ROCARE SMALL GRANTS RESEARCH IN EDUCATION 2006/2007
THE USE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) FOR QUALITY EDUCATION IN CAMEROON STATE UNIVERSITIES
BY
OTANG EBOT ACHALE MAMBEH CHRISTIAN TANI CHONGWAIN LILLY
SUPERVISED BY Dr. MBANGWANA Moses A. Recherche financée par le Réseau Ouest et Centre Africain Africain de Recherche en Education (ROCARE) avec le soutien du projet Centre d’Excellence Régional UEMOA
et du Ministère des affaires Etrangères des Pays Bas EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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This study sets to find out the perceived contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) towards improving the quality of education in Cameroon state universities. Specificities of this study draw attention to a typical Cameroonian context with regards to ICT usage in the domain of education. From this viewpoint or object, specific questions were raised to have possible implications for practice. These questions address the following issues: 1. Issues of perceived contributions of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction. 2. Perceived
contributions
of ICT towards
enhancing
the
quality
of
administration. 3. Perceived contributions of ICT towards ameliorating the quality of counselling services. 4. Obstacles faced in ICT usage for quality education. Theoretical framework is based on Collis & Wende (2002) model predicting variables that influence an Institution’s ICT and Educational delivery approach. The cross-sectional survey research methodology was used to carry out this study. Crosssectional survey provides huge amount of data within a short period of time in line with the time frame of this study. The population consisted of about 85.000 individuals comprising 74.105 students and 2.436 teachers. Simple random sampling was used to select four out of six state universities. These universities are Universities of Buea, Douala, Yaoundé 1,and Yaoundé 11.Convenience sampling was used to obtain the research participants. The sample consisted of 513 students, 84 university lecturers, 17 counsellors, 7 administrators and 4 Multi-media Centre coordinators. The research instruments include questionnaires, semi-structured interview and observation guides. Data were analysed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12.0 for Windows. Quantitative data were analysed in terms of descriptive statistics whereas qualitative data were analysed using content analysis. The following findings were recorded: Students perceived that ICT has a positive contribution towards enhancing the quality of instruction.
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Teachers have a positive perception that the use of ICT has enhanced the quality of instruction in Cameroon State Universities. Administrators hold that the use of ICT has improved the quality of administration in Cameroon State Universities. Counsellors have a perception that the use of ICT has not made a positive contribution towards enhancing the quality of counselling services in Cameroon State Universities. Students, teachers, administrators, counsellors and ICT coordinators outlined obstacles which hinder the effective use of ICT to improve on the quality of education. These include: Inadequate computers and other ICT equipments, lack of skills and knowledge in ICT usage, poor and slow Internet connections, high cost of ICT equipments and irregular electricity supply. Based on these findings, recommendations for practice and further research were made.
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INTRODUCTION Quality education can be measured with the use of both quantitative and qualitative parameters. Quantitative parameters include student/teacher ratio, capacity of lecture rooms, presence or absence of well equipped laboratories and libraries whereas qualitative parameters encompasses academic and pedagogic competences of teaching staff, capacity to meet social demands and needs, ethical and moral aspects of educational outcomes, degree of students’ satisfaction, contribution to cultural and civic development, working and employment condition of staff and academic mobility (UNESCO, Commission II, Quality of higher education …….) While increasing participation and reducing inequalities remain considerable challenges in some countries, improving the quality of education for all remain the greatest challenge facing educators. After the Jomtien international conference on education which set the Education For All (EFA) by 2015 goals in 1990, came the Dakar framework for action in the year 2000 (UNESCO, 2000). As a contributive action for meeting the EFA goals set in 1990, the Dakar framework for action stipulates the use of ICT as one of the major strategies to attain these goals. Also, article 13 on world declaration on higher education for the 21st century stipulates that higher education should lead in drawing on the advantages and potentials of the new information and communication technologies. (UNESCO, 1998). Furthermore, the Association of African Universities (AAU, 2000) report encourages higher education institutions to make effective use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) at all levels of their operation to ensure meeting the challenges and opportunities of globalisation in higher education and to foster the provision of relevant and competitive tertiary education leading to quality education. In the Cameroonian education context, the 1995 education forum recommends the integration of science and technology in the education sector to meet up with the challenges of a competitive and globalise society. This study uses Collis & Wende (2002) Model Predicting the Variables that Influence an Institution's ICT and Educational Delivery Approach as the theoretical framework. This model has two components namely, ICT and educational delivery (outcome variables) and predictor variables.
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Two main lines of change in educational delivery in higher education can be identified. One relates to the issue whether the University should move towards strengthening itself as a home base for its learners, or move towards a situation in which its students rarely or never come to the home campus. A second line of development relates to how the program and content should be offered to clients and obtained, either as total programmes, individual courses or as portions of courses (Collis & Gommer, 2001; Collis & Moonen, 2001 cited in Collis & Wende, 2002). The model predicting the variables that influence an institution's ICT and educational delivery approach identifies environmental conditions and settings, policy, implementation, practice, experience and effect as the predictor variables. Environmental conditions and settings consist of the institution’s history, culture and its particular demographics, and leadership. According to Collis and Wende, after considering the environmental conditions of the institution and the policies that reflect those conditions, the next factor is implementation aspects. These aspects relate to the provisions made available in the institution to support instructors and students in their use of technology. They also relate to incentives for instructors to embark on a technology-related change process. Policy dictates the sorts of technical infrastructure available, ranging from hardware access, software licensing, and network access to types of software applications available. Relating to the predictor variable practice, Collis and Wende pointed out that even though an institution establishes various support structures or partnerships, it does not mean that they are all taken up into daily practice. Technologies may be available but little or never used. Instructional practice may or may not make use of technologies even if the institution supports these. Experiences and effects are also considered as predictor variables for an institution’s ICT and educational delivery. The combination of environmental characteristics, policy, implementation support, and actual use in practice of technologies for educational purposes can lead to a perceived results such as the perceived importance of technology use on the strategic goals of the institution and working practices. Both Kozma (1994) and Clark (1994) agreed that evidence does not yet support the claim that media or media attributes influence learning. Kozma pointed out that
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thousands of media studies conducted over a period of 70 years have failed to show compelling causal evidence that media or media attributes influence learning in any essential and structural way. In relation to the effectiveness of information and communication technology, Becta (2004) pointed out that direct causal effects are not always easily identifiable and drawing clear conclusions on the effects of ICT from the range of research evidence and reports available can be problematic. According to Becta, factors such as differences in sample sizes, methodologies and effects limit effective comparisons. Despite intense arguments on the instructional effectiveness of media and information and communication technology several studies have reported positive impacts of ICT on students’ learning and have shown that media and ICT are not mere vehicles to deliver instruction but transformers of instructional process. Hirschbuhl & Bishop (2000) pointed out that the Internet, PowerPoint and interactive computer-based multimedia are transforming schools and colleges and the way students learn. Regular use of ICT across different curriculum subjects (across the curriculum) can have a beneficial motivational influence on students’ learning (Wishart 1999; Cox 1997). Also, the use of ICT for instruction improves students’ confidence, motivation and self-esteem (Software and Information Industry Association 2000; Passey 2000). Students are generally more ‘on task’ and express more positive feelings when they use computers than when they are given other tasks to do (Dede, 1998; Becker 2000; Reid & BFI, 2002). In the same light, Passey (2000) and Harris & Kington (2002) reported that online learning engages de-motivated and disaffected students. The use of Internet for instruction supports collaborative learning in several dimensions. It provides opportunities to collaborate on assignments with people outside or inside school (Chiu, 2002; Lipponen, 2000; Willinsky, 2000) and to access online course resources (Chiu, 2002). Also, the use of Internet for instruction makes it possible for students to form partnerships with peers around the world, while collaborating to complete tasks, through such programmes as Learning Circles, which are based around
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cross-classroom collaboration, or tele-collaboration (Riel, 1998). Wireless networks can encourage students in the use of social computing tools such as e-mail and messaging by supporting flexibility in access, and hence extending collaboration (Gay, 2001). Research findings (Waston, 1993, Selywin, 1999b; Ofsted, 2001) cited in Loveless (2003) indicate that there are observed positive effect on children learning with ICT when there were complex interactions between the individual learners, their working partners, the ICT resources and the teacher.
