The 27th Inaugural Lecture of the 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN) is scheduled to take place聽on Thursday, September聽5,2024 at the university headquarters in Abuja.

It will be delivered by Professor Iyabode Omolara Akewo Nwabueze,聽MNAL, Professor of English (Language), Department of English, Faculty of Arts of the university.

Nwabueze will present on the topic:聽The Woman is First Human: THE LINGUISTIC EXPLORATION OF HER PERSONHOOD.

The lecture will take place at the Virtual Facilitation Building /Conference Centre of NOUN, Jabi, Abuja聽 by 11am.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof.Olufemi Peters , is going to be the Chief Host at the event.

The Vice-Chancellor, 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Olufemi Peters, has said that the university is uniquely positioned to leverage micro-credentials (MCs) to expand access to education and empower life long-learning.

Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of a 2-day workshop titled: Creating Micro-Credentials in Open and Distance Learning Praxis, Peters emphasised that micro-credentialing is the future of education.

The workshop, organised by the Regional Training Institute for Distance and Open Learning (RETRIDOL) was held between 27th-28th August, 2024 at the NOUN headquarters in Abuja.

It would be recalled that the Vice- Chancellor, during the Inaugural Conference of the Open, Distance and e-Learning Association of Nigeria (ODeLAN) stressed the need for implementation of MCs in the Nigerian education system, especially within the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions.

According to him, “Embracing Micro-Credentials, we have the power to make learning more accessible, relevant, impactful than ever before.

“My analysis has led me to suggest that there is potential for micro-credentialing to be implemented in the Nigerian education system, especially within the open and distance learning institutions; but it is important that the policy framework be designed to take into account the specific needs of the country.”

Speaking at the recently concluded 2-day workshop, Peters said Micro-Credentials offers opportunity in the face of increasing demands for specific skills that is driving the needs for continuous re-skilling and up-skilling in the contest with the challenges of traditional educational systems that are not aligning with the current employment needs among others.

鈥淐reating effective Micro- Credentials requires careful consideration and planning, hence the need for the workshop to explore, brainstorm and critically examine the NOUN ODL system with the goal of developing actionable strategies for implementing and development of Micro-Credentials in NOUN.

鈥樷�橶e stand at the threshold of a transformative period to education in our university, perhaps in our country,” he said.

The workshop, he said, represents a critical step in the ongoing efforts of the university to build capacity for the development of high-quality Micro-Credentials in the university.

Peters further commended RETRIDOL for leading a crucial initiative. 鈥樷�橰ETRIDOL has staged through its projection on ODL practices in NOUN since its establishment by CommonWealth of Learning (COL) and remained focused on its mandate.”

The VC also called for support from bodies like the National Universities Commission (NUC), Open, Distance and e-Learning Association of Nigeria (ODeLAN) for the adoption and establishment of national and regional frameworks which pose as part of Micro-Credentials challenges among others.

鈥樷�橶e plead with the NUC for thorough understanding of our quality Assurance needs and discretionary authority in crediting and assuring our academic programmes, our matrices are different from the conventional universities, we think NUC will be doing the ODL Community and indeed Nigeria good to look into this area, it is my hope that the deliberations here will lay a foundation for the frameworks,” he added.

He implored the participants to engage actively and share insight and establish connections that will continue to drive and support the Micro-Credentials movement beyond the event.

Earlier, in her welcome remarks, the Director RETRIDOL, Prof. Christine Ofulue, said the idea to organise a workshop on Micro-credentials in NOUN was birthed a couple of years ago partly in recognition of the similarities in goals between MCs and Open Universities like NOUN in terms of access, flexibility, and lifelong learning.

Ofulue stated that the thrust of the workshop was to lay the foundation for the development of Micro-credentials (MCs) in general and for ODL practitioners in the context of NOUN, West Africa and the Global South, enhance their ODL praxis (understanding and action) and increase the effectiveness of context-appropriate ODL.

The primary objectives of the workshop, she said, were to: sensitise participants on MCs for professional development with demonstrable skills in the context of their roles within the ODL system at NOUN as well as trends in global ODL provision, provide participants with hands-on experience in the design of MCs with a focus on professionalising ODL practice includingt principles of designing MCs, alignment with industry needs in this case, ODL system needs, and certification methods, among others.

