to the standards expected by the University, funding bodies and relevant legislations; and that it is educationally sound, engaging, accessible and appropriate to its target population.

 

  1. Effective costing models and market research shall be used so as to make pricing of e-learning offerings both competitive and appropriate to the target population.

 

  1. All courses offered by the University shall have some element of e-learning in their delivery. The University shall work towards this and ensure that blended learning will be the most adopted option.

 

  1. The University shall ensure that health outbreaks do not break the academic calendar since e-learning will be used in full at such times.

 

5.       Objectives of the Policy

Facilitating and supporting e-learning through the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to guide and coordinate both teachers and students within and outside the university, is the main objective of this policy. However, specific objectives of the policy are as follows:

 

  1. To ensure that the development of courses and units are cost-effective and consistent with the strategic plan of the University. This is achievable through teaching and none teaching staff of the University that are capable of developing courses and units.

 

  1. To use quality assurance processes to ensure that current and emerging technologies used for teaching and learning as well as the application of other processes in the e-learning policy are appropriate. This will be achieved through the Quality Assurance and Quality Control Unit of the University.

 

  1. To support staff and students in learning and developing the ability to use current and emerging technologies to enhance their teaching and learning experiences. Administrative, technical and teaching staff are to be enabled and given a conducive environment to be able to support students efficiently and effectively in use of available technologies to ease their studies.

 

  1. To encourage and support the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and other technologies in both face-to-face and online learning environments and to effectively document cost effective options to be adopted by the University.

 

  1. To ensure the periodic comprehensive evaluation of every facet of the e-learning process of the University of Port Harcourt and use results obtained to restructure and improve on the future processes.
  2. To create an administrative structure for the University of Port Harcourt e-learning process such that at every point in time, top management knows who to hold responsible for growth or failure of the system.

6.       Relationship With Other Policy Documents

E-learning will certainly require a concert between academic, administrative and technical units as well as all other relevant operational divisions of an institution to succeed. Therefore, the implementation of the e-learning policy of the University of Port Harcourt will go along with other policy documents of the University, especially the following:

 

  1. The University Strategic Plan and Policy
  2. The University Infrastructure Policy
  3. The Open and Distance learning Policy
  4. The University ICT policy

 

The University shall ensure that the elements of these policy documents are in tandem with the elements of this e-learning policy. All these policies should be complementary to each other and should be meant to ensure that the University achieves its set vision and objectives. It is the role of the Senate to resolve any conflict that may arise from operating these policies.

 

7.       ICT Infrastructure

  1. The University shall provide good internet bandwidth (at least 1 Gbps) to facilitate an improved and efficient internet access throughout the university campuses. This total bandwidth shall be achieved using an incremental method starting with 155Mbps of bandwidth and progressing forward at a yearly increase rate of additional 155Mbps every year. This means that in the first year of implementation of this policy document, the University shall have 155Mbps of bandwidth. In the second year, it shall have 310Mbps of bandwidth and so forth. The bandwidth shall be deployed in such a way that there is redundancy within the network in case of downtime. The University shall ensure that all critical infrastructure participating in the provision of the bandwidth are adequately provided with redundant power such that the uptime for the network shall not go below 95% when calculated yearly.

 

  1. Using the best affordable technology, the University of Port Harcourt shall work towards the provision of a more efficient intranet system with a wider coverage that will extend to staff residential areas of the university to cut down on bandwidth usage. Through the intranet, e-learning materials will be distributed to all students and other University community members who may wish to use them. Through IT network, the e-learning portal can have access to more materials on the World Wide Web. Thus, the university’s ICT policy will be a great support to this e-learning policy.

 

This network shall be effectively centralized with all nodes routed directly or indirectly to the ICTC data center and the e-library servers.

 

  1. The University of Port Harcourt shall work towards providing a Tier 1 datacenter for the University. This datacenter shall house all intranet servers of the University. All e-learning resources shall be synced with offsite servers for effective data protection and recovery in the event of disaster.

