Engr. Kayode Odedina [JP] is a Scientist, an Engineer, an ICT Practitioner, an Educationist, an Administrator and a Quality Assurance Practitioner.

Engr. Kayode Odedina started his higher education journey at Ogun State Polytechnic, Abeokuta where he obtained ND in Electrical/Electronic Engineering with Distinction in 1982. He proceeded to Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro after 1 year of work experience at Ogun State Television Corporation, Abeokuta where he obtained HND in Electrical Engineering (Electronics Option) with Upper Credit in 1985. Engr. Odedina obtained his M. Eng. in Electrical & Electronic Engineering (with specialisation in Telecommunication Systems Engineering) of Anambra State University of Technology, Enugu in 1991. He also possesses an MBA in Technology Policy and Management of Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye. Engr. Odedina holds a B.Sc. Degree in Information Technology of the National Open University of Nigeria as well as a Diploma in Management of Higher Education Institutes at the Galilee International Management Institute, Israel.

Engr. Kayode Odedina joined the services of the National Universities Commission in April 2002 as an Assistant Chief Hardware Engineer, rose steadily to the position of Deputy Director in 2010, acted as the Director, ICT in 2013/2014, redeployed to the Department of Open and Distance Education in 2014 as the Deputy Director, e-Learning

Engr. Odedina has attended various professional and management training programmes both within and outside Nigeria. He is duly registered with both the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) and Computer Professional (Registration Council) of Nigeria (CPN).

Engr. Kayode Odedina has won academic, professional and social laurels in the past that included the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s Professional Fellowship Award on e-education followed at the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation, UK.

In pursuance of the vision and mission of the Department of Open and Distance Education, the major functions of the Department shall be to:

• Promote and coordinate the orderly mainstreaming of the open and distance learning mode of delivering university education in Nigeria;
• Set and regulate the standard of open and distance learning practice in the Nigerian university system (NUS) in line with the provisions of the “Guidelines for Open and Distance Learning in Nigerian Universities”
• Advice the Federal Government of Nigeria on the desirability and conditions for the establishment of degree-awarding ODL institutions and academic programmes in Nigeria;
• Facilitate and strengthen the development of institutional and professional capacity for sustainable deployment of the ODL mode in the NUS;
• Collaborate with appropriate Departments in the Commission to  ensure the delivery of quality university education by the (ODL) mode
• Liaise and collaborate with appropriate institutions in the public and private sectors within and outside Nigeria to ensure that the standard of ODL programmes and practice in the NUS are consistence with global best practice; and
• Engage in any other activities that will facilitate the optimization of the ODL mode in enhancing access to quality university education in Nigeria.

• The Department of ODE is also charged with responsibility for dealing with all issues pertinent to the cross-border provision of university education in Nigeria. In this regard, the Department shall:
• Advice the Federal Government on the desirability and conditions for the cross-border provision of university education in Nigeria within the framework of the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) of which Nigeria s a signatory;
• Establish and review from time to time, the regulatory framework to assure quality in the provision of cross-border university education in Nigeria, as enunciated in the NUC “Guidelines for Cross-Border provision of University Education in Nigeria”
• Facilitate and strengthen the development of institutional and professional capacity in the NUS for sustainable optimization of cross-border educational opportunities by Nigerian universities and other stakeholders;
• Liaise and collaborate with appropriate quality assurance agencies in exporting countries to ensure parity of standard, reciprocity and mutual recognition of qualification between Nigeria and home countries of foreign educational providers;
• Liaise and collaborate with the quality assurance agencies of other countries to develop a database of recognized universities and their accredited qualifications to obviate the threat posed by degree and accreditation mills;
• Forge and sustain partnerships and collaborations with appropriate institutions in the public and private sectors within and outside Nigeria, to enable Nigeria derive maximum benefit from the cross-border provision of quality university education as an additional means of enhancing access;
• Forge and sustain partnerships and collaborations with appropriate institutions in the public and private sectors within and outside Nigeria, to Promote the internationalization of university education;
• Be a focal point on behalf of the Commission for engendering the achievement of harmonization, mutual recognition of degrees, diplomas and other qualifications among countries on the African continent, towards a viable African credit transfer system to facilitate student and staff mobility across borders on the continent; and
• Undertake any other activities that will facilitate the optimization of cross-border educational opportunities in fulfilling the objectives of enhancing access to quality university education in Nigeria.
• The third broad mandate of the Department is the promotion and regulation of E-learning in the NUS. In this regards the department shall:
• Promote, popularize and coordinate, the deployment of E-learning tools in the delivery of university education in Nigeria;
• Set and regulate the standard of E-learning practice in the Nigerian university system (NUS);
• Facilitate and strengthen the development of institutional and professional capacity in the NUS for sustainable optimization and deployment of E-teaching opportunities in Nigerian universities;

Forge and sustain partnerships and collaborations with appropriate institutions in the public and private sectors within and outside Nigeria, to enable Nigeria derive maximum benefit from E-learning in the provision of quality university education in the NUS

Division is headed by Mrs. Hadiza Ramallan (Deputy Director)

Units

1. Open Universities Unit
2. Dual Mode Universities Unit

Division is headed by Mrs. Funke Sule Ag. (Deputy Director)

Units

1. Cross Border Collaboration Unit
2. Transnational Qualification, Evaluation & Recognition Unit

Division is headed by Engr. Afolabi Ogunnusi (Ag)

Units

1. Content Development Unit
2. Learning Infrastructure Unit

GUIDELINES FOR OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES