Embrace Digitization for Effective Research, Teaching - UNICAL VC Urges Academia

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar Prof Florence Obi has urged academics at the ongoing Faculty of Arts Conference to embrace Digital Humanities (DH) as a new frontier towards effective research, collaboration, teaching and learning purposes, Myschoolnews gathered.

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Prof. Florence Obi who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, (Academics), Prof. Angela Oyo-Ita stated this at the Institution's Senate Chamber during a four-day training Workshop /Conference organized by the Faculty of Arts, University of Calabar in Collaboration with African Electronic Literature (AELA) with the theme "Digital Humanities and interdisciplinary scholarship".   

She said in an era of competitive computer literacy around the globe, no one should be left out in the scheme of digitization especially in an institution of higher learning adding that for Computer illiteracy to be eradicated, there is a need for academics to acquire skills digital in nature.

While disclosing that the Nigeria Universities Commission (NUC) has approved 40% for virtual teaching, she urged Staff to toe the line which is most preferable for teaching and learning in the 21st century.

This is even as she proposed that in the future, staff promotion should be based on the acquisition of literacy on digitization, adding that it will make teaching and learning easier.

The Varsity Administrator who declared the event open expressed appreciation to the Dean of the faculty and his team for providing insight into the digital humanities for the development of the Faculty and the University at large.

According to her, "the institution will always remember the faculty for her pursuit of lofty goals in ensuring that illiteracy on digitization is eradicated".

She however charged other Faculties in the Institution to emulate the Faculty of Arts in ensuring that all staff of the Institution acquire the training on digitization.

In her Goodwill message, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Grace Eno Nta said that she was very proud of the Faculty of Arts which happens to be the oldest faculty in the Institution for embracing humanities digitization.

She said that the training workshop was apt and timely as assessment, teaching, learning and registration can be done online to ease stress adding that digitization should not start and end on Whats App for interactive sessions but to set up online examinations, assignments, and lectures " she said.

Speaking earlier, the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof Kyrian A. Ojong said it was a novel thing to organize this workshop/conference due to his quest for the development of the Faculty.

He maintained that the world is in the age of digital skills, adding that anyone who is still operating in analogue will be left behind as time progresses.

Prof. Ojong further stressed that the world has entered the age of "AI" as it is multi-disciplinary and cannot be overlooked while urging participants to be exposed to AI functionality and its effect on research.

He said the usefulness of the digital humanity cannot be over emphasized, noting that it can be used for transactions, conferences, seminars, workshops, digital marketing, digital publishing at the comfort of your home.

Prof. Ojong who highlighted the Faculty's passion including; innovations, resourcefulness, vision in modern trends, development in digital competitiveness, knowledge economy, intellectual capital, and to global market among others charged Participants to be patient, humble, open open-minded to gain something worthwhile from the conference.

In a keynote address, one of the keynote speakers, Prof. Tunde Ope- Davies said Digital Humanities (DH) explores how the interconnection among the fields of computer science, digital technologies and the humanities can provide theories, techniques and tools for innovation and scholarship that can produce social transformation.

Prof. Tunde who is the founder and director of, the Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos stated that DH is anchored on the conviction that computational tools and new technologies have the potential to transform the content, scope, methodologies, and audience of humanistic inquiry.

Speaking  on the topic " Digital Humanities as a tool for Revolutionizing the Humanities and Creating Opportunity for African Scholars" Prof. Tunde underlined that the term DH has been evolving over the last few decades noting that It is often described as the application and/or development of digital tools and resources to enable researchers in the humanities and liberal sciences to address questions and perform new assignments.

According to him "Experts agree that Digital humanities is transforming every area of humanistic research and scholarship and should be sustained.

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"Disciplines such as history, linguistics and literature, philosophy, music, and arts, among others are benefiting from the development and application of digital tools such as geographic information system(GIS) mapping, data visualizations, text mining and other innovative computer-based approaches and technologies." He added.

The event also featured a presentation by the President of the Electronic Literature Organisation and Professor, York University, Canada Caitlin Fisher and Dr Christopher Funkhouser of the institute of Technology, New Jersey, USA.