Effective Use Of ICT Research Articles

Farmers Use of Icts for Marketing Information Outlets in Oyo State, Nigeria

The study examined the use of ICTs for accessing marketing information outlets in Oyo State, Nigeria. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 150 respondents for the study. Data collected were analysed using frequencies counts and percentages to describe the findings while, Chi-square and PPMC were used to test for relationship between the variables in the study hypotheses. The results of the findings showed that majority (70%) of the sampled respondents were male while (69.3%) were married with (84%) of them having a family size of less than five members. Large proportion (59.3%) of the respondents fall within the ages of 31-50 years, and majority (74.7%) of them were rural residence. The results also showed that majority (81.3%) of them required information for the sales of their agricultural products. The major sources of agricultural marketing information outlets to the respondents were fellow farmers (81.3%), radio (85.4%) and GSM (83%).The study found that (61.3%) of the respondents were in low level category of ICTs users. Inferential statistics indicates that, there were significant relationship between level of use of ICTs for agricultural marketing information and marital status (?2=10.46, p>0.05) and level of educational attainment (?2=16.35, P>0.05). However, age (?2=5.5, p<0.05), sex (?2=5.99, p<0.05) and family size (?2=6.22, p<0.05) had no significant relationship with marketing information outlets. PPMC analysis revealed that radio(r=0.28, p>0.05), fellow farmers(r=0.19, p>0.05) and GSM (r=0.88, p>0.05) as a source of marketing information were highly significant. The study recommends that government and other stake holders in the information and communication technology industries should endeavour to eliminate the identified barriers to the effective use of ICTs for marketing information outlets in the study area.

USE OF ICT IN DISTANCE EDUCATION AT HANYANG CYBER UNIVERSITY: Possible Best practices for the Institute of Adult Education

This study was carried out at Hanyang Cyber University (HYCU) in the Republic of Korea. The main purpose of this study was to explore Hanyang Cyber University’s experience in the use of ICT in Distance Education (DE) so as to learn best practices that can be adapted by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) in Tanzania. Specifically, the study explored on how HYCU uses ICT in DE and the challenges that they encounter in the course of using ICT in DE. Both structured and unstructured interviews were used for data collection. Findings showed that HYCU use various ICTs such as Learning Management System and online interaction assessment methods to enhance DE. Challenges such as difficulties in meeting online teaching and learning requirements and lack of human and material resource to undertake DE courses were identified to constrain effective use of ICTs in DE at HYCU. It is recommended that IAE should consider contextualization of the Learning Management System that is currently used at HYCU when establishing online study programme to ensure quality DE in the Institute.

Enablers and barriers to the use of ICT in primary schools in Turkey: A comparative study of 2005–2011

The purpose of this study was to reveal barriers encountered by Turkish primary school teachers in the integration of ICT, to propose potential enablers to overcome those barriers, and to compare the current status of ICT integration (in 2011) with the status of ICT integration in 2005. Part of the data for this comparison was gathered in 2005 as part of a doctoral study by Goktas (2006). A survey design was used to investigate the barriers and enablers. Data were collected from 1373 teachers from 52 schools in 39 provinces. The results indicate that ‘lack of hardware’, ‘lack of appropriate software materials’, ‘limitations of hardware’, ‘lack of in-service training’, and ‘lack of technical support’ were the most important barriers. The highest ranked enablers were ‘allocation of more budget’, ‘allocation of specific units for peer support’, ‘allocation of support offices and personnel for teachers’, and ‘offering higher quality pre-service training for ICT’. Other leading enablers were ‘supporting teachers to enable effective ICT use’, ‘having technology plans’, ‘offering higher quality and more quantity of in-service training’, and ‘designing appropriate course content/instructional programs’. Analysis of an independent t-test revealed that most barriers showed significant differences and most enablers showed moderate or low differences between teachers' perceptions of their situation in 2005 and in 2011.

