The Vice-Chancellor, Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Ideato, Prof. I. N. S Dozie, has commended the staff of the university who took part in the first phase of the staff e-learning programme aimed at training the university workforce for excellent service delivery. Prof. Dozie, who was represented at the occasion by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. A. C. Onyeka, said that the essence of the training was to assist participating staff in developing capacity/skills for the utilisation of the E-learning platform and modern technology-assisted teaching and learning processes towards maintaining academic excellence in the university.

Participants received training on such areas as the use of virtual classrooms for online lecture delivery; the use of KOMU Google Class Workspace; accessing the e-library materials from the KOMU staff portal; and how to access/navigate through the KOMU staff portal; using staff individual/personalised KOMU email addresses. At the end of the training, most participants were able to create their first Google Class Workspace for an effective e-learning program.

It is noteworthy that the use of the Online/E-Learning Platform is to encourage the delivery of lectures to staff and students from any location. This is a major fallout of the COVID-19 Pandemic that disrupted face-to-face classroom teaching and learning and affected the timely completion of the academic calendars of universities globally. With this development, the management of the university is determined to change the narrative aimed at ensuring a stable academic calendar for the timely graduation of students. It is gratifying that the university is almost completed with the 2021/2022 academic session and will soon commence admission of students for the 2022/2023 academic year.

The high point of the ceremony was the presentation of 40 pieces of E-pads to 40 staff members of the university who participated in the training. The Vice-Chancellor had earlier in his opening address told the participants that 100 pieces of E-pads were donated to the University by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).

Speaking through the virtual platform, the Acting Director of General Studies, Dr. C. P. Dozie who presented the E-pads on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, charged the recipients to make good use of the device. She encouraged participants not to rest on their laurels as this is just the beginning of good developments for the university. The DG Director stressed that “the danger in resting on our laurels is that chances are that we may fail to internalise what we have learnt so far given the e-learning we are trying to integrate and imbibe”.

Participants in the first phase of the training included the Principal Officers, Deans, HODs, Professors, Senior Lecturers, and some senior administrative staff. The second phase of the training, according to the Vice-Chancellor, shall include other academic and administrative staff members of KOMU.

Dr. Hillary Akuwudike, acting head of the Department of Economics, gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the participants. He thanked the Vice-Chancellor for the chance to learn how to use virtual classrooms and for giving out the e-pads. He also promised that the staff would put the gadgets to good use to teach and learn more effectively through the online/E-learning platform.

Story by: Hippo Anyaehie Nwachukwu PR Unit