Extent Of Utilization Of Ict Among Adult Education Postgraduate Students In The Universities In Enugu And Anambra State Of Nigeria
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Extent Of Utilization Of Ict Among Adult Education Postgraduate Students In The Universities In Enugu And Anambra State Of Nigeria
ABSTRACT
This study looked on the use of ICT facilities among Adult Education Postgraduate students at universities in Enugu and Anambra States. University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; and Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu. Four research questions were posed to help guide the investigation.
This study used a survey design technique. The study’s population consisted of 367 Adult Education Postgraduate students from three schools, which was manageable in size. Data were acquired by administering questionnaires to respondents, and all copies of the surveys were returned and analysed using mean scores.
The findings found that Adult Education Postgraduate students in the three universities of the two states, Enugu and Anambra, use ICT facilities such as computers, printers, photocopiers, scanners, handsets, internets, flash discs and diskettes, and CD-ROMS to varying degrees.
They rarely use facsimile, PowerPoint, projectors, cameras, videoconferencing, or teleconferencing. Postgraduate students use ICT facilities for a variety of functions, including word processing, internet browsing, information retrieval, research report preparation, electronic communication, and statistical analysis.
Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Postgraduate studies are taking on a new and more concentrated dimension as postgraduate students use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in various aspects of their academic program. The employment of ICT in postgraduate study has extended the scope.
ope of information available to postgraduate students, allowing students to gain knowledge from nontraditional sources other than libraries and documentation centres.
According to Nworgu (2006), the use of ICT in education and research gained traction in the nineteenth century, when scientific research began, and since then, research using ICT tools has grown in complexity and sophistication, from simple experimental design, complex factorial designs
monte carlo designs, simple correlation extension, regression of analysis, to complex structural equation modelling involving soplusticated analytical procedures. To that purpose, ICTS has established itself as a significant facilitator of postgraduate study around the world.
ICT refers to the hardware and software that can be used to create, store, and retrieve information for successful communication. Milken (1999) described ICT as computer-based tools used by employees to work on their information and processing needs in an organisation.
According to him, it includes computer hardware, networks, and a variety of other devices that transfer information, images, sounds, and movements into a common digital format. According to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) (2000), ICT encompasses all technologies used to produce, disseminate, and gather information
As well as communicate via computers and computer networks. In the purpose of this study, ICT refers to all of the hardware and software used by pos graduate students during their academic pursuits.
The technological needs of the moment have made it imperative for post-graduate students to use ICT in their studies. Application of ICT to effectively and efficiently improve postgraduate study. It is the application and integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into postgraduate study.
To achieve the aims of tertiary education in Nigeria, the NUC and policymakers called for the integration of ICT into institutions to pursue research and development goals as well as general knowledge dissemination (FRN 2004).
Aiyepeke et al. also stated that international development agencies and donor countries have exerted significant pressure on many governments, institutions of higher learning, and other recipients of aid in developing countries, both covertly and overtly, to adapt to the widespread use of ICT to improve student and workforce performance.
To achieve the aforementioned goals, Nigerian tertiary institutions and the government recognised the importance of providing students with ICT facilities. The institutions and the government have made concerted efforts to support students. ICT policies have been implemented to ensure that students have access to ICT facilities.
Several higher education institutions have made ICTs open and accessible to students through AfriHub and MIS initiatives. Some universities have implemented required ICT training programmes for their students, ensuring that no student departs without the necessary ICT skills.
In certain situations, computers have been deployed and postgraduate students have been permitted internet access, albeit with considerable difficulties. These issues include ineffective management, maintenance, and control, as well as the inability to replace critical components.
It is evident that for a postgraduate student to flourish and stay current with global changes, he or she must include ICT into his or her work. In other words, information and communication technology plays an important part in postgraduate study. It broadens pupils’ knowledge horizons by providing greater access to information.
Current postgraduate students are more open to faster and faster sources of knowledge and data for their research, so Bandyopadhyay and Chu (1999) observed that traditional print sources now face competition from electronic counterparts in terms of faster and more timely delivery of information, as well as improved access.
It also appears that the rate of development of electronic content has surpassed that of print-based publications (Dalgeish and Hall 2000). With internet access, PG students can download a limitless amount of literature and data for their research.
Furthermore, ICT serves as the foundation for supporting students in developing crucial language skills necessary for communicating their research and academic conclusions.
