Usage And Atitude Of Students Towards ICT Facilities In Higher Education. Sudha Kumari. Dept. of Education, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.

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1 Intrnational Intrnational Multidisciplinar Multidisciplinar -Journal Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) ISSN Us And Atitud Of Studnts Towards ICT Facilitis In Highr Education Sudha Kuari Dpt. of Education, Aligarh Musli Univrsit, Aligarh. Papr Rcivd on: 05/04/2012 Papr Rviwd on: 15/05/2012 Papr Accptd on: 25/05/2012 Abstract Nw Inforation and Counication Tchnolog (ICT) and th intrnt hav contributd to th odification of taching larning thods. Wb-basd ducational nvironnt incorporats nw tools in ordr to introduc or intraction than in traditional taching. Th can hlp achiv innovation in taching and larning activitis. Th rapid dvlopnt of inforation and Counication Tchnolog (ICT) and th World Wid Wb (WWW) has its ipact on toda s ans of taching as wll. Wb-basd ducational nvironnt has infct rvolution for innovation in ducational activitis. Nvrthlss, this kind of on-lin nvironnt should incorporat nw tools to provid an activ and authntic larning nvironnt. This Stud attpts to stud attitud of Ph.D. studnts towards utilizing th ICT facilitis to iprov larning and also us of ICT. Th objctivs of this Stud includ dtrination th abilit of studnts about us of ICT; usabl of ICT facilitis aong studnts and also attitud of studnts, who hav so accss to it, utiliz th facilitis. Howvr, it is rvld that ost of th hav odrat knowldg of th ICT, also th hav positiv attitud towards us of ICT facilitis for purpos of thir studis. 1 K words: Inforation and Counication Tchnolog, Abilit and Attitud. Introduction W liv in an ra, charactrizd b rapid changs, particularl in th ara of ICT. Most ICT profssionals find thslvs undr constant prssur, as th striv to dlivr vr or coplx tchnologis in spit of incrasingl svr constraint and a paradig shit in th ICT profssion. Although, th ffcts of changs ar prvasiv and fw of us ar iun to th. Furthr, thr ar virtual constraints in th livs of an ICT profssionals. Not vrbod is quall wll quippd to dal with constant changs and uncrtaint. Indd, so popl find it difficult to function in highl unstabl and changing nvironnts. Although, thr ight b so nichs within th ICT profssional strssful and vn thratning. Profssionals, who do not occup tchnical rols, ar highl xposd to th challngs of chang. Th ar oftn ad rsponsibl for iplnting th stratgic organizational changs that anat fro tchnological innovation. Most iportantl, in an organizations ICT profssionals hav bco critical nts of chang. Th dfinition of lctronic larning iplis that usrs and larnrs ar wid although lctronic larning litratur is liitd. Attitud of usrs, using inforation tchnolog is vr iportant. A ultidisciplinar approach is ndd for surving attituds of lctronic Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 85

