DOI:

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has fundamentally transformed research, teaching, and knowledge

production globally, leading to the emergence of Digital Humanities (DH) as a dynamic interdisciplinary field.

Despite this global shift, the integration of DH within African Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions

yielded Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from 0.76 to 0.84, with an overall reliability index of 0.82,

indicating strong internal consistency. The findings revealed a moderate level of institutional readiness for DH

integration, accompanied by significant infrastructural, pedagogical, and policy-related constraints. Inferential

analysis shows that digital infrastructure is the strongest predictor of pedagogical viability (β = 0.41, p < 0.001),

followed by faculty competence (β = 0.35) and curriculum adaptability (β = 0.29). Qualitative insights further

highlight challenges related to funding, digital literacy gaps, and the absence of structured policy frameworks.

The study contributes to scholarship by proposing a context-sensitive, multidimensional model of DH integration

in ODL systems, and by extending the application of Connectivism, TPACK, and Diffusion of Innovation

theories within developing educational contexts. It also advances ongoing efforts to decolonize Digital

Humanities by foregrounding African institutional realities. The study concludes that while DH integration in

The advent of digital technologies has profoundly reshaped the landscape of knowledge production,

dissemination, and pedagogy across academic disciplines. Within the humanities, this transformation has

culminated in the emergence of Digital Humanities (DH), an interdisciplinary field that integrates computational

tools, data-driven methodologies, and digital platforms into traditional humanistic inquiry (Berry, 2012;

Schreibman, Siemens, & Unsworth, 2016). DH encompasses a wide range of practices, including corpus

linguistics, digital archiving, text mining, geospatial analysis, and multimodal scholarship, all of which expand

the scope, depth, and accessibility of humanities research and teaching.

Globally, universities have increasingly incorporated DH into their curricula to foster digital literacy,

interdisciplinary competence, and innovative research practices among students (Gold, 2012). These

developments are closely aligned with the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which emphasizes

relatively nascent stage of adoption. In Nigeria, despite growing awareness of digital transformation in

education, many universities continue to operate within traditional pedagogical frameworks that inadequately

reflect contemporary digital realities (Adebayo & Oladele, 2021).

This gap is especially pronounced in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions. ODL systems, by their

very nature, are technologically mediated, relying on Learning Management Systems (LMS), virtual classrooms,

and online repositories to deliver instruction. Institutions such as the National Open University of Nigeria

(NOUN) are therefore uniquely positioned to pioneer the integration of Digital Humanities. Their existing digital

infrastructure provides a foundational ecosystem that could potentially support DH practices, including online

collaboration, digital research, and data-driven inquiry.

Nevertheless, the transition from general digital education to structured DH programmes is neither automatic

challenges, including infrastructural deficits, limited digital literacy among faculty, funding constraints, and the

persistent digital divide among learners (Van Dijk, 2020). These challenges raise important questions about the

feasibility, sustainability, and effectiveness of DH integration in such contexts.

Beyond these practical concerns lies a broader epistemological issue. Much of the existing literature on Digital

Humanities is rooted in Western academic traditions, often overlooking the socio-economic and institutional

realities of developing regions. As a result, there is a growing call to decolonize Digital Humanities by

incorporating perspectives, methodologies, and experiences from underrepresented contexts. This involves not

only adapting DH tools to local conditions but also rethinking the assumptions underlying digital scholarship.

Against this backdrop, there is a compelling need for empirical research that critically examines the institutional

and pedagogical conditions necessary for DH integration in African ODL environments. Such research is

delivery rather than advanced computational research and pedagogy. This creates a paradox in which institutions

designed for digital learning are not fully leveraging the pedagogical and research potentials of digital

technologies. Additionally, there exists a significant gap in faculty competence regarding DH methodologies, as

many educators lack training in computational tools and interdisciplinary approaches.

Moreover, policy frameworks guiding DH integration are either weak or non-existent, resulting in fragmented

implementation efforts. The digital divide among students further exacerbates the situation, limiting equitable

access to DH-based learning environments. Consequently, without a systematic and empirically grounded

To investigate the institutional and pedagogical viability of integrating Digital Humanities programmes in

Nigerian Open and Distance Learning universities.