Irrespective of the fact that Cameroon like most African countries are still in the initial stage of integrating ICT in education at large and in counselling to be more specific as stipulated by Mbangwana and Otang (2006), there is much evidence from previous studies that do pave the way to a promising and more fruitful counselling services with the use of ICT. Studies by Rickwood (1995), Zubrick (2000), Sawyer et al (2001) cited by Marilyn (2003) give an outline of the history of ICT use in counselling. According to these researchers, suicide tendencies were so much prevalent in young Australian children aged 4 to 17 years. It was difficult to reach out and help these children with the traditional face-to-face counselling until alternative ICT-related techniques were incorporated into the system. To buttress this point, Kids Help Line (KHL); an Australian based organisation that provides telephone and online counselling services for young people posted its first website in 1996 and began providing e-mail counselling by 1999. Moreover, Moore (1992) found only 30% of counsellors using computers in counselling related tasks. However, Owen and Weikel (1999) carried out a later study and found that the proportion has increased to 88%. A good number of works have been undertaken to elaborate some ICT-related programmes that are being used to effectuate counselling services. Mclellan (1999) recognised that e-mailing could be used to assist students and parents by providing direct channels of communication. The creation of Websites and Electronic newsletters for counselling was supported by Myrick (1997) and says it can serve as links connecting information on financial aid, career and college exploration, standardised tests, job opportunities and so on. Jongekrijg and Russel (1999) says online counselling journals
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will enable counsellors to connect to current research and techniques of counselling presented in these journals. Mclellan (1999) and Myrick (1997) also supported the use of ICT by counsellors in networking. Studies by Zehr (1999), Sabella (1995) and Cornell (1999) all cited by Myrick (2001) see online colleges, chat rooms, and electronic groups respectively as important ICT components that are being used to do exploit in the fields of counselling and counsellor education. Teleconferencing, telesurveillance, distance education, video recording in counselling are major areas that have been researched and found to provide impressive results in the art of counselling. The use of ICT in counselling is characterised by some strengths and weaknesses as outlined by the following writers. According to Guanipa (2001), the asynchronous nature of e-mail counselling provide both counsellor and client ample time for reflection. Murphy and Mitchell (1998) say ICT in counselling reduces stigmatisation. Client anonymity associated with online counselling according to KHL (2003) provide an objective and conducive platform for socially and physically arkward clients. According to Murphy (2001) and Wright (2002) cited by Marilyn (2003), ICT in counselling have the shortcoming of subverting traditional power relationships between client and counsellor. Owen and Weikel (1999) pose the problem of doubt of proper care to client, also that confidentiality is compromised as messages could be intercepted, and there is also the portrayal of false personality by some clients and counsellors. The manifestation of techno phobic tendencies make up another limitation online counselling is facing. Milone (1999) sees limited training as a weakness, not neglecting the inequality of computer access by all clients and counsellors. Despite the aforementioned limitations faced by ICT used in counselling, the way forward is never without hurdles so optimism could be a remedy to minimise these weaknesses and fully engage the new information and communication technology in counselling. Visscher, Wild, Smith & Newton (2003) reported that very little large scale studies have been carried out on the use of information and communication technology in the management and administration of schools despite the fact that schools all over the world have adopted information technology systems. To this effect, they suggested that for these systems to be designed and used to full-effect, knowledge is urgently needed on the implementation, use and effects of established computerized School Information
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Systems (SISs). In the same regard, Kerr (1999) noted that although many schools have rushed into installing computer systems for collecting and processing information about students, teachers, and school finances few studies exist of the ways in which these systems have affected organisational structure of schools. To this effect Kerr pointed out that how educational administrative decisions are made using technology should be one of crucial issues to be investigated when studying how teachers, students and administrators deploy technology. According to Kerr, technology can be a mechanism for reducing the number of administrative layers (bureaucratic hierarchy) in a school system and fostering greater responsibility and empowerment for teachers at local level and as a tool for traditional administrative realms such as how to plan school finances and communicate with the public. One of the few studies on the integration of technology into school management is a study on the factors affecting the use of Management Information System (MIS) as a tool for informing and evaluating teaching and learning in schools whose finding shows that despite an overwhelming acceptance of the values of such systems, they are generally used to provide statutory returns and administrative type function and not as a tool for self evaluation, performance management, alerting and feedback needed to evaluate teaching and learning process (Strickley, 2004). Contrarily to this finding Davis, Desforges, Jessel, Somekh, Taylor and Vaughan (1997) are of the opinion that information technology tools are currently revolutionalising school administration and in the future will revolutionalise school structure, breaking down classroom walls to virtual classrooms and “Open University”.