2 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) larnrs (Liaw, 2002). Usr s attitud towards ICT, stablishs a suitabl nvironnt for instruction. According to Liaw & Huang, (2003), usr s attitud can b dividd into (I) fling, (II) cognitiv, and (III) bhavioral. Liaw (2004) suggsts thr concpts: charactristic of larnrs, structurs, and intraction. In stablishing and dvloping virtual larning, undrstanding of social nds is ssntial. Firstl, charactristic of larnrs such as attitud, otivations, blifs, and trust, should b dtrind (Passrini & Grangr, 2000). Virtual larning also iprovs indpndnt larning nvironnt. Using ultidia tools for instruction lads to dvlopnt of cognitiv skills of larnrs. Ths skills includ undrstanding iportant coplx lnts, abilit of using concpts for rasoning and abilit for using concptual knowldg for nw situation (Spiro, Fltovich, Jacobson & Coulson, 1995). Finall, virtual larning nvironnt suggsts group intraction, lading to collaborativ larning that hlps larnrs to dvlop in th ara th work, (Vgotsk, 1978). Intracting larnrs with thir profssors and othr larnrs incras thir knowldg, sinc larning occurs in th contxt (Brunr, 1971). Thus, thr ar thr basic considrations, basd on intraction larning critria in lctronicall larning dsign: indpndnt larning, ultipl dia nvironnts and larning basd on ngnt of Instructor. Man highr ducational institutions ar organizing and optiizing lctronic larning du to its affctivit (Govindasa, 2002). Having positiv attitud to virtual larning, lads to or otivation (Liaw, 2002). Although, attitud of usrs is an iportant factor in using and accpting intrnt tchnolog. Thr-tir Tchnolog is a concptual odl for surving th attitud of usrs in inforation tchnolog and intrnt (Liaw, 2004). This odl cos fro Tchnolog Accptanc Modl. According to this odl, prson s attitud to inforation tchnolog follows thr tir including prson s xprinc, affctiv, fling and bhavioral. Thr ar an Studis conductd in th past concrning ICTs us in ducation. According to Liaw (2004), a ajorit of dical studnts in Dnark had accss to coputrs at ho. Th wr using -ail and th intrnt rgularl. Onl a fw o th prfrrd not us coputrs at ho. Finall, th rsarch rvald that studnts bliv that th us of ICTs cannot rplac th traditional taching activitis, although it can b asil usd as a supplnt. Rsarch Objctivs: - Dtrin th abilit of studnts about us of ICT in highr ducation. - Find out us and rlianc upon of ICT facilitis b studnts in highr ducation. - Dtrin th attitud of studnts towards ICT facilitis in highr ducation. Rsarch Qustions: - What is th abilit of studnts to us ICT facilitis? - How uch is studnts us of ICT facilitis? - What is th studnt s attitud towards ICT? Rsarch Mthodolog:- Th sapl of th stud slctd fro th diffrnt dpartnts of Aligarh Musli Univrsit. Th rsarch sapl consistd of 100 Ph.D. studnts. To licit inforation a structurd qustionnair was dvlopd b th invstigator and distributd to Ph.D. studnts. Th qustionnair was dividd into thr parts: th first part focusd on th Abilit of Us of ICT b th studnts. This part of qustionnair consistd of 4 its. Th Scond part focusd on th us of ICT, this part of th qustionnair includd 9 its. Th last part of th Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 86

3 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) qustionnair was dsignd to driv inforation about studnts attitud towards us of ICT, it includd 28 its. For th purpos of data analsis, th rsarchr rlid upon statistical tools b using SPSS Softwar. Rliabilit o th ICT Scal Cronbach s Alpha (a) was coputd b using SPSS Rliabilit progra for th st of us and attitud towards ICT Scal. Cronbach s Alpha (a) valu for 41 its (4 its for Abilit of us of ICT, 9 its for us of ICT, and 28 its for attitud towards us of ICT) in th qustions has bn calculatd as Alpha Validit: To ascrtain th validit of th draft qustionnair, th opinions of a nubr of tachrs, spcialists in Educational Tchnolog, Inforation Tchnolog and Inforation Counication Tchnolog wr gathrd. In th light of thir valuabl opinions, onl th valid, rlvant and aningful qustions wr rtaind as th could srv to licit valuabl data and inforation fro th rspondnts. Tabls 1 & 2 givn blow, show th iportant catgoris of studnts on th basis of Dpartnt and sxwis prcnts for us abilit, purpos of ICT us and attitud towards ICT us hav bn calculatd for ach it. Tabl-1 Dpartntwis Dpartnt Valid Cuulativ Education Pscholog Langu MBA Gograph Histor Political Scinc Chistr Mathatics Corc Total Tabl-2 Sxwis Sx Valid Cuulativ Valid Mal Fal Total Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 87

