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Instructional technology in higher education: A case of selected universities in the Niger Delta
Nwachukwu Prince OLOLUBE
Department of Educational Foundations and Management
School of Education, University of Education, Port Harcourt, NIGERIA.
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Paul EKE
Department of Sociology
Faculty of Social Sciences , University of Port Harcourt, NIGERIA.
Michael Chukwuwieke UZORKA
Department of Intelligence and Security Studies
Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, NOVENA University, Ogume, NIGERIA.
Nkereuwem Stephen EKPENYONG
Department of Sociology
Faculty of Social Sciences, Niger Delta University, NIGERIA.
and
Ngboawaji Daniel NTE
Department of Intelligence and Security Studies
Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, NOVENA University, Ogume, NIGERIA.
Received 28 Feb., 2009
Revised 15 Dec., 2009
Contents
o Abstract
o Introduction
o Purpose of the study
o Research hypothesis
o Literature review
o Contextual education environment in the Niger Data
o ICT and higher education
o Problems of ICT in nigerian higher education
o Process and procedures
o Research line and procedures
o Data analysis. results and discussion
o Hypothesis 1
o Hypothesis 2
o Hypothesis 3
o Concluding remarks
o Implication for research and practice
o References
Abstract
This article examines the effectiveness of instructional technology in higher education institutions in relation to the role and usage of Information Communication Technology (ICT), its effectiveness in faculty teaching and its impact on student learning in universities in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. This study applied the Need Assessment Approach (NAA). A self-designed questionnaire, that employed benchmarks from similar studies conducted in the West, was used to collect data for this study. One hundred and twenty five (n = 125) respondents participated in the study. The results suggest that there are significant relationships between the impact of instructional technology, the usage of instructional technology and students’ academic achievement. An absence of ICT instructional materials, ineffective policy implementation and a lack of other resources (infrastructures) to aid teaching and learning are responsible for short comings in the effective implementation of ICT in education. The study revealed that experience makes it easier to employ and exhibit greater proficiency when using ICT instructional material in the teaching and learning process. The findings and nature of this study bare implications for higher education administrators, faculty and researchers. By design, this research was based on a narrow field of literature and a small sample size. Consequently, it is recommended that further studies are based on a more widespread survey of literature and a larger sample size, which might also involve multiple case studies.
Keywords: Instructional technology, effectiveness, higher education, attitude and anxiety, universities, Niger Delta.
Introduction
Education is a complex social undertaking, and there is no easy way to analyze the many dimensions of the policies involved. Nonetheless, we can begin with the simple characterization of higher education as a process involving the allocation and use of available resources to achieve certain instructional, social and/or economic objectives (Ololube, 2007). In most higher education circles in Nigeria, it is often observed that some institutions are undoubtedly better endowed than others in terms of, for example, the number, qualification and experience of the faculty and the availability of books and instructional technology materials (Ololube, 2008).
There are very few sectors of the Nigerian economy that have progressed beyond the emerging phase. It is estimated that 90% of Nigerian educational institutions are in the emerging phase, 7% in the applying phase, and 3% are in the infusing and transforming phases (Iloanusi & Osuagwu, 2009). The better endowed institutions tend to produce better results. Some faculties are simply more skillful than others. This result underlines the fact that,although substantial instructional resources may affect academic outcomes through their impact on the quality of the classroom environment, the interaction between faculty members and their students also plays an important role (Ololube, 2006a). Information and communication technology (ICT), when applied to education, enhances the delivery of and access to knowledge, and improves the quality of the curriculum. It produces richer learning outcomes when compared with ICT-poor education. ICT-enriched learning encourages critical thinking and offers a much broader spectrum of means for achieving educational goals (Iloanusi & Osuagwu, 2009).
While it has been rightly noted that instructional technology will not remedy all that is wrong with present-day education, there is no doubt that modern life is dominated by technology. As such there is universal recognition (Aduwa-Ogiegbaen & Iyamu, 2005; Ololube, 2008; UNESCO, 1998) of the need to use ICT in education as we enter a globalized era, in which the free flow of information via satellite and Internet sources considerably influences the global dissemination of knowledge to faculties and students. According to Iloanusi and Osuagwu (2009), the key thing is not the ICT per se, but, in understanding ICT and effectively employing it in the delivery of knowledge and in reaching goals in less time. In this way, ICT is used as a means but not as an end.
Computer technologies are perhaps the most fundamental information and communication technology tools in use today. With increasing pressure on higher educational institutions to “do more with less,” ICT can help to maintain or improve the quality of services in higher education while at the same time significantly reducing cost (Voss & Hadden, in Ololube, 2006b). Computer technologies include all removable media such as optical discs, disks, flash memories, video books, multimedia projectors, interactive electronic boards and continuously emerging state-of-the-art PCs (I1oanusi & Osuagwu, 2009).
Information technology (IT) is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numeric information via the microelectronic-based combination of computer and telecommunication (Ololube, 2008). It is an encompassing field that covers texts handling, data storage and referencing, computer output on microform, document image processing, teletext/view data, telecommunication, e-mail, voicemail, networking, value-added network services, teleconferencing and videoconferencing and data transmission among others (Lucy, 2000; Wiliams, 2003). Despite intensive studies (Ifinedo, 2005; Ololube, 2008; Ololube & Egbezor, 2009; Ifinedo & Ololube, 2007) on the process, impact and decline of technology use in instructional teaching in IT disciplines, the lack of availability of technology laboratories for students and faculty in Nigerian higher education systems, and a limited instructional use of IT in teaching in general, an effective policy has not been put forward to remedy the situation.
