TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Training Philosophy/Goal     

2. Curriculum Development 

3. Teaching and Learning Materials  

4. Educational Pedagogical  

5. Educational Leadership 

6. Evaluations 

7. Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DEI)                                                                    

3. Teaching and Learning Materials 

Lecture notes and other materials (literature, publications, etc.) in form of hand-outs, textbooks, compendia, laboratory work manuals, etc. are made available to students at all levels. When preparing and using the lecture materials, students’ background (e.g., level of previous knowledge), infrastructural availability, time availability (i.e., contact hours), relevant laboratories assignments, etc. are part of my pedagogical considerations. All these are aimed at making lectures instructive and informative. 

Courses are divided into modules for easy delivery and understanding at the degree level. Based on the course units and allocated lecture hours, each module consists of: Senate-Approved Relevance, Course Overview, Objectives and Learning outcomes. These are geared towards making sure that the targeted students derive maximum leaning in each course. Goals are set for lecture delivery and laboratory/assignments, lecture contact hours, and timeline for laboratory/assignments including submission deadlines.     

Over the years, all my courses have been ICT compliant: (1) e-class- lectures are delivered using projects and slide presentations, and (2) online - various platforms are used e.g. (a) Learning Management System (LMS), used for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, automation, and delivery of courses, training programs; and (b) Zoom meetings and others. Also, students are advised to join different webinars that are relevant and will add value to their knowledge. 

With ICT, students’ learning has improved and materials are made available. Also, students now have access to more materials from the internet. 

4. Educational Pedagogical

Pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching. At the planning stage for lectures (from course design to content delivery), I always consider the pedagogy that will enhance passing relevant information to students in order to gain their traction in the course. This is aimed at enabling students to have high academic attainment that will improve their self-assurance and self-respect. Focusing on retention and learning outcomes, the adopted pedagogy will act as a motivator for students to participate in different activities that will enhance developing philosophies, approaches, and techniques that boost achieving the goal of the course. As students’ learning rates and methods differ, from experience, I engage students by identifying their preferred method(s) of learning. Understanding students’ experiences through the feedback mechanism, it’s very crucial to adopt a pedagogical that will integrate these four learning profiles: auditory, tactile, visual, and reading and writing. The final preferred pedagogy to adopt will follow these foundational approaches: constructivism, inquiry-based, socratic, integrative, problem-based, and reflective. Course materials, interactive models, multimedia lectures, supplemental resources, forums, and chats are basic tools and course materials that augment my adopted pedagogical approaches.

I have been involved in both formal and informal studies by attending training programs, conferences, workshops, and seminars. To contribute to my professional development and for wide circulation, I have published my works (researches) in recognized academic journals and conference proceedings. Also, I have attended several online professional webinars for professional self-development on Geospatial Technology, Spatial Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Data Analysis using Excel, etc. 

5.  Leadership & Administration

Serving at different levels (program, unit, department, school, university, etc.) and as Acting Department Head (Aug. 2009 – July, 2010), (Aug. 2015 – July, 2016) and Substantive Department Head (Aug. 2020 – July, 2023), I have been involved in the development of different curricula, development of (academic) course allocation schemes, thesis coordination and thesis topic formulations, course advisership, examination time-table development and students result computations. I have led in preparing my department for program accreditation by the National Universities Commission (NUC). I delight in attending to students’ and staff's complaints and needs in order to sustain smooth academic and administrative flow, growth and sustainability.

I have been involved in staff exchange programs between public and private universities. I have served both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels as an Internal and External Examiner to at least six (6) universities to ensure quality. I have actively participated in local and foreign workshops and conferences, such as, “The 2nd Workshop on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for Africa at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste, Italy, April 2010”; and “The First IEEE International Smart Cities Conference at Guadalajara, Mexico between 25-28 October 2015” in which out of the 480 attendees, I was the only black participant at that global conference. I am a member of IEEE (Smart Cities) and IEEE (Intelligent Transport System ITS). Also, as an educational leader, I have contributed immensely to papers’ peer reviews, conference committee membership and as a journal editor. These include: 

• Chairman, Faculty of Engineering Conference Committee

• Sectional Editor, Journal of Engineering, University of Lagos

• Peer Reviewer- SCIENCEDOMAIN International (Journal of geography, Environment and Earth Science International)

• Peer Reviewer- ScholarOne (Transactions in GIS- TGIS, Geo-spatial Information Science) 

• Peer Reviewer- International Research Journals (Business and Management Research Journal)

• Peer Reviewer- Unilag Journal of Medicine, Science and Technology (UJMST)

• Member, Editorial Board- Journal of Institute of Security Nigeria (ISN)

All these are to foster relationship between my research, my department/university and the outside world.  