4 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) It No. Qustions Tabl-3 Us Abilit of ICT In can do this b I would nd so slf hlp to do it I hav nvr don this tp of taks c ag ag ag 1 Word Procssor,.g. to crat a wll forattd CV 2 E-ail Progra,.g. to snd an attachd docunt or i 3 Prsntation anr,.g. to crat a short talk with slids 4 Using an onlin bibliographic databas,.g. to sarch for a spcific publication 64 64% 32 32% 2 2% 76 76% 20 20% 4 4% 50 50% 37 37% 13 13% 72 72% 24 24% 4 4% Th Tabl-3 shows abilit of us of ICT aong Ph.D. studnts. According to th rsults, studnts hav high abilit to work with ICT: 64% of th studnts hav abilit to work with word procssor Prsntation Manr and 72% hav th abilit to us on onlin bibliographic databas. Tabl-4 and of ICT Us It No. Qustions Ho Univrsit Intrnt café All of th 1 Whr do ou accss th intrnt? 2 What do ou us th intrnt for? 16 16% 45 45% 25 25% 12 12% Snd Eail onl Chat with frinds Education All of th 46% 46% 20 20% 30 30% 4 4% Th tabl-4 dpicts us of ICT b studnts. According to th prsnt findings studnts accss to intrnt in th univrsit stands at 45% which is highr than thos standing at othr placs. Also, i.., at intrnt café 25% and ho 16% onl th us th ICT facilit for chating with frinds i.. 20% snding -ail 46% that is non than for othr purposs and for larning and ducation 30% Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 88

5 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) It No. Qustio ns Tabl-5 and of ICT Us Upto 30 in 31 to 59 in 1 hour-1hour 30 1 hr-31 in-2 hrs Abov 2 hrs in 3 How long on avr do ou sta on th intrnt 4 How an tis pr wk do ou us th café? a g a g a g a g 15 15% 12 12% 27 27% 17 17% 29 29% a g Occasionall Onc Twic Thric Mor than thric a g a g a g a g a g 4 4% 8 8% 48 48% 21 21% 19 19% Tabl-5 shows that ti spnt b th studnt on th Intrnt. As dtaild in Tabl-5 rspondnts sta on th Intrnt btwn I hour to 1 hr 30 inuts to or than 2 hours, as also, th frqun of us of th intrnt pr wk stands btwn twic, thric and or than thric. Tabl-6 Purpos of ICT Us It No. 5 A cours with a Wbsit with intractiv Faturs, such as Larning Matrials. 6 Onlin Discussion Foru c Svral tis Onc Nvr Nvr hard of this ag c ag c ag c ag 34 34% 37 37% 26 26% 3 3% c Svral tis Onc Nvr Nvr hard of this ag c ag c ag c ag 10 10% 5 5% 71 71% 14 14% 7 Vidoconfrncin Svral tis Onc Nvr Nvr hard of this c ag c ag c ag c ag Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 89

6 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) g 6 6% 8 8% 65 65% 21 21% 8 Virtual Larning Environn t such as Wb CT or Blackboard 9 Acadic Support and Advic fro a Suprvisor b -ail c Svral tis Onc Nvr Nvr hard of this ag c ag c ag c ag 9 9% 18 18% 41 41% 32 32% c Svral tis Onc Nvr Nvr hard of this ag c ag c ag c ag 46 46% 7 7% 27 27% 18 18% Sourc : As for Tabl-6 Tabl-6 shows diffrnc in th us of ICT. As dtaild in Tabl-6, 37% studnts us onc of a cours with a wbsit with intractiv faturs, such as larning atrials; 71% of th rspondnts nvr us Onlin discussion foru; 65% of th rspondnts nvr us Vidoconfrncing and 41% of th rspondnts also nvr us Virtual larning nvironnt such as WbCT or Blackboard, but 46% of th rspondnts svral tis us ICT for acadic support and advic fro suprior b -ail. It No. Qustion s I Totall Agr Tabl-7 Attitud towards ICT Us I ostl agr I ostl disagr I Totall disagr I do not know 1 I want to ask qustions fro xprts and rlvant popl, no attr whr th ar 2 In gnral, larn b using ICT is vr ti consuin g 25 25% 40 40% 18 18% 7 7% 10 10% 16 16% 23 23% 39 39% 16 16% 3 3% Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 90

