Research Articles
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A research article reports the results of original research, assesses its contribution to the body of knowledge in a given area, and is published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. The faculty publications through published and on-going articles/researches are captured in this community
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Item Comparing knowledge and usage of ICT among male and female distance learners of an endowed and deprived area in a developing country in Africa(Journal of Information Technology 8(1): 1 – 17, 2009) Kwapong, T.F.O.A.Distance learning in developing countries has emerged as a way of widening access to education for tertiary applicants who qualify but could not otherwise gain admission due to the limited space in the existing tertiary institutions. The delivery of the program in Ghana, a developing country in Africa, is predominantly print-based and is supported with regular face-to-face tutorials. In this process students face several challenges that could be supported with information and communication technology (ICT). The study looked at the extent to which, at their personal level, students utilize the few ICT facilities that are available in their localities that could form a basis for making a case for the use of interactive electronic platforms in the distance learning programs. The results revealed that both male and female learners have some access to and utilize ICT facilities. They have moderate knowledge and usage of the Internet. Distance learning institutions in developing countries could, therefore, take opportunity of this and gradually introduce some basic ICT applications such as e-mails, text messages, phone contacts, a website for providing detailed information, application and registration, uploading and downloading supplementary readers and other services to facilitate interaction among learners and the institutions. This way not only will quality be enhanced but also those in the remotest parts of developing countries could be conveniently reached.Item Assessing internet usage among males and females in an African community(Indian Journal of Open Learning 18(1):28 - 43, 2009) Kwapong, T.F.O.A.The Internet has the potential to improve the enterprises and daily life of people in all parts of the globe. Results from the field survey indicate that both the males and females have a fair knowledge and usage of the Internet and other ICT protocols. But the males appeared to make multiple use of the Internet compared to their female counterparts who mainly use the Internet as an entertainment tool. An intervention that will encourage utilization of the Internet for educational purposes, peer education at the workplace that will enable the women to learn from their female colleagues, a program that will make people contribute financially to services offered and measures that will enable women to create the space and time for browsing will be helpful.Item Using ICT for education and sustainable development among the underserved in Africa(Journal on School Educational Technology 5(1): 56 – 67, 2009) Kwapong, T.F.O.A.The potential of ICT for education and sustainable development cannot be underestimated. Using cases from some African countries and data from deprived regions in Ghana, this paper discusses the opportunities and challenges in ICT for education and sustainable development in underserved areas in Africa. Much as infrastructural development, illiteracy and financial bottlenecks limits the possibility of fully utilizing emerging technologies, the growth of innovative technology like mobile telephony presents opportunities for using ICT to kick out of poverty through education. In this process the concern should not just be to provide access but to implement development programs that will meet the educational, agricultural, economic and healthcare needs of the people in underserved areas.