However, by the end of the workshop, participants will demonstrate an informed understanding of the factors shaping Open and Distance Learning (ODL) praxis internationally and nationally, as well as how these factors relate to their specific roles/functions and practices, develop outlines for a series of MCs in a stackable, credit-bearing and recognition of a learning journey in ODL praxis, engage in and reflect on two dynamic facilitation methodologies, showcasing the effective use of collective intelligence in group settings, she said.

Prof. Ofulue while giving the overview of MC鈥檚 and professionalisation of ODL Praxis聽 identified micro-credentials as key strategies to revolutionize Open and Distance Learning (ODL).

Ofulue explained that micro-credentials offer significant advantages over traditional degree programmes.

“Micro-credentials are becoming increasingly popular as a flexible and focused method of delivering education and training within the ODL framework”.

“They provide rapid upskilling and personalized learning opportunities, which makes them highly effective compared to conventional degree programmes,” she noted.

She further elaborated that micro-credentials concentrate on specific learning outcomes within a narrow field and can be completed in a shorter time frame, making them an ideal choice for those seeking targeted education.

The 2day workshop featured presentations on Trends and Issues in ODL in the Context of Nigeria/West Africa by Prof. Francis Egbokhare, Trends and Issues in International ODL by Prof. Paul Prinslooo, A Brief Introduction to MCs in ODL praxis by Prof Christine Ofulue and Mr Felix聽 K. Olakulehin among others.

It also had in attendance Mr. Oladipo Ajayi (Registrar)Dr. Angela Okpala (University Librarian), Prof. Dorothy Ofoha, deputy director, RETRIDOL, Prof. Juliet Inegbedion, Director Quality Assurance among other carefully selected participants to explore, brainstorm and examine the NOUN ODL system.

The 27th Inaugural Lecture of the 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN) is scheduled to take place聽on Thursday, August 5,2024 at the university headquarters in Abuja.

It will be delivered by Professor Iyabode Omolara Akewo Nwabueze,聽MNAL, Professor of English (Language), Department of English, Faculty of Arts of the university.

Nwabueze will present on the topic:聽The Woman is First Human: THE LINGUISTIC EXPLORATION OF HER PERSONHOOD.

The lecture will take place at the Virtual Facilitation Building /Conference Centre of NOUN, Jabi, Abuja聽 by 11am.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof.Olufemi Peters , is going to be the Chief Host at the event.

With profound sadness, the death has been announced of Chief Owoh Njionye,

The late Chief Njionye was the beloved father of Mrs. Ezinne Uduma (nee Njionye), Chief Accountant, Abakaliki Study Centre of the 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN).

The deceased hailed from Ahaba- Imenyi, Isuikwuato LGA of Abia State.

Chief Owoh Njionye, transited to eternal glory on Thursday May 30, 2024, aged 80 years.

Accordingly, the family of the deceased and the people of Amajaukwu Autonomous Community have finalised plans to lay to rest the late Chief Njionye on Friday October 25, 2024, at his residence, Ezi Ndi Oturu in Amajaukwu Autonomous Community, Ahaba- Imenyi, Isuikwuato LGA of Abia State, after a funeral service at Central School, Ahaba Imenyi, where he will be honoured.

The Directorate of Staff Training and Development, 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN), in its bid to improve the productivity and efficiency of staff, has organised a leadership training programme for Principal Assistant Registrars (PARs) and the Senior Assistant Registrars (SARs) of the university.

The 4-day training, facilitated by ICEU-Noble Properties Nigeria Ltd., was tagged: 鈥淒eveloping Effective Leadership Skills for Strategic Decision-Making,鈥� and was held at the university headquarters in Abuja, which had in attendance staff from various study centres across the country.

During the opening ceremony of the programme, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC), Technology, Innovation and Research, Prof. Godwin Akper, urged the participants to take advantage of the opportunity given to them to learn more about their duties as top administrators.