7 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) 3 Good accss to a tutor rquirs fac to fac contact 4 I would lik to discuss topics with popl fro diffrnt backgrou nds 5 I prfr to stud fro a printd txt onl 6 I think that ICT can iprov larning 31 31% 27 27% 37 37% 12 12% 3 3% 43 43% 27 27% 24 24% 4 4% 2 2% 17 17% 35 35% 25 25% 10 10% 13 13% 43 43% 26 26% 23 23% 2 2% 6 6% Tabls 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 show attitud of th Ph.D. studnts towards ICT us. As dtaild in Tabl-7 40% rspondnts ostl agr to ask qustions fro th xprts and rlvant popl, no attr whr th ar, 39% studnts ostl disagr to larn b using ICT is vr ti consuing; howvr, 31% totall agr that good accss to a tutor rquirs fac to fac contact. Likwis, 43% studnts totall agr to discuss topics with popl fro diffrnt backgrounds. Furthr, 35% rspondnts ostl agr to prfr rading fro a printd txt. Howvr, 43% studnts totall agr that ICT can iprov larning. It N o. Tabl-8 Attitud towards Us of ICT I Totall I ostl agr I ostl disagr Frqu n Prcn t Frqu n Prcn t Frqu n Prcn t Frqu n I Totall disagr Prcn t I do not know Frqu n Prcn t 7 Qualit infora tion is hard to find on th wb (WWW 21 21% 13 13% 44 44% 20 20% 2 2% Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 91

8 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) ) 8 I would lik to stud with a coput r, vn if it is coplic atd. 9 I lik to larn in tas or sall groups 10 If a task bco s too difficult, I lik to drop it 11 I would lik to shar infora tion and idas with popl who hav siilar intrsts 12 I think audio and vido atrial can iprov larning 22 22% 23 23% 28 28% 14 14% 13 13% 14 14% 53 53% 10 10% 6 6% 17 17% 17 17% 17 17% 45 45% 15 15% 6 6% 38 38% 36 36% 16 16% 8 8% 2 2% 46 46% 27 27% 15 15% 7 7% 5 5% Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 92

9 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) Sourc: As a for Tabl-7 Th dtails givn in Tabl-8, dpict that th 44% rspondnts ostl disagr that qualit inforation is hard to find on th wb and 28% studnts lik to stud on a coputr, vn if it is coplicatd. 53% rspondnts ostl agr to larn in tas or sall groups, and 45% ostl disagr with if a task bcos too difficult, likl to drop it 38% rspondnts totall agr to shar inforation and idas with popl who hav siilar intrsts, 46% totall agr that audio and vido atrial can hlp iprov larning. It No. Qustion s Tabl-9 Attitud towards Us of ICT I Totall agr I ostl agr I ostl disagr I Totall disagr I do not know 13 I think that in onlin courss, sallgroup larning a bco disorgani zd 14 I prfr to larn own own 15 ICT allows for ffctiv sharing of xprinc s 16 I prfr to stud with traditiona l ducation al thods 17 If studing with a coputr turnd out to b too coplx, 30 30% 15 15% 24 24% 9 9% 22 22% 27 27% 27 27% 33 33% 1 1% 9 9% 31 31% 38 38% 19 19% 7 7% 3 3% 26 26% 26 26% 34 34% 13 13% 1 1% 28 28% 24 24% 26 26% 15 15% 4 4% Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 93

10 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) I would lik to rturn to traditiona l thods ducation al thods Sourc: As for Tabl-8 Th data in Tabl-9, show that th 30% rspondnts totall agr with onlin courss, sall-group larning a bco disorganizd. 33% studnts ostl disagr with th ida to larn own thir own; 38% ostl agr that ICT allows ffctiv sharing of xprincs. Furthr, 34% ostl disagr to stud with traditional ducational thods. Howvr, 28% totall agr that if studing with a coputr turnd out to b too coplx, th would lik to rturn to traditional ducational thods. It No. Tabl-10 Attitud towards Us of ICT Qustions I Totall agr I ostl agr I ostl disagr I Totall disagr I do not know Frqu n Frqu n Frqu n Frqu n Frqu n 18 I prfr to choos th spcific topics to stud within a cours 19 I lik to work with a coputr in sall groups 20 larning via th Intrnt alon is accptabl to 21 I lik bing taught in a classroo stting 22 Coputrbasd tachinjg/l aring is lacking in 'huan' intraction, sinc thr 20 20% 34 34% 14 14% 18 18% 14 14% 24 24% 33 33% 23 23% 8 8% 10 10% 13 13% 41 41% 29 29% 15 15% 2 2% 15 15% 41 41% 30 30% 12 12% 2 2% 18 18% 33 33% 31 31% 8 8% 10 10% Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 94

