Addressing Information Technology Access Challenges for Students Research Paper

Accessibility of Information Technology in Distance Higher Education

Upon undertaking the interview, it was evident that person X felt that the greatest challenge facing higher education in the future is laying the groundwork for the provision of distance higher education via information and communication technologies.

Indeed, person X was of the view that although online learning in higher education has demonstrated great and untapped potential in engaging large numbers of students for whom traditional face-to-face ‘classroom’ provision is neither possible nor appropriate, the sustained digital divide is threatening to scuttle the progress made that far, especially due to the fact that marginalized and socially excluded groups of the population are not benefiting from equality of access to information technology opportunities.

The salient aspect brought forth from the interview is that of access challenges distance students will increasingly encounter into the future when required to use the Internet and other Web-based resources for their studies.

Purpose Statement & Research Questions

The main purpose of the proposed study is to critically evaluate viable ways modern distance teaching universities can employ to deal with the challenge of lack of access to information and communication technologies that are critical to the provision of distance higher education.

It is clear from the interviewee that many students, particularly in the developed world, prefer distance education over the traditional brick-and-mortar form of instruction. However, the main target of open and distance education, as described in the literature, has often being the marginalized groups or remote regions (Rye & Zubaidah, 2008).

A serious challenge regarding this orientation is that many students who have been excluded from conventional institutions of higher learning are often the same as have been excluded from the critical infrastructure necessary for using the Internet to access educational resources.

Indeed, it may be argued that those who are in most need of information and communication technologies to access educational content being offered by distance teaching universities are the ones who are least likely to access these resources, leading to social exclusion rather than social inclusion. This problem needs to be addressed.

Consequently, in view of the noted problem and gaps in knowledge, the proposed study will be guided by the following research questions:

1. What kind of access challenges do students in open or distance learning programs face when they are expected to use information and communication technologies for their studies?
2. What resources do distance teaching universities need to put in place to ensure marginalized groups of the population are able to access information technology tools required for distance education?

Literature Review

Today, more than ever, institutions of higher education across the world are increasingly finding themselves in unfamiliar territory, which is led and governed by the new information and communication technologies (ICTs).

As noted by Guri-Rosenblit (2005), “…these technologies have had a huge impact on the world economy, corporate management and globalization trends, and they bear tremendous potential to reshape the nature of study environments everywhere, of both conventional and distance teaching institutions” (p. 468).

Aleksic-Maslac & Magzan (2012) concurs with this argument by suggesting that ICTs have been critical in developing social capital and human capacity, especially in terms of knowledge sharing and targeted training through distance education and electronic learning initiatives, not mentioning that they have played a major role in the development of educational programs in higher education institutions.

In a research appraising the benefits and costs of distance education courses offered at university level, Lei & Gupta (2010) argue that web-based teaching and learning through distance higher education programs has not only succeeded in changing the appearance of higher education across the world, but is swiftly working at a energetic mode to create the proficiencies desired to instruct in an online context.

The importance of ICTs in distance learning can be illuminated by merely defining what comprises this form of education. According to Lei & Gupta (2010), “…distance education refers to technology-based instruction in which students are at a location physically separated from their instructor during the entire course of study” (p. 616).

Instead of bringing together learners from isolated localities in one place, preferably the classroom, distance learning is grounded on laying the frameworks required to reach out to the learners wherever they live or wish to study – in Africa, Asia, Europe, United States, or elsewhere.

Owing to the fact that distance education embraces all forms of instruction and learning in which classroom encounters are not the principal means of education (Guri-Rosenblit, 2005), technology, particularly the Internet and the World Wide Web, must be available for distance educators to communicate with students located in diverse locations across the world (Sinn, 2004).

There exist innumerable challenges that continue to hinder students from accessing ICTs for use in their distance education programs. At the university level, available literature demonstrates that “…there has been the chronic under-financing of universities to an extent that their normal operations have been distorted and the functioning of given institutions seriously hampered” (Lajos & Szucs, 1998, p. 178).

Extending this thread, Rye (2009) argues that successive governments, particularly in Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa, have failed to place a priority on human resources development through embracing ICTs and their important function in the domain of knowledge transfer.

