Few years ago, online classes wasn’t a thing I’m Nigeria because lectures were always taken in conventional classes where the students get to do things like writing exams, receiving lectures and also attending schools physically. Even though this mode of learning is the best, it’s not always convinient as some students may be far from the location of the school.
This has made the Nigeria federal government to approve a mode of learning called the e-learning which makes it possible for students to carry out academic activities irrespective of where they are. In this post, I am going to tell you all you need to know about online classes in Nigeria, I am also going to give you a walkthrough on the schools that offer online lectures and how you can register.
History Of Online Study In Nigeria
Before going deeper, I’m going to give you a brief history on how e-learning started in Nigeria.
The National Open University Of Nigeria is an institution that was specially made for working class people or people who are not always available to receive lectures.
This university was founded by the former president of Nigeria Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo.
At the early stage of the university, lectures were only conducted on weekends but as the university started getting many students and also started receiving traction among international bodies, it introduced an online learning platform to ease their students of stress.
The online learning adopted by the National Open University of Nigeria was admired by other higher institutions in Nigeria and included in their system.
Advantages Of Online Study In Nigeria
I know your question might be “why online study?”. There are many reasons why online study was introduced in almost every institution in Nigeria and I’m going to list them out for you.
It’s Not Time Consuming
e-learning has made it easier for you to receive lectures and also write exams without going through the hassle of trying to beat time because of a tight schedule as you can get access to lectures and academic materials by just logging into your portal.
More Convenient
Online learning is arguably more convenient than sitting down in a hall or classroom while receiving lectures.
Online learning makes it possible for you to school from the comfort of your home.
Easy Access To Study Materials
Like I said in my first point, you can get access to study materials by just logging into your student portal.
This is more convenient than going to buy the soft copy or going to the library to read.
Boost Reading Capacity
I observed that my interest in reading skyrocketed when I started taking online classes.
Many people feel comfortable reading on their laptop or phone and tend to understand better or read for a longer period of time compared to them reading the hardcopy of a book.
Online study can help students read more oftenly because of how easy it is for students to access their notes.
No physical activities
This is the main point of going into e-learning.
Everything can be done from home, this includes lectures, exams, taking notes and a whole lot of others.
You can also view your results and performance by just logging into the school portal.
e-learning saves you from spending too much as a student because you don’t need transportation to carryout academic activities.
Access To Academic Materials In Different Formats
Every student have a particular learning format in which they are comfortable with.
This formats can be videos, pdfs, and also infographics.
In online learning, you get access to all these materials via the school website.
Helps With Time Management
If you are student of an online college, you need to be strict in making sure you do things at the appropriate time.
Studying online is very comfortable and would require discipline for you to be able to carryout different tasks online.
Connect To A Wide Range Of People
Online study helps you network with people in different places around the world. Which will give you an edge over students who study in the normal conventional classrooms.
Great Alternative To The Normal Nigerian University System
Before the inception of online study in Nigeria, everything was done manually which makes schooling tedious for students and also the lecturers.
Before e-learning was introduced in Nigeria, exams were taken using papers which makes alot of students victims of missing scripts, online learning has made it possible for students to write computer based tests, the exams are automatically marked and graded. This reduced the issue of missing scripts.
Disadvantages Of Online Study In Nigeria
Almost everything that has an advantage also have its downside.
Even though online study is one of the best form of learning, it still has its downside although these disadvantages are relative as it isn’t a problem for some students.
Lack Of Physical Interaction
Some students perform better when they are given the chance to interact with others.
Online study puts a barrier that makes students not to have the opportunity to study in group and also share ideas with other students.
Lack Of Accreditation
There are alot of online colleges that are not accredited, these colleges are not recognized by academic bodies which will make your certificate worthless at the end of your programme. That’s it is always advisable for you to carry out thorough research on the college you applying for before starting the programme.
Limited Spaces
e-learning are carried out on designated websites.
Some websites don’t have the required capacity to accommodate thousands of students during online lectures.
List Of Online Schools In Nigeria
Not every university in Nigeria is approved to carry out online study. I’ve decided to list out the schools that conducts online study in Nigeria.
National Open University Of Nigeria
The National Open University Of Nigeria (NOUN) is the first university accredited to offer e-learning in Nigeria.
NOUN has different branches spread across every state in Nigeria.
They were the only school in Nigeria that was approved to offer BSc certificates to students who studied online before other schools were approved to offer degree awarding programmes to their online students.
University Of Lagos
University of Lagos (UNILAG) is one of the most prestigious university in Nigeria and has decide to catch up with the trend of online studies.
UNILAG offers different courses across different faculties including faculty of medical sciences.
University of Ibadan
University Of Ibadan is considered to be one of the best university in Africa.
There are alot of influential people who are alumnis of this prestigious university.
University Of Ibadan introduced its online study programme about five years ago and offers alot of courses like economics, accounting, English, social work, political science, etc.
Other Notable Mentions
- Obafemi Awolowo University
- University Of Abuja
- Ahmadu Bello University
- Ladoke Akintola University Ogbomoso
- University of Nigeria Nsukka
- Joseph Ayo Babalola University University
- Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola
Requirements To Enroll For An Online University In Nigeria
Just like the physical universities, you need certain requirements to be able to gain admission. These are the major things required to enroll for an online university;
- Pass the entrance examination.
- Personal computer.
- High speed internet connection.
If you are passionate about studying online or you have a reason why you prefer e-learning in Nigeria but you are still skeptical about the quality of the e-learning sector, I assure you that online study is now a thing in Nigeria and the federal government are making sure that the universities offering online studies are improving and giving out quality lectures to their students.
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