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 information. Through the portal, students could check their result directly with cumulative grades automatically calculated at the end of each academic session. 

A separate interface was also provided in the portal for lecturers to define registration limits, filter student lists and upload examination scores. Additionally, alumni could request transcripts through the system, which were processed by the Examinations and Records Unit of the university.

Despite its functionality, the old OAU e-portal faced persistent challenges. Users frequently experienced slow response times during peak periods, especially during course registration and hostel allocation. System shutdowns were also reported during curriculum updates, particularly with the introduction of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS). These issues gradually highlighted the need for a more robust system.

Towards the end of April, the university introduced a new portal (eportal2.oauife.edu.ng) as an upgraded replacement. The system was developed to address the limitations of the old platform while aligning with updated academic standards, such as the CCMAS.

The new e-portal is engineered to handle much higher concurrent user traffic, the interface has also been redesigned, replacing the previous grid layout with a more structured side-menu navigation system.

Beyond basic functions, the platform introduces additional features, including an integrated payment system for school fees, and an election module that allows students to vote for their representatives online. It also includes a page intended for students to rate their lecturers, reflecting an attempt to create a more engaging digital environment.

Direct comparison of both portals highlights significant differences in some areas as follows;

Result Access: the old portal allowed students to check results freely, while the new system as of now requires a payment of ₦5,000.

Performance: the old e-portal often slowed down during high traffic, whereas the new portal is built to manage higher user volumes more efficiently.

Features: while the old e-portal focused on core academic functions, the new portal expands its scope with additional features, such as online voting and enhanced payment integration.

Student responses to the new portal remain divided. While some acknowledge improvements in speed and expanded functionality, others express dissatisfaction with certain changes.

Elijah, a Part 3 student from the Faculty of Education noted that the new portal is definitely faster especially during registration and even more advanced, but paying to check results is something many of us are not comfortable with. Merit, a Part 1 student from the Faculty of Health Sciences expressed preference for the new e-portal “I prefer this new portal because it is more advanced and beautiful.”

A final year student of the Department of Linguistics and African language also gave her observations about the new system; “it is like a crashed website and we have to pay before checking our results, that’s weird. I prefer the old e-portal, in fact, this new portal needs some upgrade because I can’t see my previous results there” 

There have also been reports of accessibility issues, with some students unable to log into the platform due to unresolved technical challenges. In some cases, dissatisfaction has led to reluctance among students to fully adopt the new system, with calls for the university to improve rather than completely replace the old portal.

For Olawunmi Junior, “everything about the new OAU e-portal is different, from the animation style, colorful palette, visual design and the interface.” He also explained further why he thinks students prefer the old platform to the new one; “the ease of navigation was what made the old one better and I think it is good looking too.”

“I don’t even feel like checking the portal, I feel like they shouldn’t have changed the old portal as it only needs some updating”— another student added.

The introduction of the new e-portal undoubtedly marks a significant step toward modernizing the university’s digital infrastructure. Its improved speed, expanded features, and ability to handle increased user demand demonstrate clear progress.

However, concerns surrounding accessibility, usability, and the introduction of paid result access suggest that the transition is still a work in progress. For many students, the effectiveness of the new system will ultimately depend on how well these issues are addressed.

As the university continues to refine the platform, incorporating student feedback will be essential in ensuring that the new portal not only improves functionality but also meets the needs of its users.