Purpose of the study
This article aims
To examine the effectiveness of instructional technology in higher education institutions in relation to the role and usage of ICTs, its effectiveness in faculty teaching and its impact on students academic achievements;
To access factors that hinder the implementation and use of effective instructional technology and the impact of these factors on students’ education;
And to provide higher education faculty with confident recommendations on how to improve the quality of their teaching and learning.
Research hypothesis
The following research hypotheses were formulated to give direction to the study:
HO1 : There are no significant relationships between the impact of instructional technology and usage of instructional technology and student academic achievement.
HO2: There are no significant differences between male and female attitudes and anxiety towards ICTs and their academic achievements.
HO3: There are no significant differences between the opinions of respondents in University 1 and University 2.
Literature review
Contextual education environmental in the Niger Delta
The higher education academic scenery in the Niger Delta includes: teaching and learning, pedagogy, research methodology, dissemination and publication, libraries and information services, administration and management (Beebe, 2004). Many institutions of higher learning in the Niger Delta are not getting the job done and are in no particular hurry to redesign their programs so as to ensure improvements in curriculum, instruction and students’ academic achievement (Ololube, 2008).
The challenges in the Niger Delta can be identified in relation to the geography of the region. Oil exploration and exploitation are intrinsically hostile to the people and the environment that surround resource-rich areas. While these problems are not insurmountable, they have been made worse by prolonged periods of neglect, marginalization, and cooperation and conspiracy between the state and multinational oil companies looking to exploit the resources of the region without a reciprocal plan to fully develop it (Thomas, 2001). The impacts of these underdevelopment tendencies are not difficult to detect as the education infrastructure is in a visibly poor condition — dilapidated buildings, chronically inadequate funding, a lack of ICT instructional materials and a lack of qualified ICT-literate faculty.
ICT and higher education
While we recognize that the use of instructional technology in the higher education teaching and learning processes is still in its infancy in Nigeria, ICT instructional use is vital to the progress and development of faculty and students alike. Higher education institutions, especially those in the West, have adopted ICT as a means to impart upon students the knowledge and skills demanded by 21st century educational advancement (UNESCO, 2002a). According to UNESCO (2002b), ICT now permeates the education environment and underpins the very success of 21st century education. ICT also adds value to the processes of learning and to the organization and management of learning institutions. Technologies are a driving force behind much of the development and innovation in both developed and developing countries. As such, all countries must seek to benefit from technological developments. To be able to do so, professionals (including faculty) have to be educated with sound ICT backgrounds, independent of specific computer platforms or software environments, to meet the required competencies of the ever-changing global environment.
When ICT in education does not achieve expected goals or when it introduces complicated educational reforms, students and teachers can lose focus on the essentials and become distracted by the rapidly changing technologies themselves. This result is likely when students and teachers have not been able to acquire a full understanding of the technologies, the role ICT plays and where, how and what technology to use. When the meaning of ICT and its unlimited potential in the educational arena are understood, rapidly changing technologies are not seen as overwhelming, but as enablers of greater critical thinking and problem solving in education (Iloanusi & Osuagwu, 2009).
Problems of ICT in nigerian higher education
Despite the keenness of some institutions of higher learning to establish effective ICT education programs, they are confronted with enormous problems that may impede the proper implementation of these programs. The most significant of these is poor ICT penetration and usage among Nigerian higher education practitioners. Almost all African countries’ basic ICT infrastructures are inadequate; a result of a lack of electricity to power the ICT materials and poor telecommunication facilities. Above all, this lack of access to much needed infrastructure is to the result of insufficient funds (Ololube, Ubogu & Egbezor, 2007). Several cities and rural areas in Nigeria still have fluctuation in their supply of electricity which makes the implementation of ICT in education most difficult. Additionally most Nigerian universities do not have access to basic instructional technology facilities, which also makes the integration of instructional technology in the delivery of quality education difficult.
Poor economic conditions and their effect on middle level manpower stand as a major barrier to the implementation of ICTs in higher education. Even an average middle income earner can not afford basic technological communication gadgets. Thus, computer related telecommunication facilities might not be overly useful for most Nigerian students and faculty members, as computers are still very much a luxury in institutions, offices and homes. This has made the integration of necessary on-line resources (e-mail, world-wide-web, etc.) into higher education most difficult (Ifinedo & Ololube, 2007). For example, in an African survey of ten countries (Gillwald & Esselaar, 2005), Botswana has the highest fixed line household penetration while Uganda trails far behind the rest, with penetration under 1%.
According to the Commonwealth of Learning International (2001), another serious challenge facing higher education in Nigeria is the need for integration of new ICT literacy knowledge into academic courses and programs. In this regard, professionals in Nigeria have not been able to benefit from international assistance, international networking and cooperation, or from courses, conferences and seminars abroad, because of lack of funding. This denial of assistance and absence of interaction has had adverse consequences, both on the psyche of faculty and on the implementation of the infrastructure necessary for professional development.
