ABSTRACT
The study investigated the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a tool to support teaching and learning in the Wisconsin International University College. It specifically identifies existing facilities and how they are being used and the inherent problems and the perceptions of lecturers and students on integration of ICT in teaching and learning in the university.
The survey research methodology was used for the study. The survey size was 205, made up of
150 undergraduate students and 55 lecturers. Questionnaire was the main data collection instrument complemented with observation.
The findings indicate that both lecturers and students had a positive perception towards ICT integrated teaching and learning, but only few lecturers applied existing ICT facilities during their teaching. Online communication between lectures and students was poor, with students and lectures using only e-mail to communicate online instead of using Learning Management System such as Blackboard, WebCT or Moodle, which creates online community portal that connects lecturers and students and provides an avenue for classroom materials or activities to be shared easily.
Lack of constant electricity supply, limited internet bandwidth, system breakdown and unavailability of ICT integration support staff were some of the main problems encountered in the use of ICT for teaching and learning. All the lecturers had personal computers, which was not the same in the case of students even though most of the student do have their own computers. The study recommended ICT training for lecturers and students, constant supply of electricity, expansion and improvement of internet bandwidth, provision of Learning Management System and Virtual Reality supported teaching.
CHAPTER ONE
Turner (2009) defined Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as any device or system that allows the storage, retrieval, manipulation, transmission and receipt of digital information. For example, personal computers, digital television, email, robots.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is now being applied in every facet and discipline of human endeavor. It has contributed to organization, storage, retrieval, access, effective and efficient production and use of information. Throughout the world, there is awareness of the fundamental role of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) especially in the field of education. ICT has unified the World in such a way that the term “global village” has been derived based on its, applications, roles and impacts it serves. Amongst its applications and roles are telecommunication, e-governance, teleconference, e-commerce, e- learning, e-mail etc., ICT and its importance in modern human endeavors cannot in any way be underscored.
ICT has become, within a very short time, a key foundation of modern society. Many countries now regard understanding and mastering the basic skills and concepts of ICT as part of the core of education, alongside reading, writing and numeracy. UNESCO aims to ensure that all countries, both developed and developing, have access to the best educational facilities necessary to prepare young people to play full roles in modern society and to contribute to a knowledge nation (Anderson & Weert, 2002).
Education is not only limited to teaching students according to prescribed syllabus at a specific school level but rather has much broader objectives, goals and other concepts. Thus, education is
becoming an increasingly important tool to combat poverty and to establish a modern nation. An evolving feature of modern society is the penetration of information technologies in all spheres of life, including schooling. In general, the new technologies have been recognized to play a valuable role in developing and improving the teaching and learning circumstances.
Technological advancement has made it possible for most universities worldwide to create and maintain electronic libraries together with electronic teaching models in order to make teaching and learning conceivable. Information centers and traditional libraries were the backbone of teaching and learning as well as providing all the logistics and creating the necessary conditions and environment needed for teaching and learning in education.
Today, technological advancement has made it possible for information professionals and librarians to create and maintain electronic libraries. This advancement has made creation, collection, organizing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information simpler than before. With Information and Communication Technology being applied to every facet and discipline of human endeavor, its full impacts should be seen in the process of teaching and learning.
In the context of this study, ICT refers to any electronic equipment that can be used to enhanced teaching and learning: systems that enable easy communication between the teacher and the students beyond the physical barrier (either by space, time or both) of the classroom. (Lim and Chai, 2004). According to Kirschner & Selinger (2003), ICT offers the potential to meet the learning needs of individual students; to promote equality of opportunity; to offer high-quality learning materials; and to increase self-efficacy and independence of learning amongst students of all ages. For the teaching profession, ICT is not only an essential tool for teachers in their daily work, but it also offers them opportunities for their own professional development. It can be used to encourage new ways of working as part of professional learning teams and it offers schools themselves the possibility of a faster route to establishing a meaningful role in the wider
community, embracing learners of all ages, linking and networking to other educational establishments and bringing professionals together across a range of areas.
Lewis (2008) defines teaching as the activities of educating or instructing: that impart knowledge or skill and also defined learning as the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge. The essence of these definitions is the impartation and acquisition of skills and knowledge. The usefulness of any training programme is the ability to equip the individual with the skill to undertake whatever related activities or measure the skill is meant for. For this to be effective, the methods used to impart the skill or knowledge should be one that takes current processes and challenges into consideration. It must reflect modern ways of doing things. The process should prepare the trainee or recipient of the knowledge to fit into the related field of endeavor. It should also be conducive for the teacher to also be able to deliver effectively and efficiently.
Roblyer (2004) stated that one of the things that make teaching so challenging is that it goes on in the environment that mirrors and sometimes magnifies some of society’s most profound and problematic issues. Adding computers to this mix makes the situation even more complex. Yet, to integrate technology successfully into their teaching, educators must recognize and be prepared to work in this environment with all its subtleties and complexities.
WISCONSIN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
In order to place the study in its institutional context, an overview of Wisconsin International University College is presented.
The following information about the university is provided by the University website.
The University College was established by Dr. John Buuck and Rev. Dr. Paul K. Fynn in 1998. The University received accreditation in January 2000 under the name University College of Wisconsin International University – Ghana (UCWIU-Gh), it one of the very first private universities to receive accreditation. It began its operations in August 2000 under Rev. David Asante Dartey as the Director and Togbe Kwao Anipati IV as Dean of Academic Studies with nine International MBA students, the first MBA programme to be run by a private university in Ghana. Established as a Limited Liability Company, Wisconsin International University College, Ghana has been accredited by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and is affiliated to the University of Ghana, Legon and the University of Cape Coast and, recently, to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.
