It is a reality that advancement of Information Technology has revolutionized the business practices and strategies of entire industries. The field of higher education is not an exception to this phenomenon. Colleges and universities around the world are investing significant amount of money to create Information Technology resources that meet their student's and faculty's instructional needs. While universities encourage their faculties to adopt the new technologies for their preparation and delivery of classes, various other factors influence the integration or resistance of acceptance of these technologies. Age, highest education earned, teaching experience, computer competency, prior computer experience, availability of technology, Institutional support etc. are examples of these factors.
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'The Role of Information Technology'
Keywords—Information Technology, Higher Education, e-learning, Quality, ICT
What Is It?
Today the IT’s advancement around the world cannot be imagined. It integrated the world economy through removal of barriers. As defined by INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA (ITAA) “IT” is the “study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer based information system particularly software's applications & computer hardware. The term is formed by two words i.e. Information and Technology. Information is data processed for some purpose but Information can only be considered to be 'real' info if it meets certain criteria i.e. it must be communicated to the recipient, it must be in a language that is understood, it must be in a suitable form, it must be relevant for achieving some purpose and Technology is the collection of techniques, skills, methods, and processes used in the production of goods or services or in the accomplishment of objectives, such as scientific investigation and a computer is a general purpose, programmable device that is used for the production and processing of information.
Today, it is common to use the term Information and communications technology (ICT) because it is unimaginable to work on a computer which is not connected to the network so the IT is a process and application that create new methods to solve the problems, perform task and manage communication. IT industry is in GROWTH phase since last 5 years. There is estimated growth regarding spending on world-wide technology products & related services sector. It can be seen through contribution of IT in GDP, number of employees in this sector & revenue generated from this sector.
Evolution of Information Technology in Higher Education
Technology is ever changing and in today's highly competitive world, a College Degree is must. Over the past 20 years, the evolution of technology has had massive impact on higher education .The Evolution of technology has brought on effects all in the same1.
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- Access. What used to be based written grade books have become online spread sheet and websites that allow students to view up coursework.
- Communication. Modern Mobile devices have come along with Email feature that shortens response time.
- Online Courses. There are colleges which provide online courses that provide easier option for working college. Lecture notes and videos are ported online.
- Pubmeds and Google are one of the most used tools for information, journals and articles can be seen online
- Telecommunication and Telemedicine. For medical student it is now easier to discuss particular core with all around globe.
Traditionally, Teachers have used much of their class time with students to disseminate information through lectures and follow discussion. In Era of advanced technology web based resources can disseminate basic information more efficiently. A study conducted in Saudi Arabia with title "Effectiveness of using information technology in higher education" shows 61.5% students used the electronic device in their course activities. Another study conducted in Daata Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences WARDHA (maharastra) emphasis on incorporation of need for basic I.T. training as a part of medical curriculum to make learning enjoyable. Thus it is seen that Higher Education has undergone profound transformation due to recent technological advancement studies over recent past reflect a striking change in pattern of technology usage.
