International Journal of Academic Research in Education and Review

Vol. 13(1), pp. 26-35, May 2025

ISSN: 2360-7866

https://doi.org/10.14662/ijarer2025099

 

Full Length Research

 

 

Roles of Information Infrastructures in Teaching and Service Delivery among Lecturers and Researchers in Nigerian Universities: Theory & Praxis

 

Dr. Olubiyo Peter Olubunmi

 

University Library, Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo, Ondo State, Nigeria. E-mail: olubiyopeter@gmail.com

Corresponding author’s E-mail: olubiyopeter@gmail.com Tel.+2348166392038  

Accepted 10 May 2025

Abstract

Abstract: Information infrastructure is the technology base on which knowledge work of the 21st century is done. To Nigerian scholars and researchers in the field of university, the availability, quality and accessibility of information infrastructure, including hardware, software and networks, digital library resources and institutional systems through which these resources are managed and mediated, is a determinant of the quality of teaching, the efficiency of research, and the efficiency of academic services delivery. Digital competency and technology-enhanced learning is explicitly required in all academic subjects by the National Universities Commission (NUC) Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) 2022, and is available to registered academics in universities in Nigeria via HINARI, AGORA, OARE, and EBSCO Host. However, there remains a profound theory-praxis divide: empirical research continually reports poor ICT infrastructure, lack of digital resources, poor technical support, and under-investment as the impediments to successful information infrastructure utilisation in Nigerian universities. The paper will discuss the application of information infrastructure in teaching and service delivery of Nigerian university lecturers and researchers using a dual theoretical-praxis approach. It is grounded on three theoretical models: Davis (1989) Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), DeLone and McLean (2003) Information Systems Success Model (ISSM) and Rogers (2003) Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) Theory. Based on peer-reviewed empirical research across several Nigerian universities and geopolitical regions, TETFund intervention data, NUC policy documentation and international comparative evidence, the paper captures what information infrastructure can do when installed effectively and what limits full implementation of information infrastructure in the Nigerian context. It has five substantive sections that explore: the conceptual landscape of information and information infrastructure; the present condition of information infrastructure in the Nigerian universities; the role of teaching and research in six dimensions of infrastructure; the multi-layered challenges that limit effective implementation; an evidence-based strategy framework to close the theory-practice gap. It makes some recommendations to the university administrators, TETFund, the NUC, LIS professionals, and individual lecturers.

 

Key Words: Information Infrastructure, ICT, Teaching, Research, Nigerian Universities, Service Delivery, Lecturers, TETFund, NUC, Library, Digital Resources, LMS, TAM, DeLone and McLean, DSpace.

Paper type: research