Design and Development of Academic Digital Archive AND Records

for the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Nigeria

A Solo Virtual Graphics Exhibition

Assessed by the School of Post Graduate Studies, the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Faculty of Arts, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Visual Art (Graphics) of the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria

By

Kehinde Hassan

Shobukonla

N.C.E. (Technical) Fine and Applied Arts, Akoka,

B.A. (Education) Fine and Applied Arts, Benin City Web Design & Animation, APTECH, Lagos

M.F.A. Advertising, Benin City

Copyright 2020

© Kehinde H. Shobukonla

ISBN: 978-978-798-416-1

Design and Development of Academic Digital Archive and Records for the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Nigeria

Supervisor

Professor John U. Ogene, fsna, fipmd, JP Head, Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria

Dean, Faculty of Arts

Professor Eddy Erhagbe

Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies

Professor Felix E. Okieimen, dscs

Vice Chancellor

Professor Lilian Imuetinyan Salami

Design by Kehinde Shobukonla k.shobukonla@uniben.edu

+234 8025300672

Printed by Ednounce Sk Ventures www.ednounce.com info@ednounce.com

+234 8136622424

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the permission in writing to the researcher or his supervisor.

Title page

Copyright page Vice-Chancellor

Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies

Dean, Faculty of Arts

Head, Department of Fine & Applied Arts

O R E W O R D

The Ph.D Visual Arts in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts started only recently in 2008/2009 after thirty-two years of existence of the Department. It began on an experimental note, Put has turned out most successfully well after several challenges in weathered storm. From its inception, the Department has been guided by the philosophy of Visual Arts productions and its epistemology. These are essential requirementsfortheawardofthePh.DDegreeinstudioArt.

In line with these objectives, the Uniben Studio Ph.D programme has been strictly designed toward the attainment of rigorous global academic standard. It is a dual process that demands studio exploitation, experimentation, observation and exploration to be documented in a carefully written thesis and a solo exhibition of its practicaloutcome.

In consonance with this established precedence, the candidate is obliged to present the outcome of the doctoral research in a solo exhibition which must be defended before a panel of internal and external examiners in accordance with extant regulations. Kehinde Shobukonla's Design and Development of Academic Digital Archive for Visual Arts and Records for the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin fulfills that requirement as an outcome of the thesis. The giant step has been taken by Shobukonla for showcasing the foremost Virtual Graphics Exhibition of the Department. This was done by experimenting on capabilities of emerging technologyasamediumofcontemporaryvisualcommunicationsdesignanddelivery.

T R O D U C T I O N

One of the major challenges faced by universities in most developing countries is the problem of an effective and efficient Records Management System especially in the face of increasing population of Nigeria students and the fact that most of our institutions of learning are still conventionally paper based. Unfortunately, when we consider the importance of effective records keeping as being fundamental to accountability, equity, transparency as well as key in planning and meeting the legislative and regulatory needs of the university including archival, audit and oversight activities, the question that immediately comes to mind is “How effective and efficient is Records management systems in the Nigeria University which prides itself as the focus of teaching, research and development”? To answer this question, Utulu (2001) and Egwunyenga (2009) for example aptly observed that improper security of records, inadequate computer terminals, ineffective means of retrieving records, lack of record keeping policy, inadequate resources as well as lack of record retention and disposition schedule are some of the problems hindering effective records management in Nigeria Universities. Faced with this problems, the result is not farfetched. However low productivity in administrative implementation, loss of vital information and difficulty in record retrieval indeed becomes inevitable. It was until 1960s that effort was first made by U.S. government archivists to preserve electronic records, but this initiative became acceptable to many toward the end of the 20th century, more so as the volume and variety of government-produced digital records expanded (Megan, 2012). According to UN, digital preservation is the active management and maintenance of digital objects (the files, or groups of files, that contain information in digital form) so they can be accessed and used by future users. The process involves planning, resource allocation, and application of preservation methods and technologies, and it combines policies, strategies and actions to ensure access to reformatted and born-digital content, regardless of the challenges of media failure and technological change. The goal of digital preservation is the accurate rendering of authenticated contentovertimetoensureitsauthenticity,accessibilityand usability Itthereforefollows thatfor our institution, the University of Benin to be rated amongst the 10 Leading Universities in Africa, and First in Nigeria, the role of ICT in Records management must be backed with appropriate policies. Today's exhibition titled “design and development of an academic digital archive and records” is only a pointer to the strategic efforts of the Post-graduate Students of University of Benin towards the implementation of a digitalization initiatives for faculties, departments and Units as well as the Nigeria E-GovernmentMasterPlan.Finally,forrecordsmanagementtosupportthedeliveryofdevelopment initiatives and to play a social role within a developing society, human resources must be involved in the process as they have an essential role in designing, implementing, and supporting the records management system and its clients. I therefore will like to appeal to the project supervisor, the Department and University to encourage students with innovative research and Development ideas such as this, so that the University of Benin can assume it's rightful place among the 100 Best UniversitiesintheWorld.

