Chapter One 1.1 Background of The Study
Chapter One 1.1 Background of The Study
Chapter One 1.1 Background of The Study
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the 21st century
education system has been described as vital to keeping abreast with rapidly changing
Nigerian educational system has come to stay; its importance has been translated into
education system have not yielded much when compared to similar investments made in
The field of education has certainly been affected by the penetrating influence of ICT
worldwide. ICT has made impact on the quality and quantity of teaching, learning and
research in the institutions using it (Kwacha, 2007). According to Ololube, Ubogu and
Ossai (2007), the introduction of ICT usage, integration and diffusion has initiated a new
information delivery and usage patterns in the domain as well as offering contemporary
learning experience for both instructors and learners. ICT has the potential to accelerate,
enrich and deepen skills, motivate and engage students in learning; helps to relate school
experiences to work places, helps to create economic viability for tomorrow’s workers,
for connection between the school and the world (Davis & Tearle, 1999; Lemke &
Coughlin, 1998; cited by Yusuf, 2005). Adomi & Kpangban (2010) described
information technology (IT), but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of
audio-visual systems, which enable users to create, access, store, transmit, and
broadcast media, all types of audio and video processing and transmission and network
based control and monitoring functions. ICT as described by Scott (2002) encompasses a
and research communication and administration. These include online databases, library
services and online services and fax machine. It has become a global phenomenon of
great importance and concerns in all aspects of human endeavor, spanning across
commerce and others. The expression was first used in 1997 in a report by Dennis
The poor electricity supply in Nigeria is proving a major impediment to the operation and
institution. Only a trickle of daily electricity production dribbles erratically into the
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now there are attempts to find alternative energy sources such as solar energy to
The irregular supply of electrical power has crippled the Nigerian economy and hindered
the progress of research carried out by institutes, groups and individuals in the country. It
is maddening for any establishment to start off new projects without addressing the
almighty power supply problem. It is even worse to embark on extensive ICT project
within an educational institution, without solving power problems first. The Federal
of power in the country. Nigeria produces 2,500 megawatts a day of electricity out of a
total maximum daily production capacity of 3,000 megawatts. The potential need of the
country is 10 times that, 30,000 megawatts daily. The solution to the ongoing energy
crisis lies in the proper harnessing of Nigeria's abundant natural gas - the country is
But the growth of ICTs on campuses has been stalled by insufficient electricity supplied
have resorted to diesel-driven generators, which are polluting and expensive to maintain,
for institutions with limited resources, forcing them to look for alternative sources of
energy to fuel ICT infrastructures. The foregoing background calls for a paper of this
nature, to assess the state of inadequate power supply in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa
Technology .
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1.2 Statement Of The Problem
circle. Organizations of all types around the globe are utilizing ICT facilities for not only
cutting the cost but for efficiency and effectiveness of the system.
Many researches conducted by scholars revealed that, a lot of obstacles have appeared to
impede the efforts of information users to satisfy their information needs from
challenges associated with the use of ICT facilities to include infrastructure related
challenges. These, according to him, would involve a deliberate effort by policy makers
and planners to consider the building, electrical wiring, heating cooling and ventilation,
etc. to provide conductive environment for ICT facilities operations. Against this, the
present study seek to investigate effect of inadequate power supply on the student
required information they need using ICT facilities in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.
The main objective of this research is to investigate the effects of inadequate power
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ii. To determine whether the students of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa use Information
activities;
In order achieve the objective of this study, the following research questions are put
ii. Do the students of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa use ICT facilities to access their
information need?
iii. What effect does inadequate power supply have on performance of students in
iv. What are the problems associated with utilization of ICT facilities?
This study has both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the study will
point out and properly discuss the factors that hinder effective use of ICT by the student
and how it affect their academic performance negatively. Thus, readers (individuals or
groups) and scholars with interest in ICT will find this work useful to increase their
practice and teaching knowledge. The findings will be a frame work for social workers,
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office technology and Management who may intend to carry out further study on this
Practically, by reading this project, the findings will enable teachers, students,
practitioners, social scientists, and other related research scholars as a whole to know the
factors that hinder effective use of ICT in practice, and hence take necessary measures.
load. The source power may come from the electric power grid,
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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter attempted to look into the views of different authors as they relate to the
topic, “effects of inadequate power supply on the performance of students in Information
Communication technology”. Areas, ideas and views of authors sought include the
followings:
technology (IT) which stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of
enable users to access, store, transmit, and manipulate information. Joshi, and Chugh,
(2009).The term ICT is also used to refer to the convergence of audio-visual and
telephone networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system.
