Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education Essay

IntroductionInformation and communication technology (ICT) is a force that has substituted legion(predicate) an(prenominal) aspects of the way we live. If one was to compargon such fields as medicine, tourism, travel, business, law, banking, engineering and architecture, the impact of ICT across the last(prenominal) two or three decades has been enormous. The way these fields operate today is vastly different from the slipway they operated in the previous(prenominal). But when one looks at education, there representms to stir been an uncanny lack of influence and faraway less change than other fields possess experienced. A consider of people take a crap attempt to explore this lack of activity and influence (e.g. Collis, 2002). There have been a subprogram of factors impeding the sell uptake of ICT in education across all sectors. These have included such factors as a lack of funding to nominate the purchase of the technology, a lack of training among established teac hing practitioners, a lack of motivation and request among teachers to take over ICT as teaching to a faultls (Starr, 2001).But in recent times, factors have emerged which have strengthened and encouraged moves to adopt ICTs into classrooms and training settings. As we move into the 21st century, these factors and m whatsoever others are bringing strong forces to bear on the adoption of ICTs in education and contemporary trends suggest we leave behind soon see large carapace changes in the way education is planned and delivered as a consequence of the opportunities and affordances of ICT. This study seeks to explore the likely changes we allow for see in education as ICT acts as a powerful broker to change many of the educational behaves to which we have plow accustomed. In particular, the paper entrust explore the impact both rate of flow and emerging development and communication technologies lead be likely to have in coming age on what is learned, when and where schooling result take erupt and how the reading will occur. The impact of ICT on what is learnedConventional teaching has emphasized content. For many years course have been written around textbooks. Teachers have taught through with(predicate) lectures and presentations interspersed with tutorials and tuition activities designed to consolidate and perform the content. coeval settings are right awayfavoring curricula that promote competency and performance. Curricula are starting to Emphasize capabilities and to be implicated more(prenominal) with how the information will be used than with what the information is.A. competency and performance-based curriculaThe moves to competency and performance-based curricula are considerably defended and encouraged by emerging instructional technologies (e.g. Stephenson, 2001). Such curricula tend to requireaccess to a variety of information sourcesaccess to a variety of information forms and typesstudent-centered instruction settin gs based on information access and inquiry encyclopaedism environments centered on problem-centered and inquiry-based activitiesauthentic settings and examples andteachers as coaches and mentors rather than content experts. Contemporary ICTs are qualified to depart strong support for all these requirements and there are at a time many outstanding examples of world class settings for competency and performance-based curricula that make sound use of the affordances of these technologies (e.g. Oliver, 2000). For many years, teachers wishing to adopt such curricula have been limited by their resources and tools but with the pro supportration and widespread availability of contemporary ICTs, many Restrictions and impediments of the past have been removed. And new technologies will go by to drive these forms of learning further. As students and teachers gain access to higher(prenominal) Bandwidths, more direct forms of communication and access to sharable resources, the capability To support these quality learning settings will continue to grow. B. information literacyA nonher way in which emerging ICTs are impacting on the content of education curricula stems from the ship canal in which ICTs are dominating so very much of contemporary life and work. Already There has emerged a need for educational institutions to ensure that graduates are able to display Appropriate levels of information literacy, the capacity to reveal and issue and then to identify, Locate and evaluate relevant information in order to engage withit or to solve a problem arising from it (McCausland, Wache & Berk, 1999, p.2).The drive to promote such developments Stems from general moves among institutions to ensure their graduates demonstrate not only accomplishments and kat onceledge in their subject domains but as well general attributes and generic skills. Traditionally generic skills have involved such capabilities as an ability to reason formally, to Solve problems, to communicate ef fectively, to be able to negotiate outcomes, to manage time, Project management, and collaboration and teamwork skills. The growing use of ICTs as tools of Every day life have seen the share of generic skills expanded in recent years to include information Literacy and it is super probable that future developments and technology applications will see This set of skills growing even more.The impact of ICT on how students learnJust as technology is influencing and supporting what is being learned in schools and universities, So too is it supporting changes to the way students are learning. Moves from content-centered Curricula to competency-based curricula are associated with moves away from teacher-centered Forms of obstetrical delivery to student-centered forms. Through technology-facilitated approaches, Contemporary learning settings now encourage students to take responsibility for their own acquirement .In the past students have bring very favourable to learning through tra nsmissive Modes. Students have been trained to let others present to them the information that forms the Curriculum. The growing use of ICT as an instructional medium is changing and will likely Continue to change many of the strategies employed by both teachers and students in the learning Process. The following sections describe particular forms of learning that are gaining prominence in universities and schools worldwide.A. Student-centered learningTechnology has the capacity to promote and encourage the transformation of education from