UNILORIN kicks off virtual classes over transportation issues

The University of Ilorin has commenced virtual classes among its students as it assigned 500 user accounts of 300-capacity zoom licences to its various Faculties and Departments.

The Chairman of the University’s Time-table and Room Usages Committee, Professor R. O. Arise, disclosed in a memo to relevant officials, saying that the virtual classes would run simultaneously with physical classes.

The memo, dated January 26, 2023 and sent to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Deans of Faculties, Heads of Academic Departments, Sub-Deans of Faculties, and Chairman, Quality Assurance Committee, Prof. Arise said, “The 2021/2022 Academic Session Hybrid Lecture Time-table for the Harmattan Semester has since taken effect from January 3, 2023.

The memo, titled, “COMMENCEMENT OF BOTH VIRTUAL AND PHYSICAL CLASSES”, further stated, “For effective virtual delivery of lectures, about 500 user accounts of 300 capacity zoom licences have been assigned to Faculties and Departments through their respective Sub-Deans”.

“We have also developed virtual class schedule for courses with class sizes of about 1000, 3000, and 5000 students using the large capacity zoom licences”.

The memo directed the Heads of Departments “to get details of their zoom accounts and large class zoom schedules from their (Faculty) Sub- Deans”.

It pointed out that “physical delivery of lectures/practical sessions in classrooms/laboratories is very important and should be consciously sustained”.

It would be recalled that in the wake of the transportation challenges facing the students and staff of the University, the management rolled out several measures to mitigate the effect of the unfortunate situation on the students in particular.

These included the directive to the timetable and Room Usages Committee to adjust lecture timetable to make it more flexible.

The management also renewed the University’s zoom licences to activate the virtual lecture option.