The National Open University of Nigeria is a federalopen and distance learning (ODL) institution, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region. It is Nigeria's largest tertiary institution in terms of student number and is popularly referred to as 'NOUN'.
National Open University of Nigeria Headquarters in Abuja
The university was initially established on 22 July 1983 as springboard for open and distance learning in Nigeria. It was suspended by the government on 25 April 1984.[citation needed] However, its resuscitation was begun on 12 April 2001 by the former President of Nigeria, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. At take off of the university, pioneer student enrollment stood at 32,400.[4]
Organisation
In 2011, NOUN had about 57,759 students.[5] The Vice Chancellor at the time was Prof. Vincent Tenebe .[2] The university for years operated from its administrative headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, before vice chancellor Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, moved it to its permanent headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, in 2016. The current Vice Chancellor is Prof. Olufemi Peters. It has over 75 study centres throughout the country.[4] It offers over 50 programmes and 750 courses.[4]
By its nature as an ODL institution, NOUN does not provide lectures to students in normal classrooms except some certain study centres. The study centre in Lagos for instance provides lectures to all the law undergraduates and supplies course materials to all students after the payment of tuition fees. All courses offered by the university are accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The registrar serves as the secretary to council and senate bodies. The registry department's primary responsibility is to provide support services for the general administration of the university with emphasis on council affairs, senate matters, recruitment of staff, student admission and welfare, staff welfare and related activities. The current registrar is Mr. Oladapo Adetayo Ajayi
Students
Requirements
A diverse range of students from all walks of life are attracted to the university, similar to other Open Universities such as the Open University in the United Kingdom. For most courses there are no stringent entry requirements other than the ability to study at an appropriate level such as the West African Examination, and other national diplomas to qualify for direct entry admission. Most postgraduate courses require evidence of previous study or equivalent life experience. This fundamental open admissions policy makes undergraduate university study accessible to all.[6]
Undergraduates
While most of those studying are mature students, an increasingly large proportion of new undergraduates are aged between 17 and 25. The reduction in financial support for those attending traditional universities, coupled with the use of technologies such as and YouTube that appeal to this demographic, is believed to be behind this growth.[7]
Immunity to strikes
The Act of Parliament which established the university prohibits any form of union for staff or for students. This has made the university unaffected by strikes such as the ASUU strikes (which lasted for eight months), which have the effect of extending the duration of students' studies.[8]
National Youths Service Corps
The NOUN has made efforts to ensure its graduates below age 30 (the maximum age limit) participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).[9][10]
The iLearn portal provides students with access to the university's learning resources, including:
Online class discussions organized by NOUN facilitators, creating a virtual classroom environment.
Academic support for students
Social networking and collaboration tools to facilitate interactions among students, facilitators, academic staff and faculty members.
Study tools such as the digitized video and audio materials
Access to assignments, quizzes and self-study assessment tools[11]
Examination
The university uses computer-based testing (CBT) for first and second year students, except for law undergraduates who sit conventional pen-on-paper (POP) from their first year of admission. POP examinations are used for all students after the second year, and for postgraduate students.
The CBT examinations have two formats: multiple choice questions and fill in the gap questions. The CBT system been criticised by some students, who say that the system requires students memorize their textbooks and produce answers that match those stored on the school's computers.[12]
Assessment
Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) are continuous assessments that accounts for 30% of a student's total score. Students are expected to answer all TMAs, which must be answered and submitted before students sit for the end of course examination. The end of course examinations account for the other 70% of a student's score.
Facilities
E-library
The NOUN operates an e-library at the headquarters situated at Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria which all students have access to after providing a valid student's identity card. Students have access to both Internet facilities, books, journals, projects, theses of past students and other educational materials.
The NOUN also provides a platform for students that needs to access its database of educational materials strictly for educational purposes rather than financial or commercial purposes. Books can be downloaded in PDF formats at no cost.
