Ranking
By Emmanuel Afonne
Prof. Olufemi Peters, the Vice-Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), says the institution is working tirelessly to boost its digital ranking and leadership in education technology.
Peters said this during a news conference to assess the level of preparation for the 3rd MoodleMoot Africa 2025 conference, to be hosted in Abuja by NOUN from Oct. 8 to Oct. 10.
Peters said that NOUN decided to host the conference to prove its continental leadership in Open and Distance Learning (ODL).
“The institution has taken a decisive step in its quest to improve its digital footprint, academic visibility and global ranking,” he said.
According to him, the conference is the first-ever to be hosted in Nigeria after two previous events hosted by South Africa.
“This conference will be held at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre; it is not just about hospitality — it is a strategic showcase.
“NOUN is not just the host — it is the heartbeat of an event that will attract 24 countries, hundreds of innovators, and global attention to how technology is reshaping African education.
“With participants from 18 African countries and several others from Europe and beyond, NOUN uses the conference as a platform to demonstrate its leadership in digital learning and scalable education models.
“Key goals for NOUN at the MoodleMoot include enhancing its institutional digital ranking through international engagement and positioning itself as a policy influencer in Africa’s EdTech space.
“We also want to demonstrate our Moodle-powered learning innovation to a global audience. While many African institutions are still exploring how to integrate digital platforms, NOUN came to the conference with proof of scale,” he said.
The VC added that the Moodle-based system, which served no fewer than 170,000 students with cutting-edger learning analytics and hybrid delivery models, was built on open-source tools.
“With 400 delegates, including vice-chancellor, software developers and government officials, the conference becomes an active space for influence-building and agenda-setting.
“NOUN’s participation in global education conversations — particularly around open-source educational technologies, directly impacts its global visibility in academic indexing, international collaboration scores, research and innovation indicators.”
Chairperson of the Local Organising Committee for the conference, Prof. Grace Jokhtan, said the event is expected to be one of the best events organised by the institution.
(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Vivian Ihechu