I have been involved in a lot of administrative and educational assignments, such as:

Administrative Responsibilities:  

• • • Substantive, Department Head (Aug. 2020 – July, 2023)

    • Acting Department Head (Aug. 2009 – July, 2010), (Aug. 2015 – July, 2016)

    • University Senate Member (2009 – 2010; 2019 – Date)

    • Postgraduate Program Coordinator (2008-2009)

    • Program Course Adviser (1999 – 2017) 

     University/Faculty/Departmental Committees e.g.

o   Faculty Conference Committee

o   Faculty Journal/Publications Committee

o   Faculty Beautification Committee

o   Departmental Postgraduate Coordinator

o   Departmental Undergraduate Coordinator

o   Departmental Examination Officer

o   Departmental SIWES Coordinator

o Chairman, Departmental Thesis Standardization Committee

o  Departmental Accreditation Committee

o  Departmental Librarian

o Chairman, Committee on the Development of curriculum  for Geomatics Engineering Program

o Chairman, Departmental Strategic Planning Committee (2012)

o Chairman, Departmental Curriculum Review Committee (2010 – 2022)

o Chairman, Departmental NUC Panel of Accreditation (2012 – 2015)

• • • Member, University Board of Survey  (2012 – 2015)

    • Member, University Academic Misconduct Panel for Faculty of Business Administration  (2011)

    • Member, University of Lagos Master Plan Review Committee (2016)

    • Member, Business Committee of Senate (BCOS) (2019 - 2023)

    • Member, University Transport and Traffic Committee  (2023)

    • Chairman, University Academic Misconduct Panel for Faculty of Environmental Studies  (2023)

Others outside University of Lagos:

• • • University Senate Member, Federal University of Technology, Akure   (Jan. 2018 – June 2019)

    • Departmental Representative, Postgraduate School Committee (Jan. 2008 – June 2009)    

    • Member, Curriculum Review Committee, Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Bells University of Technology, Ota     (May 2013 – May 2014)

    • Information Technology & Cyber Security Unit Committee, Federal University of Technology, Akure (June. 2018 – June 2019)

    • Member, Curriculum Review Committee, Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Bells University of Technology, Ota  (May 2013 – May 2014)

Contribution towards development of teaching and learning policies include:

• Member, Nigerian Institute of Navigation (NION) Policy Draft Committee (Department of Physics, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos  (2013)

• Member, Curriculum Review Committee, Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, Bells University of Technology, Ota  (May 2013 – May 2014)

• Member, Curriculum Review Committee, Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, University of Lagos, Lagos     (2000 – 2023)

• Chairman, Geomatics Engineering Program Curriculum Development and Review Committee (a New Program in Nigerian Universities), under the Department of Surveying and Geoinformatics, University of Lagos  (May 2009 – Date)

As part of research contributions, I got a Continuous Operating Reference Station (CORS) donated by The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hosting site for the Multi-GNSS Monitoring Network for the Department of Surveying & Geoinformatics, University of Lagos. This has enhanced several learning and researches in the Department.

Over the years, as a senior colleague and a three-time Department Head, I have organized in-house training programs to update staff and students’ knowledge by inviting industrial experts, and also encourage many junior colleagues in their Ph.D. thesis. I have approved staff under my headship to go on training programs to acquire degrees, including Ph.D., and to update their knowledge in other areas of their specializations. I have also recommended both online and physical conferences and webinar attendance for advancement. I have written several papers published at both local and international conferences and journals with my students, junior and senior colleagues within my department and outside my departments. Even the junior staff, who were not my Ph.D. supervisees, have benefitted immensely from my contributions to their research to fast-track the completion of their Ph.D. programs. As a Departmental Head, many of my junior colleagues received promotions based on my recommendations. Till today, several present and past students have received recommendation letters from me to further their studies locally and internationally and for employment and scholarships. Many junior staff, graduate teachers, peers, and colleagues have benefited from me in terms of assisting to develop their teaching pedagogy competence.

As a Departmental Head, our students have won cups and medals in sports’ competitions such as football at faculty and university levels. For inclusivity, our University and Department have memoranda of understanding with some foreign universities and organizations where students with diverse ethnic backgrounds are admitted and complete their programs in our Department. 