Scholarships
In May 2014, the Nollywood movie star Ini Edo made headlines when she was offered a scholarship to study law at the university. Other actresses and actors including Desmond Elliot[14] have also been offered scholarships. Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, Francis Duru, Doris Simeon and Sani Danja were announced as ambassadors for the NOUN. All four were presented by the Vice Chancellor Prof. Vincent A. Tenebe, with scholarships to study their courses of choice.[15]
References
^"National Open University of Nigeria - WHED - IAU's World Higher Education Database". www.whed.net. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
^ ab. www.nou.edu.ng. Archived from the original on 25 September 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
^Ayinla, Dupe (14 July 2014). "Ini Edo, Desmond Elliot admitted for Law at NOUN - The Nation Nigeria". Thenationonlineng.net. Retrieved 26 November 2018.
^"Chioma Chukwuka-Akpotha, Doris Simeon Get Scholarships to Study at National Open University - BellaNaija". www.bellanaija.com.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Open University of Nigeria.
Official website
February 12, 2023
national, open, university, nigeria, federal, open, distance, learning, institution, first, kind, west, african, region, nigeria, largest, tertiary, institution, terms, student, number, popularly, referred, noun, mottolearn, placeat, your, pacetypepublicestabl. The National Open University of Nigeria is a federal open and distance learning ODL institution the first of its kind in the West African sub region It is Nigeria s largest tertiary institution in terms of student number and is popularly referred to as NOUN National Open University of NigeriaMottoLearn At Any PlaceAt Your PaceTypePublicEstablished2002 1 1983 Vice ChancellorProf Olufemi A Peters 2 Students515 000 3 LocationAbuja NigeriaCampusRuralColoursElf green cadmium yellow amp ruby red NicknameNOUNAffiliationsAAU NUCWebsitewww wbr nou wbr edu wbr ng Student Portal Contents 1 History 2 Organisation 3 Students 3 1 Requirements 3 2 Undergraduates 3 3 Immunity to strikes 3 4 National Youths Service Corps 4 Alumni 5 Technological platforms 6 Examination 6 1 Assessment 7 Facilities 7 1 E library 7 2 Radio station 7 3 E courseware 8 Scholarships 9 References 10 External linksHistory Edit National Open University of Nigeria Headquarters in Abuja The university was initially established on 22 July 1983 as springboard for open and distance learning in Nigeria It was suspended by the government on 25 April 1984 citation needed However its resuscitation was begun on 12 April 2001 by the former President of Nigeria Gen Olusegun Obasanjo At take off of the university pioneer student enrollment stood at 32 400 4 Organisation EditIn 2011 NOUN had about 57 759 students 5 The Vice Chancellor at the time was Prof Vincent Tenebe 2 The university for years operated from its administrative headquarters in Victoria Island Lagos before vice chancellor Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu moved it to its permanent headquarters in Jabi Abuja in 2016 The current Vice Chancellor is Prof Olufemi Peters It has over 75 study centres throughout the country 4 It offers over 50 programmes and 750 courses 4 By its nature as an ODL institution NOUN does not provide lectures to students in normal classrooms except some certain study centres The study centre in Lagos for instance provides lectures to all the law undergraduates and supplies course materials to all students after the payment of tuition fees All courses offered by the university are accredited by the National Universities Commission NUC The registrar serves as the secretary to council and senate bodies The registry department s primary responsibility is to provide support services for the general administration of the university with emphasis on council affairs senate matters recruitment of staff student admission and welfare staff welfare and related activities The current registrar is Mr Oladapo Adetayo AjayiStudents EditRequirements Edit A diverse range of students from all walks of life are attracted to the university similar to other Open Universities such as the Open University in the United Kingdom For most courses there are no stringent entry requirements other than the ability to study at an appropriate level such as the West African Examination and other national diplomas to qualify for direct entry admission Most postgraduate courses require evidence of previous study or equivalent life experience This fundamental open admissions policy makes undergraduate university study accessible to all 6 Undergraduates Edit While most of those studying are mature students an increasingly large proportion of new undergraduates are aged between 17 and 25 The reduction in financial support for those attending traditional universities coupled with the use of technologies such as and YouTube that appeal to this demographic is believed to be behind this growth 7 Immunity to strikes Edit The Act of Parliament which established the