Statement of the problem Studies (BECTA, 2000-2004) have shown that ICT is being used in educational processes. Similar studies (Mambeh, 2005; Mbangwana & Mambeh, 2006; Mbangwana & Otang, 2006; and Tchombe, 2006) show that ICT is integrated in Cameroon schools and is being used as tools for educational processes. The integration and use probably must have been as a result of bold claims that ICT as new tools used in new ways has the potential to enhance the quality of education and also probably because of the irresistible role of technology in today’s globalise society.
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The use of ICT in education does not automatically add quality to it. ICT meant for education could as well or possibly be used for trivial, destructive and immoral purposes. However, there is growing evidence that the effective use of ICT enhances the quality of education (Becta, 2004). From the above, there are opposing viewpoints with regard to the contribution of ICT towards enhancing the quality of education. To resolve this argument, there is need for empirical research-based evidence on the impact of ICT on the quality of education. However, only few of such studies have been carried out in other countries and in different educational levels as well as none of these at the level of Cameroon State Universities. It should be noted that reports (MINESUP/DPRC/CELULULE DE LA PROSPECTION, 2003; Ndongko & Ngwei, 2000) show that Cameroon State Universities are plagued with problems of lack of infrastructure, high student/teacher ratio, high repetition rate, high level of dropouts and so on. These problems probably affect the quality of education in these universities. The question that arises is that does the current use of ICT in Cameroon State Universities contribute towards solving these problems and hence improving the quality of education? This study hopes to have implication for practice; it could bridge the knowledge gap that exists between the use of ICT in education and its actual impact in relation to educational quality. Worth mentioning further is the importance of this study to policy makers and investors to have research-based evidence if their efforts and investments for ICT in education is worthwhile. This study would provoke and suggest areas of further research on ICT and the quality of education. Objective of the Study The objective of this study is to find out perceived the contributions of ICT towards improving the quality of education in Cameroon State Universities. This objective is guided by research questions.
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Research Questions The research questions of the study are: 1) What are the perceived contributions of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction in Cameroon State Universities? 2) What are the perceived contributions of ICT towards enhancing the quality of counselling in Cameroon State Universities? 3) What are the perceived contributions of ICT towards ameliorating the quality of administration in Cameroon State Universities? 4) What are the difficulties students, teachers, counsellors, and administrators face in using ICT to improve the quality of education in Cameroon State Universities? Brief Description of Site and Background This study was carried out in State Universities of the republic of Cameroon. Cameroon is a bilingual (English and French) central African state with 10 administrative provinces (2 English-speaking and 8 French-speaking) with a population of 16 million inhabitants and about 279 ethnic groups. It shares its international boundaries with Nigeria to the west, northwards by the plains of the lake Chad basin, eastwards by Central African Republic and Chad, southwards by Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Congo Brazzaville. Geographically, it covers a landscape of 475 square kilometres bordered to the west by the gulf of Guinea coastline opening to the Atlantic Ocean. Plateaus, mountains and plains topographically characterize Cameroon with the famous volcanic mount Cameroon (4070 meters) being the highest point. The vegetation is dominantly savannah, humid grassland and the equatorial rainforest with two major seasons (wet and dry). Economically, the main exports are cocoa, coffee, cotton, banana, rubber, aluminium, timber and petrol. (Country guide, 2001) The construction of Cameroon State Universities in relation to its two official languages were intended as follows; Universities of Douala, Dschang, Ngoundere and Younde 11 (Soa) as purely Franco-saxon, University of Buea as Anglo-saxon and the University of Younde 1 (Ngoa-Ekelle) as bilingual. The actual field reality shows that bilingualism is exercised in all Cameroon State Universities. According to records
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(MINESUP/ DPRC/CELULULE DE LA PROSPECTION, 2003), Cameroon State Universities have a student population of 74,105 with 28,404 female students (38%) and 45,701 male students (62%). The population of teaching staff is 2,436 teachers with 354 female teachers (14.53%) and 2,082 male teachers (85.47%). This gives an overall student/teacher ratio of 31/1. It is worth noting that this ratio marks a great disparity between different Universities, Faculties, and Departments. In terms of ICT access, all state universities have a total number of 821 computers serving a population of 78,926 individuals (that is, 2,436 teachers, 2,385 support staff and 74,105 students) giving a ratio of individuals per computer of 97/1 (MINESUP/ DPRC/CELULULE DE LA PROSPECTION, 2003).
Table: 1 Statistical table of Cameroon State Universities
Buea
Teachers
Teacher/
Individual
staff
Student
/ computer
ratio
M
F
Total M
F
Total
Computers
University
Students
Support
3549
373
7282
201
71
272
384
90
1/27
83/1
446
1231
329
69
398
438
150
1/31
88/1
1
6
1327
879
2206
835
121
974
517
333
1/23
71/1
5
0
5
9129
558
1471
228
45
273
219
40
1/54
381/1
5
4
205
7407
170
14
184
272
90
1/41
88/1
377
1032
301
34
335
557
40
1/31
281/1
8
1
ratio
3 Douala
Yaoundé1
Yaoundé11
Ngoundere
7855
5350
7 Dschang
6543
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METHODOLOGY Research Design, Population and Sample of the Study The cross-sectional survey research methodology was used to carry out this research study. Cross-sectional survey was appropriate for this study because it provides huge amounts of data within a short period in line with the time frame of this study. The population of the study consists of all students, teachers, administrators, counsellors and information technology (IT) specialists of the six state universities of Cameroon. From statistics and with a population growth rate of 2.87, the population is estimated to be over 85,000 individuals with 74,105 students and 2,436 teachers inclusive. Simple random sampling was used to select four out of six state universities. These universities are Universities of Buea, Douala, Yaoundé 1, and Yaoundé 11.Convenience sampling was used to obtain the research participants. The sample consisted of 513 students, 84 university lecturers, 17 counsellors, 7 administrators and 4 Multi-media Centre coordinators. The choice of this sampling technique is because it is less complex and less time consuming. Besides obtaining data from research participants, we purposely targeted to observe the classroom, the computer laboratory, and the IT centre in each of these Universities.
