Insights into the use and affordances of social and collaborative applications for student projects

The use of social and collaborative computing has the potential of assisting learning and improving the ability to work together as part of a team. Team work is a graduate attribute that students need to acquire before transitioning from university into the workplace. The aim of this exploratory research was to provide insights into the use of social and collaborative applications by Computer Science students, and the emergent affordances student project teams have created with the use of these applications. It answers the questions: What elearning platforms or applications do students use to collaborate for team projects? What technology affordance draws students to use these applications? This study adopts affordance theory as the theoretical framework. Two types of content analysis: conventional content analysis and summative content analysis were used to analyse the data. Data was gathered using a pre-designed questionnaire with the teams during the first semester of 2016. Findings show that the university’s elearning platform is utilised for some of their courses; however students seem to prefer free and open source platforms. Student project teams used applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Docs, as well as email messages, to work jointly, and were successfully able to complete their team projects. Four types of technology affordances: communicative-affordance, document share-affordance, course resource-affordance, and integrity-affordance, were identified as being relevant

The Influence of Marketing Public Relations in the Redemption of a Product’s Battered Image: A Study of Indomie Noodles Crisis

Crisis is a phenomenon that has affected many products, individuals and even corporate establishments. Some products survive the crisis while others are pushed off the market place. It becomes necessary therefore to nosedive into how companies can effectively manage product crisis to retain share of the market. This study therefore examines the significance of Marketing Public Relations in the redemption of a product’s battered image; a study of the killer Indomie Noodles scare. The survey method was used. 160 copies of questionnaires were distributed to two study population namely; Secondary School students and Mothers. Also, a semi structured interview guide was used to elicit information from industry correspondents in the print and broadcast media and also for the media executive of the public relations company that handled De-United Foods Limited’s crisis. Data obtained were analyzed using several analytical techniques to examine relationship among variables under investigation. Findings from the research work revealed that sales dropped significantly during the Killer indomie scare. It was discovered that the inability of De-united Foods Industries Limited to act promptly by coming up with appropriate clarifications allowed the crisis to thrive. Based on findings obtained from the study, the researcher therefore recommends that companies should act promptly and be 100% open to the media and the general public during crisis period

Who Is Afraid Of Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà? Performing Power in Yoruba Masculinist Oligarchy

The iconic Yoruba female personage of Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà has, in several studies, been vilified; and at a first glance, it would seem that Akinwunmi Isola’s eponymous protagonist and heroine of that play reinforces the image of a villainous, wicked and self-centred woman. Contextualized within the Yoruba socio-political and economic national narratives of the late18th and early 19th centuries, this image appears both problematic and complexly contradictory. It is therefore useful to appropriately recuperate and verify the status of Ẹfúnṣetán Aníwúrà within the backdrop of Yoruba cultural context. This is illustrated through a feminist re-reading of Ẹfúnṣetán’s actions and character against the grain of the Yoruba masculinist cultural backcloth and the uneven devolution of powers of her time. In this essay, we make the argument that Isola’s heroine astutely resists and rejects the cultural prescriptivism and master narratives of the powerful masculinist oligarchy of that period. We therefore suggest that in spite of Isola’s seeming pejorative representation of Ẹfúnṣetán, the chieftain adumbrates possibilities for more equitable gender relations in her time

Challenges of Sustainable Environmental Management in Nigeria

Against the background of the recognized fact that man’s activities in the environment have impact on the life of human beings, this paper presents an overview of  the factors militating against the achievement of Sustainable Environmental Management in Nigeria  making use of  historical survey approach. The paper notes that Sustainable Environmental Management is far from being achieved in Nigeria and that the activities of man still degrade the environment.  The country can only be sustainably developed if it can pay attention to environmental sanitation and conservation.. However, the major hindrance to this was traced to poor funding; the paper concludes by suggesting possible sources of sustainable fund for the country to move forward. Keywords­­- Environment, Environmental Sanitation, Finance, Man’s activities, Sustainable Environmental Management

Renal Doppler Indices in Children with Nephrotic Syndrome: Findings from a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Summary: The resistive and pulsatility indices are known tools for assessing renal function in kidney diseases, especially in proteinuric conditions like Paediatric Nephrotic syndrome (NS) which is a glomerular disease. However, there is a limited knowledge in the use of Doppler Resistive and pulsatility indices in the management of this disease condition. This was a case control study involving 53 cases and 57 controls. The Doppler parameters, resistive index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI) of the renal interlobar arteries were determined for the upper, middle, and lower poles bilaterally for both controls and cases. The mean RI on the right and left were 0.59 ± 0.06 and 0.58 ± 0.06 respectively for the NS cases whereas for the controls it was 0.61 ± 0.05 and 0.60 ± 0.04 on the right and left respectively. The mean PI on the right and left measured 0.96 ± 0.16 and 0.94 ± 0.15 respectively for the NS cases while that for the control cases measured 0.98 ± 0.13.and 0.95 ± 0.12 on the right and left respectively. Although, the interlobar arteries mean RIs were generally less than that for the controls, but only the left middle pole showed statistically significant mean difference (p= 0.004). There was also statistically significant mean difference (p= 0.048) between the cases and controls in the left middle pole PI. However, no correlation was found when the renal RI and PI are compared with the serum albumin and creatinine. Although there was no statistical significance between the mean RI and PI of the NS cases and controls, except in the left middle pole RI, it is recommended that Doppler ultrasound should still be part of management of Nephrotic syndrome patients especially those who have developed end stage renal disease in order to monitor their renal function.Keywords: Paediatric, Nephrotic Syndrome, Renal, Resistive Index, Pulsatility Inde