university prohibits any form of union for staff or for students This has made the university unaffected by strikes such as the ASUU strikes which lasted for eight months which have the effect of extending the duration of students studies 8 National Youths Service Corps Edit The NOUN has made efforts to ensure its graduates below age 30 the maximum age limit participate in the National Youth Service Corps NYSC 9 10 Alumni EditBeverly Osu actress model and video vixenTechnological platforms Edit Media centre building The iLearn portal provides students with access to the university s learning resources including Online class discussions organized by NOUN facilitators creating a virtual classroom environment Academic support for students Social networking and collaboration tools to facilitate interactions among students facilitators academic staff and faculty members Study tools such as the digitized video and audio materials Access to assignments quizzes and self study assessment tools 11 Examination EditThe university uses computer based testing CBT for first and second year students except for law undergraduates who sit conventional pen on paper POP from their first year of admission POP examinations are used for all students after the second year and for postgraduate students The CBT examinations have two formats multiple choice questions and fill in the gap questions The CBT system been criticised by some students who say that the system requires students memorize their textbooks and produce answers that match those stored on the school s computers 12 Assessment Edit Tutor marked assignments TMAs are continuous assessments that accounts for 30 of a student s total score Students are expected to answer all TMAs which must be answered and submitted before students sit for the end of course examination The end of course examinations account for the other 70 of a student s score Facilities EditE library Edit The NOUN operates an e library at the headquarters situated at Victoria Island Lagos Nigeria which all students have access to after providing a valid student s identity card Students have access to both Internet facilities books journals projects theses of past students and other educational materials Radio station Edit The NOUN FM radio station 13 broadcasts on workdays and provides opportunities for Mass Communication students citation needed E courseware Edit The NOUN also provides a platform for students that needs to access its database of educational materials NOUN e Courseware Free Download strictly for educational purposes rather than financial or commercial purposes Books can be downloaded in PDF formats at no cost Scholarships EditIn May 2014 the Nollywood movie star Ini Edo made headlines when she was offered a scholarship to study law at the university Other actresses and actors including Desmond Elliot 14 have also been offered scholarships Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha Francis Duru Doris Simeon and Sani Danja were announced as ambassadors for the NOUN All four were presented by the Vice Chancellor Prof Vincent A Tenebe with scholarships to study their courses of choice 15 References Edit National Open University of Nigeria WHED IAU s World Higher Education Database www whed net Retrieved 11 February 2015 a b Principal Officers National Open University of Nigeria www nou edu ng Archived from the original on 25 September 2014 Retrieved 11 February 2015 https www premiumtimesng com news more news 297622 enrolment at nigerias national open university hits 515000 html a b c National Open University of Nigeria WHED IAU s World Higher Education Database www whed net Retrieved 11 February 2015 COMMITTEE ON NEEDS ASSESSMENT OF NIGERIAN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES Presentation to the Council Chamber State House Abuja Thursday 1 November 2012 NOUN Student Portal National Open University of Nigeria www nounstudentportal org National Open University of Nigeria National Open University of Nigeria Retrieved 31 December 2019 NOUN VC strikes will soon go extinct The Nation Nigeria 24 October 2013 National Open University NOUN Registration Form 2018 2019 16 January 2018 National Open University of Nigeria Archived from the original on 15 July 2012 Retrieved 26 November 2018 National Open University Admission List 2006 Archived from the original on 9 January 2015 Retrieved 26 March 2015 JAMB UTME DE Registration 2018 19 Form and Closing Date www nigeriaschool com ng nounfm caster fm Ayinla Dupe 14 July 2014 Ini Edo Desmond Elliot admitted for Law at NOUN The Nation Nigeria Thenationonlineng net Retrieved 26 November 2018 Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha Doris Simeon Get Scholarships to Study at National Open University BellaNaija www bellanaija com External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Open University of Nigeria Official website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title National Open University of Nigeria amp oldid 1132555969, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