Total
M
F
Tota l
Coordinators Total
F
IT
M
Teachers
Counsellors
Students University
Administrators
Table 2: Sample Table
Buea
71
89
160
9
12
21
3
1
1
186
Douala
54
44
98
6
9
15
3
1
1
118
Yaoundé1
61
91
152
12
6
18
6
3
1
180
Yaoundé11
56
47
103
20
10
30
5
2
1
141
Total
242
271
513
47
37
84
17
7
4
625
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Research Instrument The data collection instruments used for this study are questionnaires, semistructured interview and observation guides. Questionnaires were used for students and teachers, semi-structured interview guides for counsellors and administrators and observation guides for the classroom, computer laboratory, and IT centre. We were observing ICT tools (hardware and software) whether present or absent, functional or non-functional, and whether they are being used for instruction, counselling or administration. The first part of the questionnaire addressed personal data about respondents; the second part consisted of questions related to quality of instruction, counselling, and administration. After the validation of the instrument and the project supervisor’s approval for administration, the researchers personally administered the questionnaires, conducted interviews and carried out observations. Attempts made to obtain permission from University authorities for data collection proved tough and time consuming so the researchers resolved this problem by constructing identification badges with the ROCARE logo which were used alongside personal identification documents as well as informants to access respondents.
Method of Data Analysis Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 12.0 for Window software was used to analyse data collected. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics namely percentage, frequency, mean, standard deviation and variance. Content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Problems Encountered In the course of this work, we encountered a number of problems thus: Some respondents despised researchers’ identification documents and insisted on official authorization documents to do the research. IT centre coordinators were not interviewed because they complained of lack of time to attend to the researchers. Some of the respondents who showed interest in participating ended up not returning their questionnaires despite repeated reminder. Meanwhile some respondents (especially teachers) returned unanswered questionnaires and their reasons were that they were too
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busy with their school work. Respondents that were interviewed refused voice recording and photographs. Also, due to late arrival of funds, it was very difficult to meet up with the deadline given for the research.
FINDINGS The findings of this study are got through quantitative and qualitative analyses based on research questions. Thus, the first part of this section constitutes quantitative statistics. Quantitative Analysis Prior to the presentation of quantitative data relating to research questions, data on the profile of research participants are presented. Students’ Profile Distribution of students in faculties and departments In this study, a total of 513 students participated. These students were drawn from eight faculties (Arts, Education, Arts letters and social sciences, Social and management sciences, Law and political sciences, Science, Economic science and applied management, Economic science and management), three schools (ENS, ENSET, FMBS). Students from thirty-two departments of these faculties and schools participated in the study. The age distribution of the students is shown in table 3. Table 3: Frequency distribution table of students’ ages. Age range
Frequency
15-20 years
57
21-25 years
253
26-30 years
103
Above 30 years
100
Total
513
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E-mail and e-group addresses As regards owning e-mail addresses, 87.9% of students have e-mail addresses whereas 12.1% do not. Of the 513 students, 85.0% do not have e-group addresses while 15.0% do have e-group addresses. Frequency of use of ICT at campus, cyber shops, and at home by students. Sixty-seven percent (67 %) of students use ICT on campus, 88.1% use ICT at cyber shops, and 38.6% use ICT at homes.
Teachers’ Profile Distribution of teachers in faculties and departments Eighty-four percent (84%) of teachers who participated for this research were drawn from six (6) faculties (Science, Education, Law and political science, Economic science and management, Letters and social sciences, Arts letters and social sciences) and two schools (ENS, ENSET). These teachers are distributed in 13 departments. E-mail and e-group addresses Concerning possessing e-mail address, 96.4% have e-mail addresses as opposed to 3.6% without e-mail addresses. Eighty-five and a half percent (85.5%) do not have egroup addresses whereas 14.5% do have e-group addresses. Frequency of use of ICT at campus, cyber shops, and at home by teachers. Of the 84 teachers who participated in the study, 96.3% use ICT on campus, 100% use ICT at cyber shops, and 25.9% use ICT at home.
Counsellors’ Profile E-mail and e-group addresses Seventeen counsellors participated in this study of which 82.4% have e-mail addresses as oppose to 17.6% without e-mail addresses. Frequency of use of ICT at campus, cyber shops and at home by counsellors
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Eighty-two and half percent (82.5%) of counsellors use ICT on campus, 82.4% use ICT in cyber shops and none of them use ICT at home. Contribution of ICT towards Improving the Quality of Instruction Students’ Perceptions Table 4: Weighted Mean of Students’ Responses relating the contribution of ICT towards improving the Quality of instruction
Instructional Activities ICT usage has enhanced students’ access to further education through alternative delivery mode such as distance education and open learning (DEOL) The use of ICT has facilitated the doing of assignments The use of ICT in Cameroon State Universities has facilitated research work With the Use of ICT teachers and students have easily been up dating their course content. The use of ICT has improved the mechanism of Obtaining feedback The use of ICT has resolved the problem of High student-teacher ratio. The use of ICT has led to an increased students’ motivation ICT usage has improved the quality of Library services ICT usage has enhanced student-teacher communication ICT usage has facilitated the lesson presentation process The use of ICT has resolved the problem of instructional materials in Cameroon State Universities Total Overall Mean
Mean
Std. Deviation
Variance
3.5235
.63909
.408
3.4387
.61651
.380
3.3809
.77930
.607
3.3059
.72812
.530
3.0756
.73319
.538
2.9267
.78485
.616
2.9058
.79679
.635
2.7447
.98319
.967
2.5870
.83695
.700
2.5476
.81533
.665
2.4061
.85805
.736
32.8425 2.985
Students perceive that ICT has contributed most to enhance distance education (3.52). Doing of assignment (3.44) and research (3.38) closely follows this. However the contribution of ICT is perceived by the students to be least with respect to resolving the
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problem of instructional materials (2.41). The overall contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction is rated to 2.99 on a scale of 4 this implies ICT has a positive contribution towards improving the quality of instruction from students’ point of view. Teachers’ Perceptions Table 5: Weighted mean of teachers’ responses relating the contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction Std. Instructional Activities Mean Variance Deviation With the use of ICT, students and teachers have 3.7778 .41833 .175 easily been updating course content ICT has provided more opportunities for the 3.6071 .49132 .241 professional growth of teachers. ICT usage has enhanced students’ access to further education through alternative delivery 3.6071 .49132 .241 mode such as distance education and open learning (DEOL). The Use of ICT has facilitated the doing of 3.5714 .56581 .320 assignments. The use of ICT in Cameroon State Universities 3.5357 .56922 .324 has facilitated research work. The use of ICT has resolved the problem of high 3.4815 .50277 .253 student-teacher ratio. The use of ICT has improved the mechanism of 3.0714 .65465 .429 obtaining feedback relating to teaching learning process. ICT usage has enhanced student –teacher 2.7500 .57822 .334 communication. The use ICT has led to an increased students’ 2.6667 .67082 .450 motivation. ICT usage has improved the quality of library 2.6429 .85929 .738 services. The use of ICT has resolved the problem of instructional materials in Cameroon State 2.4643 .73544 .541 Universities. ICT usage has facilitated the lesson presentation 2.3214 .76301 .582 process. Total 37.4973 Overall mean 3.12
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As shown table 5, teachers perceive that ICT has contributed most with respect to updating course content which is closely followed by the professional growth of teachers and distance education respectively. On the other hand teachers hold that ICT has the least contribution in relation to facilitating lesson presentation process. The overall rating of teachers’ perception of the contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction is 3.12 on a scale of 4. This indicates a positive contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction in Cameroon State Universities according to teachers. Comparing tables 4 and 5 shows that both students (2.99) and teachers (3.12) have a positive perception of the contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction in Cameroon State Universities.
