JOURNAL OF COMPUTING, VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1, JANUARY 2012, ISSN 2151-9617 https://sites.google.com/site/journalofcomputing WWW.JOURNALOFCOMPUTING.

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Impact of Educational Background on Information Communication Technology (ICT) Awareness of Students & Scholars in Kashmir (India)
Rafi Ahmad Khan and Showkat Hussain Gani
Abstract There is a lack of information on the actual use of Information and Communications Technology usually called ICT for academic and research purposes by the students and scholars in Kashmir (India). This study explored the level of usage, utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the impact of educational background on ICT awareness of students and scholars. The population of the study consisted of 500 scholars and students with differing educational levels. The study investigated such things as ownership of a computer, type of personal computer owned, knowhow of operating computers, ownership of email account and packages in personal computer and mobile handsets used. The study reveals that there is correlation between the educational status of the respondents and their awareness and use of ICT. This paper recommends that regular ICT education should be a made a compulsory part of curriculum in college and university education. Index Terms Scholars, Students, Education, Information, Communication Technology, Skill

INTRODUCTION

ew and rapid developments in technology have made remarkable changes in the way we live, as well as the demand and needs of the workplace. Recognizing the impact of new technologies educational institutions try to restructure their education programs and classroom facilities, in order to minimize the teaching and learning technology gap between today and the future. This restructuring process requires effective integration of technologies into existing context in order to provide learners with knowledge of specific subject areas, to promote meaningful learning and to enhance professional productivity [1]. Academic commentators, policy makers, and technology practitioners use various concepts when talking about technology, and most concepts often reflect the purpose for which a technology is used. Where the context is educational usage, references are made to Educational Technologies [2], Learning and E-Learning Technologies [3], Online Teaching and Learning Technologies [4] , Digital Library Technologies [5], and Digital Learning Objects [6], among others. Technology is also viewed within the context of communication, and seen as communication tools and or networks. References are often made to IT Networks and Communication Protocols [2], Electronic Information and Communication [4], Information Agent [7], or just Information & Communication Technology [8], among other concepts. ICT has changed the dynamics of various industries as

well as influenced the way people interact and work in the society [9], [10], [11]. Internet usage in home and work place has grown exponentially [12]. People have to access knowledge via ICT to keep pace with the latest developments [13]. In such a scenario, education, which always plays a significant role in any economic and social growth of a country, becomes even more important. Education not only increases the productive skills of the individual but also his earning power. It gives him a sense of well-being as well as capacity to absorb new ideas, increases his social interaction, gives access to improved health and provides several more intangible benefits [14]. ICT has the potential to remove the barriers that are causing the problems of low rate of education in any country. It can be used as a tool to overcome the issues of cost, less number of teachers, and poor quality of education as well as to overcome time and distance barriers [12]. Various studies and surveys have provided the evidence concerning the benefits and impact of ICT in education [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21]. The several kinds of ICT products available and having relevance to education, such as teleconferencing, email, audio conferencing, television lessons, radio broadcasts, interactive radio counseling, interactive voice response system, audiocassettes and CD ROMs etc. have been used in education for different purposes [22], [23], [10]. Information technologies assist students and scholars to engage in outreach and collection of research materials like journals etc. A simple visit to a chat room can be an effective means to save time & get instant feedback in case of any query. Information technology helps to con Rafi Ahmad Khan is with the Business School, University of Kashmir, nect with this generation to bridge generation divide. Srinagar, Kashmir-190006. Showkat Hussain Gani is with the Business School, University of Kashmir, There is no doubt that ICT is an umbrella term that inSrinagar, Kashmir-190006. cludes any communication device or application, cover.

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ing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as video conferencing and distance learning. ICT covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information electronically in a digital form. For example, personal computers, digital television, email, robots.

