Assessment of Information and Communication Technology Integration in Teaching and Learning in Institutions of Higher Learning

Employing survey research design of the ex-post facto type, this study examined information and community technologies integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria. Four research questions and four hypotheses guided the investigation. Descriptive statistical tools such as mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while t-test of significant difference was used to test the hypotheses. A sample of 560 students and lecturers were selected through simple random sampling technique from four out of seven institutions of higher learning in the state. The result obtained showed that the level of availability of ICTs for their effective use in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State is low. The benefits of using ICTs in teaching and learning include improve quality of instruction, caters for different learning styles and increased opportunity for collaborative networking and research. The factors acting as barriers to effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning in the institutions include poor government attitude to ICT policy, inadequate funding of ICT facilities and low level of ICT literacy among students and Lecturers. The strategies for effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning in the institutions were identified to include provision of electronic classrooms and laboratories, provision of pedagogical training in ICT for Lecturers. The study recommends that administrators of institutions of higher learning should incorporate ICT into their strategic plan to ensure that they link the institution with Local Area Network (LAN).


Introduction
All over the world, education has been recognized as a critical tool for effecting national development.In fact, education is a catalyst for social, economic and personal changes.One of the changes and innovations which the federal government of Nigeria adopted in her development efforts is the integration of information and communication technology into all levels of the education system.The objectives of the federal government of Nigeria on Information Technology (IT) as highlighted by Yusuf (2005)  Information and communication technology refers to as a computer based facilities used by organization personnel to record, transmit, generate, retrieve, impact knowledge and process information and communication needs (Asiyai, 2010).ICT is any technology that students and teachers use to organize, create, manipulate, solve, find, draw, design, synthesize, share, collaborate, modify, analyze, evaluate and disseminate information.ICTs include internet, computer, hyper net software and hardware, network, data projector and other devices that convert information into digital forms.
In this era of digitalization the flow of information through the satellite and internet enhances rapid dissemination of knowledge "which has become the most important factor in economic development in the 21 st century" (Saint, Hartnett, & Strasser, 2003), it becomes imperative for ICT to be applied to teaching and learning in schools across the universe.ICT has been recognized as effective for use in the education industry as an effective delivery mechanism (Westera & Sloep, 2001).They maintained that ICTs can provide an efficient delivery mechanism of educational services by supplementing conventional delivery mechanism.
The emergence of ICTs has generated lots of changes and innovations in all sectors of the economy across the globe.As a result, of the impact of ICTs, the whole world has been transformed into a global village.According to Johnson (2007), the prevalence and rapid development of ICTs have transformed human society from information technology age into knowledge age.As noted by Omeniyi, Agu, and Odimegwu (2007), the education industry appears to be the major sector where ICT integration and effective application could extend massively to other areas of life.This assertion presupposes that educational institutions in Nigeria be technology-based with teachers and students being information and technology literate so as to facilitate effective application of ICTs to other areas of life.As a result of the use of information and communication technologies, distance education is acceptable world wide as a standard alternative mode of education (Ojokheta & Adepoju, 2007).
Most developed communities have invested largely in centralized media systems that enable information to be broadcast to their schools at one time.Schools in such communities have a common cabled computer and media network.Teachers monitor activities rather than directing, in order to encourage creativity in technology.Though literature is replete on ICT, most of these literatures all cover studies in foreign countries.In Nigeria and Delta State in particular, there are limited literature on ICT integration in teaching and learning in higher education institutions.This study attempts to fill this gap.

Objectives of the Study
This study had four objectives as follows: Find out the views of lecturers and students on the availability of ICT for its integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria.
Identify the benefits of ICT integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning.
Highlight the barriers to ICT integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria.
Identify the possible solutions to the identified barriers to ICT integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria.

Statement of the Problem
Information and communication technology is an innovation that has been integrated into the education system of virtually all countries of the world including Nigeria.Highlighting the relevance of information and communication technology in this modern age, Ajayi (2002) rightly noted that any industry that sidelines ICT has simply signed a "death warrant" on its continued relevance.Therefore information and communication technology can be said to hold the key to continuity and sustainability of educational activities for success in schools.This new technology because of its constructivist student-centered approach is meant to supplement the traditional didactic approaches to learning by making learning more real and interesting.As a result of the roles of ICTs in promoting efficiency, World Bank (2002) recommended electronic networking of institutions involving e-mails, communication capacity for teaching, research, management and performance monitoring of systems.Casual observations through visits to some institutions of higher learning in Nigeria have shown that the traditional lecture method and use of textbooks is still the common practice.It appears the institutions lecturers and students are not yet aware of the benefits of ICTs in enhancing teaching and learning.

