New Portal, New Concerns? A Comparative Review of OAU’s Digital Transition
Taiwo Adelusi & Phebe Ojewande The Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) electronic portal (OAU e-portal), which was recently replaced by a new one in April, has sparked mixed reactions among students, in less than a week after its upgrading. While the upgrade was intended to improve digital infrastructures, several students argue that the new e-portal introduces fresh challenges alongside its improvements. This report compares both the old and new OAU e-portal, examining their features, limitations, and the experiences of students. For nearly two decades, the university’s former portal served as the primary digital hub for students. This system was developed internally by the university’s ICT expert and it was one of the “in-house” university e-portal in Nigeria. The old e-portal handled key aspects of the student life cycle including course registration, hostel balloting and also dissemination of info...