Management Information System (MIS) and Institutional Effectiveness of Universities in South-South Geo-Political Zone of Nigeria

The rapid development and usage of management information system during the past three decades has had many points of contact with effective performance of universities. To achieve the purpose of the study, three (3) research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Ex-post-facto design was adopted for the study. The population consisted of six thousand from four (4) universities in the zone. The study adopted the purposive sampling technique, to draw a sample of 414 staff of the universities used for the study, management information system usage and universities effectiveness questionnaire (MISUUEQ) was used to elicit information for the study. The data obtained was analyzed using the Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient. The findings of the study revealed that there is a relationship between management information system usage and institutional effectiveness in terms of examination conduct, students records keeping, staff appraisal, library services. Based on the findings the study concludes that the usage of management information system influences institutional effectiveness of universities. It was therefore recommended among others that more MIS infrastructures should be adequately provided in our universities since the task before them is enormous and more awareness and training should be organized regularly for staff heading faculties, department and units in the system. Keyword: Management, Information System, and Institutional Effectiveness

Quality Control Measures and Sustainable Development in Higher Education System in Cross River State, Nigeria

The study examined the influence of quality control measures on sustainable development of Cross River State Higher Education System. The task of achieving sustainable development in the state tertiary education institutions hinged on thorough quality control measures of variables affecting educational institutions. To achieve the purpose of the study four null hypotheses were formulated to guide the research paper. The study adopted purposive, accidental and simple random sampling technique to select the sample for the study. The population comprised all the state and federal higher educational institutions. The sample for the study was 402 academic and non-academic staff. The instrument used for the study was a 50-item questionnaire entitled: Quality Control Measures Questionnaire (QCMQ) and Sustainable Development Assessment Questionnaire (SUAQ). This was developed by the researchers and validated by two experts in the faculty of education, University of Calabar, Nigeria. Cronbach alpha coefficient used for reliability of the instrument stood at 0.78 and 0.81 respectively. The data collected was analysed using ANOVA and independent t-test statistical tool. The result revealed that all the variables used significantly influenced sustainable development. Based on the findings the study recommends that the National Universities Commission (NUC) should enforced uniform instructional objectives and minimum academic standards in all universities

Influence of Staff Discipline and Attitude to Work On Job Satisfaction Lecturers in Tertiary Institutions in Cross River State

The paper examines the influence of staff discipline and attitude to work on job satisfaction of Lecturers in tertiary institution in Cross River State. A forty-item four point-liker survey questionnaire was used for data collection.  A total of 400 lecturers (200 males and females) out of a population of over 2,000 were chosen. Four (4) hypotheses were formulated for the study. The data generated was analyzed using Person Product Moment Correlation Analysis and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The result of study revealed that lecturers who have high, moderate, or low perception of how a staff is disciplined do not differ in their level of job satisfaction.  Also, lecturers’ attitude towards classroom teaching, lecturers’ attitude towards the tasks of disciplining students, lecturers’ attitudes towards supervision of instructions and lecturers’ attitude towards classroom management do not significantly relate to their job satisfaction. The result of the study showed a significant relationship between lectures recognition and their job satisfaction. Based on the findings, the following recommendations are made, inter-alia: to ensure appropriate staff discipline there is need for a enabling teaching environment to be created. Lecturers should be properly rewarded for their effort through improve conditions of serves. In-service training for all lecturers should be made compulsory to enhance their job satisfaction. Keywords: Discipline; job satisfaction, tertiary institutions; in-service training; attitude to work

Interactive analysis of demographic variables and occupational stress on university lecturers’ job performance

This research studied the interaction influence of demographic characteristics (marital status, job rank, gender and age) and occupational stress level, on the work performance of faculty members in Calabar Metropolis. The descriptive survey design was utilized for this investigation. A sample of 150 respondents was identified using the systematic random sampling procedure from a population of 400 Faculty of Education lecturers from two public universities in Calabar Metropolis. A four-point scale validity and reliability certified questionnaire was used for data collection. Data generated was analyzed using the two-way analysis of variance. Hypotheses were all tested at the 0.05 alpha level. Findings revealed a significant interactive effect of demographic variables (age, gender, job rank and marital status) and stress levels on lecturers' jobs. Results also indicated that the stress level of lecturers affects the degree or quality of job performance, with those having average stress levels reporting better job performance in the universities studied. Recommendations were made that all lecturers, irrespective of age, gender, marital status or rank, should develop or adopt good stress management skills and disengage/reduce extra jobs and other unnecessary stress-inducing activities.

Curriculum Management and Graduate Programmes’ Viability: The Mediation of Institutional Effectiveness Using PLS-SEM Approach

This study used a partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to estimate curriculum management's direct and indirect effects on university graduate programmes' viability. The study also examined the role of institutional effectiveness in mediating the nexus between the predictor and response variables. This is a correlational study with a factorial research design. The study's participants comprised 149 higher education administrators (23 Faculty Deans and 126 HODs) from two public universities in Nigeria. A structured questionnaire designed by the researchers was used for data collection. The questionnaire was duly validated with an acceptable scale and item content validity indices. The dimensionality of the instrument was determined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Convergent validity was based on Average Variance Extracted (AVE), whereas discriminant validity was based on Fornell-Lacker criteria and the Hetero-Trait Mono-Trait (HTMT) ratio. Acceptable composite reliability estimates of internal consistency were reached for the three sub-scales. Following ethical practices, the questionnaire was physically administered to respondents and retrieved afterwards. Smart PLS (version 3.2.9) and SPSS (version 26.0) programs were used for all the statistical analyses. This study uncovered significant direct and indirect effects of curriculum management on the viability of graduate programmes. Institutional effectiveness significantly impacted graduate programmes’ viability while mediating the nexus between curriculum management and graduate programmes’ viability. Curriculum management and institutional effectiveness jointly explained a significant proportion of graduate programmes’ viability variance. The result of this study proved that graduate programmes’ viability depends, to a great extent, on how much curriculum is managed and how effective institutions are with their services. The result of this study can enable institutions seeking to run viable graduate programmes to re-evaluate their curriculum management practices and the effectiveness of their services

ICT deployment for teaching in the COVID-19 era: A quantitative assessment of resource availability and challenges in public universities

Despite the changes in human behaviour and interactions occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, many institutions are yet to adapt to the new normal fully. While some educational institutions switched entirely to e-learning to promote teaching and learning, others could not offer education due to physical and social restrictions. Previous studies in Africa have identified reasons for the poor ICT adoption for educational purposes. However, the degree to which these factors affect ICT utilisation is barely analysed. Using a quantitative approach, this study assessed ICT deployment for teaching in the COVID-19 era by focusing on their availability and challenges. A sample of 344 respondents from a population of 2,867 academic staff at two Nigerian public universities participated in the study. After receiving face validity from experts, a structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Cronbach alpha reliability indices of the questionnaire ranged from 0.72 to 0.94. Descriptive statistics (simple percentages, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (one-way ANOVA) were used for data analysis. Findings generally revealed a moderate extent in the availability of ICT resources in public universities. The cost of data, computer literacy, and electricity supply are challenges that significantly affected ICT deployment in the COVID-19 era. Based on this finding, it was concluded that personal and institutional challenges affect how ICT resources are deployed in public universities. It was recommended, among other things, that the management of each tertiary institution should apportion proceeds from internally generated revenue to procure ICT resources specific to the need of the school. The study provides the ground for further research into students’ use of ICT for educational purposes