Use of ICT for ODL, Blended Learning, Research, Administration &amp; Management

Distance education & Open Learning systems have come to play a significant role in developing countries. One of the most important factors in the education field today, other than good teachers, is Information, Communication & Technology. The efficient & effective use of ICT has enabled educationists worldwide to tackle challenges faced by students and teachers as well as to achieve excellence in education. Introduction: Overview of Situation The education system and its components worldwide and especially in developing countries face numerous challenges including but not limited to lack of financial resources, lack of good teachers, lack of IT skills, unreasonable demand-supply ratio, issues of access & equity in education. Some of these challenges or problems are compounded in the educational institutions providing open & distance education due to large number of learners. In India, some of the key issues faced by education providers of ODL system are: - Inability to efficiently handle large number of distant learners - inability to maintain quality of education, - inability to provide extensive student support services, - lack of industry interface - administrative issues - unavailability of national policies on quality, standards & uniformity pertaining to ODL system - lack of high quality IT infrastructure & IT skilled resources General Description: Symbiosis Center For Distance Learning (SCDL) is a private ODL institute in India offering programs through distance education. The institute has been a pioneer in developing many ICT solutions and facilities to improve the quality, accessibility, delivery and reach of education to more than 200,000 distant learners from all corners of India and 42 different countries. SCDL provides 16 graduate & post graduate programmes in more than 138 courses of study in faculties of Management, Information Technology, Education, Humanities & Law. Highlights: ICT has been effectively used in Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning in all aspects of education delivery, quality improvement, student care services, academics, administration & management. SCDL has created and implemented many innovative ICT applications coupled with innovative business solutions such as : • A comprehensive Student Information System (SIS) • E-learning / online learning as a supplementary learning model • Student Care Center • Call Center • Online Assignments / Online Project Report Submission • On Demand Examination • Mass Email System • Sophisticated Web Portal • Online Question Bank Challenges faced by Symbiosis Center For Distance Learning • to ensure highest academic standards by being able to constantly update content in order to keep in line with market/industry requirements • to set & maintain quality standards in academics, operations and administration • to obtain staff trained in IT skills • to motivate & create a positive attitude in existing staff members & faculty in order to make them more “IT savvy” & train on e-learning development • to gather management support for introducing and implementing IT solutions and online learning components as part of the education system of SCDL Impact The ICT implementations at Symbiosis have resulted in • higher student-satisfaction ratio • lowering the drop-out rate amongst distant learners enrolled with the institute. • Convenience and flexibility to students due to online assignments & on demand examinations • Lowering costs / overheads of administration, conduct of exams, costs of postage and other overheads • Enhancing learning experiences of students & creating a positive attitude Future Plans To improve the quality of student services, SCDL is planning to implement the following IT solutions: • use of software to track students calls / emails and handle students query effectively • introducing additional e-learning courses • training faculty on e-learning / online learning model, objective question bank development, virtual classroom administration • Creating a Quality Forum for ODL providers of India in order to set benchmarks and quality standards, evolve quality models for ODL institutions to implement. Conclusions: The effective use of ICT in education definitely improves the quality & delivery of education and quality of student care services. It also lowers administration costs and overheads. It provides tremendous flexibility and convenience to students. The effective use of ICT coupled with good quality education results in better student satisfaction.

Public Access Computing in South Africa: Old Lessons and New Challenges

AbstractThe public access computing (PAC) ecosystem in South Africa includes public libraries, telecenters, and cybercafés. These PAC venues offer marginalized and underserved populations opportunities to use computers and the Internet to meet their information needs. Based primarily on interviews with telecenters and cybercafé staff, and on focus group workshops with telecenter and cybercafé users, we assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of telecenters and cybercafés and their contribution to community development. Government‐sponsored telecenters continue to exhibit the same problems reported a decade ago, and libraries are slow in offering technological services. However, cybercafés set up through entrepreneurial initiatives fulfill an increasingly important niche and introduce a strategic business model for entrepreneurs in disadvantaged communities. Learning from the experience of cybercafés can be an effective way to overcome the shortcomings of telecenter experiences of the last decade in South Africa. New business models in the PAC ecosystem, such as the entrepreneur model, need to be rooted within a developmental agenda in order to ensure that ICT facilitate meaningful outcomes amongst needy communities and that a local context for the social appropriation and effective use of ICTs prevails.