He commended the NOUN Registrar, Mr. Oladipo Ajayi, for his hard work and called on him to set out a day in which the participants would visit some notable public offices around the Federal Capital Territory.

This, according to him, would encourage them to see how things are done in other parastatals thereby making them more efficient especially in their interaction with people.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC), Technology, Innovation and Research, Prof. Godwin Akper representing the VC

The Registrar, 聽while responding, appreciated the office of the Vice-Chancellor for the constant support given towards the training and re-training of administrative staff and charged the participants to take the training seriously.

鈥淲e are at a level that you can be appointed as the Registrar of a university. I鈥檓 saying this with all sincerity. You have gotten to a stage that you should be able to assess yourselves and know if you are worthy of being appointed.

“I鈥檓 aware of someone who was recently appointed as a Registrar from being a PAR. You have reached that point when you should know about management decisions,鈥� Ajayi stated, who also remarked that the request of the 聽representative of the VC would be looked into.

The Director, Staff Training and Development, represented by a PAR in the directorate, Ms. Mabel Madu, extended her sincere gratitude to the VC for approving the training programme and for his unwavering support towards staff development.

She also appreciated the facilitators for their willingness to share their expertise and urged them to create a healthy learning space for the participants.

鈥淭o our distinguished participants, thank you for accepting our invitation to acquire knowledge and enhance your skills. I hope that at the end of this training exercise, you will apply your knew knowledge in your respective offices and also share your experience with your colleagues,鈥� Madu said.

The training, according to one of the facilitators, Dr. Osa-Prosper, was structured to provide a comprehensive approach to developing effective leadership skills for strategic decision-making, combining theoretical knowledge with practical application and reflection.

Osa-Prosper, lectured the participants on the Foundation of Leadership and Strategic Thinking: Understanding Leadership; Introduction to Strategic Thinking and Aligning Leadership and Strategy, among other topics.

The Africa Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL) has administered its 2023/2024 first and second semester virtual examinations for students enrolled in its Masters and PhD programmes.

The examinations, onducted online, were for both regional and international students in the fields of Management Information Systems, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity.

The virtual exams, which commenced from July 29 and ended on August 10, 2024, marked a significant milestone in ACETEL鈥檚 ongoing efforts to deliver advanced education across Africa and beyond.

The Director, ACETEL, Prof. Grace Jokthan, who led the centre in achieving the milestone of graduating its pioneer students, is also working in similar direction to graduate its second set of students.

“Our students are currently taking their examinations virtually, a testament to our commitment to digital learning,” Jokthan said during the examination period, while chattng with the centre鈥檚 Communications Officer.

This year, a total of 101 students participated in the examinations, including 96 regional students and five international students, representing an increase in participation compared to the previous year.

Prior to the commencement of the exams, a pre-examination orientation was conducted by the 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN鈥檚) Director of Examination and Assessment (DEA), Prof. Olugbenga Ojo, which was designed to ensure that all students were fully prepared for the virtual examination process.

A report by ACETEL鈥檚 IT Officer, Abu Kadafa, said the “Students were briefed on the necessary requirements, including the types of computers suitable for the exam and the software and hardware specifications needed.”

Kadafa emphasised the importance of the proctoring system in maintaining the integrity of the examinations, saying that “Students were given detailed explanations of the proctoring system, including how it operates and what to expect during the exams. This is crucial for ensuring academic integrity and appropriate behavior throughout the process.”

He noted the robust security measures implemented to guarantee the fairness and integrity of the virtual examinations, which include a strict login timeframe, browser lockdown, randomised question pools, and activity logs. “These security measures collectively ensure that our virtual examinations uphold the highest academic standards.”

The IT Officer stated that given the different regions and time zones, no significant difficulties were encountered, noting that “Our monitoring systems and well-coordinated exam schedules have ensured smooth and effective supervision across all locations.”

In a show of appreciation, the Dean, Heads of Department and the Faculty Officer of the Faculty of Social Sciences,聽水果派聽of Nigeria (NOUN)聽have聽paid a 鈥淭hank You鈥� visit to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, over the recent聽allocation of a new complex building.