Progress and prospects
Despite these conditions, optimism for the realization of Nigerian ICT and higher education goals remain; especially following China’s launch of a communication satellite for Nigeria. This is the first for an African country and the first time China has provided both the satellite and the launch service. The Nigerian Communication Satellite (NIGCOMSAT – 1) is a super hybrid, geostationary satellite that will provide communication services for Africa, and parts of the Middle East and Southern Europe. Experts have predicted that the satellite will revolutionize telecommunications, create professional IT jobs and provide Internet access in remote villages. It is also expected to improve e-commerce and government efficiency by promoting the development of a digital economy in Nigeria and the rest of the African continent (Ololube, Ubogu & Egbezor, 2007). China’s efforts represent a progressive move towards bridging the global digital divide, as there is no doubt that faculty and students in Nigeria would have much broader resources available to them were they to secure reliable access to the Internet.
Progress has also been made in terms of improving ICT penetration in university education in Nigeria. A 2009 survey of the online presence of 70 higher education institutions found that 46 Nigerian universities have an online presence whereas 24 are not online. The University of Jos, for example, has an online library (eGranary) and select infrastructure on campus to support basic forms of ICT integration in education. Some of the other university websites have online-learning portals with downloadable tutorials and provisions for online chatting; however, none support virtual classrooms, tele-conferencing and other synchronous forms of online-learning. Government departments, non-governmental organizations, financial institutions and individuals are all beginning to understand the need for these types of learning tools and have begin to fund ICT implementation in Nigerian educational institutions. Some of these organizations include the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Education Trust Funds (ETF) (Iloanusi & Osuagwu, 2009). Strategic plans and related projects that regularly revisit Nigerian ICT targets are ongoing.
The prospects for the use of ICT in teaching and learning in Nigerian higher education are positive, though there is much work left to be done. Aduwa-Ogiegbaen and Iyamu (2005) have observed that ICT enhances educational efficiency in general and that the efficiency of faculty teaching in Nigerian institutions stands to be improved. Many higher education faculty, for instance, are already teaching large classes of students using ICT materials. With enhanced ICT capabilities it would be possible to use carefully prepared ICT programs to ensure that learners are more accurately and systematically instructed using effective instructional technology.
Research line and procedures
This study applied the Need Assessment Approach (NAA). The NAA was used to determine if gaps exists in the current state of ICT in Nigeria, the causes of these gaps, the ideal implementation scenarios for ICT in higher education institutions and how to achieve these ideals. NAA is aimed at problem eradication or the amelioration of a gap where one exists. This approach measures the discrepancies between the current and desired result or the differences between the current situation and the ideal.
In this case, the Need Assessment Approach was used to examine the effectiveness of instructional technology in higher institutions in relation to the role and usage of ICTs, its effectiveness in faculty teaching and its impact on student learning in two Universities in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The two Universities were labeled University 1 and University 2. The assessment sought to ascertain the factors that hinder effective instructional technology implementation and its impact on students’ educational achievement. The study also investigates faculty and undergraduate students’ attitudes and anxiety about ICTs which includes the gender differentiations in their attitudes and anxiety. In this paradigm, attitudes involve the predisposition of a person to respond positively or negatively towards computers. Their computer-attitudes affect they do with the computer, reflects the experiences the user has had with technology, and is a determining factor of the user’s future behavior towards computers. The user’s computer attitude also provides the user with a framework within which to interpret the effect and the integration of computers in the user’s life. Computer-related anxiety is a state of fear or tension of imminent contact with a computer that might be inconsistent with the actual danger presented to computer users. It has been associated with decreased use and worse, avoidance that can seriously affect some students’ academic development. Computer anxiety, if untreated, can lead to complete ICT avoidance (Ololube, 2008).
One hundred and twenty five (n = 125) respondents participated in the study (60 [48%] from University 1 and 65 [52%] from University 2). Forty-five faculty (36%) and 80 students (64%) were randomly selected. The faculty was between 35 and 61 years of age, while the students were between 22 and 35 years old. Seventy-five (60%) were female, and 50 (40%) were male (see Figure 2). A self-designed questionnaire, that employed benchmarks from similar studies conducted in the West, was used to collect data for this study and the instrument was validated with the assistance of experienced faculty and university researchers. To further validate the instrument, a pre-test for this study was performed in the first three weeks, and responses from participants were used to make changes and modifications. The post-test was conducted in the last week of April 2008. The data collection instrument was made up of 25 items and employed a four point Likert-type scale response pattern. The scale consisted of: strongly agree, agree, disagree and strongly disagree. These answer options were weighted 4, 3, 2 and 1 respectively. The researchers conducted a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient measurement to appraise the reliability of the research instrument, and the instrument was found to have a reliability coefficient of 0.843. The data collected was analyzed using simple percentages, t-test and chi-square of the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.
Data analysis, results and discussion
Hypothesis 1
Chi-square analysis was employed to test if significant relationships exist in respondents’ opinions on the impact of instructional technology and students’ academic achievements. The results of the chi-square analysis for the five variables tested are as shown in Table 1. The table demonstrates that there are significant relationships between the impact of instructional technology, usage of instructional technology and students’ academic achievement. Consequently, the null hypothesis is rejected. The findings of this study reveal that ICT, when applied to education, enhances effective knowledge delivery, enhances access to knowledge, produces richer learning outcomes, encourages effective critical thinking and generally improves the quality of teaching and learning. The results show that there is a positive and significant correlation between instructional technology and its effectiveness in augmenting educational offerings in higher education. The results thus confirm the observation made by Iloanusi and Osuagwu (2009) that ICT-aided teaching assists in effective delivery of knowledge and reaching educational goals in less time. However, Ololube (2008) and Ololube and Egbezor (2009) have argued that the diffusion of modern technology in teaching and learning depends on the degree to which a large segment of students and faculty have acquired the knowledge and skills required for the usage of ICT.
