Information Technology Readiness in Higher Education Institutions

Information technology has influenced every aspect of our life. The revolution in Information technology has actually transformed social structures and business needs across nations. All these have brought significant changes in the major industries, leading to substantial changes in work systems and marketing strategies.

Higher education institutions need to change their approach according to the transformations in work cultures and employment requirements. These institutions should adopt information technology into the core of their strategies and policies. They should also improve their readiness to adopt IT to equip students with the skills required for the information age.

Changed perspectives of higher education  

Conventional academic institutes offer terminal degrees with teaching in traditional classrooms. Curriculum of courses is controlled by institutions. However, the influence of information technology has had an impact on traditional education system. Increased use of internet and World Wide Web has transformed the learning environment.

The concept of life-long education is gaining popularity all over the world. This is mainly due to the developments in the field of information technology. Higher education institutions need to design courses which are flexible to the learners to encourage life-long learning.

Internet has become the source of unlimited knowledge. Students no longer depend on textbooks as the only source of information. Faster and cheaper communication tools have removed geographical barriers. Blogs and social networks have created new means of learning.

There is an increased demand for courses which can prepare students for the needs of market. In this changed scenario, higher education institutions are under pressure to provide market-centric education.

Information technology is vital to the future of higher education. It plays an essential role in academic and administrative reforms of the higher education institutions. Information technology is indispensable in developing and delivering student-centred courses. Higher education institutions need to re-organise their approach to meet the needs of the changed learning environment.

Adopting the change

Strategic approach is essential to adopt information technology into the core of organisational structure. Inhibitions about intended transformation must be removed for its successful adoption.

Institutions may face opposition as well as obstructions in implementing information technology policies. The reasons can be obstinacy, slowness, lack of will, outdated working models and ingrained habits and skills. Institutions can offer incentives to encourage faculty cooperation. They can also provide training and technical support to faculty to increase the pace of transformation.

The transformation should focus on classroom experiences and student services. This transformation must be guided to reduce costs and improve the quality of instruction.

Institutions should create opportunities for life-long education. Traditional educational models should be replaced by non-linear models. These non-linear models provide flexibility and freedom to the learner. It should be supported by multimedia tools and web-based education. Technology rich and flexible education can ensure the learner's satisfaction and attainment of learning objectives.

1. Institutes should establish an integrated, high-level organisational committee to plan and implement the use of information technology. This committee will prepare clearly defined methods to implement information technology strategies. This committee will also finalise strategies and policies of institution.
   
2. Institutions should establish advanced information technology environment to encourage extensive use of information technology in every possible aspect. Every department should be integrated with the information system. It must be easily accessible to every user of the system. Also, connect administration, libraries and labs to the information system.
   
3. Make maximum use of technology-based learning in all appropriate areas. Institutions should encourage the development of technology-based learning modules. Train faculty to develop such learning modules. These modules should take care of different learning styles of users. Moreover, all the users may not be well-equipped with skills of using technology.
   
4. Easy access to the courses is very essential. Developed courses must be accessible to the users over the institute's intranet or internet. Institutes can use social networks or blogs to support the users in their learning processes.
   
5. Collaboration with other institutes and organisations will consolidate the efforts. Exchange of knowledge, material, resources and experiences will be helpful in building effective information systems.
   
6. Institutions must have fund generating plans to implement information technology policies. Collaboration with private organisations and other institutes may minimise the cost of implementation.

Conclusion: Academic institutes must improve their readiness for information technology. It helps institutes to modernise their academic approaches and to deliver need-based education.

Information Technology Readiness for Higher Education

The rapid growth of information technology, particularly the digital multimedia, resulted in the emergence of information technology as a means for imparting higher education. Information technology enhances the level, order and pace of instructional delivery. Using information technology in education not only involves establishing infrastructure but also change in the attitude of government, educators and the students. The results of using information technology in education depend on readiness to adopt information technology.

Educational institutions in the United States of America have been spending billions of dollars on technology. They invested in purchasing hardware, software, equipment and in training students and instructors on the use of technology. However, a growing concern about return on investment on implementing technology made itself palpable. Parents, learners, government and academicians raised this question. They were looking for the impact of technology on enhancing academic achievement.

Organisations like Edutopia, the North Central Educational Lab (NCREL) and the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET) studied the role of technology in enhancing academic achievement. Harold Wenglinsky's study, "Does it Compute: The Relationship between Educational Technology and Student Achievement in Mathematics," and a study by educators in Missouri found that using technology enhances academic achievement.

Both these studies answered the questions raised by parents, learners, government and academicians. Both the studies stressed that educational institutions have to align technology with their instructional strategies for projects that require higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. Technology improves active learning which is a must for understanding principles and concepts. These studies have highlighted the observation of Michael Fullan who said, "The more powerful that technology becomes, the more indispensable good teachers are".