 

  1. Students are open to varieties of devices for e-learning but it will be better if learners on the same LMS platform use similar devices that will be compatible. This way, software evaluation will be easy and thus make for platform review that will uniformly address the targeted users. It is therefore recommended that upon matriculation, each student should be given a laptop with Minimum System requirements as follows: CPU- Intel Core i3, RAM-8GB, Storage-128 GB SSD or I TB HDD, Display-13.3-inch FHD, Battery-7 hours, GPU-Intel Integrated Graphics with at least 2GB VRAM. Repayment for this laptop should be built into the student charges in installments.

 

  1. The University shall ensure to always use the best Learning Management System. Its first priority shall be for open-source projects. However, should these not fit the purpose and needs of the course, the University can explore proprietary software.

 

  1. The library shall provide the Library Management System. It shall contain the e-library resources including but not limited to e-Journals, e-books, etc. Just as in the case of the learning management system, the first option shall be for open-source projects. The library technical staff shall manage the library management system and it must be accessible from all over the University.

 

  1. The University shall ensure the provision of other ICT assets needed for the smooth operation of e-learning in the University. These include, but are not limited to the following;
  1. E-Podiums.
  2. Public Address Systems in classrooms.
  3. Projectors and/or smart screens and boards.

 

8.       Role of Faculties, ICTC and Library

Development of materials and curriculum for e-learning requires a teamwork approach. This means bringing together different kinds of expertise available across the university in discipline, pedagogy, ICT, systems, design, etc. In view of this, faculties, ICTC and library are major stakeholders in the implementation of this e-learning policy document.

 

8.1     The Role of the Faculties

The faculties shall provide the needed teaching staff as usual and with the assigned courses. Teaching staff assigned to specific courses shall maintain their courses and redesign them to fit into eLearning. Faculties shall therefore ensure that all the courses thought by the faculty are redesigned for effective e-learning. Specifically, the Faculty of Education shall provide manpower needed for the preparation of new curriculum which embeds e-learning into the content. The respective faculties shall see to the engagement of required services for curriculum designers.

 

8.2     The Role of the ICTC

The ICTC shall be the major driver of e-learning at the University of Port Harcourt. It shall do this by providing the technical manpower needed for the installation and maintenance of all systems needed for this purpose. It shall also ensure that constant training sessions are held to bring both staff and students to speed regarding the use of e-learning facilities within the University.

 

8.3     The Role of the Library

The library shall serve as the provider of all e-resources needed by both students and staff towards an effective e-learning process. The library shall therefore ensure that all e-resources are made available to the University Intranet 24/7 with minimal downtime.

 

9.    Policy Implementation

For a smooth implementation of the e-learning policy, the following must be strengthened:

 

9.1     Faculty

When faculties originate materials, such faculties reserve the right to decide on what conditions to share the material except:

  1. Where the university specifically paid for or commissioned the material or makes financial or material contributions. In such case, the university determines the conditions for sharing the material.
  2. The material is developed through some sort of collaboration, in such case the conditions guiding that collaboration prevails.

 

Materials developed without indication of conditions for sharing will be considered to have been shared according to the University of Port Harcourt’s regulations.

 

9.2     Non-Faculty Staff

The university shall own materials created by staff as part of their job responsibilities. However, where the staff have on their own created or have made substantial intellectual contributions to creating the materials, the same guidelines pertaining to the faculty shall be applicable.

 

9.3       Students

Students are not expected to be creators of e-learning materials. However, when students assist in creating or producing e-learning materials, they shall be acknowledged as collaborators or contributors. Where students are involved in creating or developing e-learning materials as part of their university education, the University should have rights of authorship while the students should be appropriately recognized.

The University of Port Harcourt must ensure that all students have a laptop for study by enrolling students into its scheme which allows them to acquire a brand-new internet connected laptop at very subsidized rates.

 

9.3.1 Students’ Registration

To eliminate impersonation and ensure that students attending the online lectures and taking the prescribed tests and exams are same, the ICTC will at the time of registration use appropriate security measures and ensure that students’ enrolment are photo-identified in the system.

Students whose photos are not in the university portal will receive an alert during course registration and given a deadline to respond. The ICTC shall ensure this is realized.