Table 1: Effectiveness of instructional technology in higher education
Variables
N
SD
Mean
X2
DF
Sig. (2-tailed)
ICT/Effective knowledge delivery
125
.69912
2.94400
27.080
3
.000
ICT/Access to knowledge
125
.83882
2.50400
33.375
3
.000
ICT/Produces effective learning outcome
125
.62238
3.08800
45.473
3
.000
ICT/Encourages critical thinking
125
.62816
3.02400
33.823
2
.000
ICT/Quality of teaching and learning
125
.71238
3.02400
37.460
3
.000
Hypothesis 2
The findings of this study also suggest that faculty and student attitudes and anxiety towards ICT in teaching and learning relate to prior experience received during early years of high school education. We recognize that these facilities were not available to many students from day one of their educational endeavors (kindergarten). This data is in line with the findings of Bebetsos and Antoniou (2008), who suggest a correlation (85.2%) between the unpleasantness of prior experience and current attitudes and anxiety toward ICT usage in instruction. The result shows a positive relationship between prior experience with ICTs and attitude and anxiety and support the documented slow rate of use and integration of ICTs amongst Nigerian faculty and higher education students. Faculty and students with early access to ICTs do not have significant technology phobias. In general, female faculty and students (63%) had more negative attitudes and greater anxiety than did male faculty and students (37%) (see Figure3). This is in line with the studies of Parasuraman and Igbaria, (1990), Agnetha Broos(2005) and Igbaria and Chakrbarti (1990).
A t-test analysis was employed to test if there was a significant difference between female faculty/students and male faculty/students. The purpose of this analysis was to further verify the analytical information; the t-test analysis was aimed at determining if there are significant differences between respondents’ means. The result shows that there are significant differences in male and female attitudes and anxiety towards ICTs across all the variables. SPSS version 17 displayed it as p < 0.000 significance levels. This does not, however, mean that the probability is 0. It is less than p < 0.0005. The t-value for female was 35.12 while that for male was 39.29, Df = 124, p < 0.000 (see Table 2).
Table 2: Two-tailed test of difference between female and male faculty and students
Demographic Variables
SD.
Std. Error mean
T
Df
Sig. (2-tailed)
Female faculty and students
.87
.059
35.12
124
.000
male faculty and students
.67
.057
39.29
124
.000
More than 80% of respondents demonstrated lower academic achievement (amongst both faculty and students) when compared with their counterparts in the West where ITC usage and integration has existed for decades; the causes of this are not difficult to understand. A chronic absence of ICT instructional materials, ineffective policy implementation and a lack of other resources (infrastructure) to aid teaching and learning are responsible for the marked disparities. In essence, the study revealed that experience makes it easier to study with and exhibit greater proficiency when using ICT instructional material in the teaching and learning process.
Hypothesis 3
One-Way analysis of variance (ANOVA) set at p < 0.05 was employed to test if significant differences exist in the opinions of the respondents from the two universities used for the study. The data obtained was computed and the results show that no significant differences exist in opinions across the two universities. (see table 3 for details)
Table 3: Analysis of variance for universities
Universities
Frequency
(%)
Mean
SD
F Ratio
Sig.
UNIVERSITY 1
UNIVERSITY 2
61
48.8
1.9235
.654
1.59
.342
64
51.2
2.0882
.671
Concluding remarks
This article has examined the effectiveness of instructional technology in higher education institutions in relation to the role and usage of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), it effectiveness in faculty teaching and its impact on student learning. It has also looked at attitudes and anxiety towards instructional technology amongst higher education faculty and students in a developing economy. Instructional technologies constitute an important force in the efforts to build an information technology society and to join the international community in meeting the millennium development goals. This study suggests that higher education worldwide is valuable in providing faculty and students with some of the resources needed for their continuing development; higher education institutions are enduring entities that ensure and foster the diffusion of knowledge for national advancement. Society depends on institutions of higher education for growth, the production of new knowledge, the transmission of new knowledge through education, training and information and communication technology. As higher education is increasingly playing a role in the global free market we must endeavor to ensure standardization and uniformity in satisfying global trends, for example, in demanding excellence from our educational institutions in their training and preparation of highly qualified manpower. The Nigerian government must embark on a comprehensive program of higher education recapitalization and should move from its traditional position of paying lip service or little attention to empowering higher education programs to proactively funding, monitoring, and controlling ICT implementation as away of ensuring that standards are met (Ololube, 2008). This will necessarily involve making sure that adequate and functioning ICT infrastructures are available to private organizers of higher education programs and citizens at large. Such infrastructure includes electricity, telecommunications equipment and effective network systems (Yusuf, 2006).
According to Mac-Ikemenjima (2005), ICT plays a key role as an enabler that helps us to better manage the complex information flow and integrate such information in policy formulation in order to achieve the maximization of human capital and potential in society. Thus, ICT involves the development of effective and integrated tools as well as training modules to enable ICT application through effective teaching and learning.
