By Prisca Aniemeke
With this semester being virtual, the University of Ibadan is planning to support its staff and students with data for the execution of the Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT). UCJ UI meets with twelve random students and asks them for their takes on the feasibility of the UI ERT Data Support. Also, the students talk about the shortcomings of the virtual classes and registration process so far.
Usman: I don’t think it is going to work up to the level the management thinks because looking from the angle of network carriers in the country, they are really serving subscribers below par and this will have an effect on student performance. The portal which has been designed for lectures (LMS) which I believe will be the most used when virtual classes begin fully for tests and assignments can crash at any point in time. And, let us believe the management have another means to fall back on. Whatever means they choose can only favour the management and not the students because it will be newly introduced to students and that will be a downslide in students’ academics.
On the aspect of data, how long will the university keep serving us with data and can it last? The answer is NO. I don’t think the university will give students data and if they do, I bet it will only last for few weeks and they will stop then come up with an excuse which students will have no other choice than to fend for themselves.
In conclusion, UI should find all means to resume physical classes because these virtual classes are not meant for us. We lack the full resources to conduct it.
Dorcas: Yes, I’ve heard about the UI ERT Data Support. Personally, I don’t believe that the virtual classes would work right now. The university should have put certain guidelines in place, with even more focus on the old-fashioned lecturers who are delaying the entire process of virtual learning. Course materials should have been prepared before the resumption of students, just like a regular academic year.
No, I also don’t think UI can provide sufficient data to its entire population for apt participation in virtual classes. In this economy?? No, I seriously doubt it.
Foyin: I’ve heard about the UI ERT Data Support and I’m not sure it’s going to work, because the virtual learning system requires a huge amount of data which I’m not sure UI would be willing to provide. And even if the data support is provided, it won’t go a long way in solving the data issues that lecturers and students might encounter.
Chidubem: Taking a deeper look into the process involved with this “online class”, I have come to realize that the system is faulty and if care is not taken, this system would crash.
The UI ERT Data Support might be a long term goal for the institution but I’m afraid it would last but for a second because the resources might become inadequate if you take a look at the number of people to be catered for.
Data consumption of students varies and this might as well affect the distribution of data.
Precious: First, the Data support program is a nice and needed intervention.
However, I’m not sure it will be sustainable as the school management might not be able to continue supporting students with data after a while, due to the cost.
We also need to bear in mind that there’s a strain already on the infrastructures of our network providers. At certain times, one could be switching between three network providers and not still have a stable internet connectivity.
Finally, the school management should be aware that constant power supply is also a needed ingredient for the running of the virtual classes.
Elizabeth: It definitely won’t work. Coming to think of it, there are a whole lot of things that need fixing in this university and haven’t been fixed. And, it’s not like there’s no money to fix them, it’s just lack of funding. So, something like this data, I don’t think they would consider it much of an issue; they would expect students to be able to fund themselves. Again, the network is quite poor. We’ve tried holding several classes and they would just crash in the middle of the lecture. So, the network is one big, obvious issue.
There’s this thing that’s very much of a problem for me. I’ve not been able to communicate very well with people. If we were able to meet up with people, we’d know more about the registration process. But because everything is online, I’ve missed a whole lot information and even when I get to hear of the things I’m supposed to do, it’s almost already late. So, there’s been a lot of gaps.
Ronke: I don’t think it’s going to work because lectures haven’t even started. And since lectures haven’t fully started, the data thing might be slow. They might even start giving us the data after lectures. So, I don’t think the ERT stuff will work. The registration process is also slow and people are getting confused. Some don’t know what to do and even after explaining, they’d still be confused. The registration process is confusing.
Halima: I don’t feel they will give people data. Even if they do, it can’t be for the whole semester. For a course alone, you are using up to four hundred, five hundred MB. So, even if they give us data, it would be a maximum of five to ten gig. And that isn’t enough for two weeks. It’s something but it can’t be enough for the semester.
About the virtual class, it’s slow and people don’t know what to do. Some people don’t even know how to register. To login is a problem. Many people are trying to access the site at the same time. I feel it might crash. They haven’t sent e-mails to some people. So, that’s it.
Fiyin: Personally, I feel the data stuff will work. If they give us five or ten gig, it’s something. But on the other hand, the online classes don’t look so feasible. A lot of people are having issues with connecting and registration. Everything is just so stressful. For me, I would say they should allow us start physical classes. Actually, if they want to give us data, I have the hope that it might work. But for the virtual classes, they’re frustrating. This is the fourth week and we’ve not started anything. If it were physical classes, we would have gone a long way. I think on their own end, they are having issues with the set up. It’s like it was impromptu and they didn’t plan it on time. Because, they don’t have the necessary facilities to carry on with the virtual classes. So, I feel they should just change it to physical and everybody should resume physical classes.
Precious: It’s actually surprising that UI wants to provide data for every participant of the online lectures. I think it might not actually be data provision, but maybe a platform where much data won’t be needed for classes, but what do I know?
Other than this, I don’t think it’d work, ’cause it’s a whole lot.
Virtual classes in a Nigerian University (with Federal as icing on the cake) it’s just like a joke. And UI is manifesting it already, we were supposed to resume on the 22nd of February and this is almost mid March and nothing serious is happening. UI should accept it and announce physical lectures already. Or if they can make it work, they should. We don’t have time.
Marvie: My opinion is more about satisfying my curiosity. This data thing, are they going to partner with network providers the way The Experience 2020 partnered with network providers so that viewers could stream the program online, for free? So, is UI going to partner with Glo, Airtel, 9mobile and MTN to make sure that the data is distributed to the students? Or how are they going to do it?
Cassandra: Yes, I’ve heard about this UI ERT Data Support and I’m certain that it isn’t going to work out. As a student of UI, one thing I’ve observed is that the university pays little or no attention to the basic needs of the students. We have faced a number of issues whereby the students welfare and safety have been put to question but the university took little or no interest in them. There was one about transportation which happened in 2019, about the banning of motorcycles. All I could get from that event was that the university is mainly concerned about what the board feels is right and not what will be beneficial to the students.
Currently, the university is claiming that they will be able to provide data for students and lecturers. I feel like if they knew they have so much money, they could have actually set things in place for physical classes to hold. Maybe by directing the money towards maintaining COVID-19 guidelines and setting things in place within the university campus so that students would be able to attend physical classes.
We have spent a long time at home and I think the virtual classes aren’t helping much. Because, it is slowing down the academic process. So, I feel if the university really cares about the students, they would have diverted the money into making sure students are on campus and that they are safe. Now, students are staying off campus and I don’t its safe for them that way either.
About the virtual classes, I won’t say I’m totally against it. But inasmuch as it could be a nice form of learning, it is not much on the positive side. It is slowing down the academic process. In the time we could have used to cover almost half of the semester, we’re still battling the basics. I’ve also noticed that most students and lecturers don’t know how to operate the platforms we are to use, like Zoom. So it’s difficult to have a proper class or meeting between the lecturers and students. Things are not as easy as when classes were physical.