Moreover, and following Sinn (2004) and Watts (2010), access to ICTs for use in open and distance learning is not only evaluated under the prism of whether it is present or not, but also as a result of how these technologies are woven into critical social processes.

In developing countries, for instance, the dominant social and political processes do not emphasize the importance of making heavy investments on critical technology infrastructure needed to assist in the provision of quality online education programs to a population that needs them the most (Rye & Zubaidah, 2008).

Low Internet speeds coupled with use of obsolete software programs have also worked to disadvantage a large number of students from enjoying the full benefits of distance education.

A strand of extant literature (e.g. Rye & Zubaidah, 2008; Sinn, 2004) demonstrates that low Internet connection speeds, particularly in the developing world where open and distance learning programs are needed the most, continue to disadvantage students because they are unable to download online tutorials and digital learning materials.

Such a drawback, according to Aleksic-Maslac & Magzan (2012), gives critics room to argue that educational courses taught on the Internet do not have the potential to live up to the standards and expectations of the traditional bricks and mortar classroom.

However, proponents of open and distance learning argue that the traditional, academically-leaning, long type of higher education is to blame for this mess as it has not been flexible enough to accommodate new forms of technology (Rye, 2009), not mentioning that its lack of diversity programs has successfully ensured that many universities are prevented from harnessing the full potential of technology in the provision of open and distance education (Lei & Gupta, 2010).

On social inclusion, Lajos & Szucs (1998) acknowledge that “…the distance education method can, very appropriately, provide rapid, flexible, and efficient training in a wide range of professional fields for a large number of persons, particularly persons in employment” (p. 177).

The benefits notwithstanding, educators and mainstream commentators across the world are worried that the digital divide continues to adversely affect the real intentions of distance higher education.

In their study on “distance education and the complexity of accessing the Internet”, Rye and Zubaidah (2008) warn against a scenario where new technology might raise the quality and accessibility of open and distance learning to students in the developed world, but exclude large groups of learners who were initially a target for such institutions of higher learning.

It is therefore imperative that institutions of higher learning become more open and flexible toward embracing newer technologies and taking part in diverse exchange programs if they expect to remain competitive and relevant in an age of educational globalization (Aleksic-Maslac & Magzan, 2012).

Access to ICTs, as well as acceptance of use, are critical in ensuring the survival of universities into the future because new technology, particularly Internet and the World Wide Web, defines the new generation of distance education.

Research Methodology

Research Approach

The proposed study will utilize a mixed methods research approach for purposes of gathering, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting data.

The mixed method research approach is basically a method for gathering, analyzing and “integrating” both quantitative and qualitative primary data in a single study, with the view to realize a more broader, comprehensive and holistic understanding of a research problem or phenomena under investigation (Creswell; Newman & Benz, 1998).

As noted by these authors, the justification for using this approach arises from many varied factors.

In the proposed study, the justification is premised on the fact that neither quantitative nor qualitative research approaches are adequate by themselves to capture the trajectories and details of the phenomenon under investigation (Newman & Benz, 1998), and that it would be helpful for the researcher to not only expand his/her understanding from one method to another, but also confirm findings from different data sources (Creswell, 2009).

Research Design

The specific research methodology that will be used in the proposed study is the explanatory sequential design, which basically means that the researcher will start by gathering and analyzing quantitative data, followed by the subsequent gathering and analysis of qualitative data (Creswell, 2009).

It is important to note that the second phase of the study, known as the qualitative phase, will be designed to directly follow from the first phase (quantitative), implying the qualitative phase will be used by the researcher to explain initial quantitative outcomes.

The justification behind using this type of design is premised on the understanding that it will assist the researcher to not only evaluate trends of e-learning opportunities in distance education using quantitative data, but also explicate the mechanisms or reasons behind the resultant trends using qualitative data.

Consequently, as posited by Creswell (2009), the investigator will be able to interpret to what level and in what ways the qualitative outcomes are able to explicate and add useful insights into the quantitative outcomes.

Methods

Quantitative data for the proposed study will be collected using the survey/questionnaire technique, while qualitative data will be collected using in-depth interviewing technique.