a Very teacher directed enterprise to one which supports more student-centered models. Evidence of This today is manifested inThe proliferation of capability, competency and outcomes focused curriculaMoves towards problem-based learningIncreased use of the Web as an information source, Internet users are able to choose the Experts from whom they will learnThe use of ICT in educational settings, by itself acts as a catalyst for change in this domai n. ICTs By their very nature are tools that encourage and support independent learning. Students using ICTs for learning intends become immersed in the process of learning and as more and more Students use computers as information sources and cognitive tools (e.g. Reeves & Jonassen, 1996), the influence of the technology on supporting how students learn will continue to increase. B. Supporting association structureThe emergence of ICTs as learning technologies has coincided with a growing awareness and recognition of alternative theories for learning. The theories of learning that clutch pedal the greatest Sway today is those based on constructivist principles (e.g. Duffy & Cunningham, 1996). These Principles posit that learning is achieved by the active whirl of knowledge supported by various perspectives within meaningful contexts. The strengths of constructivism lie in its emphasis on learning as a process of personal understanding and the development of meaning in shipway which are active and interpretative. In This domain learning is viewed as the aspect of meaning rather than as the memorization of facts (e.g. Lebow, 1993 Jonassen & Reeves, 1996). Learning approaches using contemporary ICTs provide many opportunities for constructivist learning through their provision and support for resource-based, student centered settings and by enabling learning to be related to context and to practice (e.g. Berge, 1998 Barron, 1998). As mentioned previously, any use of ICT in learning Settings can act to support various aspects of knowledge construction and as more and more Students employ ICTs in their learning processes, the more pronounced the impact of this will Become.The impact of ICT on when and where students learnIn the past educational institutions have provided little choice for students in terms of the method And manner in which programs have been delivered. Students have typically been forced to Accept what has been delivered and institutions hav e tended to be quite staid and traditional in terms of the delivery of their programs. ICT applications provide many options and choices and legion(predicate) institutions are now creating competitive edges for themselves through the choices they are crack students.A. Any place learningThe apprehension of flexibility in the delivery place of educational programs is not new (e.g. Moore & Kersey, 1996). Educational institutions have been offering programs at a distance for many Years and there has been a vast amount of enquiry and development associated with establishing Effective practices and procedures in off-campus teaching and learning. Use of the technology, However, has pass oned the scope of this activity and whereas previously off-campus delivery was An option for students who were unable to attend campuses, today, many more students are able to make this choice through technology-facilitated learning settings. The scope and extent of this Activity is demonstrated in some of the examples below.The communications capabilities of modern technologies provide opportunities for many Learners to enroll in courses offered by external institutions rather than those situated locally. These opportunities provide such payoffs as extended course offerings and eclectic class Cohorts comprised of students of differing backgrounds, cultures and perspectives. The freedoms of choice provided by programs that can be accessed at any place are also Supporting the delivery of programs with units and courses from a variety of institutions, There are now countless ways for students completing undergraduate degrees for example, to Study units for a single degree, through a number of different institutions, an activity that Provides considerable diversity and choice for students in the programs they complete.B. Any time learningIn concert with geographical flexibility, technology-facilitated educational programs also remove Many of the temporal constraints that face learne rs with special necessitate (e.g. Moore & Kearsley, 1996). Students are starting to appreciate the capability to undertake education anywhere, Anytime and any place. This flexibility has heightened the availability of just-in-time learning and provided learning opportunities for many more learners who previously were constrained by other commitments (e.g. Young, 2002). Through online technologies learning has become an activity that is no longer set within Programmed schedules and slots. Learners are free to participate in learning activities when time permits and these freedoms have greatly change magnitude the opportunities for many students to Participate in formal programs.The wide varieties of technologies that support learning are able to provide asynchronous Supports for learning so that the need for real-time intimacy can be avoided while the Advantages of communication and collaboration with other learners are retained.Emerging IssuesA number of other issues have emerged from the uptake of technology whose impacts have yet to Be fully explored. These include changes to the paper of the teacher pool, changes to the Profile of who are the learners in our courses and paramount in all of this, changes in the costing And political economy of course delivery. A. expanding the pool of teachersIn the past, the parting of teacher in an educational institution was a role given to only highly qualified people. With technology-facilitated learning, there are now opportunities to extend the Teaching pool beyond this specialist set to include many more people. The changing role of the Teacher has seen increased opportunities for others to participate in the process including Workplace trainers, mentors, specialists from the workplace and others. Through the affordances And capabilities of technology, today we have a much expanded pool of teachers with varying Roles able to provide support for learners in a variety of ductile settings. This trend seems set to Continue and to grow with new ICT developments and applications. And within this changed pool of teachers will come changed