Cited References

Utulu, C.C. (2001). Quality of University Education in Nigeria: Problems and Solution. Journal of the Commonwealth Council forEducationalAdministrationandManagement.29:1.

Egwunyenga E.J (2009): Record Keeping in Universities: Associated Problems and Management Options in South West GeoPoliticalZoneofNigeria.IntJEduSci,1(2):109-113

Megan, P (2012). "Lessons Learned from NARA's Electronic Records Archives Project". Archiving 2012 Final Program and Proceedings:8–12.

Title of thesis:

Y N O P S I S

Design and Development of Academic Digital Archive and Records for the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Nigeria

Name of student: Kehinde Hassan SHOBUKONLA

Session of admission: 2015/2016

Matriculation number: PG/ART1512932

Faculty: Arts

Department: Fine and Applied Arts

Degree in view: Ph.D

Time basis: Full-Time

Abstract

The design and development of academic digital archive for visual arts and records research were prompted by the final year students' project reports that are undertaken at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Nigeria and records of students' academic performances. These documentations are usually submitted in hard copies and shelved at the Department's Library. These documentation and preservation system is traditional, prone to damages, loses, insecurity and some limitations in terms of access for reference purposes. Upgrading this approach has made it obligatory to consider digital alternatives that will provide safety and security, position the research works on a global platform and also provide an unlimited access to them through various digital devices online and offline. Functions of such digital archive and records are evident as they augment printed information resources, sourcing, accessibility, security, safety and preservation. Therefore, this study investigated the design and development of a dynamic electronic research repository peculiar to visual art research and academic records undertaken in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Benn City, Nigeria which is otherwise referred to as ADAVA and DASAR respectively

Among other emerging digital processes, it involved primarily collecting, sorting and converting the existing hard copies of research works at the Department's Library into digital versions while employing problem-solving research design of George Polya as a framework for the practical studio works. The completed ADAVA, ADAVA App and DASAR were integrated into the existing website of the Department to facilitate seamless functionality and accessibility to the research works via computers, smartphones and tablets both online and offline.

The study revealed that the research works of students of the Department are no longer susceptible to damages, loses and theft because the design and development of the ADAVA and DASAR have been launched. The main contribution of this study is that, henceforth, anyone from anywhere in the world and at any convenient time can access the rich and valuable creative works of graduates of the Department through ADAVA and ADAVA Application otherwise called ADAVA App.

Aim And Objectives

The aim of this study was to design and develop a digital version of the reported practical projects, dissertations and theses undertaken at the Departments of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Benin City which shall thereafter be termed Academic Digital Archive for Visual Arts (ADAVA) and create a Database for Student Academic Records (DASAR). Precisely, the objectives were to:

1. Adopt contemporary archiving technique for visual arts and academic records that will thereafter become a template for continuous electronic archiving for the Department.

2. Create a directory for alumni artists and art scholars as a platform to connect, collaborate and network with one another globally that will create avenues for funding, sponsorship, grants and scholarships.

3. Fast-track the preparation and co-ordination of student academic records in the Department ahead of Faculty and Senate meetings.

4. Promote academic research productions, provide unlimited access to information and mitigate research frustrations at the Department and among public users through various electronic devices offline and online.

METHODOLOGY Research Design

The research design that was adopted for this study was Problem-solving. According to Seward (2011), Problem-solving research design was pioneered by George Polya in 1945 as the process of working through details of a problem to reach a solution. He observes further that Problem-solving research design was developed primarily to solve mathematical problems but its principles have been found useful and applicable to solve psychological, social and artistic problems.

George Polya propounded four principles, steps, stages or strategies that are crucial in Problem-solving method of a research design, namely:

Step 1: Understand the problem.

Step 2: Devise a plan.

Step 3: Carry out the plan.

Step 4: Look back.

These afore-mentioned steps were the framework that initiated the ADAVA and DASAR. First, the problems identified by the researcher regarding the hard copies of students' projects stored in the Department's Library were obvious, because they are prone to damages, loss, unsecured, localised in one place, limited access in time, quantity and space. Secondly, an idea of converting the hard copies of students' projects into soft copies and that they should be made available online via various computer devices were suggested. Thirdly, the suggestions made in step two were implemented as the studio works for graphic design and programming to produce the ADAVA and DASAR. Fourthly, it was necessary to deploy and check the workability of ADAVA and DASAR in order to ascertain that they have solved the identified problems and in conformity with the aim and objectives of the study Polya mentions that much can be gained by taking the time to reflect and look back at what has been done, what worked and what did not. By so doing, it will help to predict what strategy to use to solve future problems.