Assessment of Job Assignments of Work-Study Students, Covenant University, Ota, South-West Nigeria

This study investigated: (i) the modality used to assign jobs to Work-Study students, (ii) nature of jobs assigned to Work-Study students, (iii) the age difference of Work-Study students, (iv) gender difference of Work-Study students, (v) if a significant relationship exists between the academic level of Work-Study students and job performance. In collecting its data, questionnaire was administered to 91 respondents. Percentage was used to analyse the responses obtained in respect of the research questions. Moreover, the study employed ANOVA and T-test to test the hypothesis formulated for the study. The result of the investigation revealed that a significant relationship exists between the academic level of Work-Study students and job performance @ 1 percent level of significance. Moreover, the result indicated that each student programme of study was used as a modality for assigning jobs to students. Furthermore, it equally revealed that female students participated more in the programme than their male counterpart

Curtailing Academic Dishonesty Using Student Affairs Personnel:The Case of a Private Faith-Based Higher Institution, South-West Nigeria

This study explored the usefulness of Student Affairs Personnel in ensuring academic honesty in a private Faith-Based higher institution, South-West Nigeria, between 2011 and 2014. Using data from descriptive source, the study investigated categories of academic dishonesty and the number of students involved. Moreover, it examined gender composition of these students and disciplinary action given to them. Furthermore, it tried to find out measures which Student Affairs Personnel used to ensure academic integrity and their effectiveness. Relying on raw data retrieved from records, the study came up with nine categories of academic dishonesty that involved ninety-nine students, out of which male students represent the majority (61.6%) while their female counterparts represent the minority (38.4%). The result indicated ten measures which Student Affairs Personnel engage in curtailing academic dishonesty. Nevertheless students in the sample, based on questionnaires distributed, submitted that these Personnel were effective in nine out of ten measures. Finally, the study revealed expulsion as disciplinary action placed on culprits

Factors Influencing the Adoption of Exclusive Breastfeeding Practices Among Teenage Rural Mothers in Ogun and Oyo State, Nigeria

The feeding of an infant with breast milk only for six months exclusion of all other feeds, liquids or solids, including water except approved by medical doctor for a reason; within the first half year of life is referred to as exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). in spite of its numerous benefits, not every mothers practiced it because of one reason or the other. This study examined the factors influencing the adoption of exclusive breastfeeding practices among teenage rural mothers in Ogun and Oyo State, Nigeria. Explorative research design and multi-stage sampling method was used to select respondents for the study and structured questionnaire was administered to four hundred and fifteen (415) teenage rural mothers, In-depth interviews were also held with breastfeeding rural mothers and ten (10) focus group discussion session with grandmothers in the study area. The result reveals that 59.1% and 61.0% of the respondents were between the age range of 17 – 19 with the mean age of 19years and majority (81.4% and 93.0) was Yoruba in Ogun and Oyo State respectively. Majority (60.9% and 62.0%) of the respondents receive information about exclusive breastfeeding in the study location, while above half (51.6% and 55.5%) of the respondents in Oyo and Ogun State indicated that they practice exclusive breastfeeding in the study area. Most (36.3% and 37.5%) of the respondents in Oyo and Ogun States admitted that they breastfeed their child for more than 11 times on a daily basis in Ogun and Oyo State respectively. Result revealed that personal determination/experience (x̅ = 3.73 and 3.78), encouragement from their mothers (x̅ = 3.72 and 3.76) and nurse and midwife advice (x̅ = 3.70 and 3.55) in Oyo and Ogun State respectively. Regression result shows that factors such as age, household size, educational level, ethnicity, occupation and place of delivery are seen to be significant and have positive relationship with factor influencing the adoption of exclusive breast feeding in the study area. It was concluded that compliance to Exclusive Breastfeeding for six months was still minima in Ogun and Oyo State. The study therefore recommended that policies aimed at improving exclusive breastfeeding uptake should also incorporate significant others (grandmothers, mothers in- laws, and husbands) in the process of encouraging breastfeeding mothers. Keywords:Factors Influencing; Perception: Adoption: Rural; Exclusive Breastfeeding: Teenage Rural Mothers. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-33-10 Publication date: November 30th 202