Project Abstract

ABSTRACT Management Information Systems (MIS) play a crucial role in decision-making processes within higher education institutions such as universities. In the context of South-East Nigeria universities, there is a need to develop a specific MIS model tailored to the unique challenges and requirements of these institutions. This study aims to conduct a Delphi study to gather expert opinions and insights to design an effective MIS model for decision-making in South-East Nigeria universities. The Delphi technique is a structured method for collecting and distilling knowledge from a group of experts through a series of questionnaires and feedback rounds. In this study, a panel of experts consisting of academics, administrators, and IT professionals from South-East Nigeria universities will be invited to participate in the Delphi study. The experts will provide their input on the key components, functionalities, and design principles that should be incorporated into the MIS model for effective decision-making. The Delphi study will be conducted in multiple rounds to allow for iterative feedback and consensus building among the panel of experts. Through a systematic analysis of the responses, the study aims to identify common themes, trends, and priorities that emerge from the expert opinions. These insights will be used to refine and finalize the design of the MIS model for decision-making in South-East Nigeria universities. The proposed MIS model will address specific decision-making needs in areas such as academic planning, resource allocation, student management, and institutional performance evaluation. By leveraging technology and data-driven insights, the MIS model aims to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and effectiveness of decision-making processes within South-East Nigeria universities. The findings of this Delphi study are expected to contribute valuable knowledge to the field of higher education management and information systems. The tailored MIS model developed for South-East Nigeria universities can serve as a practical guide for institutions seeking to improve their decision-making processes through the strategic use of information technology. Overall, this research aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by offering a customized MIS solution that aligns with the specific needs and context of universities in South-East Nigeria.

Project Overview

The purpose of the study was to model Management Information Systems (MIS) for decision-making by administrators of Universities in South-East, Nigeria. Seven research questions and seven hypotheses guided the study. The design of the study was survey research. The specific design was panel study and the Delphi technique was used to elicit responses from the administrators and the MIS experts in a two- round survey. The instrument for data collection was questionnaire. Eighty-one items reflecting the components of the MIS Model such as MIS objectives, data collection procedures, data processing and analysis methods, data publication method, data dissemination methods, decision making areas and feedback mechanisms were generated and included in the questionnaire. Three experts from University of Nigeria, Nsukka validated the instrument. The final draft of the instrument had a 4-point scale of Very Appropriate, Appropriate, Inappropriate, and Very Inappropriate. The instrument was pre-tested on 17 respondents from a public university in Kogi State, Nigeria. Internal consistency reliability estimate of the instrument was 0.98 using   Cronbach Alpha technique. The experts’ panel was made up of 30 experts consisting of 10 directors of Management Information Systems/Information Communication Technology, 10 academic staff and 10 administrative staff purposively selected from the 10 prublic universities in South-East Nigeria. During the round one survey, the 81-item questionnaire was administrated to the respondent. Sixty –nine items reached the panelists consensus while 12 items could not reach the consensus based on a mean cut-off point of 3.00 and standard deviation of less than 1.00. In the round two survey, the 69 items were re-administered to the respondents while the 12 items were discarded. Sixty-eight items that reached the panelist consensus in the round two survey were retained for data analysis while the one item on which consensus was not reached was discarded. The mean score was used to answer all the research questions. t-test was used to test the hypotheses. The following were the major results of the study. Twelve MIS objectives were accepted as appropriate for the MIS Model, seven data collection procedures, 10 data processing and analysis methods, seven data publication methods, nine data dissemination methods, 14 decision –making areas and nine feedback mechanisms were identified and included in the MIS Model for decision- making. There were no significant differences between the mean responses of administrators and MIS experts regarding the MIS objectives, data collection procedures, data processing and analysis methods, data dissemination methods, decision- making areas and feedback mechanisms aspects of the model. There were significant differences between the mean responses of administrators and MIS experts regarding data publication methods of the MIS Model. Based on the findings of the study, one major educational implication was that the MIS has a high potential for making relevant information available. It was recommended that universities in South-East, Nigeria should adopt the MIS model to provide relevant information for effective and efficient management of the institutions.