UNN will combine e-learning with classroom lectures after lockdown, says VC

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Professor Charles Igwe, has said that the university will adopt a mixed method of teaching, involving the use of classroom and the e-learning when students return to campus after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Prof Igwe made this known at a virtual dialogue series organised by the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP), a consortium of African universities and Michigan State University dedicated to promoting partnership among African universities.

Igwe was part of the four-member panel set from the AAP to discuss the “Global and Continental Partnerships and Collaboration in Higher Education Post COVID-19”.

Other members of the panel included Associate Provost and Dean, Michigan State University, Steven Hanson, Vice-Chancellor, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR), George Kanyama-Phiri, and the Vice-Chancellor, the University of Arts and Human Sciences of Bamako (ULSHB), Idrissa Traore.

Professor Paul Zeleza, the Vice-Chancellor, US International University-Africa, moderated the dialogue that had over 400 participants in attendance.

Prof Igwe, in his presentation, said that the mixed teaching method would help to decongest classrooms and make it easy for students to adhere to social distance safety rules.

On how to achieve a robust virtual learning environment for students, Igwe said that the university was already into partnership with some telecommunication companies which would leverage the partnerships to improve the bandwidth allocated to the institution and data access for the students.

The Vice-Chancellor, who also commented on the collaboration between the university and other institutions, said that the UNN had entered into over 100 collaborations with different universities, and would seek further collaborations; especially those that would help the university solve its post-COVID-19 challenges.

He identified managing the student population in classrooms and hostels, upgrading ICT infrastructure for distance learning, addressing issues of data access and affordability, migration of more courses to e-learning and distance learning platforms and training of staff on new ICT skills, as some of the challenges that COVID-19 poses to African universities.