Vol. 11(7), pp. 240 --248 November, 2023. 

ISSN: 2360-7858

https://doi.org/10.14662/ijalis2023240

 

Full Length Research

 

Abstract

Designing websites to have a professional look in HEIs is of great concern but its usage is of a greater concern among students. Therefore, if vital links and pages are non-responsive, frustrating and misleading, then its purpose is defeated and inconsequential. This study therefore, aimed to examine the usage and usability of websites in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). It adopts descriptive research design to describe the issues surrounding usage and usability of websites in HEIs. The population of the study is 49,008 and the sample size is 593. The proportionate sampling technique and accidental sampling technique were adopted for this study. The instrument used was the questionnaire and user testing method. The instruments were tested using Person’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, it employed the split-half technique and the Spearman Prophesy Brown Formula was used to step-up the test which yielded an index of 0.93. The test was conducted in the ICT centres of the HEIs studied. The instrument was analyzed using frequency counts, mean and standard deviation (SD). Out of 593 copies of questionnaires administered, 474 were successfully retrieved to produce a response rate of 80%. The result of the analysis revealed that the respondents made little or no use of the HEIs websites due to misleading links which could be apportioned to the IT professionals in charge of website design. It was also further discovered that some of the websites were not adequately populated with vital and relevant information to get the comprehend grip of what the institutions offers. The study therefore, recommends that IT professionals should trained in compliance with the modern techniques usability conditions by way of attending and organizing seminars/workshops and conferences within and outside African continents.

 

Keywords: Websites, Higher Education Institutions, Usability, Usage and Technology.

 

	Cite This Article As: Azonobi, I. (2023). Usage and usability of websites in Higher Education Institutions: An empirical study. Inter. J. Acad. Lib. Info. Sci. 11(7): 240-248