6.  Evaluations 

Feedbacks, in the form of assessments, students’ results, peer-review from colleagues, and verbal comments from students have assisted in improving my pedagogy methods of teaching to improve students learning and knowledge retention over the years. Usually, tests, final exams, marking schemes, model answers, homework and assignments are necessary tools to assess each student in my courses. On-the-spot field assessments of laboratories and assignments are sometimes carried out to determine their understanding and level of participation. Laboratories are graded to access the synergy between their classroom knowledge and level of field/practical understanding. Sometimes for postgraduate laboratories and assignments, students are asked to present their results in the form of seminars for a collaborative assessment by myself and my other academic colleagues, and for cross-fertilization of ideas between different research groups. Frequent group presentations are to ensure monitoring students’ progress and guide them against derailment. Thesis by my students have been very outstanding and commendable, and have led to the development of several applications that are solving societal challenges. Also, as Department Head, departmental and faculty seminars are carried out before any Ph.D. candidate is presented to the Postgraduate School for Title Defense and Final Viva presentations (i.e., doctoral dissertation). To validate students’ thesis and assignments’ credibility, “Turnitin” software is used to guide plagiarism.

6.1  Postgraduate Examination

I have supervised and also been involved in the examination of doctoral dissertations. Candidates are scrutinized thoroughly to confirm candidates understanding the philosophy behind their research, the implementation strategies, and their integrity. I always discussed the scalability of each thesis to solve societal challenges. Some of my involvements in doctoral dissertation examinations include: 

• Postgraduate Internal Examiner, University of Lagos (2010)

• Postgraduate External Examiner, Dept. of Surveying &  Geoinformatics, Federal University of Technology, Minna (2009 & 2010, 2020 - Date)

• Postgraduate & Undergraduate External Examiner, Dept. of Surveying & Geoinformatics, Federal University of Technology, Yola (2009 – 2024)

• Appointed as External Examiner for Professorial Appointment, Nnamdi Azikiwe University,  Awka (2020)

• Appointed as External Examiner for Professorial Appointment, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi (2023)

• Appointment by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as a Member of the Nigerian Universities Accreditation Panels (2018 - Date) 

6.2  Industrial Training

For more than 23 years, I have been involved in the supervision and coordination of students on Undergraduates’ Industrial Training (Students’ Industrial Works Experience Scheme- SIWES). Feedbacks from industrial supervisors have helped in improving my teaching pedagogy (methods and practice). Students are scored, i.e., rated during SIWES defense, to determine their performance.   

7.  Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity (DEI)

As a result of the fact that I schooled under different environments, rural, urban, socioeconomic and religion, I have a foreknowledge of what the underprivileged students go through. I am fully aware of the challenges that confront students from the deprived areas in an academic environment. As a former student, junior academic staff and now a professor, department head and chair of different committees, I take the responsibility for making the academic environment an equitable place where everyone has equal right, access and opportunity to connect their greatest passions for learning with their fullest potential to achieve greatness.  

For over 25 years, I have been involved in a lot of academic and administrative responsibilities which have exposed me to people of diverse origins and cultures. I have taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, different courses at federal and private universities, where I have good interaction with people from different backgrounds, religion, gender, age, ethnicity, culture, academic capabilities, national origin, ideology or financial capabilities. Through my interactions, I have created a better lecturer-student and staff cordial relationships. Moreover, I made myself available and approachable, at any time, for students to meet me on challenges encountered in their studies. This also has assisted in identifying the right pedagogical approach to adopt in teaching and learning.

As a three-time Department Head, I always ensure that every student and staff, irrespective of their background, has the opportunity to learn and reach their full potential with self-esteem by creating a level playing field for every student and staff, where every individual is given equal opportunity to attain  better learning, maximize their capacities and unleash high performance. My goal is always to stimulate and develop the builders of tomorrow. Therefore, to achieve inclusivity and equitability on a global scale, each student and staff is encouraged to develop their skills which will help them fulfill their potentials anywhere they go.

To drive the change for this inclusivity that is expected in our institutions, it is my belief that there is need to start from the classroom and create an atmosphere for self-awareness and a genuine desire for self-improvement. I always create an inclusive environment that encourages continuous learning, engagement, and innovation. The conducive atmosphere is provided for students to relate and interact with me and with themselves. I give room for both scheduled and unscheduled meetings to assist students in having an in-depth knowledge of fundamental principles, concepts, theories, and practicality of the courses. Furthermore, disinterested and lethargic students are identified and encouraged. I employ various tactics to measure real-time assimilation e.g. group assignments, asking them questions during lectures, students asking questions on areas that need clarity, interactive group discussions, class demonstrations and open presentations/seminars are often organized to promote better exchange of knowledge and improved learning. I do encourage students to be actively interested in acquiring more than theoretical knowledge by participating enthusiastically in assignments, laboratories, and thesis that solve societal problems in order to become proficient in their field of endeavor. I sometimes visit them, impromptu, when they are on the field carrying out such assignments, laboratories, and thesis to guide them and ensure their proficiency.