Promoting the Effective Use of ict in Romanian Primary and Secondary Education - Steps Made in the Frame of Edutic Project

The great potential of introducing ICT in nowadays education is well-known. Teachers become more familiar on using ICT in schools and as their experience grows, they are able to develop effective ICT-based teaching and learning tools. Many teacher training programs or continuing professional development opportunities were proposed with the declared aim to support the integration of ICT in the actual education, but also to develop on-line training/e-learning in schools.This paper illustrates the main aspects developed in a Romanian teacher training program, dedicated to all the educational levels, organized in the frame of the project called “EDUTIC - A network for teachers professional development with the view to increase the quality of ICT implementation in the Romanian primary and secondary education” (code POSDRU/19/1.3/G/37002). The overall objective of the project was to improve teachers' skills and attitudes by developing and delivering a training program which aimed to integrate ICT tools in the educational process. The training program proposed one compulsory module and two optional ones - the teachers having the possibility to select one of those last two. After the ending of the training phase, the teachers expressed their feed-back in related on-line questionnaires. In this sense, the paper presents some of their main opinions.

Right to Education: Effective Use of ICT for Reaching Out to Socially and Economically Weaker Sections in India

Most of the enrollment growth in the coming several decades will be in developing countries and India will contribute a significant proportion of that expansion. India by enacting “Right to Education Act, 2009” has set out on an ambitious path to provide free and compulsory education to all children in the 6 to 14 age group. As a result the number of students enrolled in elementary schools in far flung villages would definitely see a quantum jump. Challenges of funding, availability of qualified teachers, and building a sustainable academic culture and school infrastructure are significant and real. Providing access to the free education for the children of downtrodden peoples like tribals, lower castes, and dalits is a complex issue in India wherein the fragmentation in the society along religious, ethnic and linguistic lines is deep rooted. In addition, rampant poverty which is the root cause of child labor leaves no time for the affected children to undertake formal schooling. In this paper we review various facets of and challenges in providing access to universal elementary education for the children from socially weaker sections in India. The paper delves into various aspects of this ambitious aim and suggest measures for mitigating the risks and pitfall in India’s march towards achievement of 100% literacy of over 1 billion people. We also explore the ways in which the strengths of ICT can be leveraged in achievement of the goal.

Information and communication technology adoption and diffusion in micro-enterprises: the case of techno-savvy home-based businesses

The effective use of ICTs for business activities is of significant interest in a digital economy. This paper examines the adoption and diffusion of ICTs by micro home-based businesses (HBB) from an empirical study of 522 firms. Key findings include very high levels of internet, e-mail and cell phone usage for HBBs’ business activities; and increasing website adoption levels with increasing geographic sales reach (from local, regional, national, to international). In spite of micro size and limited resources, many of these HBB were techno-savvy and capable of utilising the full range of ICTs to facilitate electronic business communications and online transactions. These findings are significant given the lack of prior research on the HBB sector and the scale of micro-enterprises in economies around the globe.

Towards Effective Use of ICTS and Traditional Media for Sustainable Rural Transformation in Africa

Development programmes initiated by governments in parts of Africa aimed at improving the living standard of the people, have either achieved minimal success or failed because of the negative attitude of the people. One issue that has therefore dominated discussions among development agencies and initiators in Africa is that of dealing with the people’s attitudes and responses to issues of development. This paper is therefore geared towards exploring ways in which ICTs and traditional media could become effective tools in the campaigns and mobilization for the adoption of innovations, which is central to rural development in Africa. The method of content analysis using review of existing document such as books, journals, periodicals, case record and others documented by government, individuals and organization s was utilized. The findings revealed that the majority of the people in Africa lived in the rural areas and were not abreast with information about government programmes aimed at improving them. Apart from acknowledging the basic challenges confronting policy makers, development communicators and other stakeholders in the development process, the paper recommends among others, that governments in Africa should create the enabling environment for the ICTS to be effectively used and synergized with traditional media in achieving development communication goals at all levels.

