Security of m-learning system : a collective responsibility

Innovation in learning technologies and services is driven by demands from Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in order to meet their students’ needs and make knowledge delivery easier. The technology could play a pivotal role in extending the possibilities for teaching, learning, and research in educational institutions. M-learning emerged from this innovation as a result of an unprecedented explosion in the number of mobile devices due to availability and affordability of mobile phones, smartphones and tablets among students. Competition in the mobile device industry is also encouraging developers to be innovative, constantly striving to introduce new features. Consequently, newer sources of risks are being introduced in the mobile computing paradigm at manufacturing level. Similarly, many m-learning promoters and developers focus on developing and delivering learning content and infrastructure for m-learning system without adequate consideration for security of stakeholders’ data, whereas the use of these mobile technologies for learning poses a serious threat to confidentiality, integrity and privacy of those involved in teaching and learning, yet traditional security threats are also evolving. Against this backdrop, the stakeholders in education sector (i.e. education providers, educators, m-learning promoters and developers) should begin to consider the security implications of these devices in modern teaching and learning environments. The purpose of this paper is to identify the m-learning security issues that stakeholders may face, how they are being affected by the security threats, who among is stakeholders are affected or most affected by security issues in m-learning using three Nigeria universities as case studies and what are the responsibilities of the stakeholders in ensuring risk free m-learning

Social Vices Associated with the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in a Private Christian Mission University, Southern Nigeria

This study is designed to address social problems associated with Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and implications they portend on studentship in a Private Christian Mission University, Southern Nigeria. It tries to find out how the engagement of ICT devices results in social vices on campus. Drawing from recorded data between 2006 and 2012 academic year, the study reported six ICT tools associated with eight social- ills. Relying on raw data of 900 students disciplined within this period, the study reported that 187 students were expelled while 46 were advised to withdraw due to their involvement in ICT-related vices. Moreover, the study shows that 78 students served 1 year suspension while 589 students were suspended for one month. Findings of the study also revealed loss of all student rights infinitely for expelled students, nearly all rights for those advised-to-withdraw and all for a specified period for the suspended students. Practical implications of these disciplinary actions are discussed and potential future directions on this subject are proposed

Strengthening e-banking security using keystroke dynamics

This paper investigates keystroke dynamics and its possible use as a tool to prevent or detect fraud in the banking industry. Given that banks are constantly on the lookout for improved methods to address the menace of fraud, the paper sets out to review keystroke dynamics, its advantages, disadvantages and potential for improving the security of e-banking systems. This paper evaluates keystroke dynamics suitability of use for enhancing security in the banking sector. Results from the literature review found that keystroke dynamics can offer impressive accuracy rates for user identification. Low costs of deployment and minimal change to users modus operandi make this technology an attractive investment for banks. The paper goes on to argue that although this behavioural biometric may not be suitable as a primary method of authentication, it can be used as a secondary or tertiary method to complement existing authentication systems

A prototype mobile money implementation in Nigeria

Researchers have shown that majority of the populace in the developing nations are rural dwellers that do not have access to basic financial services and are poor. This class of people are peasant farmers and petty traders who rely mostly on remittances from their wards and relations in major cities and abroad to meet their financial obligations at home. The methods of remittances are encumbered with challenges. Mobile money is a tool that allows individuals to make financial transactions using mobile cell phones. Nigeria is one of the fastest growing telecoms nations of the world and the adoption of mobile money will help a great deal to solve the problems associated with remittances. In this paper, we present a short messages services (SMS) and unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) implementation of mobile money implementation in Nigeria modelled using Django and Python as the programming language, MySQL as the data store and Apache hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) as the Web server. The system made comparative analysis with M-PESA implementation in Kenya: the first mobile money implantation in Africa. Furthermore, the system was tested among a selected few of the populace to evaluate the usability of the design. Findings revealed that the prototype implementation is user-friendly and can be used by all without many problems except for the illiterate populace; hence, the need to have a combined bank and agent-based implementation. This approach will help with time to reduce the number of unbanked populace, which is currently at 80%