responsibilities and skill sets for future teaching involving high levels of ICT and the need for more facilitative than didactic teaching roles.B. expanding the pool of studentsIn the past, education has been a privilege and an opportunity that often was unavailable to many students whose situation did not run across the mainstream. Through the flexibilities provided by technology, many students who previously were unable to participate in educational activities are now finding opportunities to do so. The pool of students is changing and will continue to change as more and more people who have a need for education and training are able to take advantage of the increased opportunities. Interesting opportunities are now being observed among, for example, school students studying university courses to overcome limitations in their school programs and workers und ertaking courses from their desktops.C. The cost of educationTraditional thinking has always been that technology-facilitated learning would provide economies and efficiencies that would see significant reductions in the costs associated with the delivery of educational programs. The costs would come from the ability to create courses with immovable establishment costs, for example technology-based courses, and for which there would be savings in delivery through large dental plate uptake. We have already seen a number of virtual universities built around technology delivery alone. The human beings is that few institutions have been able to realize these aims for economy. There appear to have been many underestimated costs in such areas as course development and course delivery. The costs associated with the development of high quality technology-facilitated learning materials are quite high.It has found to be more than a matter of repackaging existing materials and large scale r eengineering has been found to be necessary with large scale costs. Likewise costs associated with delivery have not been found to diminish as expected. The main reason for this has been the need to maintain a relatively still student to staff ratio and the expectation of students that they will have access to teachers in their courses and programs. Compared to traditional forms of off-campus learning, technology-facilitated learning has proven to be quite expensive in all areas of consideration, infrastructure, course development and course delivery. We may have to brace ourselves for the advantages and affordances which will improve the quality of education in the near future to also increase components of the cost.Efforts of Indian government in this aspectRealizing the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) the Ministry of homosexual Resource Development as per the Mission Document, ICT is the tool in education available to enhance the current enrolment rate in Higher Education, at present 15 part to 30 percent by the end of the 11th Plan period. The Ministry also launched a web portal named SAKSHAT a matchless Stop Education Portal. The high quality e-content once developed will be uploaded on SAKSHAT in all disciplines and subjects. Several projects are in the completion stage and are expected to change the way teaching and learning is done in India.The Mission has two major components viz., (a) content times and (b) connectivity along with provision for access devices for institutions and learners. It seeks to bR&Dge the digital divide, i.e., the gap in the skills to use computing devices for the purpose of teaching and learning among urban and rural teachers/learners in Higher Education domain and empower those, who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital revolution and have not been able to join the mainstream of the knowledge economy. It plans to focus on appropriate pedagogy for e-learning, providing facility of p erforming experiments through virtual laboratories, on-line interrogation and certification, on-line availability of teachers to guide and mentor learners, utilization of available Education Satellite (EduSAT) and Direct to sept (DTH) platforms, training and empowerment of teachers to effectively use the new method of teaching learning etc.On the one hand, the Mission would create high quality e-content for the target groups and on the other, it would simultaneously seek to extend computer infrastructure and connectivity to over 18000 colleges in the country including each of the departments of nearly 400 universities/deemed universities and institutions of national importance. The helpmate group assisted content development would utilize the Wikipedia type of collaborative platform under the watchfulness of a content advisory committee responsible for vetting the content. Interactivity and problem solving approach would be address through Talk to a Teacher segment. It is an opp ortunity as well as a repugn for the bright faculty members of our Universities and Institutions of Excellence to invest their intellectual capital for the knowledge empowerment of all the learners of our Country. We need to synergize our individual efforts in this direction.Summary and ConclusionsThis paper has sought to explore the role of ICT in education as we progress into the 21st century. In particular the paper has argued that ICTs have impacted on educational practice in education to date in quite small ways but that the impact will grow considerably in years to come and that ICT will become a strong agent for change among many educational practices. Extrapolating current activities and practices, the continued use and development of ICTs within education will have a strong impact onWhat is learnedHow it is learnedWhen and where learning takes placeWho is learning and who is teaching.To ensure that the opportunities and advantages are realized, it will be important as it i s in every other mountain pass of life to ensure that the educational research and development dollar is sustained so that education at large can learn from within and that experiences and activities in different institutions and sectors can inform and guide others without the constant need for re-invention of the wheel. Once again ICTs serve to provide the means for much of this activity to realize the authority it holds.ReferencesCollis, B. (2002). Information technologies for education and training. In Adelsberger, H., Collis, B, & Pawlowski, J. (Eds.) enchiridion on Technologies for Information and Training. Berlin Springer Verlag. 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