Directorate of Academic Planning (DAP)

Units Under the Directorate Of Academic Planning

In order to reposition the Directorate, Senate at its 91st meeting held on Thursday 11th May 2017 approved the reorganization of the Directorate of the Academic Planning to five units to be headed each by senior academics

 The units are:

1. Academic Standard, Monitoring and Evaluation
2. Data Management and Statistics
3. Open Education Resources
4. Quality Assurance
5. Strategic Planning

The specific responsibilities of the units are as follows:

Academic Standard, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit

Functions

1. Conduct periodic needs assessment for the establishment of new academic programmes.
2. Supervise the development of curricula of new academic programmes for the university in compliance with the NUC BMAS.
3. Responsible for completion and submission of application forms for the establishment of new academic units and programmes, as well as splitting and merger of academic units and programmes in the University.
4. Ensure compliance with the due processes for the establishment of new units, programmes, departments and faculties in the University.
5. Conduct mock-accreditation exercises preparatory to NUC accreditation.
6. Supervise resources verification of academic programmes.
7. Supervise the accreditation of programmes in the University by the NUC.
8. Keep up to date records of academic programmes.
9. Keep up to date accreditation status of all academic programmes in the University.
10. Ensure that the NUC-BMAS for each discipline is available to all Faculties
11. Ensure compliance with NUC Basic Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) of all academic programmes.
12. Provision and supervision of the completion of Self Study Forms (SSF) by departments and Faculties in readiness for NUC accreditation.
13. Ensure that only programmes with approved NUC-BMAS are allowed in the University. 
14. Plan the academic programmes of the university in conformity with its Academic Brief    and Strategic Plan.
15. Monitor the operations of all approved programmes as contained in the Academic Brief
16. Expand the academic programmes of the university when and where necessary in compliance with the NUC BMAS.
17. Liaise with the NUC on academic matters and the relevant Professional regulatory agencies for quality control and accreditation.
18. Liaise with other universities within and outside the country for the purpose of academic cooperation, academic staff and students exchange programmes
19. Responsible for the Production and or revision of academic brief, modelling it against the realities and goals of the University.
20. Responsible for the preparation of Academic Calendar for the University and ensuring its implementation.
21. Monitor compliance of Departments with the NUC guidelines
22. Undertake on-the-spot monitoring visits to Faculties reported to be involved in running unapproved programmes.
23. Undertake monitoring visits to Departments involved in running unapproved programmes
24. Sensitize the Universities on the effect of running unapproved programmes on students and the society at large.
25. All other activities that will enhance the delivery of qualitative education in the     University.
26. Any other assignment that may be given by the Director of Academic Planning.
27. Ensure that students evaluate courses taught to them.
28. Ensure that students evaluate course materials provided by the University

Data Management and Statistics

In general terms, the main objectives of the Data Management and Statistics unit are to provide a range of accurate information to the University for Planning and managerial decision-making produces a range of institutional statistics and undertakes data manipulation, analysis and interpretation to convert raw data into useful management information.

Functions

1. Collection, Interpretation and Analysis of data from relevant bodies, for the internal evaluation of the performance status of the University on all NUC, approved funding parameters and guidelines.
2. Collation and analysis of the staff/students evaluation data
3. Developing, managing and updating the website of the Directorate
4. Provision of database information on various aspects of University operations for use by the University as it deems fit; e.g information on University academic/material resources, facilities, etc.
5. Projection of students’ enrolment figures and corresponding staff strength
6. Collection, analysis and interpretation of data from relevant Department/Unit and University Annual Statistical trends.
7. Providing period statistics to Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission, National Manpower Board, Federal Bureau of Statistics, Private Sector Organizations, NGOs and individual researchers on demand
8. Documenting and Storing information on Academic Programmes of the University
9. Collection, Analysis and Interpretation of data from relevant University bodies such as the Faculties, Centres, Institutes, Administrative Unit.
10. Collection and Storage of Statistical publications from other Universities
11. Developing a sound computerized database on all relevant information about staff and students in the University, in liaison with the Directorate of MIS/DICT and Registry
12. Collection of relevant data on changing trends in University activities e.g enrolment, staff mix, staff training and turnover, and passing such information for institutional-based research.