Years of Experience- Table 2 Educational Background PhD Masters Bachelors Diploma Total 0-2 yrs 32 119 282 49 482 2-4 yrs 10 30 40 10 90 Above yrs 3 14 5 6 28 4 Total 45 163 327 65 600

2 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study are: 1. To ascertain if students and scholars have access to ICT in Kashmir (India) 2. To find out the ICT awareness level of scholars and students 3. To find what computer packages students and scholars have proficiency in

A close observation of the experience profile from table 2, of the respondents revealed that of 600 respondents, 482 respondents have between 0 2 years of experience in

3 METHODOLOGY
The nature of present research is a descriptive survey done by random sampling. A total of 680 copies of the questionnaires were distributed and 600 were collected while 80 were rejected. The questionnaires were distributed in universities, colleges & government registered private institutions. The sample population across educational background is: PhD 45; Masters 163, Bachelors 327; Diploma 65; making a total of 600 respondents. The questionnaire was distributed in various colleges, universities and other higher educational institutions in Kashmir. The questionnaire covers areas like the knowledge of personal computer, software packages, use of internet, and mobile handset among others.

usage of ICT for their academic activities. This contributes 80% (max) at the respected level of experience (0-2), which indicates the usage of ICT for academic purposes is a recent phenomenon in Kashmir(see chart I). Ownership of personal computer -Table 3 Educational Background Ph.D. Masters Bachelors Diploma Total No. of Computer Mobile Resp. 45 41 39 163 327 65 600 136 186 26 389 140 315 63 557 Computer & Mobile 40 136 185 26 387

4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In discussing the findings of this research, we shall deal with each question. Educational Background & Gender of RespondentsTable 1 Educational Background PhD Masters Bachelors Diploma Total Gender Male Female 35 10 133 30 247 80 51 466 Total 45 163 327 14 134 65 600

From the above table 3, it was revealed that 96% of PhD scholars, 83% of masters level students own a personal computer/ Laptop. While as only 57% of bachelors level students and 40% of diploma students own a personal computer/ Laptop, as there is a reflective difference between upper (PhD/Masters) and lower (bache-

Table 1 profiles the educational background and gender distribution of the respondents. Of the 600 respondents, 45 or 7.5% were pursuing PhD while 163 or 27.16% were pursuing masters degree. A majority of the sample were pursuing bachelors degree (327 or 54.5%). Out of whole sample of 600, Females were 134 or 22.33% of the sample.

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lors/diploma) levels of education. This clearly indicates that educational background has an impact on ownership of computers/laptops. In case of mobile ownership, educational background has little impact as of all the respondents 92.83% have mobiles. Those respondents who have a computer/laptop also have a mobile (see chart II). This indicates that the desktops/laptops/mobiles are increasingly being used by scholars as a tool for research as well as by the students for the purposes which their degree program demands. Knowledge of computing skills Table 4 Educational Background Ph.D. Total No. 45 163 327 65 600 Yes 40 137 181 27 385 No 5 26 148 38 215

(see chart IV).

Do you know how to operate Masters a computer? Bachelors Diploma Total

Skills in computer application programsTable 6 Edu. Bckgnd Ph.D. Masters Power Tot. Excel All None Word Point No. 40 137 32 101 98 16 247 23 75 56 9 163 30 27 33 6 96 11 20 25 5 61 2 13 11 9 35

The above table also reveals that more PhD scholars have the knowledge in operating a computer with 89% out of the 45 respondents while only 55% of bachelors level students have knowledge in operating a computer. This

Which computer program do you have skill in?

Bachelors 181 Diploma Total 27 385

indicates that educational background has an impact on learning of information technology (see chart III). How did you learn to operate and use the computer Table 5 Taught Educational Total Edu. by a Self Background No. Inst. Friend How did you 40 18 10 12 learn to oper- Ph.D. 137 50 36 51 ate a comput- Masters Bachelors 181 71 65 45 er? Diploma 27 8 12 7 Total 385 147 123 115 As shown in table 5, out of 385 respondents who have knowledge of operating computers, 38% acquired the skill by learning from their friends, 32% learned from educational institutes and 30% learned the skill through self-learning. Which indicates that educational institutes dont impart the necessary computer skills to the students

In table 6 above, the impact of educational background was revealed in the level of skill or competence the respondents have in computer packages with PhD scholars having 80% in Ms-Word; 57% in Ms-Power Point; 75% in Ms-Excel and 27% (all packages). While as bachelors level students have computer skills of 54% in Ms-Word; 31% Ms-Power Point; 18% in Ms-Excel and 14% (all packages).