Research Questions
The study provides answers to four questions as follows: How do lecturers and students assess the availability of ICT for its integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria?What are the benefits of ICT integration in teaching and learning?
What are the factors acting as barriers to ICT integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria?What strategies could be adopted to enhance effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria?

Hypothesis
Four hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 significant level as follows: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the availability of ICTs for use in teaching and learning.
There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the benefits of ICTs integration in teaching and learning.
There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the barriers to effective integration in teaching and learning.
There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the strategies considered effective for integration of ICT in teaching and learning in higher education.

Theoretical Framework of the Study
The use of information and communication technologies in teaching and learning processes came up as a result of ICTs being capable of improving the effectiveness of teaching and learning (Plump, Anderson, Law, & Qualek, 2009).It is widely believed that ICTs can be used by teachers to facilitate students learning (Lebanon, Robinson, & McDonough, 2009;Newhouse, Trinidad, & Clarkson, 2002).The model for ICT integration in teaching and learning process is categorize into four namely: learning micro models, ICT-Oriented micro models, system models and population models (Newhouse, Trinidad, & Clarkson, 2002).According to Kolb (1997), the use of ICT in teaching and learning can engage learners in four step process such as: The developments of ICT tools such as computers, electronics, interactive white boards, digital projectors and other multimedia tools provide a wide range of sensory stimuli for the proper training of the heart, head and hand.It is often said: "what I hear, I forget", "what I see, I remember", "what I do, I understand".
According to Bandhana (2012), the animations, stimulations, software packages for teaching various subjects, multimedia networks, and image enhancement create virtual realities and experience for learners which in turn help in making learning more direct, joyful and useful.The use of ICT in teaching and learning help to strengthen the learning of students and contribute to the learning process of students (Cartwright & Hammond, 2003;Herzog, 2004;Lim & Chin, 2004;Lim et al., 2003).Roblyer and Edwards cited in Bandhana (2012) suggested five reasons why teachers should integrate ICT in teaching and learning as motivation, distinctive instructional abilities, higher productivity of teachers essential skills for the information age and support for new teaching technology.

Literature Review
Plethora researches have been conducted in foreign countries on the relevance of ICTs in education.Dede (1998) noted that the use of ICT in education can help improve memory, retention, increase motivation and generally deepen understanding.Information and communication technology can also be used to promote collaborative learning including role playing, group problem solving activities and articulated projects (Forcheri & Molfino, 2000).Balacheff (1983) observed that ICT promotes new approaches to working and learning and new ways of interacting.In Australian and American schools, Wheeler (2000) reported the use of web pages to post school news and home work assignments as well as submission of work via email from the child's home to the teacher's mail box.
As noted by Reil (2000), pupils develop transferable skills such as literacy construction, keyboard techniques and written communication skills using these technologies.They are quickly mastering the ability to communicate effectively because the experience has been made enjoyable in an unthreatening environment.
According to Wheeler (2000) computers and the powers they bring to the student to access, manipulate, modify, store and retrieve information will promote greater autonomy in learning, enabling students to exert more choice over how they approach study, requiring less direction from teachers.Students, he concluded will be able to direct their own studies to a greater extent with the teacher acting as a guide or moderator rather than a director.Teachers in the developing world will have to change their teaching styles and acquire internet skills as the new technologies transform classrooms over the next 20 years (Ojedokun & Owolabi, 2003).ICTs utilization in teaching and learning can make classes more efficient, lectures more compelling, informative and varied and assignment more extensive, interesting and accessible and make discussions more challenging, making student's papers more original and researched (Bowers, 2003).Information and communication technologies facilitates effective interaction with students and lecturers as well as minimizes students attentiveness to instruction (Inije, 2012).
Previous studies suggest that incessant power failure in Nigeria was a serious impediment to the implementation of ICT integration in educational activities (Okebukola, 1990;Egunjobi, 2003;Asiyai, 2010).According to Onojetah (2012), inadequate ICT infrastructure, inadequate funding, acute shortage of manpower, lack of access to utilize ICT resources at will and non availability of computer laboratories are constraints to teaching ICT in education systems.Sinko (2002) identified the factors that acted as barriers to ICT effective integration in teaching and learning process as lacking support for the educational personnel and learners, lack of teachers competencies to use certain ICT soft ware, insufficient financing of teachers professional development in ICT and lack of appropriate computer hard ware and soft ware packages.

Design of the Study
The study adopted the survey research design, of the ex-post facto type.It sought the opinion of the respondents on existing situation on ICTs integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria.

Population, Sample and Sampling Technique
The population of the study comprised all the seven institutions of higher learning in Delta State during the 2011/2012 academic year.The sample of the study consisted of 560 (260 Lecturers and 300 students) drawn through the simple random sampling technique from four institutions of higher learning in the state.Only lecturer from the rank of lecturer two who have been lecturing since five years participated in the study, The breakdown of the sample for lecturers is Professor (n=32), Reader (n=48), Senior Lecturer (n=60), Lecturer One (n=60) and Lecturer Two (n=60).While only students in 300 (n=150) and 400 level (n=150) participated in the study.

The Instrument
The only instrument for data collection from the respondents was structured questionnaire, divided into five sections.The first part contained demographic information of respondents including institution, gender and status.The second part contained 15 items structured on a five point likert-type scoring scale of Very Highly Available=5-point, Highly Available=4-point, Moderately Available=3-point, Barely Available=2-point and Not Available=1-point.The third, part contained 15 items which focused on the benefits of ICT integration in teaching and learning in higher education.The fourth section contained 13 items on the barriers to effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning in higher education.The fifth parts contained 12 items on the strategies for effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning in higher education.The items for sections 2, 3, 4 and 5 were each structured on a four point scoring scale of Strongly Agree SA=4-point, Agree A=3-point, Disagree D=2-point and Strongly Disagree SD=1-point.

Validation of the Instrument
The instrument was validated by two experts in the faculty of education of Delta State University, Abraka who read through and made useful suggestions which was used to bear on the items before the final draft was prepared.

Reliability Determination
The instrument was administered twice on 40 students and lecturers who did not participate in the original study within an interval of two weeks to ascertain its stability.Reliability coefficients of 0.76, 0.64, 0.60, 0.72, and 0.66 for section 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively was computed via Pearson product moment formula.

Data Collection Procedure
A team of four persons participated in data collection for this study.These are the researcher and three research assistants trained by her.The three research assistants were the researcher's students who live in the cities where the institutions of higher learning were situated.For ease of administration and retrieval of the instrument, the research assistants were assigned to the institution in the town where each resides.While the researcher collected data from her institution.Each person collected data from 140 respondents in each institution, assisted by staff of the institutions.On the whole, 560 questionnaires were administered but 544 were retrieved valid and used for analysis of data.Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were employed in statistical analysis of data to answer the research questions.The cut-off point of 2.50 which is the mid-point of the scores was used as criterion mean value in making decision.Items with mean score from 2.50 and above were accepted while items with mean score below 2.50 were not accepted.The four hypotheses were tested using t-test of significant difference with the level of significance established at 0.05.

Results
The results of data analysis are presented in Tables 1-9.For Table 3, the mean score for all the items except two items (ICTs can make students bored with lessons and the use of ICTs may lead to reduced students attendance at lessons) exceeded the critical mean value of 2.50.This implies that all the other items except the two items in parenthesis above, reflect the benefits of ICTs in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning.4 shows that the mean score for all the items except the second and third items are below 2.50 the cut-off point indicating that all the items except the second and third represent the barriers to effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in the state.Therefore the barriers to ICT integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria are low computer literacy among students and lecturers, under funding of higher education, lack of access to ICT tools, lack of computerized libraries in schools, lack of ICTs in classrooms and laboratories, low power supply and anxiety in using ICT among students and lecturers.For Table 5, the mean value for each of the item exceeded 2.50 the cut-off point.This indicates that all the items are strategies towards effective integration of ICTs in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in the state.
Hypothesis One: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the level of ICTs availability for integration in teaching and learning.From Table 6, the calculated t-value is found to be not significant at df=542 and 0.05 level of significance.Therefore the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the availability of ICTs for integration in teaching and learning was retained.The conclusion drawn is that lecturers and students did not differ significantly in their views on the availability of ICTs for use in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in the state.
Hypothesis Two: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the benefits of ICTs integration in teaching and learning.7, the calculated t-value of 1.08 is found to be not significant at df=542 and 0.05 level of significance.Therefore the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the benefits of ICTs integration in teaching and learning retained.The conclusion drawn is that lecturers and students did not differ significantly in their views on the benefits of ICTs integration in teaching and learning.
Hypothesis Three: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the barriers to effective integration in teaching and learning.From Table 8, the calculated t-value of 0.813 is found to be not significant at df=542 and 0.05 level of significance.Therefore the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the barriers to effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning is upheld.The conclusion drawn is that lecturers and students did not differ significantly in their views on the factors acting as barriers to effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning.
Hypothesis Four: There is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the strategies considered effective for integration of ICT in teaching and learning in higher education.From Table 9, the calculated t-value of 1.438 is found to be not significant at df=542 and 0.05 level of significance.Therefore the null hypothesis which states that there is no significant difference between the mean ratings of lecturers and students on the strategies considered effective for integration of ICT in teaching and learning in higher education is upheld.This implies that lecturers and students did not differ significantly in their views with respect to the strategies for effective integration of ICTs in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in the state.

