Institutional Governance of Educational Technology and Academic Quality: A Multi-University Comparative Study in Nigeria’s South West

This study examines the relationship between institutional governance structures for educational technology and academic quality outcomes in universities in South West Nigeria, employing a multi-university comparative case study design. As Nigerian universities invest increasingly in digital learning infrastructure, questions about how governance arrangements mediate the translation of technology investment into academic quality improvement have become urgent yet insufficiently studied. A multiple case study design was employed across five purposively selected universities in South West Nigeria varying in institutional type, age, and scale: University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Pan-Atlantic University Lagos, Lead City University Ibadan, and Babcock University Ilishan-Remo. Data were collected through documentary analysis, 50 key informant interviews with university leadership, technology directors, and faculty, and academic quality indicator analysis over two years. Cross-case analysis using Miles and Huberman's framework identified governance patterns. Findings reveal that universities with centralised educational technology governance committees with cross-faculty representation demonstrate stronger quality outcomes than those relying on decentralised or IT department-led governance. Faculty inclusion in technology strategy decisions is a critical governance quality predictor. The study proposes an original Educational Technology Governance Quality Index as a measurement tool for Nigerian universities and contributes to institutional governance theory in higher education technology contexts. Keywords: educational technology governance, academic quality, university governance, South West Nigeria, comparative case study