Publication Date

2024

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

York, Cindy S.

Degree Name

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

Legacy Department

Department of Educational Technology, Research and Assessment (ETRA)

Abstract

The demand for university education exceeds the supply in Nigeria, as more than 70% of eligible applicants cannot get admission into Nigerian universities annually. With a current population of 206 million, the World Bank predicts the Nigerian population will surpass the United States to become the third-largest country in the world by 2050. If the current university system cannot meet the demand of the current population, the gap may continue to widen even in the future. Although universities in other countries have adopted online learning to help meet the demand for university education, Nigerian universities’ administrators and regulators are reluctant to embrace online education despite its potential to resolve the annual admission crisis.

Studies attribute barriers to online learning in Nigeria to intermittent electricity, poor internet connectivity, insufficient computers, cybersecurity issues, and funding. However, there is evidence that these factors have negligible impact on online education because Nigerians maintain a substantial online presence, transact businesses online, and study on online learning platforms such as edX, Coursera, and Udemy. Meanwhile, there is little evidence from the literature regarding the disinclination of online university education despite its visible benefits.

Therefore, this study explores factors affecting the adoption of online university education in Nigeria. Through semi-structured interviews, the researcher interviewed key higher education stakeholders – members of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities and officials of the National Universities Commission. The researcher also analyzed artifacts and secondary data from multiple government agencies. The research scope is limited to these higher education stakeholders’ perceptions regarding regulatory, environmental, and technical factors impacting the adoption of online education. The analysis yielded nine findings that answered the research questions. These findings align with existing literature on online education adoption barriers.

Extent

166 pages

Language

en

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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