Contribution of ICT Towards Improving the Quality of Administration The quantitative analysis of data collected through structured interview with administrators of Cameroon state universities is shown in table 6.
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Table 6: Quantitative data relating to the use of ICT towards improving the quality of administration Activities The use of ICT has facilitated the management of school records ICT has ameliorated financial management ICT usage has made easy the planning of administrative activities The use of ICT has led to an improve access of administrators to the external community through networking The use of ICT has facilitated the registration of students The use of ICT has facilitated the supervision of staff ICT usage has relieved administrators of heavy workload. The use of ICT has helped in the re-integration of students with specialized needs. ICT usage has led to an increased access of school administrators to parents ICT has helped improve school attendance. Total Overall
Mean
Std. Deviation
Variance
4.0000
.00000
.000
4.0000
.00000
.000
4.0000
.00000
.000
3.8571
.37796
.143
3.8571
.37796
.143
3.7143
.48795
.238
3.0000
.00000
.000
2.7143
.48795
.238
2.2857
.75593
.571
1.7143 33.1428 3.31
.48795
.238
Table 6 shows that administrators are of the opinion that ICT has made the greatest contribution towards improving the management of school records, financial management and planning of administrative activities. ICT has made the least contribution towards improving school attendance and access of school administrators to parents. The overall mean for ICT contribution towards improving the quality of administration in Cameroon State Universities is 3.31 on a scale of 4. This implies ICT has made a positive impact on the quality of School administration.
Contribution of ICT Towards Improving the Quality of Counselling As regards the impact of ICT on the quality of counselling, the quantitative analysis of data collected through structured interview with counsellors of Cameroon state universities is shown in table 7.
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Table 7: Weighted mean of Counsellors’ responses relating to the use of ICT towards improving the quality of counselling. Std. Varianc Activities Mean Deviation e With the use of ICT career orientation services 3.2143 .42582 .181 have improved in quality. The use of ICT has increased learners and 3.0000 .67937 .462 teachers’ knowledge of the needs of the world of work. ICT usage in counselling has facilitated the 2.9286 .73005 .533 storage and retrieval of clients’ cumulative records. The use of ICT has enhanced the dissemination of 2.6429 .84190 .709 school brochures to a wide range of people. The use of ICT has assisted in the mediation of 2.5000 .51887 .269 various members of the school community. thereby reducing conflicts. ICT usage has improved on the quality of study 2.5000 .51887 .269 schedules elaborated for students. The use of ICT has increased the chances of choosing right course of study in relation to 2.5000 .51887 .269 students’ intellectual abilities. The use of ICT has facilitated counsellors access 2.2143 .42582 .181 to parents of clients (students). ICT in health counselling has helped to step up 2.0000 .00000 .000 the health standards of members of the school community. The use of ICT has enhanced students and 2.0000 .00000 .000 teachers’ access to counsellors. ICT usage in counselling has enable clients with 1.9286 .73005 .533 similar concerns to share in same discussion forums. The use of ICT in counselling has improved 1.9286 .73005 .533 referral services to colleagues. Total 29.3573 Overall mean 2.45 From table 7 Counsellors affirm that the use of ICT in counselling has made greatest contribution towards improving the quality of career orientation services (3.21) and knowledge of the world of work (3.00) respectively. On the other hand counsellors hold the opinion that the use of ICT in counselling has made the least contribution towards improving referral services (1.93) and the sharing of concerns in discussion forums (1.93). On the whole, the mean for the contribution of ICT towards improving the
21
quality of counselling is 2.45 on a scale of 4. Therefore, counsellors hold that the use of ICT has made little contribution towards the improvement of the quality of counselling services in Cameroon State Universities. Qualitative Analysis The qualitative data were collected with the use of open-ended questionnaire items, semi structured interview and observation guides. These qualitative data are presented according to research questions. To what extent does ICT contribute to the quality of Education in Cameroon State Universities? Students’ assessment ICT has Permitted distance education and open learning. ICT has Facilitated research in Cameroon State Universities and improved its quality. ICT has brought about rational thinking and cognitive development of students. Information and communication technology has facilitated the doing of assignment. The acquisition of knowledge at a relatively low cost has being made possible with the use of ICT. ICT has helped students to improve course content by providing access to recent information as well as improve the quality of lessons taught by teachers. The use of ICT has resulted to globalisation of education and mass schooling. ICT has enable students to have access to online encyclopaedia and possibility of obtaining online certificates. ICT has resolved the problem of school management and organization. ICT has facilitated the management of information through easy storage and retrieval. ICT has offered flexibility in education by providing different delivery modes. A student commented that the use of ICT has brought about considerable improvement in education. This comment is cited thus, “Les TICs ont relevé le niveau de l’éducation d’ une manière significative mais ce relèvement n’est pas encore suffisante. Il faut encore des efforts au niveau des pouvoirs publics pour atteindre un niveau considerable.” Also, some students assessed the contribution of ICT towards improving
22
the quality of education in terms of proportion as follows: 60%, 65% (for those who are using it) and 12/20. Notwithstanding the abovementioned positive assessment, students reported the following negative impacts of ICT in Education. ICT has made some students to be lazy because they think there exist a ready-made bank of knowledge at the Internet. In addition, students reported that most of their mates are minimizing the role of the teacher because of the alternative source of instruction. Furthermore, some students reported that some of their mates use ICT more for non-instructional purposes such as down loading music, pornographic images, and games. Teachers’ or lecturers’ assessment In relation to this question responses from lecturers are presented as follows: ICT has helped a lot in enhancing research work. The use of ICT in the teaching-learning process has resulted to a more participatory approach of learning. ICT has enabled teachers to be exposed to a wide range of information which in turn assist them to update their course contents. ICT has facilitated distance and opening learning. With the use of ICT there is a considerable reduction in time spent in lesson preparation. The use of ICT enabled teachers to complete their scheme of work and syllabuses. Besides this assessment, some lecturers made the following salient comments: The presence of ICT is yet to be felt in our Cameroon education system The impact of ICT will only be felt with the availability of ICT related resources.
