VIRTUAL LEARNING PLATFORM AND TRANSITION AMONG ACADEMICS IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

Application of virtual platform is gaining acceptance in post covid-19 era among academics in the universities. The platform offers leverage for academic instructors to plan and execute lectures seamlessly at rapid productivity. Some platforms are executed using Google enhance applications, zoom meeting, Skype and YouTube. Despite increasing acceptance and utilization among academics in some universities, it is underutilized in others. Some universities have fully attained maturity in application of virtual learning, others have remained at bottom or takeoff stage. This study therefore aims to examine predictors of utilisationand knowledge among lecturers in the era of virtual learning in University of Benin and Igbinedion university. Rogers ‘diffusion of innovation model guided this paper. Survey design using quantitative method and cross sectional study was adopted. Two universities were selected using 310 sample size. Data were collected and analysed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics. Measuring knowledge on scale attributes a label for high, moderate and low was used. Attribute above 75% is high; score above 50% is moderate; and score below 50% is low. Attribute showed that less than half of the sample scored 75% on the scale of knowledge. Majority of the lecturers either lacked awareness of virtual platform in the university or management awareness of the platform has not translated to acceptance for core users. Lecturers in the three universities had knowledge of electronic application to solve basic needs for academic materials, but this did not transcend to high knowledge of virtual platform. Predictors for knowledge consisted of access to internet wifi, stable electricity, university policy, faculty curriculum and incentives. These factors predisposed intention to switch to virtual platform. There was high application of virtual platform in the study area. The paper recommends need for interface between university management and academics drawing upon knowledge gap, especially in the case study andsimilarinstitutions.