The Vice-Chancellor, along with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor,聽Academic,聽Prof. Chiedu Mafiana,聽Deputy Vice-Chancellor,聽Technology, Innovation and Research (TIR),聽Prof. Godwin Akper聽and the Deputy Registrar聽in聽the VC鈥檚 office warmly received the delegation from the聽faculty on聽on Wednesday,聽August聽14,聽2024.

During the visit, the聽dean, Prof. Kamal Deen Bello,聽introduced the members of his team to the Vice-Chancellor and extended gratitude for providing an enabling environment for the聽faculty.

Specifically, the聽dean praised the Vice-Chancellor for ensuring that the newly allocated complex building had uninterrupted electricity and water supply during the relocation week, which took place from Monday, 24th to Friday, 28th June, 2024.

This support greatly contributed to the smooth running of operations in the office, Bello explained.

Faculty representatives聽used the visit to聽also discuss聽other needs of the聽faculty with the Vice-Chancellor.

On his part, the Vice-Chancellor expressed his delight at the visit, highlighting that it was the first time since assuming office that the聽dean and all the HODs聽聽of a聽faculty had visited him together.

Peters聽commended the聽faculty for their proactive approach in expressing their gratitude聽and聽assured them that he is currently working on addressing those needs and will provide them as soon as they are ready.

Furthermore, the VC pledged to continue prioritising the welfare of staff and the smooth running of the offices at NOUN.

The meeting was attended by several dignitaries, including聽the dean聽himself, the deputy dean,聽Dr. Lateef Adelakun,聽who is also the HOD, Mass Communication, as well as聽Dr. Ocheja Akoji, Head of Department for Criminology and Security Studies; Dr. Rakiya Mamman, Head of Department for Development Studies; Dr. Emmanuel Ajudua, Head of Department for Economics; Dr. Samuel O. Iroye, Head of Department for Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution; Dr. Mathew Ogwuche, Head of Department for Political Science; Dr. Majebi Enesi, Representative of the Head of Department for Tourism Studies; and Opeyemi O. Daodu, the Faculty Officer.

The meeting ended on a positive note, with an understanding that both the Vice-Chancellor and the聽faculty would work together for the continued growth and success of NOUN.

The Vice-Chancellor, 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof.聽Olufemi Peters, has told聽the leaders and people of Emevor Community in Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State, that their vision to initiate and complete a Community Study Centre would have a long-lasting impact on their immediate community and its environs.

Peters made this assertion in Emevor during the inauguration and handing over ceremony of the permanent site of Emevor Community Study Centre by the leaders and people of the community to the management of NOUN on Thursday, August 8, 2024.

The Vice-Chancellor said “We are overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Emevor people. We thought we were coming to see a small structure. We never knew it would be a magnificent edifice such as this.

“We are grateful聽that you have expended much resources to design and build this edifice. Congratulations, and please congratulate yourselves.

“By our mandate, we ought to be everywhere, but not everywhere has built a structure such as this,” adding that he saw in Emevor a community that was willing to deliver the future of its people into their hands.

“Even people from neighbouring communities shall benefit from this project,” the VC concluded, while charging the leadership of the community to handover not just the keys, but also the titles of the property to NOUN as a testament to their wholehearted donation of the entire centre to the university.

The President-General, Isoko Development Union (IPU) Worldwide, Prof.聽Chris Akpotu, pledged not only to protect the聽study聽centre “with everything,” but also to mobilise the illiterate and semi-illiterate in Isoko nation to take advantage of the聽centre to upgrade their academic status.

Similarly, the President-General, Emevor Progressive Union (EPU), Comrade Teddy Jon Edoso, in his welcome address, identified education as one of the most cherished values of the people of Emevor Kingdom.

Edoso said that it was in their quest to give effect to that aspiration that the community in 2012 applied to be part of NOUN, a request that was granted two years later in 2014, adding that the project was funded entirely by sons and daughters of Emevor Kingdom.

A former governing council member and an Emeritus Professor of NOUN, Godwin Sogolo, who chronicled the history of the聽study聽centre at the occasion said, “This is the 10th year since the establishment of the NOUN Emevor Community Study Centre and I am pleased to say that the impact has been phenomenal.