The ICTC shall also consider the inclusion of biometric data into the system. This is to enable thorough check of enrolled students to avoid any form of malpractices. For this reason, the ICTC shall provide and/or supervise all student registration portal used by different parts of the University.

 

9.2     Policy Implementation Committees

There shall be two main committees to oversee the processes of the e-learning policy of the University of Port Harcourt. These are the E-learning Governance Committee and the E-learning Implementation Committee.

 

9.2.1 E-learning Governance Committee

This committee will oversee the administration and governance of the e-learning policy and will report to Senate and University Council. The Committee will oversee the development of an evaluation plan for assessment of the policy. This will require feedback from students and staff on the e-learning process.

 

Terms of Reference

  1. Promotion and dissemination of e-learning Policy implementations 
  2. Consideration of faculties’ strategies and priorities in respect to the E-learning Policy
  3. To advise on the priority, development and nature of the University e-learning Policy and implementation of activities

 

Membership

The membership of the Governance Committee shall consist of the following:

  1. 1 member of each faculty in the university who can represent the respective faculty. This will most appropriately be the Dean of the Faculty.
  2. 1 representative of the Student Union Government. This will most appropriately be the SUG President.
  3. The Director, ICTC.
  4. The Director, ODL.
  5. The University Librarian.
  6. The Representative of the Registrar. He/She will also serve as the Secretary of the Committee.
  7. The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic. He will also serve as the Chairman of the Committee.

 

9.2.2 E-Learning Implementation Committee

This committee shall be subject to the governance committee. It is its responsibility to oversee the technical implementation of the e-learning policy to the later.

 

Terms of Reference

  1. To consider and implement recommendations from the E-learning Policy Governance     Committee.
  2. To consider and assess University plans and innovations on e-learning with respect to e-learning Policy development or implementations and make recommendations for the consideration of the E-learning Policy Governance Committee.
  3. To see to the day-to-day implementation of e-learning in the University.

 

Membership

The Membership shall comprise representatives from the following areas of the University.

  1. 2 members from each faculty. These shall be the E-learning Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator for the faculties.
  2. 1 representative from ODL
  3. 1 representative from the library
  4. 3 representatives from the ICTC aside from the Director
  5. The ICTC Officer. He/She will also serve as secretary of the Committee.
  6. The Director, ICTC, who shall serve as the Chairman of the Committee.

 

10.       E-Learning Policy Evaluation

The University shall organize e-learning materials exhibition periodically. This will facilitate and enhance innovation, motivation and excellence in e-learning implementation making the accomplishments of those that excel more visible in the university. Hands-on workshops, certificate-awarding advocacy seminars, etc. can be organized for faculties and staff to promote the e-learning culture.

 

Table 1: E-Learning Evaluation Criteria

 

Evaluation Criteria: Technical Support to Academic Staff

Call Centre Statistics and Feedback from Staff

Quality and excellence

a) QAA reports

b) Professional body reports

c) Subject review reports

d) Publications

IT reliability

a) Statistics of uptime

b) Statistics of unscheduled downtime

c) Student survey comments

 

11.       Course Delivery

  1. The university shall ensure student access to:
  1. information on the responsibilities of the University towards course delivery and element of study;
  2. course handbook for information on course content and outline as well as assessment methods of the course(s). This will guide the students on their expected achievements.
  3. a schedule for the delivery of their study materials and assessment of their work.

 

ii) The university shall ensure students are confident that study materials used in the e-learning programme meet the expectations of the University whether they are delivered through lecturers, web-based or other distribution channels. 

 

12.       Learner Support

  1. Students shall be explained to and made aware of the expectations placed upon   them in regards to their e-learning programme. They must be informed on the nature and extent of autonomy, collaboration and supported aspects of the e-learning.

 

  1. Students shall have up-to-date information on the learning support available to them locally and remotely such as tutorial sessions or web-based sessions and be able to access them.

 

  1. Students shall have:
  • an identified contact who can through email or telephone give them feedback on academic performance and guidance on their academic progression.
  • regular opportunities for inter-learner discussions about the programme where appropriate. This will enable collaborative learning and provide a platform for their participation in the quality assurance of the programme;
  • opportunities to give formal feedback on their experiences in the programme.