Transferring technology to Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries is necessary and overdue. An overhaul of the technology transfer process is essential, including stipulations for the acquisition of skills, knowledge and abilities. Although, these requirements appear daunting, especially in view of the human and material resources needed to successfully implement them, they are central to the development of the region. Over 70% of Nigeria’s public universities and Nigerians themselves depend on the government to provide ICT materials in universities. This overwhelming dependence on the government has often left higher education institutions poorly equipped. ICT capacity building through the management of information systems and staff training are critical; and a failure to address these issues may lead to aims and objectives displacement, which in turn will allow higher education institutions to deviate from their primary role of teaching and research (Ololube, 2008).
Implication for research and practice
This research suggests several possible implications for future research and practice. These implications pertain most directly to higher education institutions, faculty, students and researchers. At a management level, this case study calls for effective policies to make balanced investments and increase funding in higher education programs that will provide resources needed to effectively implement the use, integration and diffusion of ICT. Following the design of this investigation, which was based on a small sample size, the researchers suggest larger studies based on a more widespread survey, which may also involve multiple case studies. These limitations need to be considered when evaluating the findings of this study as they raise the possibility that some differences in opinion may be more a function of research design and contextual factors than a result of any differences in higher education studies. As with many other case studies, the findings should not be regarded as definitive but as offering faculty, educators, researchers, planners and administrators a view of the authors’ reality.
References
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高等教育中的教育技术
--以尼日尔河三角洲的部分高校为例
内容：
摘要
简介
研究目的
研究假设
文献综述
尼日尔三角洲的情境教育环境
信息通讯技术与高等教育
信息通讯技术在尼日利亚高等教育中存在的问题
过程与程序
研究路线与过程
数据分析。结果与讨论
假设1
假设2
假设3
结束语
研究与实践的启示
参考文献
摘要
本文探讨了教育技术在高等教育机构中的作用和使用信息技术通讯的有效性，以及对教师的教学和其在尼日利亚尼日尔河三角洲地区的大学对学生学习的影响。该研究运用的是需求评估方法。使用自行设计的问卷为该研究进行数据的收集，而问卷设计则参考了西方国家开展的类似的研究制定的问卷设计标准。125名被试参加了该研究。结果表明，教育技术的影响及使用跟学生的学业成绩有显著的关系。信息与通讯技术教材的缺乏，政策执行的不力以及其他资源的缺乏是信息与通讯技术在教学中不能有效使用的原因。
关键词：教育技术、效率、高等教育、态度和焦虑、大学。尼日尔河三角洲地区
简介
教育是一项复杂的社会事业，并且没有简单的方法来分析所涉及的各种政策。因此，我们可以把高等教育简单的描述成这样一个过程，即：分配和运用现有资源以达到一定的教学、社会和经济目标。
尼日利亚的经济中只有极少数的发展远远超出了新兴阶段, 据估计,90%的尼日利亚教育机构处于新兴阶段,7%的教育机构处于申请阶段， 3%的教育机构处于投入与转化阶段。机构投入越多，获得的结果也越好。有些院系单单是技能上比别的熟练点。这一结果强调了一个事实，尽管大量的教学资源会通过影响教室环境的质量、来影响教学结果，但是教师和学生之间的相互影响也发挥了重要作用。当运用于教育时，信息通信技术会提高知识的传递和获取，并且提高课堂教学质量。与缺乏信息通信技术教育的情况相比，这会产生丰富的学习成果。富含信息与通信技术的学习会鼓励批判性思维的开发，并且为教育目标的实现提供更多的手段。
虽然已经被指出教育技术并不会解决当今教育中存在的所有的问题，但是毫无疑问的是现代的生活是由技术指导的。因此，当我们进入全球化时代时,信息和网络资源通过卫星的自由流动极大地影响了全球的知识在学院和学生中传播,在教育中运用ICT得到了世界性的认可.根据Iloanusi and Osuagwu的观点,关键不是ICT本身,而是对ICT的了解和有效地运用ICT传递知识并在短时间内达到目标。因此ICT被用来作为一种手段，而不是结果。
在今天，计算机通信技术也许是最根本的通讯技术。随着高等教育机构“少花钱多办事的压力越来越大，”ICT可以帮助，以维持或提高高等教育的质量，服务，同时显着降低成本。计算机技术包括所有可移动介质，如光盘，磁盘，闪存，音像，多媒体投影机，交互式电子板和不断涌现的国家的最先进的电脑。
信息技术（IT）是通过计算机和微电子的联合，对声音、图形、文字和数字信息的采集采集、处理、存储和传播。这是一个包罗万象的领域，包括文字处理，数据存储和参照，计算机输出缩微，文件影像处理，图文/数据视图，电信，电子邮件，语音邮件，网络，网络增值服务，电话会议，视频会议和数据在其他领域的传输。尽管对过程有深入的研究,但是,在IT学科教学中,技术的运用减少了,在尼日利亚高等教育体系中,为老师和学生提供的技术实验室的可用性不足,并且在教学中对IT的普遍运用不足,尚未提出有效地政策来弥补这种状况.