“Not only has the聽centre contributed immensely to the expansion of the frontiers of knowledge in and around Emevor Community, it has also helped in increasing access to quality tertiary education through the聽Open and聽Distance聽Learning (ODL) mode.”

The event, which featured a formal inauguration of the newly聽-completed single storey multifunctional edifice and handover of the centre to NOUN, had all the principal officers of the university in attendance (except the University Librarian who was unavoidably absent).

The inauguration ceremony also boasted of the creme聽de聽la聽creme of sons and daughters of Isoko nation of Delta State, in attendance.

The Vice-Chancellor,聽水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof. Olufemi Peters, has聽commissioned聽newly-established laboratories of聽the Africa Centre of Excellence on Technology Enhanced Learning (ACETEL)聽as part of the centre鈥檚 continuous effort to enhance academic and research capabilities of the university.

The ground-breaking event聽took place聽on Wednesday, August 7,聽2024聽at the NOUN headquarters in Abuja.

Laboratories聽commissioned聽were the Management Information聽Systems (MIS)聽Laboratory, Cybersecurity聽Laboratory, Virtual Reality Laboratory, ACETEL Basic Laboratory,聽Artificial Intelligence 聽Laboratory, ACETEL – CISCO Academy and the Multimedia Laboratory.

In聽聽his remarks,聽the Vice-Chancellor聽appreciated the World Bank for the establishment of ACETEL in NOUN and commended聽the centre聽for the effort it is putting聽toward聽fulfilling its mandate, noting that the MSc and PhD programmes聽of聽the聽centre are peculiar.

While noting that the university is closely watching the activities of聽ACETEL, he said聽the centre聽鈥渋s a postgraduate facility for the progressives,鈥澛燼nd urged the leadership of ACETEL to collaborate with the聽faculties聽of the university.

After the commissioning ceremony, the VC聽toured the seven聽laboratories, inspecting the equipment and gadgets聽being聽operated by ACETEL staff in charge of the labs and its students, showcasing the use of the labs and the systems.

Earlier, the聽ACETEL聽Director,聽Prof. Grace Jokthan, gave a brief history of the聽centre, stating that ACETEL was established in 2019 as a response of the university to the call by the World Bank on the ACE Impact Project Submission.

Speaking further, she said 鈥淒espite the launch of the聽centre, it actually fully became operational in January 2021, this was as a result of COVID-19聽and also issues relating to funding by the Nigerian government to sign the agreement.

鈥淭hrough this comprehensive suite of programmes ACETEL is running, which are six programmes at the MSc and PhD levels in聽Management Information聽Systems (MIS), 聽CyberSecurity and Artificial Intelligence, 聽ACETEL is poised to deliver its mandate in shaping and to be at the forefront as Africa鈥檚 digital education future.鈥�

She explained that聽鈥淭here are input from the two regional bodies, as well as NUC, there are input from NUC, there are input from the university, there are input from facilitators, there are input from industry, there are input from students as well as the ACETEL team. This inputs聽are running the activities of the centre which involve the use of IT for training, for education as well as for delivery for research output for the聽centre and the region as a whole.鈥�

Jokthan聽added聽that 鈥淭he academic programmes are there;聽they have been resource verified and accredited by NUC. We have also gotten to a level in the institutional accreditation due to the existence of these programmes and we are currently submitting for international programme accreditation for the six programmes.

The聽centre, according to her,聽has 256 students out of which 47 are regional students, while 35 are females.

The state of the art laboratories were designed to support cutting-edge research and advanced learning opportunities for students and faculties, she said.

With profound sadness, the death has been announced of Mrs. Patricia Uje Ugbejeh (Nnee Okonye).

The deceased was the beloved mother of Dr. Ernest Ogwashi Ugbejeh, Dean, Faculty of Law, 水果派 of Nigeria (NOUN).

The late Mrs. Ugbejeh hailed from Ute-Okpu, Ika North – East Local Government Area of Delta State.

Late Mrs. Ugbejeh聽 died on 31 July, 2024, aged 84 years.

Meanwhile, the funeral arrangement will be announced later by the family to the general public.