The Impact of Internet Usage: A case study of Delta State (Nigeria) tertiary institutions

Abstract

The Internet is one of the greatest recent advancement in the world of information technology and has become a useful instrument that has fostered the process of making the world a global village. However, despite the added benefits of the Internet to learning, teaching and research, there is no provision of effective Internet services in most of the tertiary institutions in Delta State. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of the Internet for learning, teaching and research in institutions of higher learning in Delta State. Questionnaires were administered to students and staff in four tertiary institutions within the State. The results from the analysis of the responses showed that students and staff use Internet mainly for on-line chatting (24.89%) and e-mail (24.16%). The use of Internet as a source of research materials ranked third (23.21%). This study concludes that research would significantly improve through proper enlightenment, formal training on the use of Internet and provision of effective Internet services in tertiary institutions in Delta State. Key word: Internet, institutions, research, e-mail.