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Counsellors’ assessment Seventy-five percent (75%) of counsellors reported that ICT has been a good tool in professional counselling whereas 25% of them assessed the impact of ICT on professional counselling as being very good. As regards educational and social counselling, counsellors rated the contribution of ICT to be average. Counsellors were of the opinion that ICT has improved remarkably the quality of education. Obstacles Hindering ICT from Improving the Quality of Education in Cameron State Universities Based on responses to open questionnaire items, semi-structural interview and observation guides, the following obstacles were recorded. Obstacles Faced by Students Field observation and students’ responses indicated the following impediments to the use of ICT for quality education. Inadequate knowledge and skill in the use of ICT due to little or no training as well as high cost of training. ICT equipments are expensive. Limited number of ICT tools in Cameroon State Universities. Many outdated and non-functional computers and other related ICT tools. Irregular electricity supply at multimedia centres. ICT equipments not adapted for students with physical disabilities. Some websites and Internet documents require passwords prior to access. Poor Internet connections. Lack of appropriate software. Preferential access to ICT Centre is being accorded to post-graduate students. One of the ICT Centre (in the University of Yaoundé 1) is temporarily closed down. Overcrowded ICT Centres. Overcrowded Amphi-theatres wherein lecturers made little use of ICT tools in lesson delivery.
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Obstacles Faced by Teachers Teachers cited the lack of ICT equipments, websites which reflect Cameroonian context, finances, functional laboratories, pre-service and in-service training in pedagogical use of ICT and access to ICT resources as problems which hinder them from using ICT for quality instruction. In addition, qualitative data indicated that teachers faced the problem of poor quality of network, and non-functional websites provided by the universities. Furthermore teachers reported that students’ complaints about Internet assignments discourage them from using this tool for assignment. Obstacles Faced by Counsellors Like teachers, counsellors complained of lack of training in the use of ICT for quality education, equipments, slow Internet connections (small bandwidth), lack of computers and Internet services in their offices which is compounded by the lack of subsidized funds for ICT related counselling services. DISCUSSIONS ICT for Instruction This study shows that both the teachers and students perceive that the use of ICT has made a positive impact on the quality of instruction in Cameroon State Universities. This falls in line with the findings of studies by Waston, 1993; Selyven, 1999b; Ofsted, 2001 cited in Loveless (2003) that there are observed positive effects on children learning with ICT when there were complex interactions between the individual learners, ICT resources and their teachers. Comparatively, teachers perceive a more positive contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of instruction than students (see tables 4and 5). This probably implies that ICT enhances the quality of teaching than learning. From teachers and students perceptions, the top four instructional activities, which have benefited more from ICT, are DEOL, research, updating course content and assignments. This likely means that the quality of both teachers and students research in Cameroon State Universities has been improved with the use of ICT. It is probable that problem solving is being enhanced with the use of ICT for instruction. Also new forms of
25
instructional delivery such as distance education and open learning are being greatly facilitated by ICT. Meanwhile the instructional activities, which have benefited least from ICT, are ICT as instructional materials, the lesson presentation process, student-teacher communication and the quality of library services. As earlier mentioned, Cameroon State Universities are plagued with the problem of high student/teacher ratio, data on table 4 shows that this problem is being resolved with the use of ICT. This is possible because with ICT, a teacher can teach several students at different locations at the same time. Also, with the use of ICTs, universities are having students who do not come to school to learn (distance education students). This finding relating to ICT use is inconsistent with field observation that you still see teachers teaching overcrowded amphi theatres with the traditional lecture method and not using ICT tools like power point presentation. It would have been expected that with the use of ICT, the problem of instructional materials such as textbooks and workbooks is being resolved. One of the finding of this study show that ICT is not contributing much in this domain. Much effort is required towards using ICT as instructional tools, which can provide other sources of instructional materials. Lesson presentation is one of the instructional activities, which has not benefited much with the use of ICT because this is consistent with field observation wherein no teacher was observed presenting his lesson with power point. This can be attributed to lack of software and hardware needed for ICT supported lesson presentation and lack of skills as indicated under problems faced by teachers.
ICT for Administration Administrators perceived a positive impact of ICT on administration. This finding is consistent with the view of Davis et al (1997) that information and communication technology tools are currently revolutionalising school administration. The areas of administration that have benefited most from ICT are; management of school records, financial management, and planning of administrative activities. Whereas school attendance and administrators’ access to parents least benefited from ICT use. The perception that school attendance does not derive much benefit from ICT is contradictory
26
with previous findings that ICT motivates students. If ICT motivates students, most of them will not absent from school. The negative perception that ICT contributes little towards enhancing administrators-parents communication is possibly due to the fact that either of them does not have ICT tools. Another possibility can be that both of them lack ICT tools.
ICT for Counselling Findings from this research show that counsellors have a negative perception on the contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of counselling in Cameroon State Universities (an overall mean of 2.45 on a scale of 4) see table 7. From the study, career orientation services and knowledge of the world of work are the areas that are most influenced positively by the use of ICT whereas activities like the making of referrals, discussion forums, and client- counsellor communication were least influenced positively by the use of ICT (1.91, 1.93, 2.00 respectively). The overall negative perception of ICT improving quality counselling is probably because some counsellors do not posses the basic skills required to manipulate the computer and other ICT-related tools. This view has been raised prior to this study by Milone (1999) that limited or no training constitutes a major setback for the effective use of ICT in the practice of counselling. Findings from this work indicate that school counsellors (82.4%) do use ICT on campus. The negative perception therefore could also be interpreted in the sense that counsellors may be using ICT on campus for non- professional (personal) reasons. The negative perception of ICT impact through discussion forums to counsel a large number of individuals with similar concerns is not in accordance with studies by Mitchell (1998) and KHL (2003) giving the importance of discussion forums in counselling as a conducive platform for socially and physically awkward clients and the fact that it reduces stigmatisation. The most glaring problems from field observation that can be used to explain these results are lack of ICT equipments, slow connections and limited access to available equipments. Whatever be the difficulties faced in the use of ICT for counselling, the role of ICT to the 21st century counsellor should never be undermined.