It encourages collaborative learning, increases student motivation through diversified activities and up-to-date information, and improves student accomplishment through reinforcement and other internet-based practices (Downes, Arthur, & Beecher 2001).
The preceding demonstrates that ICT is unavoidable in postgraduate studies, and postgraduate students’ performance and excellence are heavily reliant on their ability to use ICT for graduate-related reasons.
On the other side, postgraduate students’ failure to use ICT has major consequences for their academic performance. It is clear that, despite the increasing use of ICT in postgraduate study, ICT has not revolutionised postgraduate education in the way that was envisaged.
This is why Kirkup and Kirkwood (2005) remarked that the widespread use of ICT in higher education since the 1990s has not resulted in the drastic transformations in teaching and learning that many expected.
This is the outcome of some pupils failing to use ICT, despite its clear benefits. Postgraduate students who do not use ICT have limited access to information and knowledge.
Adult education must evolve in the same way that other fields do. One way to achieve this expansion is by thorough research in the field. As a university discipline, postgraduate students of adult education require ICT to help them with their studies and perform worthwhile research.
The incorporation of ICT into adult education postgraduate programs will improve communication throughout the student body and between students and their tutors. It will allow postgraduate students in the adult education discipline to network effectively by sharing information and doing collaborative research.
The use of ICT in adult education will allow postgraduate students to have unlimited access to adult education resources over the internet.
According to research, postgraduate students do not make full use of ICT. Obuh (2009) reported inadequate ICT skills among Delta State University postgraduate students, whereas Abraka and Daniel (2005) reported low ICT facility utilisation by postgraduate students.
1.2 Statement of Problem
A brief look at the study’s background reveals that postgraduate students’ use of ICT has a favourable impact on their programmes. It provides pupils with an infinite amount of material while also improving their teamwork and critical thinking skills. Despite these clear benefits, background research indicates that postgraduate students have a low degree of ability in using ICT.
This has a negative impact on postgraduate students. Postgraduate students who do not use ICT have limited research potential, limited access to global teaching and learning resources, reduced learner support, limited collaboration among colleagues, limited access to academic research materials, and delayed access to knowledge required for effective research.
Although it has been established in the past that non-use of ICT is detrimental to the progress of postgraduate students, there appears to be a lack of evidence or information on the extent to which adult education postgraduate students in Enugu and Anambra states use ICT in their studies.
As a result, the study’s problem is expressed as a question: “What is the extent of ICT utilisation among adult education postgraduate students of universities in Enugu and Anambra states?”
1.3 PURPOSE OF STUDY
The study’s main goal was to analyse the level of ICT use among adult education postgraduate students. Specifically, the objectives aim to evaluate the extent to which adult education postgraduate students use ICT for:
Research and Conferences
Class work
Private purpose.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The outcomes of this study will assist postgraduate adult education students by raising awareness about the extent to which they use ICT in their studies. This will help them decide what next measures to take.
It would also benefit institutions and the government since understanding the amount of ICT utilisation in postgraduate work will allow them to implement initiatives that will increase ICT utilisation.
The findings will also be valuable to adult education experts since they will serve as the foundation for future decisions on ICT utilisation, hence facilitating the evolution of adult education as a subject of research.
It will benefit policymakers by allowing them to design policies that will encourage the widespread use of ICT by postgraduate students in adult education.
Finally, the study will benefit adult education students in general by adding to the body of existing knowledge on the extent to which postgraduate students of adult education use ICT for research, conferences, class work, and private activities.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTION.
The following research questions led the investigation.
To what extent do postgraduate students of adult education at institutions in Enugu and Anambra use ICT for research?
To what extent do postgraduate students of adult education at institutions in Enugu and Anambra use ICT for conferences?
To what extent do adult education postgraduate students at universities in Enugu and Anambra use ICT in their classroom work?
To what extent do adult education postgraduate students at institutions in Enugu and Anambra use ICT for private purposes?
1.6 Hypothesis.
The following hypotheses will be evaluated at the 0.05 level of significance. There would be no significant difference in the mean evaluations of male and female postgraduate adult education students in universities in Enugu and Anambra states on the extent of use of ICT in:
Ho1 Research
Ho2 Conferences
Ho3 Classwork
Ho4 Private Purposes
1.6 Scope of the Study
The aim of the study includes the extent to which adult education postgraduate students in Enugu and Anambra state universities use ICT. The variables being investigated are limited to research, conferences, class work, and private use.
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