Management of Digital Support Services and Sustainability of University Education in Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated management of digital support services and sustainability of university education in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study adopted correlational design. The census approach was adopted in drawing the population of 159 institutional administrators for the study because they were manageable. A 30-item instrument titled: Management of Digital Support Services and Sustainability of University Education Survey (MDSSSUES) was developed, validated and employed for data collection. The instrument was tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha at a statistical index .90. Data collected were analysed using mean and standard deviation, and simple linear regression.  Findings revealed that digital support services in the universities are available sometimes but not always consistently or adequately. It was also found that the key challenges faced by the universities in Cross River State in managing digital support services for sustainable university education are insufficient funding, lack of technical expertise, poor management of digital resources, lack of training for staff and resistance to technological change. The result equally indicated that the respondents always agreed that increasing budget allocation for ICT infrastructure, providing regular staff training on digital skills, outsourcing technical support services, establishing dedicated ICT departments, procuring reliable power generators, improving internet bandwidth and connectivity. It is therefore recommended among others that University administrators should formulate and implement holistic strategies to oversee the planning, deployment, and continuous improvement of digital support services.