The vision of Wisconsin International University College is “to provide the opportunity for young men and women from Ghana and the rest of Africa to acquire the knowledge and skills relevant to successful careers and fulfillment in an increasingly globalizing and competitive world.
The mission of the university is to:
- Train and develop skillful and competent professionals for business, Information and Communication Technology and Entrepreneurship”.
- To ensure that its graduates are not marginalized in the knowledge and expertise required for the management of modern global organizations
- To provide a broad-based adult and continuing education for the knowledge society in Ghana and Africa.
The University offers programmes at the undergraduate and post graduate levels as well as professional and certificate courses. True to its name as an international institution, the University has attracted students from other West African countries, North Africa, Central Africa and East Africa countries and other continents. It has students from Ghana, Nigeria, Cote D’voire, Mali, Togo, Benin, Egypt, Congo DR, Niger, Guinea, Liberia, Gabon, Chad, Cameroun, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The University provide flexible learning options where student needs are anticipated and met by providing courses in a variety of formats. The University offers well thought out programmes and combines academic work with work placement. These give students valuable opportunities to explore career options, develop a practical understanding of work-related issues and learn new skills.
Furthermore, it offers Career Advisory Services which ensures that the college works closely with local and national employers to match students with attachment opportunities in their final year and job placement when they graduate. Graduates are linked with the National Service Secretariat for employment. Students have access to practical advice from specialists who help them explore their career options and develop a plan to achieve their career goals. Workshops and seminars help put our students one step ahead in a competitive job market.
Finally, it has writing centres which complements the regular class activities by giving assistance to students with their assignments – essays, presentations, proposals and long essays. Students can also walk in with their writing questions and receive help to improve their writing skills across the curriculum.
Among the universities objectives is to “train and develop skillful and competent professionals for business, Information and Communication Technology and Entrepreneurship which is facilitated by software design centers within the university. These centers help students learn vital research skills, software development, and good management practices through empirical studies. By designing projects for organizations, students ensure that their research has practical value.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Preliminary observation of some lecture halls at the Wisconsin International University College showed that, the University is well equipped with teaching and learning facilities, which can enhance teaching and learning process. These includes computers, projectors, Internet, TV and VCD/DVD/VCR.
Unfortunately, most lecturers and students within the various departments do not use these facilities at their disposal to its fullest. Some of the lecturers still use the orthodox way of teaching whereby a white board, a marker and written lecture notes are mostly the tools being used to the neglect of other technological facilities such as microphones and projectors. Most of the white boards are quite untidy due to the mistaken use of permanent markers, which leaves trails on the boards and in most scenarios, students have to strain their eyes so they can see the words on the board.
Also most of the students find it difficult to use the internet for research and because of this, a lot of time is wasted in the retrieval of relevant information for their academic work. It is obvious that the University has the necessary ICT facilities that underpins teaching and learning processes. Yet the impacts of this resource on students and lecturers in the teaching and learning environment is minimal.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to investigate the use of ICT as a tool to enhance teaching and learning in the Wisconsin International University College.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of the research conducted:
- To find out whether lecturers and students make adequate use of ICT as a tool for teaching and learning;
- To ascertain the views of lecturers and students on the availability of teaching and learning technologies in the Wisconsin International University College;
- To find out whether lecturers integrate ICT into teaching so as to enhance the teaching and learning process;
- To find out the difficulties encountered by lecturers and student in an ICT integrated environment for teaching and learning;
- To suggest ways in which ICT can be used to support teaching and learning.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The study was guided by the following questions
- Do lecturers have interest in an ICT integrated teaching and learning environment?
- What are the ICT facilities in the lecture halls?
- Do lecturers make use of ICT in teaching and learning?
- How often do lecturers use the ICT facilities for their academic work?
- What are the challenges in the use of the ICT facilities?
SCOPE OF STUDY
The study was limited to Wisconsin International University College because of proximity, time and funding constraint of the research. The study focused on undergraduate students who form larger classes in most tertiary institutions and some lecturers across the various faculties.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
The theory to be used is the Activity Theory Model of Quek & Shah (1995), which stems from the work of Russian psychologists Vygotsky and Leont’ev, in particular Vygotsky’s (1934, 1978) theory of mediated activity. The theory argues that all purposeful human activity is accomplished through the use of physical and/or psychological tools. After Vygotsky, Leont’ev (1977, 1978) pioneered the concept of the hierarchical levels in activity, and explained that activity is always collective, never individual. Activity Theory was developed further by Engeström (1987), who produced the diagram of the activity system (Fig 1).
According to (Lim & Hang, 2003), activity theory proposes that activities consist of processes both at the individual and social level, including the mediational tools and artefacts that link the processes together. These tools may include ICT that mediate work functions among members of the learning environment. Taking activity theory as the theoretical framework provides important insights into the ICT integration process in Ghanaian universities. According to Hashim & Jones (2007), Activity Theory is a theoretical framework for the analysis and understanding of human interaction through their use of tools and artefacts. It offers a holistic and contextual method of discovery that can be used to support qualitative and interpretative research. Activity Theory is particularly relevant in situations that have a significant historical and cultural context and where the participants, their purposes and their tools are in a process of rapid and constant change.