Discussion of Findings
The result of this study for research question one indicates that ICT availability for their effective integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning used for this study is generally low although cyber café and ICT laboratories are available.Institutions of higher learning in the state have low level of availability of ICTs like internet connectivity, electronic lecture rooms and laboratories, electronic whiteboards and data projectors and office automation for lecturers.Earlier study by Asiyai (2010) on the role of ICT in the management of secondary education for sustainable development revealed that the need for provision of adequate ICT devices and the need to counter resistance to ICT among teachers, students and school administrators were major challenges to effective use of information and communication technology in educational management.Additionally, the findings of this study on lack of ICT personnel, poor financing of ICTs and lack of ICT facilities corroborates that of Sinko (2002).
The result for research question two shows the benefits of ICT in education as expands access to information anytime, anywhere, enhances fast covering of course content and large class size, it can improve the quality of instruction, it caters for different learning styles and different categories of learners and eases the conduct of assignment and monitoring of performance.In addition, ICT in teaching and learning increases students' involvement in learning, increases opportunity for collaborative networking and research as well as enhancing the understanding of concepts.Students can learn more and better when they are involved in new situations that allows them to overcome challenges and when they are given opportunity to build something new in an active way.Information and communication technologies provide such opportunities for students.The finding is supported by Dede (1998) whose finding revealed that ICTs promote collaborative learning including role playing and group problem solving.Additionally, Nwosu (2003) seems to support the finding of this study by noting that ICT present itself as a versatile teaching and learning aid which undoubtedly leads to improved and efficient teaching and learning.Furthermore, Resnick (1998) noted that these new technologies make possible a learning revolution in education.
ICT is flexible and can be adapted to different learning styles.At anytime, anywhere, students and lecturers can network the website and download materials to support their teaching and learning processes.Such information like examination results, admission, recent journals and text books can be checked and downloaded anytime anywhere.In addition, researchers like Kozma (2005), Kulick ( 2003) and Webb and Cox (2004) observed that ICT when effectively integrated into a high quality environment can help deepen student's content knowledge, engage them in constructing their own knowledge and support the development of complex thinking skills.
For research question three, the result of this study shows that the factors acting as barriers to ICT integration in teaching and learning are lack of ICT in classrooms, low ICT literacy among lecturers and students, under funding of ICT facilities/equipment, irregular power supply, limited access to ICT tools and lack of computerized library.The finding on low ICT literacy among lecturers and students agrees with the finding of Farrel and Shafika (2007) they conducted a survey involving 52 countries and found that lack of required ICT skills among teachers hindered effective utilization of ICT in education in Africa.Similarly, the finding on computer anxiety and lack of computer literacy among lecturers and students is supported by Babalola (2009) whose report indicated that at the university of Ibadan Nigeria, majority of the teachers were apathetic towards interactive white boards while some complained that they needed to be trained on how to use these boards.Additionally, Okebukola (1990), Egunjobi (2003) and Asiyai (2010) revealed that irregular power supply in Nigeria was a serious impediment to ICT integration in education.The finding of this study generally portrays one obvious fact which is that epileptic power supply in Nigeria is a major barrier to ICT effective integration in teaching and learning in schools.
The result for research question four indicates that the strategies for effective integration of ICTs in teaching and learning in higher education are provision of electronic classrooms and laboratories well fitted with air conditioner and computerized libraries, increased access to available ICTs by students and lecturers, provision of electronic white boards in classrooms and laboratories, provision of ICT skilled personnel, proper implementation of ICT policies by school administrators, provision of functional internet connectivity in institutions, office automation for lecturers and provision of pedagogical training in ICT for lecturers and reorientation of students and lecturers attitude towards ICT.The finding on provision of pedagogical training in ICT for lecturers has the support of Light (2009) who noted that teachers need to be trained in ICT so that they would be able to structure their lessons and guide students ICT activities and select resources that support students learning.In addition, Reil and Fullan (1998) noted that integrating ICT in teaching and learning requires changes in teachers' knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes.This necessitates training in ICT so that the teacher can be able to shift from the traditional lecture method to ICT student centered learning.
The hypothesis testing for the four hypotheses indicates that lecturers and students did not differ significantly in each case.They had the same view in terms of availability of ICTs for use in teaching and learning, benefits of ICT integration in teaching and learning, identified barrier to effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning and the strategies considered effective for integration of ICT in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta State, Nigeria.