Open Education Resource (OER) Unit

Introduction

The National Open University of Nigeria established an OER unit in August 2014, headed by Dr. Jane-Francis Agbu who holds a Chair of the Open Education Resources, in order to focus on OER-related activities. Dr. Aminu  Kazeem took over from Dr. Agbu in 2016 when the former became the Dean, Faculty of Health Sciences. The unit until now stood on its own and report directly to the Vice-Chancellor before it was recently merged with the Directorate of Academic Planning in May 2017 in a recent restructuring of the Directorate.

Functions

• Stimulate OER awareness in NOUN and beyond
• Establish an open license framework in NOUN
• Contribute to the global OER repository of resources
• Offer high-quality Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to the global community
• Stimulate research in OER
• Collaborate with institutions, local and international organization in OER-related activities

Summary of activities in 2015

Collaboration with UNESCO – NOUN-OER project enjoys the strong support of UNESCO through its contact person, Mr. Abel Caine – UNESCO Programme Specialist for Open Educational Resources (OER) at the Headquarters in Paris, France. He is responsible for globally promoting OERs with Governments, educational, research institutions, teachers and learners. He provides funding and technical guidance.

Funding from EU/Hewlett Foundation and UNESCO – With the financial assistance of the European Commission and the Hewlett Foundation, UNESCO is assisting the NOUN-OER project

Collaboration with UNESCO/ICDE/COL Chairs in OER – The following OER Chairs are working in close collaboration with NOUN-OER project

• Prof Fred Mulder – UNESCO Chair in Open Educational Resources (OER) 
• Prof Robert Schuwer, professor of OER at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences,
• Prof Wayne Mackintosh, UNESCO/ICDE/COL Chair in OER.

Sensitization of NOUN senior staff on OER/MOOCs: 3rd – 6th February 2015: With co-funding from UNESCO, the NOUN-OER unit held its 2nd sensitization workshop for senior staff (including centre directors, senior academic and non-teaching staff). A total of 350 participants benefited from this training. The objective includes: stimulation of OERs awareness and benefits in NOUN, train course writers on skills and processes of OERization, etc. The following are web links reporting this workshop.

http://en.unesco.org/events/2nd-openuped-workshop-national-open-university-nigeria

http://naija247news.com/2015/02/noun-future-hub-for-higher-education-in-africa-unesco/

http://dailyindependentnig.com/2015/02/noun-set-target-students-online-degrees/

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/noun-partners-eduplatform-unesco-on-online-studies/200991/

http://allafrica.com/stories/201502050897.html

http://www.championnews.com.ng/noun-future-hub-for-higher-education-in-africa-unesco/

http://nationalmirroronline.net/new/unesco-harps-on-importance-of-oer-to-noun/

NOUN joined the Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN) program – The Global OER-Graduate Network (GO-GN) is a network of research group in the field of Open Educational Resources (OER).  This is a non-profit academic initiative of Prof. Fred Mulder, a UNESCO Chair in OER, of the Open University, Netherlands.  The fundamental idea is to encourage collaboration among researchers in the field of OER.  Also, to provide for a platform for coherent triple joint supervision of PhD students in this filed.  NOUN currently has PhD students under this programme.

NOUN-OER story featured on February Edition of EU year for development (February, 2015) – 2015 is a special year for development by EU. During the year EUstories of people and projects in partner countries.  The month of February was dedicated to innovations in higher education, NOUN OER project was featured during this month. Link to this story is:

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/brussels/european-year-for-development-2015/

https://europa.eu/eyd2015/en/unesco/stories/embracing-philosophy-open-educational-resources

Presentation of NOUN-OER project at the Open Education Global Conference, Banff, Canada. 20th – 24th April 2015– The VC, a member of OER committee and Dr Agbu attended this meeting. NOUN OER project was specifically invited for the UNESCOOER Chairs meeting which took place on Monday 20th April 2015 within the framework of the Open Education Global Conference. The following were VC’s activities during the Conference

The Vice-Chancellor had useful discussions with the following individuals:

• Prof Rory McGreal, UNESCO, COL & ICDE Chair in OER – on possible collaboration with NOUN OER project
• Prof Wayne Mackintosh, Director, OER Foundation, UNESCO, COL & ICDE Chair in OER from Open University of New Zealand -on possible collaboration with NOUN OER project
• Prof AnsharKanwa, Director, COL (on sustained collaboration with NOUN activities)
• Prof. Fred Mulder, UNESCO OER Chair, Open University, the Netherlands and Coordinator, GO-GN – on sustained collaboration with NOUN OER project.
• Mr. Abel Caine, OER specialist, UNESCO, Paris – on way forward on NOUN OER project
• 30 minutes Interview with Irwin Devries on Open Education in Nigerian, past, present and future

Presentation of NOUN-OER project at 12th ACDE-TCC Contact person’s meeting at Potchefstroom, South Africa: 26th June 2015 –DrAgbu made presentation on NOUN-OER project during ACDE-TCC meeting, in Potchefstroom South Africa. The need for other ACDE member institution to take cue from NOUN-OER project was stressed.

NOUN joined OER: On Friday, 19th June 2015, an official statement was placed online for the global community by Prof. Wayne Mackintosh announcing that NOUN has joined the OER community. The OER Uuit is an initiative on Prof Wayne Mackintosh, ICDE/COL/UNESCO Chair in OER. Based on their research, the top three reasons why organizations join the OER network are:

• to participate in an international network of “like-minded” institutions
• to participate in the philanthropic mission of widening access to more affordable education, especially for learners excluded from the formal higher education sector
• to retain a competitive advantage as open education approaches become more mainstream

Technical training workshop on OER 26th – 30th July 2015: With sponsorship from UNESCO, Fred de Vriestrained selected course writers on the process of conversion of OER-materials in multiple formats (EPUB, ODT, etc); dealing with the steps in this process includes the instructional design and technical conversions.

Vice Chancellor as memberOERu Council of Chief Executives –NOUN Vice-Chancellor is now a member of OERu Council of Chief Executives. This initiative was established in 2013 and functions as an assembly of Chief Executives of member Institutions of OERu. This group meets annually for consultation and deliberation on strategic plan for OERu. The next meeting was held in October 2015.

NOUN-OER Project: some important links

1. Portal: www.oer@nou.edu.ng
2. YouTubeChannel:http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCriCszCJ7ArFjyoXKHTtBLQ
3. Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/126887487@N04/
4. Slideshare – http://www.slideshare.net/oeropenuped

Strategic Planning Unit

National Open University of Nigeria is a productive conglomeration of very strong faculties, departments, directorates and centres, but it also is a whole greater sum of these components. It is a comprehensive University that combines the finest attributes of a centre of academic excellence with a deep commitment to public service. It suggests that the university can take even greater advantage of its distributed strengths that in its variegated components. The coordination of the relationship between the units to the central administration of the university is, thus, very cardinal. The overarching objective of the strategic planning unit is captured in two key concepts: focus and connectivity.

Functions

1. Identify strategic  initiatives within  context of situation  analysis 
2. Compile Corporate Strategic Plan and Action Plan of the University.
3. Monitor the implementation of the Corporate Plan, Strategic Plan and Action Plan regularly.
4. Identify operational strategic priorities.
5. Develops tactical plan and goals to achieve strategic priorities and targets. 
6. Conduct Action Plan progress review.
7. Prepare periodic Performance Report.
8. Identify key institutional performance  indicators 
9. Compilation and analysis of data for the Organizational Results Framework (ORF).
10. Assist Deans of faculties and head of department to identify academic priorities and develop tactical plan, as well goals to achieve the priorities.
11. Identify challenges and operational values of the University.
12. Conducts situation  analysis (PEEST and  SWOT) 

Quality Assurance Unit

The QA Unit of the National Open University of Nigeria was established in August 2014 headed then by Dr. Christy Ofulue, in line with the requirements of the national regulatory body for higher education. Its establishment is a reflection of the University’s commitment to promoting institutional excellence through quality enhancement of its educational provisions in order to meet learners and stakeholders expectations and to achieve a competitive advantage in the higher education sector. The unit then was standing on it owns but report directly to the Vice-Chancellor. In the year 2016, Dr. Fidel Okopi took over from Dr.Ofulue as the head of the unit until the recent restructuring when the unit in May 2017 was merged with the Directorate of the Academic Planning for the streamlining of activities of the Directorate.