EBusiness Policy Support Framework

SMEs are slower than large firms to adopt new ICT unless effective use of ICT and performing operations electronically (eBusiness) across all sectors of the economy can act as a driver to increase competitiveness. Potential SME benefits and firm and sector-specific strategies drive the adoption and use of ICT. Furthermore, sectors are increasingly global and dominated by large firms and the structure of their values chains and operations shape opportunities for SMEs. Principal reasons for non-adoption are lack of applicability and little incentive to change business models when returns are unclear. SMEs also face generic barriers to adoption including trust and transaction security and IPR concerns, and challenges in areas of management skills, technological capabilities, productivity and competitiveness. The issues for governments throughout the European Union (EU) are to foster appropriate business environments for eBusiness and ICT uptake, and target programs to overcome market failures to the extent that they are needed in particular areas (e.g. skill formation, specialized information). Governments have a range of SME eBusiness and internet use programs. However, commercial considerations and potential returns are the principal drivers of SME adoption and profitable use. The key drivers for enabling eBusiness development are commitment and support of industry associations, in particular in sectoral initiatives, synergies by having access to resources from other initiatives or organizations, competitive pressure and ease of participation. The key barriers slowing ICT adoption are competition among companies in the target group, Lack of awareness, often combined with mistrust regarding ICT and ICT service providers, costs, lack of internal ICT and management knowledge, Network infrastructure issues: access and interoperability, Legal uncertainties. The European Commission has identified 3 factors that make it difficult for SMEs, in particular, to engage more fully with ICT and develop sustainable business practices: 1) the relatively high costs associated with investments in ICT; 2) the lack of technical and managerial skills and; 3) reluctance on the part of SMEs to network with other enterprises. The proposed framework summarizes the main policy directions derived from the analysis and the key areas of eBusiness support - Business environment, Skills upgrading, Network infrastructure, Trust infrastructure, Digital products and information services, Intangible investments and assets, Information, Government on-line. Finally the paper maps proposed key eBusiness support areas around key dimensions of eBusiness (functional, sectoral, and regional/spatial) on three distinct levels (micro: the level of the firm, meso: the level of the region, and macro: national/international).

Midwives and mobiles: using ICTs to improve healthcare in Aceh Besar, Indonesia1

The role of ICTs in providing improved healthcare to poor populations in the developing world has been the subject of considerable interest to the development community. However, despite a substantial literature, little published research has modelled both the value-added aspects of ICTs for social and economic development and those simultaneous challenges that often deter the effective utilisation of ICTs. This study investigates the benefits of, and barriers to, the effective use of ICTs within the healthcare system, specifically in Aceh Besar, Indonesia. We advance and evaluate a theoretical model which extends the so-called value-of-ICTs-to-education framework of Banuri, Zaidi, and Spanger-Siegfried (United Nations Development Programme, 2005). The effect of ICTs on maternal and infant healthcare is examined in the context of the Aceh Besar Midwives Mobile-Phone Project. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews (N=86) were conducted over three phases. Analysis of transcripts showed ICT-utilisation benefits, including the facilitation of communication, greater time efficiency, and better access to medical information. As suggested by the enhanced model, infrastructural, economic, technological, and socio-cultural factors were also observed. The implications of these findings for research and policy-making are discussed.

Information And Communication Technology, Globalisation And Women Education In Nigeria

ICT, an acronym for information and communication technology, revolutionized the world thereby bringing about globalization. As humanity reaped its benefits, women seemed unrecognized. The paper examines the benefits of ICT and globalization to women in Nigeria. It further explored how these benefits influenced their children positively. The paper also looked at impediments to effective use of ICT and offered recommendations which could go a long way in getting majority of women involved in the use of ICT. JORIND Vol. 5 (1) 2007: pp. 12-15

Pre‐service science teachers and ICT: Communities of practice?