 

  1. The university shall ensure students are confident that:
  • support to learners on the programmes is provided by staff members who have appropriate skills and receive appropriate training and development;
  • support for learners in the e-learning programme meets the expectations of the University in quality, whether they are delivered through lecturers, or are web-based or via other distribution channels.

 

  1. Assessment of Students
  1. Information on weighting of units, modules or elements of the programme in respect of assessment and ways in which their achievements will be judged, should be made available to the students. The university should ensure that students are confident that those assessing them are capable of confirming that a student's work is the original work of that student.

 

  1. Assessment may include a High-stakes test defined as any test contributing substantially (≥ 25%) to the final grade. If a class is required to have a high-stakes closed-book testing, the test must be held on campus. However, students who are   not able to take the test on campus may need to have an agreement with the examiner for alternative testing arrangements prior to the exam.

 

  1. Taking the test off-campus may attract a fee to be paid by the student. In such case, the student’s picture and other means of identification must be checked prior to administering the high stakes test off campus.

 

  1. As it is expected that students would normally write their exams on campus, where in stringent circumstances, online tests are to be taken by students off-campus, Senate may consider situations on their own merit.

 

  1. Integrity of assessments:

Just as they would in an onsite course, instructors are expected to establish a culture for academic integrity in online courses. An academic honesty statement can be included for every assignment and exam, requesting for example, a “Yes/No” response from the student to the call for honesty during the exam. Alternatively, the students can be asked to type in the statement in their assignments.

Students should be orientated on what constitute plagiarism and have their work subjected to plagiarism test, using such tools as Turnitin Originality, PlagScan, SafeAssign.

 

Miscellaneous Assessment Practices:

  1. Questions in a test/quiz should be randomized so that students get their questions in different order. The answers in multiple choice questions should also be randomized if possible. This would minimize collaboration between two or more students and discourage exam malpractice.
  2. Use of timed tests should be highly encouraged as this would discourage exam malpractice. However, students should have this information prior to beginning the exam.
  3. The software for assessment should have the ability to keep track of the time a student takes to answer each question. This will enable the examiners to be able to identify the outliers and patterns of time used to answer questions.
  4. The start and end date for submission of responses to assessments by students should be very narrow. This is to reduce plagiarism amongst the responses or submissions.
  5. The software for assessment should be such that allows the checking of the document properties for the creation date, time and author.
  6. The examiner should Use unique question sets, where a topic would have several questions in it allowing the computer to randomly assign questions to each student from the topic.
  7. Students are required to turn off their cell phones and other communication devices during all examinations.
  8. The copy-paste feature of the webpage used for testing should be disabled using Browsers such as Respondus LockDown browser.
  9. Account passwords for students to log in to the test areas should be created prior to the test but should only be assigned to the students during the test.
  10. Students should see their scores once the examination is submitted.

 

14.       Continuous Professional Development

All lecturers are to undertake a hands-on and regularly updated training on Online Pedagogical Skills and Techniques. Help desk where lecturers can receive regular support and assistance when stranded or stuck is required for a follow up on the training.

On the other hand, technical staff to be involved in e-learning (from the ICTC and the Library) should also undertake regular trainings on new equipment. For easier technology transfer, there is need for the University to regularly arrange for staff exchange programs with universities abroad so as to acquaint staff with newer technologies for effective teaching and learning.

 

15.       Students’ Assessment of Lecturers on the Online Teaching

With the idea of blended learning, students’ scale for assessing lecturers should incorporate their online performance. Therefore, an assessment scale that would provide valid, reliable and useful feedback should be developed and made available to lecturers so that they can be informed on the institution’s expectation of them.

16.       Policy on Open Educational Resources

16.1     Policy Overview and Purpose

This policy outlines the University of Port Harcourt’s policy on Open Educational Resources (OERs) and provides guidelines for practice in teaching and learning.

Open Educational Resources (OERs) are “teaching, learning and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, which permits “no-cost” access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others. The University believes that OERs are in-line with our institutional vision and values;

The University therefore encourages staff and students to use, create, and publish OERs to enhance the quality of the student experience, increase the provision of learning opportunities for all, and improve teaching practices. This is consistent with the University of Port Harcourt’s mission and vision.