11 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) is no fac to fac contact 23 I prfr not to us coputrs to support studis 29 29% 40 40% 20 20% 6 6% 5 5% Sourc: As a for Tabl-9 Tabl-10 shows, that th 34% rspondnts ostl agr to choos th spcific topics to stud within a cours, and 33% to work with a coputr in sall groups. 41% rspondnts ostl agr that larning via th Intrnt alon is accptabl to th, and 41% studnts also ostl agr bing taught in a classroo stting, 33% ostl agr as also with coputrbasd taching/larning is lacking in 'huan' intraction, sinc thr is no fac to fac contact. Furthr, 40% rspondnts prfr not to us coputrs to support thir studis. It No. Tabl-11 Attitud towards Us of ICT Qustions I Totall agr I ostl agr I ostl disagr I Totall disagr I do not know Frqu n Frqu n Frqu n Frqu n Frqu n 24 I would prfr to us coputrs for studis 25 I would lik to us coputrs as a suppl nt to othr taching activitis 26 I would lik to couni cat with tachr b -ail 27 I would lik to us coputrs for distanc larning 28 I would lik to cooprat 39 39% 31 31% 22 22% 6 6% 2 2% 25 25% 17 17% 27 27% 29 29% 2 2% 24 24% 22 22% 20 20% 26 26% 8 8% 25 25% 36 36% 24 24% 12 12% 3 3% 34 34% 26 26% 22 22% 18 18% 10 10% Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 95

12 Intrnational Multidisciplinar Journal / Sudha Kuari (85-96) on a larning task with popl fro diffrnt countris Sourc: As a for Tabl-10 Th rspondnts, as dtaild abov, 39% totall agr to us coputrs in taching for a stud; 27% ostl disagr to us coputrs as a supplnt to othr taching activitis. Furthr, 26% totall disagr to counicat with thir tachrs through -ail. 36% ostl agr to us coputrs for distanc larning. Howvr, 35% rspondnts totall agr to cooprat on a larning task with popl fro diffrnt countris. Conclusion ICT us in ducational sst, in trs of E-ail, Word- procssing, Powr Point, and th Wb, has bco standard part of taching and larning procss. But this has not radicall affctd th natur of taching larning procss; rathr ICT has bco part of on capus dlivr. This trnd is sn in trs of ICT poli and an objctiv rlating to it, as wll as in th wa that ICT us has bn ffctivl put into practic. In particular, a Wbbasd sst is sn of valu, lading to or fficint practics. This Papr has invstigatd us of ICT, and also attitud of Ph.D. studnts towards ICT in highr ducation. Th rsults show us and abilit in using ICT is also rlativl high aong th studnts in Highr Education. As rgards studnts attitud toward using ICT in thir studis, it has bn found positiv, as th prfr to us ICT facilit in larning procss. Rfrncs: 1- Brunr, J, S. (1971); th Rlvanc of Education; Cabridg, MA: Harvard Univrsit Prss. 2- Govindasa, T. (2002); Succssful Iplntation of E-larning Pdagogical Considration: Th Intrnt and Highr, Education, Vol-4, PP Liaw, S.S. (2002); An Intrnt Surv for Prcption for coputr and World Wid Wb; Rlationship, Prdiction, and Diffrnc, Coputrs in Huan Bhaviour, Vol. 18, No.1, pp Liaw, S.S. (2004); Considration for Dvloping Constructivist Wb-basd Larning, Intrnational Journal of Instructional Mdia, Vol. 31, pp Liaw, S.S. & Huang, H.M. (2003) An Invstigation of Usrs Attituds toward Sarch Engin as an Inforation Rtrival Tool; Coputrs in Huan Bhaviour, Vol.; 19 No.6,pp Sith, B, Captui & Rawston, P (2002); diffrntiating coputr Exprinc and Attituds toward Coputrs; An Epirical Invstigation, Coputrs in Huan Bhaviour, Vol. 16. pp Spiro, R.; Fltovich, J; Jacobson, M.J. & Coulson, D.K. (1995); Cognitiv Flxibilit, Construction, and Hprtxt; Rando Accss Instruction for Advancd Knowldg Acquisition in Unstructurd Doains; Educational Tchnolog, Vol. 31, No.5, pp Vgotsk, I.S. (1978); Mind in Socit; MA: Harvard Univrsit Prss: Vol-I, Issu-V, Ma-2012 P - 96