History and Contemporary Relevance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Higher Education

Abstract

Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is increasing at a high-speed since the last three decades. In the educational sector, association of ICT launches some challenges of using ICT tools, applications and facilities, both in teaching and as well as in learning. The contribution of ICT in education has revealed a new way of learning other than the traditional classroom, in the form of learning through micro computers; it usually is defined as electronic learning method (e-learning). It enables learning everywhere-anytime, learning at own pace, learning tools and applications to do much more through Desktops, Laptops, Tablets, Smartphone's and Personal Digital Assistant (PDAs). E-learning involves the use of ICT to carry out learning process. ICT providing opportunities in educational transformation from traditional learning to e-learning in an ICT perspective. This paper is an innovative endeavour to explore the history, growth and contemporary relevance of ICT in higher education and how ICT has influenced higher educational system. Furthermore, the impact of ICT on higher education will grow considerably in years to come and it will become a strong agent for change in many teaching-learning activities.