AN EVALUATION OF COMPUTER UTILIZATION IN RECORD MANAGEMENT IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
ABSTRACT
The primary goal of this study was to “Evaluate Computer Utilization in the Nigerian University System.” A case study of Ado-Ekiti University in Ekiti State.
The study investigates some of the issues associated with the manual method of record management in the Nigerian university system. Some of these issues include delays in obtaining needed information, inability to quickly search and retrieve records, insufficient storage capacity, errors in record computation due to human emotions, inaccuracy, inconsistency, and redundancy of data, and administrative bottlenecks, among others.
The study focuses on how to produce accurate reports of students and staff within a specific time limit, how to reduce errors in record computation, how to overcome redundancy, inconsistency, and repetitiousness of data, how to prevent unauthorized access to data and files of students and staff, how to store data efficiently, how to search and retrieve any needed information as and when due, and how to assist the university authority in decision making.
The descriptive survey was used in the study. The stratified random sampling method was used to select 120 subjects, which included 100 students and 20 faculty members from the university of Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Two questionnaires were created, validated, and used. The T-test and chi-square statistical techniques were used to analyze the study’s data.
The findings of the study’s data analysis show that:
1. There was a significant difference between using a computer for record management and using a manual method for record management.
2. In record management, there was a significant relationship between computer utilization and accurate record keeping.
3. In record management, there was a significant relationship between computer utilization and computer personnel.
4. There was a link between computer use and financial resources in record management.
In light of these findings, the study suggested, among other things, the following:
– Nigerian university systems should invest in developing their own information technology.
– the establishment of departments in universities where computing and information technology courses can be taught to university staff and students with relevant skills.
– Computerization and equipping of all Nigerian university developments and faculties.
– Importation of all computer-related equipment is tax-free.
– A computer development and management environment, as well as related materials, should be made available in all Nigerian universities.
– The Federal and state governments should address the issue of erratic power supply.
– Development of all information and communication infrastructure in all Nigerian universities.
– All departments and faculties in Nigerian universities should be computerized, internet-connected, have electronic databases and websites, and share hardware and software resources.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
The Study’s Background
Staff and students in some Nigerian universities are sometimes discouraged, disturbed, and disappointed as a result of delays in obtaining needed information, inconsistency, redundancy, and inaccuracy of data, a lack of sufficient storage facility to cater for proper records of both staff and students, and the various universities’ inability to cope with the massive amount of data produced annually.
Some of the causes of the aforementioned issues could be the method used to collect, collate, process, and maintain data, as well as other factors such as the protocol used to obtain the required information, economic, political, human, and so on. To address the aforementioned issues, all Nigerian universities’ exam and record units should be computerized.
Ebijuwa, A.S (2004) defines computer as the tools used for information collection, processing, storage, transmission, and dissemination.
The computer is an essential medium for science to express, formulate, and communicate itself. To allow any university community to grow socially, politically, and economically, to have easy access to information when it is needed, to overcome data inaccuracy, inconsistency, and redundancy, insufficient storage infrastructure, to cater for adequate records of both staff and students, and to cope with the large amount of data produced yearly, the exam and record units should be automated.
Computerized record keeping is focused on the use of computer systems and sophisticated programmable machines for the handling of information associated with a process, as well as the actual control and activation of mechanisms that facilitate or completely complete that process with minimal human intervention.
According to Rowley (1986), there are four reasons for computerization:
i. increased workload – with a constantly decreasing workforce, computerization can be beneficial.
ii. increased efficiency- computerization may be viewed as a means of saving time and money.
iii. require services – a computer may provide the opportunity to provide new services in addition to existing services at a low cost.
iv. Collaboration and Centralization
The use of computers in record keeping in Nigerian universities will allow personnel and students to access vast amounts of data via the internet, cable television, or some other type of remote electronic connection. It will allow the university to store and retrieve a large number of records for both staff and students.
The use of computers in the collection, collation, processing, storage, retrieval, use, transmission, dissemination, and maintenance of records takes pride of place in every aspect of life and work experience in Nigerian universities because it is used to compute students’ grade point averages,
for on-line registration, examination, and admission processing, to keep accurate records of both staff and students, accounting (financial management, purchasing, and accounting), and to keep accurate records of both staff and students.