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RECOMMEMDATIONS To the Government and Cameroon State University Authorities The government should continue to invest in ICT in education because it has the potential to improve the quality of education in general and higher education in particular. The potential of ICT to improve the quality of education is evident in this study and previous ones. The government should increase her spending on ICT and as such create more ICT centres equipped with enough and up-to-date computers and other ICT equipments in Cameroon State Universities. This will resolve the problem of high student per computer ratio and replacement of non-functional computers. The bandwidth of Internet supply to Cameroon State Universities ICT Centres should be increased to solve the problems of poor and slow Internet connection. The government should reduce taxes on ICT equipments and if possible make ICT equipments to be tax-free (exempted from taxation). This can solve the problem of high cost of ICT equipments and services as well as the unavailability of ICT equipments to teachers and students. The Ministry of Higher Education in collaboration with her partners should design ICT driven-curriculum. This ministry should ensure the training of university teachers and students on the pedagogical use of ICT through in-services training programmes such as seminars and workshops. Also, seminars and workshops on educational use of ICT should be organised for state universities counsellors and administrators as well as other actors of these universities. This is going to solve the problem of inadequate skills and knowledge to use ICT for quality education. The effort of the Cameroon Ministry of Higher Education that began in 2003 to enable lecturers buy computers on hire purchase should continue. This can improve lecturers’ access to computers which is a very important ICT resource. For the Teachers Teachers should continue to use ICT to improve the quality of their instruction. Teachers should encourage their students to exploit ICT based resources in learning. They should create e-group addresses for their courses and use ICT to improve on student-teacher communication. Teachers who have deficiency in the ability to effectively use ICT for teaching should collaborate with more experienced peers to learn
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informally the use of ICT for instruction. Teachers should actively participate in ICT workshops and seminars. For the Students Students should use ICT facilities at their disposal as learning tools which have the potential to improve on their school performance and consequently the quality of education. Also, students should guard against abusive uses such as using ICT for pornography. That is students are recommended to practice ethical use of ICT and respect rules governing the use of equipments in multimedia centres of their institutions. Furthermore, students should not think that the use of ICT can downplay the roles of their teachers. The use of ICT in education can change the roles of teachers but cannot replace them.
For Counsellors Counsellors should make efforts to effectively use ICT to improve the quality of counselling services in Cameroon State Universities. Counsellors should perceive ICTs as new tools which if use effectively can transform and enhance counselling services. Problems counsellors and counselees usually encounter can easily be handled if counselling is assisted with ICT.
FURTHER RESEARCH This study has implication for further research. The following are suggestions for further research. 1) A study with an experimental design on the impact of ICT on the quality of education in Cameroon State Universities. 2) The impact of ICT on the quality of Cameroon Higher Education 3) A detailed study on the effect of ICT on the quality of instruction in Cameroon State Universities 4) A detailed study on the effect of ICT on the quality of administration in Cameroon State Universities.
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5) A detailed study on the effect of ICT on the quality of counselling services in Cameroon State Universities. 6) The impact of ICT on information management and library services in Cameroon State Universities.
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Software and Information Industry Association. (2000). Research report on the effectiveness of technology in schools. Executive summary. Retrieved from buildingthegrid.becta.org.uk/docs/Impact_of_ICT.pdf Strickley, A. (2004). Factors affecting the use of MIS as a tool for informing and evaluating teaching and learning in schools. Education and Information Technologies. Vol.9, no.1 pp.47-66 (20). On line versionWishart, J., Blease, D. (1999). Theories underlying perceived changes in teaching and learning after installing a computer network in a secondary school. British Journal of Educational Technology, 30, (1), pp. 25-41. Tambo, L.I. (2003) Cameroon National Education Policy since the 1995 Forum. Limbe: Design House. Tchombe, T. M. (2006). Integration of ICTs in education in Cameroon. In Fonkoua, P. (Ed.). Integration des TIC dans le Processus enseignements-apprentissage au Cameroun (pp. 11- 53). Yaoundé: Edition Terroirs. UNESCO (1998). World declaration for higher education for the 21st century: Version and action. Paper presented at World Conference on Higher Education, 9 October, 1998 Visscher, A. Wild, P. Smith, D. & Newton, L. (2003). Evaluation of the implementation, use and effects of a computerized management information system in English Secondary schools. British Journal of Educational Technology. Vol. 34, no.3.pp. 357-366 (10). www..becta.org.uk/research/reports/digitalvideo Willinsky, J., (2000). Qualities of student-adult electronic communication: Immediate, pedagogical, aberrant. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 6 (1), pp.3-18.
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Réseau Ouest et Centre Africain de Recherche en Education Educational Research Network for West And Central Africa
ROCARE SMALL GRANT RESEARCH PROJECT IN EDUCATION2006/2007 The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Quality Education in Cameroon State Universities Researchers OTANG Ebot Achale (Principal Researcher) MAMBEH Christian Tani CHONGWAIN Lilly
QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Respondents, The purpose of this study is to find out the perceived contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of Education in Cameroon State Universities. This study hopes to contribute towards the improvement of the quality of Education with the use of ICTs. This questionnaire is anonymous and does not require respondents to write their names. The first part of the questionnaire aims at building statistical profile of the group of respondents and not of the individual that make up the group. The confidentiality of this questionnaire is guaranteed by the fact that all responses will be treated as data coded numerically during data analysis and interpretation. You are therefore requested to answer this questionnaire as objective as possible. We count on your kind collaboration.
Thanks for your cooperation OTANG Ebot Achale and colleagues
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STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE SECTION A 1. Mark [x] beside the choice that describes you Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ] 2 Please fill the following Institution ___________________________________________________________ Faculty or School (if applicable) __________________________________________ Department (if applicable) ______________________________________________ Level (if applicable) ___________________________________________________ Age: ______________________________________________________________
SECTION B 3. Put a tick in front of the item you have a – e-mail address b – e-group address 4. Put a tick where appropriate to indicate your frequency of using computer or Internet-based facilities in the following locations. Location
Never
Campus Cyber shops (Cyber Cafés) Home
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Sometimes
Often
.5. Beside each of the statements presented below, please indicate whether you Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), Strongly Disagree (SD) with the statement related to the use of ICT to improve the quality of Education in the following areas. ICTs FOR INSTRUCTION (TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS) Scale Statement
SA
A
D
The use of ICT facilitated the doing of assignments. The use of ICT has improved the mechanism of obtaining feedback. With the use of ICT teachers and students have easily been updating their course content. The use of ICT has resolved the problem of high student- teacher ratio. ICT usage has enhanced student’s access to further education through alternative delivery mode such as distance education and open learning (DEOL). The use of ICT in Cameroon State University has facilitated research work. The use of ICTs has resolved the problem of instructional materials in Cameroon State Universities. ICT usage has facilitated the lesson presentation process. ICT usage has enhanced student-teacher communication. The use of ICT has led to an increased students’ motivation. ICT usage has improved the quality of library services. 6. Are you interested in using ICTs for learning? Yes No 7. Do you use ICTs to study on your own? Yes No 8. Do you have enough computer and ICT literacy skills needed to use ICT for learning? Yes No 9. Has the use of ICT improve in a way your performance in tests and examinations? Yes No 10. What are the difficulties you encounter in the use of ICTs for learning? 11. In your opinion, how can you assess the contribution of ICT towards improving the quality of education in Cameroon State Universities?