The practices and justifications of 15 pre‐service science teachers in using ICT were explored by survey, observation and interview. Interactive whiteboards are frequently employed, although predominantly as projection screens for presentations, whilst datalogging and spreadsheets are used infrequently. Trainees incorporate ICT to enhance pupil motivation and to save time, but demonstrate little use of ICT to enhance the teaching of conceptual knowledge. ICT helps to increase the currency and broaden the scope of activities and occasionally to promote pupil collaboration. The imaginative use of ICT, although limited, was identified and respondents were able to rationalise its use. We recommend improved dialogue between mentors and trainees with respect to the effective use of ICT in science teaching.

Schooling in the Future : A South African Scenario

The Class of 2020 entered Grade R in South Africa in 2008. They entered a schooling system that, having undergone a major transformation to reflect the political and societal changes in South Africa, is struggling to produce quality education. A key feature that suggests a positive approach to schooling in 2020 is a confidence in the National Curriculum Statement that has as its outcome a set of critical and developmental outcomes designed to produce learners who are critical thinkers, can engage with each other in a team while organizing and managing themselves effectively, can collect and analyse information and see the world as a set of related systems. It will, however, be the effective use of ICT that will restructure teacherlearner interactions and a revolutionary approach to physical infrastructure that will ensure effective use of scarce resources and allow for an individualized approach to learning in a mass education system.

Features of Effective ICT Use in the Classroom Considered by Elementary School Teachers

Features of Effective ICT Use in the Classroom Considered by Elementary School Teachers

'Fitting it in': A study exploring ICT use in a UK primary school

&lt;span&gt;This paper presents a case study of a primary school which was seen as using ICT effectively to support teaching and learning. Research was carried out over two years (2003-2005) and included observation of lessons, document analysis, interviews, and questionnaires with staff at the school. It was found that 'fitting ICT in', rather than 'effective use of ICT', provided a more accurate description of the complex decisions and actions that were made regarding ICT use in the school. Using a grounded theory framework the paper describes the causal conditions; the contextual conditions; the intervening conditions and the consequences for staff and pupils associated with 'fitting ICT in'. The study argues for an approach to research which seeks to develop collaboration and understanding between researchers and practitioners.&lt;/span&gt;

‘An Alignment of the Planets’: Mapping the intersections between pedagogy, technology and management in Australian universities

The research interrogates the connections between information and communication technologies' (ICTs') use and change processes in Australian higher education. The empirical investigation focuses simultaneously on three domains of practice: the educational, the technological and the organizational, with a particular interest in their overlaps and intersections. There were 15 case studies, covering three discipline clusters (Medicine/Health Sciences, Economics and Business, English/Cultural Studies/Communications) in each of five different types of Australian university. The main research technique was semi‐structured interviews with academic, executive and administrative staff, supplemented by focus groups with students and the study of curriculum and strategy documents. The main findings of the study were that the most effective use of ICTs in universities occurs when educational and organizational objectives are in harmony; when ICTs innovations are dominated by corporatist objectives at the expense of pedagogical objectives, benefits are limited and tensions evident; and pedagogical initiatives by discipline‐based ICTs ‘champions’ require central support if they are to add value on a sustained basis. The optimal conditions for ICTs innovations in teaching and learning are disciplinary independence and capacity, conditions present in only one of the 15 case studies.