Conclusion
This study focused on ICT integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning form students and lecturers perspectives.The findings of the study showed that ICT integration in teaching and learning in higher education could help enhance efficiency in instructional delivery, increase students interest in learning, makes teaching students centered, enhance collaborative networking and thus enhance students' performance.
The findings indicates that the most important factor acting as barrier to ICT effective integration in teaching and learning in higher education in Nigeria is irregular power supply, followed by underfunding of education and low ICT literacy among lecturers and students.In this era of globalization, students of institutions of higher learning in Delta State Nigeria may not be able to meet up with their peers and compete globally without adequate ICT skills.Information and communication technology have to be properly integrated in teaching and learning in higher education in Nigeria.

Recommendations
Based on the findings of the study the following have been recommended: (1) Nigerian government should give priority attention to ICT integration in education by assisting the state government in funding ICT diffusion in institutions to ensure that every department is networked.
( (3) Institutions should adopt the establishment of solar energy sources to back up the power supply and thus enhance full integration of ICT in teaching and learning.
(4) Administrators of institutions of higher learning should incorporate ICT into their strategic plan to ensure that they link the institution with Local Area Network (LAN).
(5) Lecturers should update themselves with ICT literacy training through self help efforts by linking up with computer training institutes within the institution community to acquire knowledge and skills in ICT.
are: Making Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) mandatory at all levels of education Developing ICTs curricula for primary, secondary and tertiary institutions Provision of study grants and scholarship on ICTs Training the trainer scheme for National Youth Service Corps members ICTs capacity development at zonal, state and local levels.

Table 1 .
Respondents opinion about the availability of ICTs for use in teaching/learning For Table1, percentages are used to represent the availability of ICTs in institutions of higher learning in Delta state for use in teaching and learning.It is clear from the data in Table1, that ICTs availability for their effective use in teaching and learning is low.

Table 2 .
Mean ratings and SD of respondents on the availability of ICTs for use in teaching/learning in institutionsFrom the data in Table2, the mean score for all the items but one (institutional cyber café), fall below 2.50 the cut-off point.Thus generally, this clearly indicates that ICTs are not available for effective integration in teaching and learning in institutions of higher learning in Delta state.

Table 3 .
Mean and standard deviation of respondents regarding the benefits of ICT integration in teaching and learning

Table 4 .
Mean and SD of respondents' scores on the barriers to ICT integration in teaching and learning

Table 5 .
Mean and SD scores on strategies for effective integration of ICT in teaching and learning

Table 6 .
T-test showing difference in mean rating of students and lecturers on availability of ICTs for teaching/learning in higher education

Table 7 .
T-test of difference between mean of lecturers and students on benefits of ICT integration in teaching/learning in higher education

Table 8 .
T-test of difference between mean of lecturers and students on barriers to ICT integration in teaching/learning in higher education

Table 9 .
T-test of difference between mean of lecturers and students on Identified strategies for effective integration of ICT in teaching/learning in higher education 2) Wealthy individuals, non-governmental organizations, community based organizations, and other agencies should collaborate with the state government in staff training on ICT to facilitate ICT full integration in teaching and learning.Staff training and development through seminars, conferences and workshops could help improve ICT literacy.