The survey/questionnaire schedule, administered online, will contain items of different layouts, including: multiple choice queries, requesting either for a single choice or all that apply; dichotomous responses such as “Yes” and “No”; self-evaluation items measured on the 5-point Likert-type scale, and; open-ended questions intended to elicit responses that cannot be captured using closed-ended items (Phillips & Starwaski, 2008).

According to Adams and Cox (2008), questionnaires are less expensive and effective due to their ease of application and adaptability. In-depth interviewing, according to Boyce & Neale (2006), has traditionally been viewed as “…a qualitative research technique that involves conducting intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to explore their perspectives on a particular idea, program, or situation” (p. 3).

The justification for using in-depth interviewing rests on the fact that it will enable the researcher to collect data that will be rich in context and scope.

Data Sources

Quantitative data for the proposed study will be collected from students undertaking open and distance online degree programs at the university. This group of participants will be reached using their email contacts and asked to respond to the items contained in the survey/questionnaire.

Qualitative data for the study will be collected from faculty members who are well versed with issues of information technology and the provision of distance higher education. Participants in this group will be contacted via telephone and asked to set up interview dates.

Conclusion

The proposed mixed methods study will employ the explanatory sequential research design to critically evaluate viable ways modern distance teaching universities can employ to deal with the challenge of lack of access to information and communication technologies that are critical to the provision of distance higher education.

From the interview with person X, it has been demonstrated that although online learning in higher education has demonstrated great and untapped potential in engaging large numbers of students for whom traditional face-to-face ‘classroom’ provision is neither possible nor appropriate, the sustained digital divide is threatening to scuttle the progress made that far, especially due to the fact that marginalized and socially excluded groups of the population are not benefiting from equality of access to information technology opportunities.

Additionally, it has been demonstrated that the main target of open and distance education has often being the marginalized groups or remote regions; however, many students who have been excluded from conventional institutions of higher learning are often the same as have been excluded from the critical infrastructure necessary for using the Internet to access educational resources.

Equally, it may be argued that those who are in most need of ICTs to access educational content being offered by distance teaching universities are the ones who are least likely to access these resources, leading to social exclusion rather than social inclusion. Consequently, the proposed study set out to address the question of accessibility of ICTs in distance education.

Undoubtedly, The study will contribute to the field of higher education by

1. providing knowledge on what universities need to do to spur access to ICT resources,
2. knowing the access challenges facing students in distance education programs and developing interventions to address these challenges,
3. ensuring that universities become more open and flexible toward embracing newer ICT technologies in the provision of distance education.

References

Adams, A., & Cox, A.L. (2008). Questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus groups. Open Research Online. Web.

Aleksic-Maslac, K., & Magzan, M. (2012). ICT as a tool for building social capital in higher education. Campus-Wide Information Systems, 29(4), 272-280.

Boyce, C., & Neale, P. (2006). Conducting in-depth interviews: A guide for designing in-depth interviews for evaluation input. Path Finder International Tool Series. Web.

Creswell, J.W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Guri-Rosenblit, S. (2005). ‘Distance education’ and ‘e-learning’: Not the same. Higher Education, 49(4), 467-493.

Lajos, T., & Szucs, A. (1998). Universities, the information technology challenge, and open and distance learning in Central and Eastern Europe. Higher Education in Europe, 23(2), 177-188.

Lei, S.A., & Gupta, R.K. (2010). College distance education courses: Evaluating benefits and costs from institutional, faculty and students’ perspectives. Education, 130(4), 616-631.

Newman, I., & Benz, C.R. (1998). Quantitative-qualitative research methodology: Exploring the interactive continuum. Boston: South Illinois University.

Phillips, P.P., & Starwaski, C.A. (2008). Data collection: Planning for and collecting all types of data. London: John Willey & Sons.

Rye, S.A., & Zubaidah, I. (2008). Distance education and the complexity of accessing the internet. Open Learning, 23(2), 95-102.

Rye, S.A. (2009). Negotiating the symbolic power of information and communication technologies (ICT): The spread of internet-supported distance education. Information Technology for Development, 15(1), 17-31.

Sinn, J.W. (2004). Electronic course delivery in higher education: Promise and challenge. Journal of Technology Studies, 30(1), 39-45.

Watts, J.H. (2010). Teaching a distance higher education curriculum behind bars: Challenges and opportunities. Open Learning, 25(1), 57-64.