 

  1.    Policy Statement
  1. All staff and students of the University of Port Harcourt SHALL participate in the creation and use of OERs especially those made available through the University library and through the University Computer Network.
  2. The University encourages staff and students to create and publish OERs to enhance the quality of the student experience, increase the provision of learning opportunities for all, and contribute to the global pool of open knowledge.
  3. The University also encourages staff and students to reuse and repurpose existing OERs and open licensed resources, created within and beyond the University, {Refer to the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Educational Resources (2019), Cape Town Declaration (2007), Cape Town Open Education Declaration: Unlocking the Promise of Open Educational Resources. Retrieved from: www.capetowndeclaration.org/ read-the-declaration} provided they are relevant, fit-for-purpose and used in accordance with the terms of the license. This will help to expand the pool of resources available for teaching and learning, reduce duplication of effort, and increase return on investment.
  4. Staff and students SHALL be expected to use, create and publish OERs in a wide range of formats, including but not limited to, course materials and handbooks, images, video, multimedia resources, podcasts, assessment items, e-books, open textbooks and course work assignments.
  5. It shall be the responsibility of the Heads of Department and Deans in collaboration with the University librarian, to point out the inappropriateness of a particular educational resource to be treated as an OER or otherwise. At such point, access to such material shall be restricted until after due approval by the University Senate.
  6. University policies on intellectual property rights (IPR) must be adhered to in .3 When using OERs, students and staff must comply with the terms of the license of use.
  7. All OERs used and created must be as accessible as reasonably possible for all users.
  8. The University reserves the right to restrict access to, remove or edit any resources it hosts that do not comply with its policies, and to request removal of resources from external repositories or sites.
  9. It is the responsibility of staff and students to ensure that they have the necessary rights to publish an OER and that all resources published comply with all relevant legislation, policy and guidance (e.g. copyright, IPR, data protection, accessibility).
  10. When creating and publishing OERs, the copyright owner(s), author(s), date and Creative Commons license must be visibly attributed. The copyright owner will normally be the University of Port Harcourt for OERs created at the University. Author(s) and performer(s) should also be properly acknowledged, giving recognition for work undertaken, along with date and Creative Commons license applied so that others can clearly understand what permissions for reuse are being granted. An example of good attribution would be: © [Author Name], The University of Port Harcourt, CC BY, 2021.
  11. Staff and students creating OERs must ensure any personally identifiable information (PII) within their resource is processed on an appropriate lawful basis, in accordance with data protection law and University policy. Creators should be aware that resources containing PII processed on the lawful basis of “consent” are at risk of that consent being withdrawn at any time, and that a person’s name, username, image, voice and personal opinions are all considered as PII.
  12. All OERs shall be published in an appropriate repository or public-access website in order to maximize their discovery and use by others. Where OERs have been created as part of an externally funded activity, any licensing regulations and repository locations mandated as a condition of the funding should be adhered to.
  13. All audio and audio-visual OERs shall be published in the University’s multimedia repository.
  14. Where students are creating OERs as part of their programme of study or within a staff-directed project, this policy guideline shall be followed and the OERs checked by a member of staff before publication.
  15. The University actively encourages staff and students to reuse and repurpose existing OERs created by colleagues within the University, and by other institutions and organizations. Examples might include MOOC videos, open textbooks, open data sets, simulations, 3D models, cultural heritage resources.  There should be an OER Service to provide advice and guidance on finding, reusing and repurposing all kinds of open licensed content.

 

17.       Policy on Virtual Learning Environment and Learning Management System

17.1     Policy Overview and Purpose

Virtual education refers to the use of technology to deliver a significant portion of instruction to students via the Internet in a virtual or remote setting. The mode of delivery can be via computer software, course content on the Internet, or some combination of both methods. Other delivery methods include using online video (live or on demand), forums, instant messaging, and email. Whereas Virtual Learning restricts itself to the technology for transfer of knowledge through synchronous or nonsynchronous means, the Learning Management System (LMS) goes a step further to document the progress of the student involved in the learning process through an embedded technology.

