Adopting the ICT Innovation to Administrative and Activity Procedures in a University

Abstract

Information Communication Technology (ICT) has made performing administrative tasks more convenient for organisations. This paper discusses the contribution of ICT innovations to administrative effectiveness with respect to the Open University of Tanzania (OUT) and, specifically, their examination process. An analytical study guided by one hypothesis has been applied in this paper to understand the utilisation of ICT at OUT and framed within the timeframe of the COVID-19 pandemic. The hypothesis states that there is no significant difference in the mean response of students, lecturers, and administrators on the effectiveness of ICT in the Online Oral Examination System (OREX) and administrative process of the OUT. The use of both primary data collected through administered questionnaires to the university population and secondary data sourced from existing literature aided in determining the findings. The results revealed that ICT innovations could be effective if well used in university activities and more suitable if adapted in an innovative way for online admission and a perfect fit for online examination system such as OREX, which was developed as a response to the pandemic. The study also inveterate that the students, lecturers and senior administrative Staff (Registry) had very similar responses on the effectiveness of ICT innovation on the administrative process and academics of the OUT. It was recommended, among others, that the university should mobilise resources towards the provision of facilities and training of its ICT personnel for more relevant innovations, particular for online examination processes such as OREX.