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ROLES OF INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN RIVERS STATE

The study examined the perceived roles of institutional partnership in the development of open and distance learning in higher education in Rivers State. To achieve the purpose of this study, the researcher formulated three (3) objectives, three (3) research questions and three (3) hypotheses. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. The population of the study consists of 780 academic staff of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education and 420 academic staff of National Open University, Rivers State with a total population of 1,200 persons. 480 respondents were drawn from the population of 1,200 using simple random sampling technique representing 40% and studied as the sample. The instrument used for the study is a questionnaire titled; Perceived Roles of Institutional Partnership in the Development of Open and Distance Learning Questionnaire. The reliability of the instrument was achieve using test-re-test method and Pearsons Product Moment correlation statistic was used to obtain a reliability co-efficient of 0.86. The data gathered from the research questions were analyzed using mean and standard deviation while the null hypotheses were tested using z-test statistical tool at 0.05 level of significance. Based on the data analyzed, the findings of the study revealed that institutional collaboration to a large extent will help in the development of open and distance learning in higher education in Rivers State. It was also found out that institutional networking and e-learning programmes willhelp in the development of open and distance learning in higher education It was therefore recommended that universities should introduce institutional collaboration that will allow other institutions to cooperate in one way or the other to enhance development of open and distance learning in Rivers State and that Government should invest more in university education to enable universities have the funds to float institutional networking and e-learning programmes that will promote open and distance learning, among others.