研究目的
文章的目的
为检验教育技术在在高等教育机构中的有效性,以及教师教学的有效性和他对学生学习成果的影响情况。
为了获取那些阻碍教育技术的有效实施和运用的因素，以及这些因素对学生教育的影响情况。
为了提供更加高质量的教师，而这些教师在如何提高他们的教学和学习质量上要有足够的信心。
研究假设
以下的研究假设用以制定研究方向：
HO1：教育技术的影响以及使用与学生的学习成绩没有显著的差异
HO2：男生和女生对信息通讯技术的态度和焦虑情况与他们的学术成果
之间没有显著的差异
HO3：大学1与大学2的受访者的意见没有显著的差异
文献综述
尼日尔河三角洲的情景教育环境
尼日尔河三角洲地区的高等教育环境包括：
教学和学习、教学、研究方法、传播和出版、图书馆和信息服务、管理和经营。在尼日尔河三角洲地区的高等院校的许多机构没有把工作做好，并且不急于重新设计自己的方案，以确保改善课程，教学和学生的学业成绩。
在尼日尔河三角洲的挑战确定与该地区的地理环境有关。石油的勘探和开采本质上是对资源丰富地区周围的人和环境的破坏。虽然这些问题并非不可克服，但是由于对这些问题的长期的忽视、边缘化、国家和跨国石油公司之间的合作和阴谋，使得这些问题变得更加严重。这些不发达的倾向并不难被发现，因为教育基础设施状况明显不佳-破旧的房屋，长期资金不足，缺乏信息和通信技术的教材，缺乏合格的ICT知识的教师。
信息通信技术和高等教育
虽然我们认识到，在尼日利亚高等教育教学和学习过程中使用的教学技术仍处于起步阶段，但是 ICT得运用对教师和学生的进步和发展是至关重要的。高等教育机构，尤其是西方的那些高等教育机构，受21实际教育进步的要求，都把ICT作为向学生传授知识和技能的一种手段。根据UNESCO（2002），信息和通信技术渗透到教育环境中,为21世纪教育的成功奠定了基础。ICT还为学习过程,学习机构的组织和管理增加了价值。技术是很多发达国家和发展中国家的发展和创新背后的驱动力。因此，所有国家都必须寻求从技术发展中受益。为了能够这样做，专业人员（包括教师）必须要有健全的信息通讯技术知识做背景，能独立于特定的计算机平台和软件，以具备不断变化的全球环境所需要的能力。
信息技术在教育没有达到预期的目标时或者当它引入了复杂的教育改革时，学生和老师很可能会抓不住重点，并且会因为快速变化的技术本身而变得心烦意乱。当老师和学生对技术、对ICT扮演的角色和适用的地方、如何使用以及用来做什么等不能充分了解时，这个结果就会发生。当信息和通信技术的意义和其在教育领域的无限潜力被发掘时，技术不仅会发生突变,更能促进教育中的批判思维的形成以及教育中的问题的解决。
尼日利亚高等教育中的信息通信技术存在的问题
尽管一些高等院校具有建立有效的信息和通信技术教育课程的敏锐性，但是他们都面临着巨大的问题，这些问题可能会阻碍正确实施这些方案。最重要的是ICT在尼日利亚的较高教育工作者中的低普及和适用率。几乎所有非洲国家的基本信息和通信技术基础设施不足，这是缺乏为ICT材料供电的电力以及电信设施差的结果。最重要的是，缺乏的急需的基础设施是资金不足的结果。在尼日利亚的几个城市和农村地区的电力供应仍然有波动，这使得信息和通信技术在教育中实施变得有困难。另外，大多数尼日利亚大学没有获得基本的教学技术设施，这也使得在提供优质教育过程中对教学技术的整合变的困难。
落后的经济条件和它对社会中层人力的影响是ICT在高等教育中实施的一大主要障碍。即使是平均的中等收入者也买不起基本的技术交流的小工具。因此，计算机相关电信设备对大多数的尼日利亚学生和教师成员来说可能不会是过于有用的，就如计算机在机构，办公室和家庭仍然是奢侈品一样。这使得把必要的线上资源整合到教育中变得非常困难。例如，在调查的10个非洲国家中，博茨瓦纳有最高的固定线路的家庭普及率，而乌干达最少，仅在1％以下。根据的英联邦学习国际（2001），尼日利亚高等教育面临的另一个严重挑战就是新的信息和通信技术文化知识融入学术课程和方案的需要。在这方面，因为缺乏资金的缘故，尼日利亚的专业人士没有能够受益于国际援助，国际的合作与交流，或从国外课程，会议和研讨会中获益。这种不公平的援助和互动的缺失，无论是在教师的心理还是专业发展所必需的基础设施的实施方面，产生了不利的后果。
进展与展望
尽管有这些条件，对尼日利亚信息和通信技术和更高的教育目标的实现保持乐观态度，特别是在中国为尼日利亚发射了通信卫星后。这是中国为第一个非洲国家和第一次提供卫星和卫星发射服务。尼日利亚通信卫星（NIGCOMSAT - 1）是超级杂交的产物，地球静止轨道卫星，将为非洲，中东和南欧的部分地区提供通信服务。有专家预测，这颗卫星将彻底改变电信，创建专业的IT工作，为偏远村庄提供互联网接入服务。它也有望通过推动尼日利亚和其他非洲大陆的数字经济的发展改善电子商务和政府效率。中国的努力代表了逐步走向消除全球数字鸿沟的一种进步，尼日利亚的教师好学生将会获得更加广阔的数字资源并且可以安全可靠地访问互联网。