Furthermore, the use of computers in record keeping in Nigerian universities will prevent unauthorized personnel from accessing staff and student records, allow data to be updated quickly and simply without redesigning and rewriting systems and programs, overcome redundancy, repetitiveness,
and inconsistency of data; lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness of record keeping, provision of extra services, provide lecturers, students, administrators These computer applications were made possible by their high speed of operation, accuracy, diligence, versatility, large storage capacity, program compatibility, and consistency in their mode of operation.
The focus of this work, on the other hand, is on an evaluation of computer utilization in record keeping at Ado-Ekiti University in Ekiti State. The shortcomings of the manual (traditional) method of record keeping determine this. However, as a result of the
“Information Technology Age,” computers have improved the act of record keeping in the Nigeria University System because they are used to compute students’ grade point averages, for on-line registration and admission processing, to keep records of both staff and students, and to process students’ academic transcripts, among other things.
The computer, a priceless invention of our time, has numerous applications in all fields of human endeavor. In the education sector, for example, computers are used to appraise and grade students’ exam scores, as well as for
administrative purposes such as on-line registration, e-examination, distance learning, and the keeping of personnel and scholar records. Furthermore, the computer is used to perform various tasks in the following industries: engineering, agriculture, medical, law, banking, transportation, security, police, armed forces, and communication, among others.
A well-kept school record is a powerful tool for building the history of students and staff. The world is becoming increasingly complex, so we must keep accurate records in our Nigerian university system for the sake of the state, lecturers, and students.
The university, as a socio-technical organization, is made up of a technical task, a human subsystem, and a structural subsystem, each with its own suprasystem that makes up the environment.
The survival of the university system is dependent on its ability to maintain consistency in its processes and relationships both within and outside the system, and in order to maintain a state of equilibrium in the system, adequate feedback from which the university collects information about the quality of her output to the environment is required.
In Nigeria, post-primary education is referred to as university education. Its duration ranges from four to seven years. University education’s primary functions are teaching, research, and community service.
The need to overcome age-old problems associated with the collection of academic transcripts, NYSC call-up letters, certificates, results, and other vital data as and when due has piqued the interest of staff and students at the University of Ado-Ekiti State in Ekiti State.
There is a strange reference to the measure being used to determine the factor that accounts for the shortcomings of this university’s manual method of record keeping. Some of the factors identified include: information loss as a result of transporting files from one location to another;
the mode of data storage, form misfiling, time wasted searching for records due to large files, inadequate security measures, an increase in student enrollment, and a shortage of manpower. Other factors that may contribute to the shortcomings of the manual method of record keeping are frequently overlooked.
Some of these are attitudinal, administrative, and organizational issues, as well as inadequate computer and accessory facilities at the University of Ado-Ekiti.
The University of Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State, where this study was conducted, has been known to have issues with manual record keeping for both staff and students. For example, Mr. Razaq Ojikutu (an alumnus of the University) was dissatisfied because his attempts to obtain his academic transcripts on several occasions were unsuccessful.
All UNADITES (past and present) must revisit the perennial lapses of traditional record keeping. The research will examine the manual method of record keeping in order to find solutions to the problems; the prospects of computerized methods include:
It will help to improve performance, eliminate redundancy, inconsistency, and repetitiveness of data, strengthen educational leadership and achievement, and overcome the university’s loosely coupled conditions by providing vital and sufficient information to university authorities in ill-structured and complex decision phenomena.
It will provide students and academic staff with unrestricted access to educational resources, allowing them to conduct in-depth comparative studies and research in all fields of knowledge. The computerized method will result in the emergence of new approaches, techniques, and styles of processing and disseminating records of both university staff and students.
Despite the relevant role of computer utilization in record keeping at the University of Ado-Ekiti, in Ekiti State, constraints such as inaccessibility of the user to computer, insufficient knowledge and skills-based for computer planning, erratic power supply, low level of computer literacy on the part of the university concerned’s staff and students, attitudinal, administrative, and organizational problems, and prohibitive cost of computer and its accessories, deter computer utilization.
Statement of the Issue
The issue that characterized the manual method of record keeping has become a source of concern for both faculty and students at the University of Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State. For example, students who went to get their academic transcripts, results, NYSC call up letters, and certificates did not receive them all on time.