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(huge cost savings due to elimination of the telephone network) to merge the telephone
network with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling,
However, ICT has no universal definition, as "the concepts, methods and applications
involved in ICT are constantly evolving on an almost daily basis." The broadness of ICT
covers any product that will store, retrieve, manipulate, transmit or receive information
electronically in a digital form, e.g. personal computers, digital television, email, robots.
For clarity, Zuppo provided an ICT hierarchy where all levels of the hierarchy "contain
some degree of commonality in that they are related to technologies that facilitate the
Skills Framework for the Information Age is one of many models for describing and
managing competencies for ICT professionals for the 21st century (Nasiruddin and
Roknuzzaman, 2002)
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
videoconferencing and distance learning. ICTs are often spoken of in a particular context,
such as ICTs in education, health care, or libraries (Gambari,. & Okoli, 2007)
Information Technology (IT) encompasses all of the technology that we use to collect,
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working-from-home, distance learning, e-banking, and e-government are now possible
USERS (STUDENTS).
in Nigeria are adopting ICT in the development and improvement of their services
(Gbenga, 2006)
awareness is adequately created for its use. Thus, ICT usage will facilitate development
since there will be free flow of information between lecturers and students and also the
librarians and the academic community. The current shift from the age-long conventional
both have given rise to a new digital paradigm known as information and communication
technology (Onyeneke,2007).
According to the American Library Association (1983) information technology (IT) is the
control information and interconnecting a myriad of independent units. He argued that the
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Information and communication technology (ICT) encompasses the effective use of
equipment and programs to access, retrieve, convert, store, organize, manipulate and
present data and information (Gay and Blades, 2005). Therefore, information and
information, in order to achieve efficient management, access to, use and delivery of
information.
spheres of human endeavour through the following ICT tools: digital telephone,
computers, and printers, photocopying machine, fax machines, cable networks, printer,
Internet, projectors, CD-ROMs, etc. It is important to note that ICT use in teaching,
learning and research has become the norm across tertiary institutions where students
have been identified as stakeholders in its development and implementation (Ling et al.,
2001; Petrova and Sinclair, 2005; Lee and Nguyen, 2005). The use of information and
carriers, computers are utilized to handle information processing with greater speed and
of ICT facilities in the provision of information resources in the libraries. Etebu (2010)
observed that the state of ICT availability for library services in the Niger Delta
University libraries is not totally encouraging. Almost half the number of available
computers in the libraries does not function. Also, Afolabi (2009) also observed that the
prospects of ICT and the ideal situation of educational research in our ICT driven campus
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is still a mirage. This is why university libraries should endeavour to make ICT facilities
More so, accessibility of ICT is the ability of a person to perceive, use, navigate,
communicate and interact with the ICT facilities. Meanwhile, increasing the availability
of accessible ICTs is considered a positive step in removing barriers that limit students to
The availability of an information source does not necessarily imply its accessibility
because the source may be available but access to it, is prevented for one reason or the
the educational system whose primary function is to serve users. Today, the Internet is the
apex of information and communication technology, offering limitless access to all kinds
of information and records, facilitating information generation and sharing across the
globe. Internet has reduced the world to a global village, linking cultures and people and
creating new vistas of knowledge. Through the Internet one can record, access, share and
retrieve information anywhere in the world in minutes (Unagha, 2006; Mwatawala, 2005
Ultimate power of technology is the information and the communication. ICT is vital for
social life, business and economy, to meet the demands of modern information society,
and for the progress of education (Aduwa-Ogiegbaen & Iyamu, 2005). Use of ICT in
education improves the quality and the quantity of education (Balasubramanian et al.,
2009) and causes better innovative, creative and cognitive thinking, higher productivity,
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efficiency, and educational outcomes (Adeosun, 2010). ICT facilitates both instructional
and learning process (Jung, 2005) and has a great influence on teaching and learning at
learning and shifts the learning from teacher centered to student centered and hence is a
catalyst for reforms about classroom, educational institute, community and system
(Youssef & Dahmani, 2008). It enhances the learning of the students, helps the students
to learn new skills set, promotes social mobility, helps the citizens to compete in a
worldwide economy, and thus has a multiplier effect across the education system
(UNESCO, 2014).