在改进尼日利亚大学信息通信技术的普及率方面也取得了进展。2009年的一项调查发现，在调查的70个高等教育机构中46个有网络在线，24个没有网络在线。例如，乔斯大学，有一个在线图书馆（eGranary），并选择校园的基础设施来支持基本形式的ICT在教育中的融合。其他一些大学网站有在线学习门户网站，有可下载的教程和在线聊天室，但是都不支持虚拟教室，远程会议和其他同步在线学习的形式。政府部门，非政府组织，金融机构和个人都开始认识到这些类型的学习工具的必要性，并已开始为尼日利亚教育机构信息和通信技术实现投入资金。这些组织包括尼日利亚通信委员会（NCC）及教育信托基金（ETF）。重新审视尼日利亚信息和通信技术的战略计划和相关项目正在实施中。
在尼日利亚高等教育教学和学习中使用信息和通信技术的前景是积极的，但还有许多工作有待完成。Aduwa Ogiegbaen和Iyamu（2005）指出，信息和通信技术提高了一般的教育效率，在尼日利亚院校，教师教学的效率一直在改进中。例如，许多高校教师，已经使用ICT材料进行大课教学。通过增强信息通信技术能力，将有可能使用精心准备的信息和通信技术方案，以确保学员在有效的运用教育技术上能够获得更准确，更系统的指导。
研究线路和程序
本研究采用需求评估方法。需求评估的方法被用来检测尼日利亚当前的信息通讯技术是否存在缺陷,引起这些缺陷的原因, 信息和通信技术在高等教育机构的理想的实施方案,以及如何实现这些理想的方案。需求评估方法旨在根除问题，改善存在的缺陷。这种方法用来测量当前和期望的结果之间的差异或当前的和理想的形势之间的不同。
在该案例中，NNA被用来检测有关高等院校的教学技术在信息通信技术的作用和用法上的有效性，教师教学的有效性及其对尼日利亚尼日尔河三角洲地区的两所大学的学生学习的影响。这两所大学被标注成大学1跟大学2。该评估寻求找出阻碍教育技术有效的运用的原因以及对学生学习成绩的影响情况。这项研究还调查了教师和本科学生有关的信息和通信技术的态度和焦虑情况，其中包括他们的态度和焦虑的性别分化。在这个范例中，态度涉及一个人对计算机的正面或负面的回应的倾向。他们的计算机态度影响了他们对计算机的使用情况，反映了用户已有的技术经验，并且是用户未来对计算机的行为的一个决定性因素。用户的计算机态度还为用户提供了一个框架，用来解释电脑在用户生活中的作用和一体化。与计算机相关的焦虑是一种将要接触电脑时恐惧或紧张状态，这与提交给计算机用户的实际危险，可能是不一致的。他可能与减少使用有关，更糟糕的情况是，如果弃用，可能会严重影响学生的学业发展。而计算机焦虑，如果不及时治疗，可能会导致完成ICT的弃用。
125名被试参加了该研究（其中来自学校1 的有60名，占48%，来自学校2的有65名，占62%）。随机选取了45（占36%）名学生和80（占64%）名老师。教师是在35和61岁之间，而学生是22和35岁之间。有75（占60%）名女性，50（占40%）名男性。采用自行设计的问卷来进行数据的收集，问卷的基准采用的是与西方相类似的研究的基准，并且问卷的有效性是经过经验丰富的教师和大学研究人员的验证的。为了进一步验证问卷的有效性，在前三个星期进行了一次前测，根据测试者的反应进行问卷的修改。后测是在2008年四月的最后一个星期进行的。问卷有25个问题组成，采用了四点李克特式量表的反应模式。这四点模式包括：非常同意，同意，不同意，非常不同意。并对答案进行了加权处理，分别对应4,3,2,1。研究人员用量表的阿尔法系数测量评估问卷的可靠性，得到一个可靠性系数0.843。并使用简单的百分比，t检验和卡方检验的方法对收集到的数据进行了分析，其中卡方检验运用的统计软件（SPSS）版本为17。
数据分析，结果和讨论
假设1
卡方分析测试被用来检验受访者的意见对教育技术的影响以及对学生的学术成就的影响之间是否存在显著差异。五个变量的卡方分析的测试结果如表1中所示。该表表明，有教学技术影响及使用和学生的学业成就之间有显着的关系。因此，拒绝虚无假设。这项研究的结果显示，信息和通信技术，当应用到教育中时，增强了有效的知识传递，提高获取知识，产生更丰富的学习成果，鼓励有效的批判性思维，并普遍提高了教学和学习质量。结果显示教育技术以及他在高等教育中增强教育课程的有效性之间有积极和显著地相关性。因此该结果证明了由Iloanusi and Osuagwu的观察结论,那就是ICT辅助教学有助于在更短的时间内有效地传递知识，达到教育目标。然而，Ololube （在2008年时） 与Ololube 和Egbezor (在2009时)认为，现代技术在教学和学习中的扩散取决于一定的程度即：大部分学生和教师为信息和通信技术的使用已经获得的知识和技能。
假设2