How nursing leadership and management interventions could facilitate the effective use of ICT by student nurses

This article makes the case for how evidence-based nursing leadership and management activities could promote, implement and sustain quality patient care by student nurses using Information and Communications Technology. It is on aspects of the findings of a professional doctorate inquiry into Information and Communications Technology use and skills development by student nurses. The 21st century is both an information and knowledge age. Nursing and medical professions are facing the increasing usage of information technology in day-to-day operations with the overall aim of improving the quality of patient care. The quality of the future of the nursing profession is dependent on the calibre of those who are currently socialized to become professional nurses. The new United Kingdom Labour Government, in power since 1997, has placed increasing focus on the effectiveness of the National Health Service and using computers as one way to assist in achieving greater effectiveness. This has implications for nurse education and the future preparation of future nurses to acquire skills in Information and Communications Technology. This is a case study approach using multiple triangulation methodology. This includes: semi-structured interview of six student nurses and four of their mentors; one unstructured meeting with the Research and Development Manager; observational visit to a medical admission ward and a renal unit; one semi-structured meeting with the Information Manager; Review of Documentation - the National Health Service Trust Nursing Strategy; and Review, Application and Development of relevant theory. The overall findings are that student nurses are not using Information and Communications Technology in nursing practice in a structured and systematic way. The reasons for this are very many and very complex but are interrelated. They include strategic resource-based issues, what Jumaa referred to as Time, Human, Equipment, Information, Material and Money resources. These reasons include lack of time for Information and Communications Technology activities by both students and the qualified nurses and some staff with poor Information and Communications Technology skills. This situation is compounded by insufficient computer hardware; lack of information about the essence and value of Information and Communications Technology; perception of the direct relevance of Information and Communications Technology activities to patient care; software materials not adequate for purpose and lack of comprehensive budget and financial recognition for student's engagement with Information and Communications Technology. 'Smile and the whole world smile with you'. This old saying has a lot of truth in it. Applied to Information and Communications Technology skills development and use by student nurses we are confronted with an uncomfortable reality of many qualified nurses who themselves are not comfortable or proficient with the use of Information and Communications Technology. Some do not see the essential need for Information and Communications Technology and its direct relevance to improving patient care, nor is this always supported by the current software and systems. Willmer argued that the achievement of effective implementation of the National Health Service National Programme for Information and Technology requires efficient change management and leading people skills, and an understanding of National Health Service culture. In this article the case is made that evidence-based management and leadership interventions are a feasible approach for a sustained implementation of Information and Communications Technology use and skills development by student nurses.

Modelling ICT integration in teacher education courses using distributed cognition as a framework

&lt;span&gt;Teacher education students have a significant role to play in the sustained application of ICT in schools. It is imperative therefore, that they are exposed to effective use of ICT in their training. However, 'effective use' is subjective and existing characterisations of this construct appear to drive different ICT implementation plans adopted by teacher education institutions (Steketee, 2005). While most of these plans have achieved varying degrees of success, the 'integration approach', has been the most promising. By integrating ICT as a learning resource during regular classes, lecturers are exposing students to innovative ways of learning. This exposure, however, must be supported by a relevant implementation framework if the potential of ICT is to be realised. The distributed learning environment framework (DLE) provides this support as it gives lecturers insight into what their classroom context should look and feel like if they are to encourage students to access technology as powerful learning tools. The principles underlying the DLE are explored in this paper. The learning outcomes to emerge from its introduction of an electronic concept-mapping tool into a teacher-education program are also discussed. These outcomes suggest that the DLE is a valuable catalyst for the successful application of ICT in teacher training, and subsequently in schools.&lt;/span&gt;

ICT and Productivity Growth - The Paradox Resolved?

This paper argues that the gains from ICT at the individual business level depend upon the implementation of a range of complementary 'investments' and organisational changes appropriate to the competitive and institutional context of particular sectors. To support our proposition we provide a brief overview of a recently emerging but compelling body of large sample micro-econometric research. We focus in depth, however on a single case study of ICT related organisational transformation in the transportation sector. This case builds upon the conceptual framework developed in the MIT interesting organisations project (Scott Morton (2003)). Taken as a whole we believe there is clear evidence of the conditions that seem to be required before the payoff from ICT can be realised by an organisation and hence diffuse through the economy. Effective use of ICT requires a holistic solution which recognises that there is no single factor, or even just a few, which leads to successful exploitation. Rather success comes from the artful crafting of a series of interrelated and mutually interdependent driving forces. The paradoxical 'gap' between investment in computers and realised performance can be closed if this lesson is absorbed.