For information technology readiness, teachers, students and policy makers have to appreciate the role of technology in enhancing students' academic achievement. In imparting standards based education using information technology, teachers have to be provided training on computer applications. Studies have found that only basic computer skills are provided to teachers in professional development programmes.

Technological skills of students also need to be harnessed. Students have to be provided training in technology, communication, collaboration and project management skills. The Department of Education in the US is spending millions of dollars on programmes like Student Teacher Technology Education Partnership, Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology and 'Generation Y'. All these programmes are aimed at utilising information technology for education.

Today, countries of the world are financially, economically, socially, culturally and politically more connected and interdependent on one another than ever before. The nature of business, competition and skills required has changed. Educators need to develop the skills required for students to survive in the information age. The challenge is clear for the educators. Information technology will enable educators in facing new challenges.

Information technology has raised questions on the primary function of educators. Information technology has revolutionised education through changes in curriculum, classroom environment and education process. A study conducted by the University of Southern California found that less than five percent of college and university faculty utilise the infrastructure available to them.

The benefits of using information technology in higher education are:

• It improves the quality of learning
• Students are updated with IT Skills
• Widens access to education and training
• Improves cost-effectiveness of education

Information technology is indispensable for imparting quality education. To use it in education, it requires a change in attitude and aptitude among educators and students. Aptitude can be developed by providing professional development programmes. But a negative attitude is the biggest hurdle for technology infusion in imparting education.

To invest in information technology, educational institutions have to focus on:

• Educational objectives - these are formulated by taking the views of stakeholders that include parents and teachers, business leaders and community members
• Educational plans - these are formulated by taking educators, administrators and learners into consideration

John Daniel says, "The major problem in education today is that hundreds of millions of the world's citizens do not receive it. Many more do not get enough of it".

A number of educational tools were developed in the last few decades. The role and ability of information technology in revolutionising education system cannot be denied. Still many educators do not accept technology for teaching and many do not have access to technology. IT is only a tool and its impact depends on who is using it and how it is being used. Educators have to think of how to use IT for education rather than whether to use it or not.

Evaluating institutional readiness for implementation of an educational technology system, University of the Free State; South Africa

This paper by Anton Pienaar highlights the issues involved in decision making to deploy the e-learning environment for higher education institutions. It proposes a framework for choosing appropriate learning system technologies. This framework is useful for small and medium size higher education institutions.

The issues faced by traditional classroom teaching staff when converting courses from face to face to online

The author, in this paper, presents a list of pre-conditions required for traditional classroom teaching staff when converting courses from face to face teaching to online teaching. The issues were identified by using a questionnaire based on Likert scales. The aim of this paper is to focus on perceptions of staff in relation to their readiness for online teaching. This paper covers aspects such as time, training for online teaching, converting content to online material, teaching methodologies and learning technologies.

Teachers' Readiness to Use Technology in the Classroom: An Empirical Study

Using computers in classroom teaching requires teachers to be computer savvy. This article examines the factors that affect the use of computers by teachers. It highlights the relationship between actual usage of computer and the constructs such as attitude, perceived ease of use, job relevance and compatibility. This research on teachers of secondary schools all over Malaysia can provide recommendations for school administrators and teachers as well.

Faculty Readiness in Higher Education: Individual Factors Influencing the Professional Growth for Technology Enhanced Teaching (Paperback)
By: Jasmina Hasanbegovic

Jasmina Hasanbegovic, a researcher at the University of St. Gallen presents a report on ' Faculty Readiness in Higher Education'. The report summarises the challenges of technology enhanced teaching. Jasmina emphasises on the wants, interests and aspirations that are required for the faculty of higher education institutions and technology enhanced teaching. The report focuses on the methods to improve readiness of faculty members for technology enhanced teaching. The author is a project manager at the Swiss Centre for Innovations in Learning (SCIL) in Switzerland.

Teaching with Technology: Creating Student-Centered Classrooms (Paperback)
By: Judith Haymore Sandholtz, Cathy Ringstaff and David C. Dwyer

How can computers enhance the interaction between teacher and student in a classroom? This pertinent question and several such related aspects are discussed in this book. The book provides case studies drawn from the database of Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow. The authors address the recurrent concerns of teachers related to future teaching. The book also focuses on beliefs of teachers on instructional change involving technology in classroom teaching, support from school authorities and staff for technology enhanced teaching. The case studies enable to identify the role and importance of technology in classroom teaching. It also highlights the teaching environment in a student-centered classroom.

Issues in Higher Education
By: R. Nata

This book highlights the current issues in higher education. The issues include cost, access, financial aid, funding, accountability, sports, international competition, etc. It talks of the several deterrents and enablers that often decide one’s path while choosing higher education. It also talks of the several policies that determine the suitability of higher education in a student’s career.

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