Virtually Unready: Freshers’ Struggles with the University of Ibadan’s Online Learning Shift

By: Sakeenah Kareem

When the University of Ibadan initiated virtual learning for new students in the 2023/2024 session, it was met with high expectations but little execution. However, in the 2024/2025 session, UI made another attempt, this time with more structure and coordination. It seemed like a step toward digitized learning in Nigeria’s premier university. Yet, while the ambition was more apparent, the execution faltered significantly.

Over thirty freshers shared their experiences in a recent informal survey. The survey revealed a pattern of infrastructural shortcomings, communication gaps, and unequal access. While some students appreciated the effort to bridge the gap before physical resumption, many others were left frustrated, confused, and digitally stranded.

The Elephants in The Room

The virtual learning programme utilised the UILMS, Zoom, Google Meet and YouTube for lectures and communication. However, these softwares which were meant to ease the program also came with baggage

I feel since they already knew we would have virtual classes,they should’ve updated the lms before the time, that would’ve prevented a lot of problems” – Olorunferanmi oluwadurotimi

For most students, the University of Ibadan Learning Management System (LMS), which was the digital backbone of the virtual learning initiative, was more of a hurdle than a help. The LMS was home to all sorts of issues, including poor organization on the platform, class links that didn’t work, materials that weren’t uploaded promptly, and an overall lack of orientation on how to navigate the system. The very tool designed to simplify learning ended up being a source of frustration.

“Most of the courses I enrolled for on the LMS portal seemed inactive. Except one. It’s either the available materials that are there are from years ago or the lecturers aren’t available. Honestly, it was so awful I just had to give up at some point and wait for physical resumption,” said Agunbiade Jesutimeleyin.

Several students missed lectures as a result of insufficient class space. 47.1% of respondents, particularly from the faculty of science, experienced being logged out of the Zoom class space during lectures. Occasionally, the lecturer gets logged out of the class, creating a scenario where a student has to leave for the lecturer to join back. This insufficiency led to students missing out on critical information, tests and course materials, thus leading to unbalanced learning systems.

Despite the technological challenges, students were also concerned about the quality of the learning itself. “Seeing lecturers’ facial expressions and body language helps me understand the material better. Unfortunately, our current setup doesn’t provide that, and that disrupts my learning experience,” a respondent wrote.

The absence of peer-to-peer interaction and face-to-face lecturer support made comprehension more difficult. For new students already unfamiliar with the rigour of university academics, this lack of real-time guidance made a shaky start even shakier.

Prequel to the commencement of virtual classes for the 2024/2025 session, telecommunications companies had increased their services by over 200%, leading to a high cost of data subscription needed to fuel virtual classes. So, for many students, access to the Internet was a luxury. Over 50% of respondents selected data costs as a major impediment to participating in virtual classes. This digital divide continues to haunt the possibility of equitable virtual access to education in Nigeria.

The Learning Experience

When asked to rate the effectiveness of the virtual classes on a scale of 1 to 10, the average score was around 5.6. Some departments, particularly in the faculty of Arts, had no classes at all.

Virtual learning wasn’t all doom and gloom. Some freshers praised the convenience of attending lectures from home. Others appreciated the exposure to digital tools. However, the data cost, communication gaps, faulty systems, and insufficient class space, amongst other issues, left some students feeling abandoned in a system meant to support their transition into university life.

Virtual learning is no longer a luxury; it’s part of the future. The University of Ibadan may have taken a step in the right direction, but to truly walk the virtual path, it needs to walk it with its students—not ahead of them and not alone.