The present study found out that, students of information and communication Technology
Federal polytechnic Nasarawa usually utilized computer for word processing, publisher,
searching the Internet and for using email, while teachers used computers for research
Frizzier (1995) argued that computers may never replace teachers, and that computers
Bransford (1999) stated that research has shown that the appropriate use of ICTs can
catalyze the paradigmatic shift in both content and pedagogy that is at the heart of
education reform in the 21st century. If designed and implemented properly, ICT-
supported education can promote the acquisition of the knowledge and skills that will
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The following are the benefits derived from the use of ICT in education:
i. Active learning: ICT-enhanced learning mobilizes tools for examination, calculation and
analysis of information, thus providing a platform for student inquiry, analysis and
Learners therefore learn as they do and, whenever appropriate, work on real-life problems
in-depth, making learning less abstract and more relevant to the learner’s life situation. In
this way, and in contrast to memorization-based or rote learning, ICT enhanced learning
learning in which learners can choose what to learn when they need to learn it.
among students, teachers, and experts regardless of where they are. Apart from modeling
real-world interactions, ICT supported learning provides learners the opportunity to work
with people from different cultures, thereby helping to enhance learners’ teaming and
throughout the learner’s lifetime by expanding the learning space to include not just peers
information and the creation of real-world products rather than the regurgitation of
received information.
to teaching and learning. This approach eliminates the artificial separation between the
different disciplines and between theory and practice that characterizes the traditional
classroom approach.
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Evaluative learning: ICT-enhanced learning is student-directed and diagnostic. Unlike
that there are many different learning pathways and many different articulations of
knowledge. ICTs allow learners to explore and discover rather than merely listen and
remember.
general ways;
It can be used to train students in skills which they will need in further education and as
an ongoing learning process throughout the rest of heir lives and for their future jobs,
It can provide access to information and communication outside the classroom e.g.. via
the Internet.
It can support and potentially transform the learning and teaching process.
Ict has a number of features which it particularly suitable for tertiary education:
It combines and integrates a full range of media essential for effective learning. The
It provides lecturers with new opportunities and in particular, distance learning and
There is an opportunity to increase the interest and involvement of students by the one
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It provides students with op-opportunity with an opportunity to work and learn on their
own.
THE STUDENTS
Accorlding to Patil, (2012). The following are ICT benefits to the students
ii. Students with special educational needs are able to accomplish tasks working at their
own.
iv. Visually impaired students using the internet can access information alongside their
sighted peers.
vi. Students with profound and multiple learning difficulties can communicate more easily.
vii. Students using voice communication aids gain confidence and social credibility at school
viii. Increased ICT confidence amongst students motivates them to use the Internet at home
i. Reduces isolation for teachers working in special educational needs by enabling them to
communicate electronically.
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ii. Provide opportunities for multiple technologies delivered by lecturers,
iv. Improved skills for staff and a greater understanding of access technology used by
students
v. Enhances professional development and the effectiveness of the use of ICTs With
vi. Materials already in electronic form (for example, from the Internet) are more easily
For the last several decades, the Nigerian power supply has been an ongoing issue. Over
this time, excessive amounts of time, effort, and most notably, money have been spent to
policies, among other failures, have fallen in the way of installing effective energy
sources and power supply to the area needed particularly educational sector
(Gambari,2007).
To date, there have been several major barriers to achieving an adequate power supply in
Nigeria. A significant hindrance has been the amount of capital (money) needed to
produce a constant power supply in the country. More specifically, Nigeria has endured a
great deal of trouble securing enough funding to develop any sort of new energy sources,
or maintain old ones. Thus, making it extremely difficult to find steady power throughout
the country(Gambari,2007).