研究结果还表明，教师和学生对ICT运用于教学和学习中的态度和焦虑与先前在学校中所获得的经历有关。我们意识到，对许多学生来说，这些设施从入学的第一天起就是没法获得的。这些数据时根据Bebetsos和ntoniou (2008)的发现得出的，他们认为以往的不愉快的经历与现在对待ICT在教学中的运用的态度和焦虑具有相关性。结果显示，先前关于ICT的经历与态度、焦虑、支持文件低速缓慢使用以及信息和通信技术在尼日利亚的教师和高等教育学生之间的整合之间具有积极的显著地关系。早期就开始使用ICT的教师和学生没有显著的技术恐惧症。在一般情况下，女教师和学生（63％）与男性教师和学生（37％）相比有更多的消极态度和更大的焦虑（见图3-1）。这个结论是基于Parasuraman和Igbaria, (1990), Agnetha Broos(2005)和Igbaria and Chakrbarti (1990)的研究得出的。
t检验用来检测在男教师/学生与女教师/学生之间是否存在显著差异。这种分析的目的是为了进一步验证分析信息; t检验分析的目的是确定在受访者的手段之间是否有显着差异。研究结果表明，男性和女性对信息和通信技术的态度和焦虑在所有变量中有显着差异。SPSS第17版显示为p<0.000的显着性水平。然而，这并不意味着，概率为0。说明概率小于0.0005。女性的t值是35.12，而男性为39.29，DF =124，P <0.000（见表2）。超过80%的受访者认为，与ICT已经运用和整合了数十年的西方的同行相比，他们（包括教师和学生）取得的学术成果更少，原因并不难理解。ICT教材的严重缺乏、政策执行不力以及援助教学和学习的其他资源（基础设施）的缺乏是造成这个差异的主要原因。从本质上讲，该研究揭示了这样一种现象，那就是当在学习和教学过程中运用ICT材料时，以往的经验会让这件事变的更容易而且会展现出更大的能力。
假设3
P<0.05时，运用单项方差分析来检测用于研究的两所大学受访者的意见是否存在显著地差异。所获得的数据计算结果表明，两所大学的受访者的意见之间没有显著地差异。
结束语
本文已经研究了与ICT的作用和使用相关的信息技术在高等教育机构中的有效性，在教学中的有效性以及对学生学习的影响。也研究了在经济发展的过程中，高等教育的教师和学生对信息技术的态度和焦虑。信息技术在致力于构建信息技术社会和加入国际社会以实现千年的发展目标方面贡献了重要的力量。该研究表明全世界的高等教育在为教师和学生提供他们持续进步所需要的资源方面是有价值的，高等教育机构是一个持久的实体，为国家的进步确保和促进了知识的扩散。社会依靠高等教育机构，生产新知识，增长新知识，通过教育，培训和信息和通信技术来传递新知识。随着高等教育日益发挥全球自由市场的作用，我们必须努力以确保标准化和统一性，来满足全球的趋势，例如，在我们的教育机构在他们的训练和准备，高素质的人力资源要求精益求精。尼日利亚政府必须对资本结构的调整制定一个更加详细的计划,并且应该从以前的那种口惠而实不至 以及极少的关注状态中走出来, 赋予更高的教育计划，以主动投入资金，监测，控制信息和通信技术实现，确保符合标准。这必然涉及确保高等教育课程和广大公民的私人组织者能够利用适当和有效的信息和通信技术基础设施。这些基础设施包括电力，电信设备和有效的网络系统。
据到Mac Ikemenjima的观点（2005年），信息和通信技术起着关键的作用，可以帮助我们更好地管理复杂的信息流，并在制定政策方面整合信息，以实现人力资本的最大化和社会的潜力。因此，ICT涉及有效的和综合的工具，以及培训模块，以确保通过有效地教学和学习促进ICT的应用。
传递技术对尼日利亚和其他撒哈拉以南非洲国家来说是必要的和姗姗来迟的。技术转移过程中的检查是必要的，包括对技能、知识和能力的规定的检查。尽管这些要求，尤其是在所需要的人力和物力资源需要成功的运用上显得很艰巨，但是他们是该地区发展的中心环节。尼日利亚超过70%的公立大学和尼日利亚人依靠政府在大学提供的ICT材料学习。这对政府过度的依赖往往造成高等教育机构设备简陋。通过对信息系统和员工培训的管理促进ICT能力的建设是非常重要的。而这些问题若不能解决可能导致的目的和目标位移。这相应的将使高等教育机构偏离其主要的教学和研究的作用。
研究与实践的应用
本研究对未来的研究和实践造成了几种可能性的影响。这些影响将直接影响到高等学校，教师，学生和研究人员。从管理水平上来说，本案例研究需要制定有效的政策来平衡投资和增加高等教育项目资金，以提供有效运用及信息通讯技术的整合和传播所需要的资源。本次调查问卷的设计是基于一个小的样本，研究人员认为，更大的研究应该基于更广泛的调查，或者可能涉及多个案例研究。在评估研究的结果时，这些局限性需要考虑在内，因为他们增加了这样的可能性，那就是意见的分歧可能是因为调查设计和环境因素的影响而不是高等教育研究中存在的差异的结果。与许多其他的研究一样，调查结果不应该被视为是最终的结论，而应把他看做是作者为教师、教育家、研究者、规划者和管理者们提供的一种观点。
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