E-Administration Usage for Service Delivery in Universities: Highlights of Selected Survey Findings

Abstract

e-Administration, or electronic administration, is an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool that is aimed at improving performance and productivity at the workplace through the conversion of the traditional office, paper-based processes into electronic processes, to establish a paperless one. As a new and evolving mechanism, the e-Administration aids a seamless service-oriented and real-time information exchange between citizens and government, students and school authorities, etc. The study, therefore, focused on the utilisation of ICT in delivering services in universities. The review focused primarily on secondary data from journals, textbooks, and internet sources. Findings from the study indicate that most university students benefit more from the use of ICT in carrying out their academic activities and other personal endeavours. The study also adopted the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) which stresses that when teachers and learners are given a modern and new technology like the ICT instruments, two (2) factors persuade their decisions on when and how they would use “Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use”. Findings from the study also indicate that e-Administration as it is used in universities has certain drawbacks ranging from poor connectivity, unstable power supply, and lack of skill/training amongst others. The study found that access to the internet is directly related/proportionate to students’ performance as students with access to quality internet performed better compared to others who had limited access. There were further pieces of evidence of the existence of ICT instruments since the early 2000s in many universities but mostly revolve around telephones and basic computer software such as Microsoft word, as well as other internet connectivity-based communication systems like e-mail. It is, therefore, necessary for governments and university administrations to come up with a policy that addresses the issues/challenges hampering the full utilisation of ICT in universities.