If all of these flaws are not identified and addressed, the University may fail to fulfill its responsibilities and provide services to its citizens. As a result, this study focuses on the problems that plagued the traditional method of record keeping at the
University of Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State in order to determine the causes and appropriate solutions. Furthermore, this research will determine the benefits and drawbacks of using a computer for record keeping.
The Study’s Purpose
This study looks into the bottlenecks that are unique to the manual method of record keeping and critically evaluates the use of computers in record keeping at the University of Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State. Some of its goals are to produce accurate reports of student and staff data within a specified time limit,
reduce errors due to human feelings, overcome redundancy, inconsistency, and repetitiveness of data, prevent unauthorized access to student and staff data and files, handle large volumes of data and store data efficiently, assist university authorities in decision making, and for effective and efficient management of staff and students.
Research Issues
1. Was there a significant difference in record management between using a computer and using a manual method?
2. In record management, is there a relationship between an automated record and an accurate record?
3. Is there any link between computer utilization and computer personnel in record management?
4. Is there a significant relationship between computer use and financial resources in record management?
Hypotheses for research
1. In record management, there is no discernible difference between using a computer and using a manual method.
2. In record management, there is no significant relationship between automated record and accurate record.
3. In record management, there is no significant relationship between computer utilization and computer personnel.
4. In record management, there is no significant relationship between computer utilization and financial resources.
The Study’s Importance
This research will shed light on the issues that have plagued the manual method of record keeping. The study’s findings will enable both staff and students at this university to appreciate the computer’s potential in record keeping, as well as expose students and staff at this university to the role of computers in various aspects of life.
It will also necessitate the government’s active participation in logical locative mechanisms for all sub-sectors of the education industry, as well as the improvement of the quality and efficiency of record keeping in terms of academic transcripts, registration courses, NYSC call up letters, results, and certificates.
The fact that some general problems bedeviling the university setup will be examined and vital and general recommendations will be suggested is noteworthy in this study. These will provide useful guidelines to policymakers, planners, administrators, and school technocrats in their future efforts to improve the university system.
It will provide students and university staff with much easier access to information than the manual method because there will be no need for guides or intermediaries. It allows for the most efficient use of available personnel, saving time and money.
It will facilitate the dissemination of information within and beyond the boundaries of the university through effective communication and an on-line system. It will allow data to be updated quickly and easily without having to redesign and rewrite the system and programs.
It will help to improve performance, eliminate data redundancy, repetitiveness, and inconsistency, and strengthen educational leadership and attainment. Improvements will be made in the searching and retrieval of records for both staff and students.
It will aid in the development and presentation of standardized records for both university staff and students. Annual statistical reports, for example, summarizing the total number of students admitted, the total number of students and staff in the university, the total number of graduating students and non-graduating students in each department and faculty, and the annual budget, revenue, and examination results.
The Study’s Scope and Limitations
The study’s scope
The purpose of this research is to determine the magnitude of the impact of the manual method of record keeping at the University of Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State. The study will be designed to investigate
Module for Recording Staff and Students:
to keep and maintain the historical records of staff and students
to assign lectures to specific courses
for registration courses for students
Module for Financial Records:
to compile and maintain a list of billable items ( tuition, accommodation fees)
to generate student bills, payment receipts, and individual student accounts
Module for Staff Payroll:
to create and maintain a salary item list
to process individual/general staff monthly salaries
to create a staff pay slip/payroll history, as well as a deduction schedule
Module for Exam Recording:
to compile and maintain a list of all courses offered at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels
to assign a set of courses to a specific department or faculty
to develop/maintain other measurable skills/attitudes
to collect students’ semester continuous, assessment, and examination scores in order to process students’ results
to process and maintain a database of student results
to process and maintain a data bank of transcript results for students
Hardware Prerequisites
The hardware requirements of components such as microprocessors, mother boards, disc drives, RAM and hard disc, memory capacities, keyboards, operating systems, computer members and peripherals, as well as the cost, installation, and maintenance of the computer and its accessories, will be investigated.
Determine the prospects and problems of record keeping at this University in order to have an in-depth and general understanding of computer utilization in record keeping.
The study’s limitations
Every new idea is frequently associated with a corresponding problem.
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