Barriers to m-Learning in higher education institutions in Nigeria

The emerging use of mobile and portable devices in education has potential to motivate new approaches to learning and the prospects of implementing m-learning are already obvious and are public knowledge through many research articles. However, the challenges of adopting m-learning in Nigerian universities are enormous. Apart from security issues that have been thoroughly examined in previous studies, this paper identifies and discusses other barriers and challenges being encountered when implementing m-learning, by means of a comprehensive review and survey study carried out in selected Universities in Nigeria. Questionnaires and interviews were the primary instruments used for data collection in identifying the enabling and deterring factors affecting the adoption of m-learning. The results of the study revealed that the m-learning barriers in Nigeria include regulatory issues, school curricula, inadequate funding, lack of infrastructure, over-dependence on mobile technology, attitude and fear, as well as political issues. This paper analyses and discusses the results in detail and concludes by making appropriate recommendations

Physico-chemical and Metal Impurity Assessment of Some Brands of Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride Tablets Marketed in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

This research was carried out to assess the quality and compare the physico-chemical equivalence of twenty samples of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride tablets marketed in Kano metropolis using standard analytical methods. The physico-chemical and chemical equivalence were assessed through the evaluation of uniformity of weight, disintegration test, friability test, assay for percentage concentration, metal impurities, pH and ionic strength. The product assay was carried out using UV/Visible spectrophotometric method while atomic absorption spectrophotometer was used to determine the possible metal impurities. All the samples complied with the official specifications for uniformity of weight, friability test while one sample failed the disintegration test of 15mins. Eighteen samples conformed to specifications 90% - 110% w/w of stated amount, one sample was above the limit, 111.66+0.57% w/w, while another sample was below the limit, 87.65+0.70 w/w. Eighteen of the samples evaluated in this study could be regarded as being physico-chemically and chemically equivalent while two samples could be regarded as substandard and fake product. All the samples have the metal impurities within official specifications except for one which has high concentration of lead.Keywords: Ciprofloxacin tablet, counterfeit, fake drug, physic-chemical and UV Spectrophotomete

Security framework for mobile learning environments

Mobile learning is becoming popular among educators as academic technologies advance. Mobile devices used in mobile learning can potentially become vulnerable if the security aspects are neglected, thereby putting personal information of users at risk. Therefore, for mobile learning applications to work effectively as valuable tools, the security aspects must be given adequate consideration. This paper proposes a security framework for mobile learning applications which is the bedrock for designing and implementing a highly secured environment for mobile devices. The proposed framework is a generic one having capability to trap any attack or threat from any vulnerable points based on triad CIA dimensions identified in the framework. It also proposed solutions to security threats during or after development of mobile learning systems. The framework is best applied at different sub-framework levels of mobile client, server and network infrastructure vulnerability points in order to capture threats and prevent attacks that are unique to each attack route

Mobile learning security concerns from university students' perspectives

The use of mobile devices as learning aids is increasing due to availability and affordability of mobile phones, smartphones and tablets among students. Many learners use their handheld devices not only for calling and texting, but also for educational purposes. Some promoters and developers of mobile learning in universities are developing and delivering learning content and instructions on mobile devices 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 learning delivery, including the students. This paper discusses the security concerns of mobile learning from the learner's perspective based on a study conducted in higher education institutions in Nigeria. The study identified the security threats that learners may face when using mobile devices for educational purposes and examined the perceived damaging effects of mobile learning on students in cases there is a security breach. This paper concludes with recommendations for alleviating the security threats

Enhancing mobile learning security

Mobile devices have been playing vital roles in modern day education delivery as students can access or download learning materials on their smartphones and tablets, they can also install educational apps and study anytime, anywhere. The need to provide adequate security for portable devices being used for learning cannot be underestimated. In this paper, we present a mobile security enhancement app, designed and developed for Android smart mobile devices in order to promote security awareness among students. The app can also identify major and the most significant security weaknesses, scan or check for vulnerabilities in m-learning devices and report any security threat

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

Evaluating the impact of injecting the 3050MW Mambilla power plant into the Nigerian grid network

The study aims to evaluate the impact of the injection of the 3050 MW Mambilla power plant into the Nigerian National Grid (NNG). To achieve this aim, line and bus data were collated from National Control Centre, Osogbo. The Mambilla power plant was injected at the Makurdi and Jalingo buses respectively in view of determining the optimal injection point. Load flow analysis employing the Newton Raphson technique was first performed without the Mambilla power plant injected into the NNG. The simulation was repeated for the respective power plant injection scenarios. For each case, the voltage profile and line losses were obtained accordingly. Total Voltage Deviations (TVDs) for the various scenarios were computed and used to determine the optimal point of injecting the Mambilla 3050MW power plant to NNG. All simulations were implemented using MATLAB software (version 2020b). A loss of 872.8 MW and 874.1 MW was observed in the network when the Mambilla power plant was injected at Makurdi and Jalingo bus respectively with respect to a base case loss of 876.1 MW. This corresponds to a reduction in a power loss of 0.36% and 0.12% respectively. A TVD of 0.0052 and 0.0169 was observed when the Mambilla power plant was injected at Makurdi and Jalingo buses respectively.  This implies that the voltage condition of the network is better when Mambilla was injected at the Makurdi bus. Hence, the Makurdi bus was identified as the optimal point for injecting the Mambilla 3050 MW power plant since it resulted in a better reduction of the system losses and overall voltage profile improvement of the network

Evaluating the impact of injecting the 3050MW Mambilla power plant into the Nigerian grid network

The study aims to evaluate the impact of the injection of the 3050 MW Mambilla power plant into the Nigerian National Grid (NNG). To achieve this aim, line and bus data were collated from National Control Centre, Osogbo. The Mambilla power plant was injected at the Makurdi and Jalingo buses respectively in view of determining the optimal injection point. Load flow analysis employing the Newton Raphson technique was first performed without the Mambilla power plant injected into the NNG. The simulation was repeated for the respective power plant injection scenarios. For each case, the voltage profile and line losses were obtained accordingly. Total Voltage Deviations (TVDs) for the various scenarios were computed and used to determine the optimal point of injecting the Mambilla 3050MW power plant to NNG. All simulations were implemented using MATLAB software (version 2020b). A loss of 872.8 MW and 874.1 MW was observed in the network when the Mambilla power plant was injected at Makurdi and Jalingo bus respectively with respect to a base case loss of 876.1 MW. This corresponds to a reduction in a power loss of 0.36% and 0.12% respectively. A TVD of 0.0052 and 0.0169 was observed when the Mambilla power plant was injected at Makurdi and Jalingo buses respectively.  This implies that the voltage condition of the network is better when Mambilla was injected at the Makurdi bus. Hence, the Makurdi bus was identified as the optimal point for injecting the Mambilla 3050 MW power plant since it resulted in a better reduction of the system losses and overall voltage profile improvement of the network

Awareness and Practices of Family Planning in the Wa Municipality

The decisions of individuals to adopt family planning are affected by a number of factors. But the choice of family planning practice can affect fertility rates and population growth with its attendant problems. Family planning is a voluntary prevention of pregnancy and it entails the interruption of a chain of events that leads to conception. This study examines the awareness and practice of family planning. In all 100 respondents’ were sampled through stratified sampling procedure, Simple random sampling is then used to select the 100 respondents’.  The binary logit model is used to examine the socioeconomic and demographic variables influencing the adoption of family planning. Given that knowledge and level of awareness of family planning is high. However, the practice of family planning remains low. Keywords: Family Planning, Human Immunodeficiency Virus, World Health Organisation, Non-Governmental Organisations, Community