ICT Usage By Distance Learners In India

Year 2014, Volume: 15 Issue: 3, 242 - 253, 01.09.2014

Ashish Kumar Awadhıya Anshu Mıglanı K. Gowthaman

https://doi.org/10.17718/tojde.52135

Cited By: 5

Abstract

Open Universities across the world are embracing ICT based teaching and learning process to disseminate quality education to their learners spread across the globe. In India availability and access of ICT and learner characteristics are uneven and vary from state to state. Hence it is important to establish the facts about ICT access among learners, their ICT usage patterns and their readiness to use ICT for educational purpose. In view of this, a study was conducted with the objective to find out the access level of ICT among distance learners. The analysis indicates that maximum learners have desktop/laptops and most of them are accessing internet very frequently from their home. The analysis also indicates that maximum respondents are browsing social networking sites followed by educational and e-mail service providing websites. Findings suggest that there is a need to generate ICT based tutorials complemented with social networking tools and mobile applications. Study also shows that learners are equipped with mobile phones and they are browsing internet through it and also availing support services offered by the university. Hence possibility of integrating mobile phone services may be used for providing learner support services and content delivery.

Keywords

ICT, Distance Education, Social Media, ICT Accessibility, Mobile Learning.

References

• Christensen, R. (2002). Effects of Technology Integration Education on the Attitudes of
• Teachers and Students. Journal of Research on technology in Education, 34(4). Eschenbrenner, B. & Nah, F. F. H. (2007). Mobile technology in education: uses and benefits. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation,1(2), 159-183.
• Griffith, S., & Liyanage, L. (2008, June). An introduction to the potential of social networking sites in education. In Emerging Technologies Conference 2008 (p. 9).
• Hsu, Y. C., & Ching, Y. H. (2013). Mobile App Design for Teaching and Learning:
• Educators' Experiences in an Online Graduate Course. International Review of Research in Open & Distance Learning, 14(4). IGNOU, 2010. Communication Networks, MDE-411, Education Communication
• Technologies, New Delhi, STRIDE, IGNOU, 37. IGNOU, 2009. Defining Distance Education, ES-311, Growth and Philosophy of Distance
• Education, New Delhi: STRIDE, IGNOU, 19. Khan, S. A., Bhatti, R. & Ahmad Khan, A. (2011). Use of ICT by Students: A Survey of
• Faculty of Education at IUB. Kumar, L. S., Jamatia, B., Aggarwal, A. K. & Kannan, S. (2011). Mobile Device
• Intervention for Student Support Services in Distance Education Context--FRAME Model Perspective. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning. Marshall, G., & Cox, M. J. (2008). Research methods: Their design, applicability and reliability. In International handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 983-1002). Springer US.
• Mason, R. & Rennie, F. (2008). E-learning and social networking handbook: Resources for higher education (1st ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
• Mc Carroll, N. & Curran, K. (2013). Social Networking in Education.International Journal of Innovation in the Digital Economy,, 4(1), 1-15.
• Overview. (2012). Retrieved February 18, 2014, from http://mhrd.gov.in/overviewdl
• Vice-Chancellor’s Report, (2013). 26th Convocation of IGNOU, New Delhi.