Students' Perception of The Usability of Federal University of Minna e.portal As a Communication Platform

Abstract

The research was a study on student’s perception of the usability of Federal University of Technology Minna e-portal as a communication platform. The objectives were to find out the frequency of use of FUT Minna e.portal among students, ascertain if the. portal is user friendly, determine the level of students satisfaction with the use of the portal and to find out the key problems affecting the usability of the portal . Survey method was adopted while questionnaire was the research instrument. The population of the study was 19607 students. Krejcie and Morgan sample size determination was used to arrive at a sample size of 377. Data was analyzed using frequency table and percentages. Findings revealed that over 50% of students find the e-portal not user friendly. Students access the portal mainly for registrations, checking of results and payments of school fees. More so, students rarely access the portal for academic purposes . Further findings revealed that it takes more time carrying out a single task on the portal thereby consuming much data. Frequent change of password and difficult processes involved in retrieving same,. Thereby giving rise to students worry on their security and privacy. The study therefore recommends that the universitys’ Information and Technology Service (ITS) should provide more reliable and stable student password, redesign the interface to be more usable and support services for students amongst others.