Online Resource Usage by Agricultural Science Lecturers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study assessed the use of online resources by agricultural science lecturers in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Sixty-six lecturers were randomly sampled from two universities, and one college of agriculture. A structured questionnaire was adopted to elicit relevant data for the study. Frequency counts, percentages, mean scores, standard deviations, regression analysis, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used for data analysis. The main types of online resources used included electronic journals, search engines, and video/picture files, with a grand mean of 2.0 (SD=0.76). Online resources that were perceived to be useful to lecturers included search engines, electronic journals, and encyclopaedias, with a grand mean of 2.15 (SD=0.90). Socio-institutional factors that significantly influenced the use of online resources were age (t=-8.560) and education (t=1.790). Major constraints in the use of online resources by the lecturers included the high cost of access to online resources ( =3.36), non‐subscription for relevant online resources by institutions ( =3.34), and connectivity problems ( =3.33). This study concludes that the use of online resources is determined by the age and level of education of the lecturers. Tertiary institutions should ensure reliable internet connectivity and an adequate subscription to relevant online resources to support teaching, learning, and research.