New educational technologies in tertiary education in India: adoption and consequences

Abstract

PurposeThe educational institutions in India have been experiencing new educational technologies (NET)-led technical change for the last two decades or so. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of NET (all possible forms of new technologies) and its impact on students enrolled in tertiary education institutions in India. The main objectives of the study are: to identify intensity of NET used by the students; to investigate whether use of NET is influenced by the financial nature of institution; and to examine the consequences of NET use.Design/methodology/approachThis study is based on a primary survey of seven higher education institutions located in National Capital Region of India. The universities included are both private and public funded. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 201 students in these universities. Advanced statistical techniques have been applied for the analysis.FindingsThe study finds that the NET use enables students to communicate with their counterparts and faculty in a more effective manner. The use of digital technologies helps them to manage class activities in a better way. The NET use is found to be more relevant to engineering and science students which leads to better illustration of ideas and enhanced job prospects. The study finds that use of digital technologies is extensive in public-funded institutions. The significant contributions of NET use in improvement in learning are also found in the study.Research limitations/implicationsThe major limitation of this study is the small sample size. It was not possible to increase the sample of students due to financial constraint. It is recommended that future research with larger sample could prove the robustness of the findings. Another limitation is the coverage of students only. The future studies may include the analysis of teachers’ views on NET adoption and its consequences.Originality/valueThe present study is an original work of the authors.