Monioluwa Omolara Olaniyi is a Professor of Nematology at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). She was the pioneer Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Technology, Innovation and Research (DVC-TIR) in the university. As pioneer DVC-TIR, she coordinated the IT directorates through an IT committee to design the internet networking structure of the 114 study centres with the Headquarters. She identified through research, learner support needs for learners in ODeL institutions like NOUN and the technological support to enhance learners’ success. She also coordinated the IT team that built and maintained the university website. She demonstrated with data, the need for inclusiveness in the provision of technological resources and learning infrastructure for different categories of learners, especially the differently-abled learners, which led to the university developing a policy for inclusiveness of this category of learners. She facilitated the establishment of the e-ticketing system for resolution of learner’s queries resulting in the restructuring of units and development of the guiding rule for the timely resolution of learners’ complaint.

She was the first female Dean of the Faculty of Sciences of the university where she established the culture of applied research and enhanced the teaching of practical science in Open and Distance Learning in the institution. She also initiated the digital concept of science practicals for Biology, Chemistry and Physics programmes. As Dean she successfully moved official academic activities in her faculty online, in response to the prevailing lockdown resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

She is the Senior Management contact and project lead of the Partnership for Enhanced and Blended Learning (PEBL), West Africa project at the National Open University of Nigeria, a project funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, through the Association of Commonwealth University (ACU), UK for the capacity building of selected universities from Ghana and Nigeria in blended learning. In this project, NOUN has trained academics from the partner universities in Ghana and Nigeria in the use of the Learning Management Systems and Online Facilitation with cascade training of students by the institutions under the supervision of the NOUN PEBL-WA team.

Olaniyi serves as the Deputy Facilitator-General (Administration) of the Virtual Institute for Capacity Building in Higher Education (VICBHE), jointly supported by Nigeria’s National Universities Commission and the National Open University of Nigeria to develop the capacity of personnel in higher education regulatory institutions and in universities in Nigeria and across Africa. She is passionate about developing digital tools and learning models for the effective teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programmes in resource-limiting higher education institutions to enhance learner’s skills through technological interventions.

Monioluwa Olaniyi is a recipient of scholarship and fellowship awards for her academic training and has international research and travel grants to conferences to her credit. She has published her research results in international professional journals, books, and as technical reports. She believes in lifelong learning and updates herself through regular professional development training. Her philosophy is entrenched in inclusivity in capacity building for strategic development. She acquired training and expertise in the Management of Higher Education Institutions at the International Deans’ Course Africa coordinated by a consortium of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Centre for Higher Education (CHE) German Rector Conference, Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation, and the University of Osnabrück, Germany and has served as a resource person on the programme.

She earned a Bachelor of Technology degree from the Federal University of Technology, Akure and a Master of Science degree from the University of Ibadan, both in Nigeria. She also earned a Master’s degree from the University of Ghent (UG) and PhD degree from the Catholic University of Leuven, both in Belgium. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Biosafety of Plant Biotechnology from UG. In Information Technology (IT), she has CompTIA A+ certification and is an Oracle Certified SQL Expert. In response to the recent challenges of COVID-19, she upped her skill with training in “taking your teaching online” and “acquiring skills for 21st-century teaching and learning” both from the Open University, United Kingdom (UK). She earned with Distinction, the NOUN certificate for setting up and managing e-learning platform for quality education, a special quality assurance training (SQAT). She acquired a Certificate of participation in the course on Continuous Professional Development and enhanced her skills in instructional design and learning technology with the Harvard Teaching Certificate in Higher Education.

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