Assessing the pre-conditions for the pedagogical use of digital tools in the Nigerian higher education sector

Currently, there is a burgeoning interest in digitalization as evidenced in extant literature. Nevertheless, the effect, based on teachers' own perspectives, of the pedagogical use of digital technologies on learning outcomes in the higher education sector has been under-investigated. Thus, this paper aims to investigate the pre-conditions for the effective adoption of social media tools in the Nigerian higher education sector and to assess the impact of the adoption on specific learning outcomes. A multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodology was proposed for study analysis, aided by views of experts with sufficient teaching experience in Nigerian business school programs. The results indicate that adequate budgetary allocations, technical competence, a sufficient level of privacy, and an effective government regulatory framework are the most important of the investigated pre-conditions. Additionally, the pedagogical use of social media in business school programs is more strongly associated with learning outcomes such as professionalism and strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, and social maturity. Hence, the article offers guidance to decision-makers in the higher education sector on how to actualize the successful adoption of social media for pedagogical use and build effective business strategies at various levels of the digitalization process.