Attitudes of Undergraduate Students to the Use of ICT in Education

Abstract

Problem StatementContemporary young people are commonly designated as digital natives characterized by habitual use of ICT in everyday life. Nevertheless, the current higher education environment demands more sophistication from students.Research questionThe study pursues the question whether being a digital native is a qualification for successful utilization of ICT in learning and strives to detect what influences come into play.Purpose of the StudyThe purpose of the study is to find out what aspects influence attitudes and opinions of students relating to the use of ICT in courses offered by higher education institutions and thus provide beneficial source of information to teachers and instructors using ICT in lessons or designing e-learning courses.Research MethodsThe study was carried out at the College of Polytechnics, Jihlava, Czech Republic, among undergraduate bachelor students of four different branches of study. The research sample of two hundred students were addressed via a questionnaire survey to give their opinions on and express their experience with the use of ICT in courses they completed at the College.FindingsThe results show that the students’ willingness to use ICT for studying and attitudes to e-learning are not homogenous and show certain relation to their field of study and computer skills. The characteristics of digital natives do not apply to everyone, which should be reflected in courses using ICT in higher education institutions.ConclusionsThe presented study contributes to the current discussion of ICT in higher education usage and role. The results might promote further investigation into the issues relating to the topic and also provide useful information for teachers and instructors who wish to make their courses more beneficial to students.