It also reveals that out of these 385 respondents, 64% have knowledge of Ms-Word, 42% have Knowledge of MsPower Point while as only 25% have knowledge of MsExcel (see chart V).

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Ownership of email account Table 7 Educational Total Background No. Ph.D. 45 Do you 163 have email Masters Bachelors 327 address? Diploma 65 Total 600

Yes 40 136 259 46 481

No 5 27 68 19 129

Table 7, reveals that higher the level of education greater the awareness and use of email among the respondent. Out of the 45 PhD respondents 40 or 89%, 136 or 83% of master respondents, 79% of Bachelor respondents and 70% of diploma respondents had an email account. The dents for their courses of study and by scholars for research purposes (see chart VII). Use of Mobile Table 9 Total Edu. Bckgnd No. What do you do Ph.D. 45 with your Masters 163 personal Bachelors 327 mobile 65 handset? Diploma Total 600 Own a Internet Others Mobile & email (call, sms) 39 15 24 140 315 63 557 38 60 5 46 102 254 58 554

percentage among those with higher degrees revealed the difference (see chart VI). Awareness and use of the Internet Table 8 Educational No. Background Ph.D. Do you Masters surf the internet? Bachelors Diploma Total 45 163 327 65 600 Daily Sometimes Never 26 70 101 18 235 14 66 158 28 273 5 27 68 19 119

Table 9, shows the awareness and use of mobile handsets, for internet, email and other facilities. There are 38% PhD respondents, who use their handset for internet & email, with masters 23%, compared to bachelors 18% and diploma 8%. The tag of others includes such things as: make and receive calls, send and receive text messages, social networking and YouTube amongst others. This again in-

In Table 8 above, the impact of education background is not so obvious in the awareness and use of the internet. For instance 58% of PhD respondents surf the internet daily while 31% surf it sometimes making it a total of 89% of the PhD respondents who use internet. Among the masters respondents 43% surf the internet daily and 40% surf sometimes making it a total of 83% of respondents who use internet. Among bachelors respondents, 31% surf the internet daily and 48% surf sometimes making it a total of 79% of respondents who use internet and a total of 70% among diploma respondents use internet. This reveals that the percentage of internet usage increases with increase in educational background. This would be because there is more awareness of internet usage by stu-

dicates that educational background has impact on the use of mobiles for internet and email (see chart VIII).

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CONCLUSION

ICT has come to stay and the students & scholars should braze up to this fact. It is imperative for students and scholars to increase their awareness of ICT platforms available and this can start by first having an insight and drive towards starting a computer lesson and surfing the internet for learning, research and academic growth. The real demand is how to enhance awareness and use of ICT by the students and scholars in Kashmir. Few recommendations which can improve ICT usage are: 1. Regular ICT education should be a made compulsory part of curriculum in schools, colleges and university education. 2. ICT education should be made a part of the course methodology of students pursuing research degrees. 3. Remedial training programs and workshops of ICT should be organized to make scholars and academicians aware about the full usage and utilization of ICT for skill development and enhancement.

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Acknowledgment
The authors would like to acknowledge and extend their heartfelt gratitude to all those students and scholars who co-operated with the conduct of this survey.

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Rafi Ahmad Khan is a Scientist at the Business School, University of Kashmir. He has done Masters in Computer Applications and is pursuing Ph. D. in Machine Learning. He is editorial board member and reviewer of several journals. He is member of IEDRC, IACSIT and IAENG. His current research interests include ICT, Business Intelligence, Knowledge Management and Machine learning. Showkat Hussain Gani is a research scholar pursuing Ph.D. in Emotional Intelligence.