This section of this document provides a set of policy statements meant to provide guidance for the use of teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a student's learning experience by including computers, digital phones and PDA’s whether on the intranet or on the Internet. It is a guide for both staff and students of the University of Port Harcourt to plan lessons, manage administrative work related to teaching and learning, track students' performance, activity and level of engagement as well as provide additional materials and support for those who need them.

 

17.2     Policy Statement

  1. The University of Port Harcourt adopts Google Meet for Education, as its Virtual Learning Environment since the University has over the years benefitted from the Google for Education set of products. The University shall therefore ensure that Google meet is activated for all staff and student emails within the University of Port Harcourt domain.
  2. The University of Port Harcourt shall use the Open Source learning management system -Moodle,  as its Source Code from which to develop it's institutional learning management system with functions beyond that already obtainable in Moodle. However, Moodle code shall serve as the base code from which it's functions shall be extended using in-house software development teams.
  3. Whereas Google Meet servers are hosted by Google and it remains their responsibility according to Google terms and conditions, Moodle shall be hosted within the University of Port Harcourt data center managed by the ICTC. The University management shall ensure that it provides everything needed by the ICTC to guarantee a minimum of 95% monthly uptime for the LMS.
  4. It is the responsibility of the Deans of Faculties to submit a time table of online lectures and CBT exams to the ICTC through the committee of provosts and deans, and the Senate. All such time tables shall be harmonised with the ICTC depending on network availability.
  5. The ICTC shall communicate all planned equipment maintenance downtimes to the University Community at most, 24hrs before the commencement of such planned maintenance. For emergency equipment repairs due to unplanned equipment failures, the ICTC shall put all available resources in place to get such system running at the shortest possible time. It shall be the responsibility of the ICTC to keep the community informed on its progress with the repairs.
  6. The University of Port Harcourt shall remain open minded as regards newer technologies for teaching and learning. In this regard, it shall ensure to explore newer technologies available in the market while it also develops its own solutions using its software development teams.

 

18.       E-Learning Timelines

There shall be timelines set for full deployment of e-learning at the University of Port Harcourt.

 

S/N

ITEM DESCRIPTION

 

TIMELINE

1

Set up of university wide E-learning Committees (governance and implementation committees)

1 Week

2

Provision of a fully functional intranet for the University of Port Harcourt

6 Months

3

Provision of at least 1Gbps of internet bandwidth

Achieved

4

Provision of laptops for all students at the University at a subsidized rate

9 Months

5

Provision of a University wide Learning Management System to be deployed and fully functional from the University Data Center and managed by the ICTC team

2 Years

6

Provision of a Library Management System to be deployed at the University Data Center and managed by a competent library staff.

 

Achieved

7

Provision of at least 2 - 100-seater capacity smart classrooms per faculty. Each smart classroom should have e-podiums, public address systems, projectors and smart screens.

2 Years

8

Training of staff to be involved in e-learning implementation

1 Year

 

19.       E-learning platforms

The following are some e-learning platforms:

Registered students at the University of Port Harcourt can use the listed apps via their institutional email addresses:


How University of Port Harcourt Students Can Use E-learning Apps with Their Institutional Email Addresses:

  1. odel.uniport.edu.ng
    Students can log in to the ODEL (Online Distance Education Learning) platform by visiting odel.uniport.edu.ng.
    • Use your institutional email address (e.g., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to access course materials, submit assignments, and engage in virtual classes.
  2. Google Classroom
    Visit Google Classroom and sign in using your institutional email address.
    • Through Google Classroom, students can join virtual classrooms, access course content, receive assignments, and interact with their lecturers and classmates.
  3. Google Meet
    Students can access Google Meet using their university email address for video meetings, virtual lectures, and group discussions.
    • Simply log in and join your scheduled lectures or meetings with the meeting link provided by your lecturer or group.
  4. Google Calendar
    Access Google Calendar with your university email to manage your schedules, keep track of class times, assignment deadlines, and set reminders for important academic events.
    • Lecturers may share event details for virtual classes, ensuring you stay organized and on time.

This way, students can leverage their institutional email accounts to streamline access to the university’s digital resources and learning platforms.

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