Being a «Digital Native» is not enough: A case study of the students’ digital profile at the European University Cyprus

Abstract

In the last decades there is a growing interest among universities for the use of Information and Communication Technologies in teaching and learning. More analytically, the impact of technology on science and scholarship, teaching and learning in traditional universities, the possibilities for distance education, and even the internal management of universities has been particularly profound. Despite the fact that today’s most undergraduate students are considered «Digital Natives» and appear comfortable with the use of technology, especially as far as mobile phones and social networks (eg. Facebook) are concerned, still it is difficult to assume that they understand how to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in an academic and/or professional setting. The aim of this paper is to study the ICT skills of the students who study Primary Education and Early Childhood Education bachelor programs at the European University Cyprus and to describe to what extent they use technology for personal and academic reasons. The study took place in the context of the obligatory course «Educational Technology and Computers» of the 4 th -and lastyear of the studies during the academic year 2012-2013, with the participation of 70 undergraduate students. The gender and age factors were also taken into consideration. The research confirms the initial hypothesis of the study and provides evidence, which can promote and facilitate the integration of information literacy into the curriculum.