Digital Facilities Planning and Lecturers’ Effectiveness in Federal Universities, North-Central Geo-Political Zone, Nigeria

Abstract

University lecturers are expected to demonstrate high level of effectiveness in teaching, research and community service. In terms of teaching and record management, manipulation of interactive board and laptop for instructional delivery, upload of students results and reporting students’ information using digital facilities appears to be a problem to some lecturers. This study investigates the relationship between digital facilities planning and lecturers’ effectiveness in federal universities within the North-Central geo-political zone of Nigeria. The rapid integration of digital technologies into higher education has significantly transformed teaching, research and community service, thereby necessitating efficient planning for digital facilities to optimize academic performance. Despite increased investments in digital infrastructure such as e-learning platforms, internet connectivity, smart classrooms and libraries, concerns persist regarding their proper planning, monitoring and utilization which may influence lecturers’ effectiveness. The study adopts cross-sectional survey research design and correlational research design. A sample of 670 respondents was drawn from a total population of 6696. The sample was drawn from 4 federal universities within north-central zone Nigeria. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire titled “Lecturers’ Effectiveness Questionnaire ”, “Digital Facilities Planning Questionnaire ” and “Digital Facilities Inventory Scale ”, validated by experts and found reliable with a coefficient of 0.70. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts, percentage and mean were used to analyze the research questions, while inferential statistics of chi-square (x2) was used to test the hypothesis. Findings revealed that improvement in digital facilities planning through forecasting, policy formulation, digital platforms and human capacity sustainability would significantly enhance lecturers’ effectiveness. It was also discovered that improvement in digital facilities monitoring through feedback mechanisms and good reporting system would influence lecturers’ effectiveness. Furthermore, a strong positive relationship was established between digital facilities management and lecturers’ effectiveness. The study concludes that strategic planning for digital facilities is essential for improving lecturers’ efficiency and achieving educational objectives in Nigerian federal universities.

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