Information Communication Technology and the African Student

Abstract

To engage students, improve learning and become a cutting edge educator, it becomes necessary to combine traditional classroom instruction with online or mobile learning activities through the technological world which moves so fast and changes so rapidly. The objective of this study was to build an evidence-based framework that explains the challenge of the developing countries’ students in respect of maximizing the full potentials of the computer for educational activities. Questionnaires were administered to 213 students of the University of Ibadan and the Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo state of Nigeria. A major limitation to maximizing the full potentials of the computer is poor power energy supply. 62.9% of the population understudied pay to use computer for academic purposes. The cost per hour ranged between #50 to #100 plus. The benefits of collaborative learning and teaching with multiple instructors; integration of external expertise and video conferencing system to create geographically distributed discussion of panels of experts is visibly not maximized. Ultimately, the significant gain in economic productivity as a result of education which may be the most promising way to stimulate general economic growth is lost. This study strongly recommends improved access to computers for the African students.

Keywords: Information communication technology, education, challenges, development, statistics