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SD
TEACHERS’ QUESTIONNAIRE SECTION A 1.
2.
Mark [x] beside the choice that describes you Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ] Please fill the following Institution ____________________________________________________ Faculty or School (if applicable) __________________________________ Department (if applicable) _______________________________________ Level (if applicable) ____________________________________________ Age: ________________________________________________________
SECTION B 3.
Put a tick in front of the item you have a – e-mail address b – e-group address
4. Put a tick where appropriate to indicate your frequency of using computer or Internet-based facilities in the following locations. Location Never Sometimes Often
Campus Cyber shops (Cyber Cafés) Home
38
5. Beside each of the statements presented below, please indicate whether you Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), Strongly Disagree (SD) with the statement related to the use of ICT to improve the quality of Education in the following areas. ICTs FOR INSTRUCTION (TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS) Statement The use of ICT facilitated the doing of assignments. The use of ICT has improved the mechanism of obtaining feedback relating to teaching learning process. With the use of ICT teachers and students have easily been updating their course content. The use of ICT has resolved the problem of high student- teacher ratio. ICT usage has enhanced student’s access to further education through alternative delivery mode such as distance education and open learning (DEOL). The use of ICT in Cameroon State University has facilitated research work. The use of ICTs has resolved the problem of instructional materials in Cameroon State Universities. ICT usage has facilitated the lesson presentation process. ICT usage has enhanced student-teacher communication. The use of ICT has led to an increased students’ motivation. ICT has provided more opportunities for the professional growth of teachers. ICT usage has improved the quality of library services.
SA
Scale A D
6. How can you assess the contribution of ICT enabling you to cope with your workload? 7. How can you appreciate the contribution of ICTs towards lesson planning, delivery and evaluation? 8. What are the difficulties you encounter in the use of ICTs in teaching? 9. In your opinion, how can you assess the contribution of ICTs towards improving the quality of education in Cameroon State Universities?
39
SD
ADMINISTRATORS’ INTERVIEW GUIDE 1. Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ] 2. a) Institution ____________________________________________________ b) Age: ________________________________________________________ 3. Do you have a – e-mail address Yes [ ] No [ ] b – e-group address Yes [ ] No [ ] ICTs FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Statement
SA
A
Scale D
SD
The use of ICT has led to an improved access of administrators to the external community through networking. ICT usage has led to an increase access of school administrators to parents. The use of ICT has facilitated the management of school records. ICT has ameliorated financial management. ICT has made easy the planning of administrative activities. The use of ICT has facilitated the registration of students. The use of ICT has facilitated the supervision of staff. ICT has helped improve school attendance. The use of ICT has helped in the re-integration of students with specialised needs. ICT usage has relieved administrators of heavy workload. Suggest five priority strategies that can be employed to improve the quality of administration in Cameroon State Universities with the use of ICTs. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________
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COUNSELLORS’ INTERVIEW GUIDE 1. Gender: Male [
]
Female [
]
2. a) Institution ___________________________________________________ b) Age: ________________________________________________________ 3. Do you have a – e-mail address Yes [ ] No [ ] b – e-group address Yes [ ] No [ ] 4. ICTs FOR GUIDANCE COUNSELLING Statement ICT usage in counselling has facilitated the storage and retrieval of clients’ cumulative records. The use of ICT has enhanced the dissemination of school brochures to a wide range of people. The use of ICT has increased the chances of choosing right course of study in relation to students’ intellectual abilities. The use of ICTs has increased learners and teachers knowledge of the needs of the world of work. ICT usage has improved on the quality of study schedules elaborated for students. The use of ICTs has assisted in the mediation of various members of the academic community thereby reducing conflicts. The use of ICTs has facilitated counsellors’ access to parents of clients (students). The use of ICTs has enhanced students and teachers access to counsellors. The integration of ICT in counselling has improved referral services to colleagues. ICT usage in counselling has enabled clients with similar concerns to share in same discussion forums. With the use of ICT, career orientation services have improved in quality. ICT in health counselling has helped step up the health standards of members of the school community.
SA
Scale A D
5. Have ICTs been of help to you as a professional counsellor? 6. How long have you been using ICTs in Counselling? 7. Have counselling services been made more accessible to students with the use of ICTs? 8. How can you appreciate the use of ICTs towards improving the quality of Educational counselling, Professional counselling, Social counselling, Personal counselling and finally the quality of Education in Cameroon State Universities?
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SD
9. What are the difficulties you face in using ICTs in counselling? OBSERVATION GUIDE FOR IT CENTRES, COMPUTER LABORATORIES AND CLASSROOMS Name of Centre:……………….. Date:…………………………… Time:……………………………
Material
Human
Policy
ICT Resources Present 1 Absent Desktop Computers Laptop Computers Tablet Computers Handheld Computers Projectors Electronic whiteboards Printers Scanners Digital cameras Videoconferencing facilities Photocopiers Webcams Webphony Television Telephones Fax Machines ICT Coordinator ICT Monitors ICT Technicians Rules and Regulations 1 = Indicate number
Remark
– SOFTWARE Tick (√) if available or mark (X) if absent beside each of the following software. 4b.1 Word Processing Programmes e.g. MS Word [
]
b.2 Presentation programmes e.g. MS PowerPoint [
]
b.3 Spreadsheets e.g. MS Excel [
]
b.4 Communication e.g. Internet Explorer [
42
]
b.5 Database management e.g. MS Access [
]
b.6 Entertainment e.g. Windows media player [ b.7 Tutorials [
]
]
b.8 Anti-virus programmes [
]
Sitting position (description) - Arrangement of computers/ workspace - Whether users bring along complementary materials such as pens, books etc to their workplaces - Synchronous teaching and learning - Internal atmosphere: whether noisy or calm - Electricity supply: Whether regular or irregular - Nature and number of furniture
Other Observations
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