1. Examine institutional readiness for DH integration

2. What is the state of digital infrastructure?

3. How competent are academic staff in DH methodologies?

4. How adaptable are existing curricula?

5. What challenges and prospects exist?

This study is significant in several respects. It contributes to the limited body of empirical research on Digital

Humanities in African ODL contexts and provides insights for policymakers, educators, and curriculum

developers. Importantly, it advances global DH discourse by incorporating perspectives from underrepresented

regions, thereby supporting efforts toward the decolonization of digital scholarship.

and digital technologies into traditional humanities research and pedagogy (Berry, 2012). Rather than merely

digitizing existing materials, DH transforms the epistemological foundations of humanities scholarship by

enabling large-scale data analysis, multimodal representation, and collaborative knowledge production

(Schreibman et al., 2016).

Core practices within DH include corpus linguistics, text mining, digital archiving, data visualization, and

geospatial mapping. These tools allow scholars to move beyond close reading to “distant reading” approaches,

where patterns across large datasets can be identified and interpreted. In pedagogical contexts, DH fosters

However, the conceptualization of DH has been largely shaped by Western academic traditions, raising concerns

about its applicability in non-Western contexts. Critics argue that DH risks reproducing existing global

inequalities if it fails to account for disparities in technological access and institutional capacity. This has led to

growing calls for the decolonization of Digital Humanities, emphasizing the need for context-sensitive

approaches that reflect local realities and knowledge systems.

classrooms, and digital repositories to facilitate teaching and learning.

Despite its technological orientation, ODL in Nigeria has been primarily focused on content delivery rather than

interactive, research-oriented learning. This limitation becomes particularly significant when considering the

integration of Digital Humanities, which requires not only access to digital platforms but also the ability to

engage in data-driven, collaborative, and interdisciplinary inquiry.

Institutional readiness refers to the extent to which an organization possesses the necessary resources, structures,

and capacities to implement innovation (Aydin & Tasci, 2005). In the context of DH integration, institutional

readiness encompasses several dimensions:

i) Technological Infrastructure: availability of hardware, software, and internet connectivity

ii) critical thinking

However, the applicability of Connectivism is contingent upon the availability of functional digital

infrastructure. In developing contexts, where access to technology is uneven, the effectiveness of networked

learning may be significantly constrained.

ii) TPACK explains the pedagogical process

This study addresses these gaps by providing a comprehensive, empirically grounded analysis of institutional

readiness and pedagogical viability, while also contributing to the development of context-sensitive theoretical

and practical frameworks.

involved both measurable institutional variables (e.g., infrastructure, competence) and experiential dimensions

(e.g., perceptions, challenges, and institutional practices). The quantitative component enabled the systematic

measurement of key constructs through numerical data, while the qualitative component provided contextual

depth and interpretive insight into participants’ experiences and institutional realities.

This design aligned with Creswell and Plano Clark’s (2018) argument that mixed-methods research enhances

validity through triangulation, allowing findings from one method to corroborate and enrich those from another.

In this study, the design followed a convergent parallel approach, where quantitative and qualitative data were

collected concurrently, analysed separately, and then integrated during interpretation.

The study was conducted within selected Nigerian Open and Distance Learning (ODL) universities, with

These groups are selected because they collectively represent the core actors involved in DH integration,

including curriculum delivery, technological implementation, and learner engagement.

A multistage sampling technique was employed to ensure both relevance and representativeness.

i) Stage 1: Purposive Sampling

ODL institutions with established digital learning systems were selected to ensure that participants have

exposure to digital educational environments.

ii) Stage 2: Stratified Sampling

Participants are grouped into three strata (academic staff, students, ICT personnel) to ensure balanced

representation.

Participants within each stratum are randomly selected to minimize selection bias.

The study adopts a total sample size of 200 respondents, distributed as follows:

The questionnaire was designed using Likert-scale items (ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree)

and is divided into four major constructs:

i) Institutional Readiness

ii) Digital Infrastructure

iii) Faculty Competence

iv) Curriculum Adaptability

The instrument enables the quantification of perceptions and institutional conditions relevant to DH

integration.

Institutional documents, including curricula, policy frameworks, and digital infrastructure plans, were analysed