The world is a global village where university products (i.e. graduate students) must reflect global diversity. I believe that there is need to close the gap by removing prejudice and barriers for better education that one can be proud of globally. By leveraging on the rich diversity of the students and the university community, I guarantee a culture of inclusion where everyone is engaged in productive study and meaningful research using their talents. To drive academic success and societal change, under my headship, I created an atmosphere of collaboration, support and inclusive environment for staff and students to exhibit their prowess. I created different research groups for research, research products’ commercialization and funding. I do source for tools, such as software and hardware, which will enhance academic advancement from different donors.

From my experience, I know that students from diverse backgrounds have the influence and the appropriate voice that can assist in creating the right pedagogy that makes learning faster. Systemic discrimination among diverse groups based on language, color, influence, religion, finance, etc. must be identified and removed to give room for a learning environment where every student and staff feel appreciated, valued, heard, and supported. This will encourage upskill the knowledge of the under-represented regions.  Consequently, I often adopt a “student-first” approach, placing students’ well-being at the forefront of learning. I prioritize empathy and understanding, i.e. seeing myself as the student. Also, paying attention to students’ and staff needs in form of caring, showing respect and responsibility have always being my watchword. For the underprivileged and minority poor students, I assist them in seeking for scholarships opportunities. I visit students who are on interns in the industry to monitor their performance. I created price awards for best performing students irrespective of their backgrounds.

I have carried out various researches and supervised various thesis both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels including PhDs, even from foreign country. Therefore, I have leveraged on the potentials of the integration of diversity and inclusion to give room for collective efforts of students from different backgrounds. In addition to my research topics, a human-centered approach is adopted for students to come up with innovative ideas that are tailored towards solving societal and global problems. My students both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels are encouraged and guided to engage in productive research/thesis that can be escalated in solving national challenges.  I have research collaborations with staff and students across the University and from other universities which had led to publishing excellent papers. I foster regular collaboration on field trip activities between our Department and departments from other universities. Aside academics, on sports, as Department Head, students are encouraged to develop their talents. Our students have won cups and medals in different sports’ competitions such as football at faculty and university levels.    

Just as the saying goes, “No man is an Island”, and “a Tree does not make a Forest”. I have engaged my students in knowledge sharing, teamwork and joint or collaborative association. Students are encouraged to team up and work together to enrich their learning. This approach has assisted in solving a lot of personal shortcomings and challenges. Each student's individuality is paramount, but when combined, better result is attained. I encouraged them to see themselves as friends, peers, colleagues, and as “goal-getter team” rather than competitors. As a role model, I encourage students to expound their knowledge horizon by auditing some courses outside their program, i.e. to take some courses without examination from other related departments, in order to have a wider knowledge and gain competitive advantage/opportunities when sourcing for scholarships, awards, internships and future jobs or career. Through self-awareness, self-discovery, hard work, and self-development [going outside the box i.e., gaining additional knowledge from related department(s)], my students always have scholarly confidence to go for higher degrees or become sound professionals.

Through collaboration and as Department Head thrice, our Department and University of Lagos have Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with some local and foreign universities where students with diverse ethnic backgrounds are admitted and completed their programs in our Department. Similarly, as an expert in Surveying & Geoinformatics, I have been assistant team leader under the auspices of University of Lagos Consulting Outfit (Unilag Consult) to bid for several community projects, won and successfully executed and delivered the projects. By extension, Unilag Consult also had MoU with some private organizations to bid and execute different projects across the country, in which I was a key stakeholder.

In conclusion, over the years I have embraced diversity, equity and inclusivity. These have assisted in driving change beyond the confines of the departments and universities that I have worked but to the outside world.  For every student to be involved and ensure equality, I have cultivated a mindset of mission inclusion that prioritizes growth by encouraging students to listen and learn, no matter where he/she comes from. I wish to continue the good works I have done in other universities and embracing people of different ethnic, socioeconomic, nationals, gender groups, etc. to foster growth and development.