The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)’s commitment to quality is reflected in its vision and mission statements:

 Institutional vision

To be regarded as the foremost University providing highly accessible and enhanced quality education anchored by social justice, equity, equality and national cohesion through a comprehensive reach that transcends all barriers.

Institutional mission

To provide functional, cost-effective, flexible learning which adds lifelong value to quality education for all who seek knowledge

Objectives

The primary focus of the Unit is to strengthen the quality of institutional practices and service delivery, and to promote a culture of quality through an internal mechanism of continuous self –improvement.  The Unit main objective is to embed a robust quality management system through the development of policies, quality assurance system, guidelines and standards for monitoring, maintaining and improving institutional practices and performance.

1. Development and implementation of a quality assurance system for continuous monitoring and evaluation for quality enhancement of the institution’s service delivery.
2. Development, documentation, and implementation of quality assurance processes and   procedures in line with international good practices;
3. Development of quality standards set for the institution’s programmes, courses, operations and delivery services measured against international benchmarks for Open and Distance Learning;
4. Effective monitoring and evaluation of institutional practices through a quality    management system to ensure that they are being followed for consistency,       standardisation, and maintenance of quality standards across its constituents;
5. Deploying appropriate and adequate ICT, infrastructure, human and financial resources in line with set standards for efficient institutional operations;
6. Promoting effective collaborations and partnerships that will enhance internationalisation of NOUN and its products (programmes and graduates).
7. Promoting a culture of research and innovation in ODL and eLearning approaches
8. Regular monitoring and evaluation of the quality assurance system put in place to ensure its effectiveness in achieving the institution’s intended quality outcomes in line with global good practices

Functions

1. Formulate quality assurance policy guidelines for the University,
2. Develop instruments for monitoring institutional operations of the University;
3. Conduct periodic internal reviews;
4. Build capacity for quality assurance within the University;
5. Organise regular sensitisation workshop for all staff to promote an understanding of quality assurance processes;
6. Monitor, guide and provide advice on QA activities to all sections of the University.

Achievements

• In the year 2014, the Unit developed a Quality Assurance Policy and Framework  that has been approved by the University Senate
• With the approval of the University Management, the Unit has constituted the University Quality Assurance Committee QA Committee with its members from various Faculties, Directorates, Units and QA desk officers in all study centres through which the Unit execute its programmes
• The Unit was commissioned on the 28th September 2015. The Unit has developed its web on the University site(www.qau.nou.edu.ng), information brochure and has produced series of News bulletins to facilitate advocacy and information dissemination on QA related matters within the institution.
• In fulfilling its mandate to institutionalise QA in NOUN, the QA Unit in April 2017 organised a series of one-day sensitisation workshops in conjunction with Staff Training and Development to create awareness among staff and build capacity in QA.
• Two sensitisation workshops for Deans and Directors and for top level management of the University in Jan. and May 2015. The workshops were aimed at sensitizing participants on the importance of QA and their roles in the process of assuring the quality of NOUN’s service delivery. The keynote speaker at the first workshop, was Prof.Chiedu F. Mafiana, Deputy Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), with a total of one hundred and thirteen (113) participants.
• Five (5) workshops were organised. Among them were three workshops in three (3) zones for study centre staff, one (1) workshop in Lagos for academic and support staff. And one (1) for administrative staff in the Headquarters. A total of 273 staff participated in the workshops. The workshops acquainted staff with the QA project and their roles and responsibilities in enhancing the quality of institutional practices in NOUN and to coordinate QA related activities in Faculties, Directorates, Support units and Study Centres. The sensitisation workshop series was commended by Dr.Aboidun N. Saliu, Director of Quality Assurance Directorate of the National Universities Commission (NUC) as a laudable initiative towards helping to build strong internal QA mechanisms and facilitate benchmarking of institutional provisions against best practices.