University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria Ph.D Solo Virtual Graphics Exhibition

S Y N O P S I S

Sources of Data for the ADAVA and DASAR

Primary and secondary data were procured for this research. The primary data was the oral interrogation with the Department's Librarian and Examination Officer as well as obtaining permissions from the Head of Department to access the hard copy of student's projects at the Department's Library and student examinations and records repository available in hard copies.

Instrument for Data Collection

The Internet: Provided data and information relevant to the work under study were sourced majorly from the internet because of the nature of the study. The internet was also a required tool used to preview, test and validate functionality and compatibility of the ADAVA and DASAR throughout the design stages. The ADAVA and DASAR are internet-based concepts in order to function and to be accessed. They can also be configured and installed at the Department's Library to function on a local area network via intranet connectivity setup for library users.

Resource Persons: In the course of the research, some ICT professionals were engaged to translate the ADAVA and DASAR from static to dynamic status by Abraham Udele and Freedom Owologba respectively Advanced programming skills were employed to make the ADAVA and DASAR become functional and interactive to fulfill the stated objectives of the projects. The researcher, primarily, provided the information, graphics, interface designs and models that guided the programmers in their studio works to complete the ADAVA and DASAR. From the ground up, the application is structured to easily scale to any number of students, departments and faculties. It was also been designed and developed to work on both mobile phones and web browsers. Modern full stack technologies were used especially in the application programming and development process of the DASAR. These include:

Reactjs: This is a Javascript framework for the front-end - www.reactjs.org

Nodejs and Express: These were Javascript frameworks for back-end information processing - www.nodejs.org

HTML & CSS: These were used to achieve the front-end display, styling, mobile & web responsiveness of the project - www.w3schools.com

Heroku: For online deployment of the project where it is located as a demo for the purpose of preview, assessment and necessary approval - www.heroku.com

Procedure (Studio Production Process)

This aspect expounds and deals with the studio production process where the researcher was involved in the practical parts of the research. The studio production process was in the following steps:

Step 1: Collecting and Sorting of the Hard Copies

Collections of hardcopy of students' project reports from the Department of Fine and Applied Arts has a library spanning 2015 to 2017 academic sessions were selected as a case study from where a template was created for other sessions.

Step 2: Scanning of Hardcopies into the Computer

Step 3: Editing the Scanned Contents to PDF

The scanning option is PDF (Portable Document Format. The PDF is a universal file format that any computer can interpret for easy reading of documents online and offline. PDF has the capacity of retaining the original structure, style, font, font size and format of a document.

Step 4: Graphic Design, Web Design and Development

Here, all the edited and formatted contents obtained through scanning were used as raw materials for graphic design, web design and programming as appropriate in order to achieve the complete ADAVA and DASAR.

Findings

The findings from the study are as follow:

1. The ADAVA, ADAVA App and DASAR have provided avenues for contemporary archiving technique of visual art projects and academic records and become templates for continuous electronic archiving for the Department.

2. That a directory of alumni artists and art scholars has been established as a platform to connect, collaborate and network with one another to explore avenues for funding, sponsorship, grants and scholarships irrespective of location and time.

3. The DASAR, especially, will fast-track the preparation and processing of student academic records ahead of Faculty and Senate board meetings.

4. The ADAVA and ADAVA App will promote academic research productions, provide unlimited access to information through various electronic devices offline and online and mitigate research frustrations at the Department and among public users.

Contribution To Knowledge

The study has contributed to knowledge in the following ways:

1. That the ADAVA, ADAVA App and DASAR are novel initiatives in the field of visual art especially in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts.

2. The study has fulfilled the prediction of Ogene (1990: 93), that introduction of Computer Aided-Design (CAD) into Fine and Applied Arts curriculum, as a teaching tool to enhance and replace traditional attitudes and nuances in the creation, articulation and dissemination of art and para-art scenarios.

3. In addition, the ADAVA and DASAR have successfully upgraded the current archive of visual artworks and student academic records of the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Benin, Benin City from traditional to contemporary status.

4. The ADAVA and DASAR have revolutionised the roles of libraries, job profile of librarians and student's project reporting techniques in visual art and in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts.

5. Essentially, the ADAVA, ADAVA App and DASAR have become a reference points and templates for other Departments in the University of Benin, Benin City and beyond.

S Y N O P S I S

References

Ogene, J. (2005). Digital Art Practice: its Prospects and Problems of historiography in Nigeria Art Schools. Styles, Schools and Movements in Modern Nigeria Art. Proceedings of the 2nd National Symposium on Nigerian Art, September 2006, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

Seward, K. (2011). Introduction to Problem Solving. Available from https://www.wtamu.edu/academic/anns/mps/math/mathlab/beg_algebra/be g_alg_tut15_prob.htm Accessed 9th October, 2018.