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According to the Executive Vice President Worldwide power product;(Mark Lum,2019)
realized that not only the importance of viable energy sources, but also the difficulty in
achieving such a steady supply. In addition to the struggle to secure funding for adequate
power sources in Nigeria, the fight for proper power generation is also an issue. In
contrast to countries, similar in size, or even larger, Nigeria and its more than 142 tertiary
institutions operate with an entirely insufficient power generation supply (Okoli, 2007)
However, the inadequate power supply in Nigeria is proving a major impediment to the
tertiary institutions. Only a trickle of daily electricity production dribbles erratically into
the country's 93 institutions, rendering ICT systems dysfunctional. Most Universities and
environmentally unfriendly. So now there are attempts to find alternative energy sources
Nigeria produces 2,500 megawatts a day of electricity out of a total maximum daily
production capacity of 3,000 megawatts. The potential need of the country is 10 times
that, 30,000 megawatts daily. The solution to the ongoing energy crisis lies in the proper
harnessing of Nigeria's abundant natural gas - the country is Africa's leading producer at
recent, with most infrastructure created in the last five years. Since then, polytechnic
students. With the gradual death of analogue telecommunications and its replacement by
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digital technologies, the institution also realized they could no longer rely on obsolete
Nigeria being a developing nation cannot boast of twenty four hours electricity supply to
its citizens. The institutions are directly connected to Power Holdings Company of
Nigeria, yet no electricity of power is supplied to the institutions. It is on a sad note that
some of the faculties and departments of the institutions cannot afford a generating set
such that can power the entire computer for teaching and learning. "It became imperative
were to remain relevant," (Umar, 2019) ICT consultant at Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa.
In confronting this challenge, Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa first established ICT centres
with computer and internet facilities. Their strategic purpose was to serve, among other
things, as nerve centres for collating and preserving student and staff databases, hosting
polytechnic websites and for satellite dishes that spread internet services to academic and
The second stage of ICT development and growth was the creation of mini-ICT centres in
departments and faculties to support teaching, research and administration. "As the new
science lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa. Soon after establishing an ICT
centre, internet and intranet facilities, the pressure is on to extend ICT provision to all
But the growth of ICTs on campuses has been stalled by inadequate electricity supplied
diesel-driven generators, which are polluting and expensive to maintain, for institutions
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with limited resources, forcing them to look for alternative sources of energy to fuel ICT
infrastructures.
pointed out that providing uninterrupted power supplies to ICT centres alone would not
work if other units in universities had no power. "The best option is to develop an energy
road map where all the units will gradually have uninterrupted electricity supply for the
use of ICT," Okon said. Nigeria, she argued, loses millions of cubic metres of natural gas
into the atmosphere with an annual financial loss of US$2.5 billion: "If there is political
will, honesty and transparency, these abundant sources of gas can provide enough energy
to accelerate the deployment of ICT in all tertiary institutions . We must not forget that
President Sheu Musa Yar'adua and his Vice-President Jonathan Goodluck were former
university lecturers. While in office, it is their historic responsibility to tackle the energy
TERTIARY INSTITUTION
According to (World Bank, 2000 as cited by Ololube, Ubogu & Ossai, 2007) empirical
studies have indicated that even teachers who have competence in the use of ICT do not
integrate them in their teaching. Problems of quality and lack of resources are
compounded by the new realities faced by higher education institutions battle to cope
with every increasing student’s numbers. Not only have higher education systems
expanded worldwide, the nature of the institution within these systems has also been
shifting, through a process of differentiation. Pelgrum (2001) opined that obstacles for
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lack of ICT knowledge/skills, difficult to integrate ICT to instruction, scheduling
teacher time, not enough simultaneous access, not enough supervision staff and lack of
Lewis and Smith (2002) summarized these barriers as limited equipment inadequate
skills, minimal support, time constraints and the teacher’s own lack of interest or
knowledge about computer. Kwacha (2007) also noted that the most common problems
associated with the effective implementation of ICT are lack of qualified ICT personnel,
telephone lines, particularly in rural areas and non inclusion of ICT programmes in
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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0 Research Design
In designing the study, the researcher used the survey method and adopted the use of
questionnaires for the collection of the necessary data for the study, because it allowed the
respondents to air their views appropriately.
The research work was earned out in Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa. The study was focus
on School of Information and Communication Technology precisely.
The population of the study consist the students of Office Technology and Management;
and Computer Science in the school of Information and Communication Technology
Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa. Data obtained from the departments show that population
of OTM students is 759, while students of Computer science is 675. However, the total
population for this study is 1434. This set of individuals have been selected because, they
used ICT facilities most often and will give best view on the study based on their
experience.
In order arrive at the sample size. The study employed Taro Yamane formula;
s= N
1+ N(e)2
Where
N= population
1 = constant
e= Error margin
Therefore,
N= 1434
1- Constant
e=5%= 0.05
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s= 1434
1+1434(0.05)2
s= 1434
1+ 1434 (0.0025)
s= 1434
1+3.585
s= 1434
4.585
s= 312
Therefore, the sample for the study is 312 which were administered to the respondents
(students). In order to have a more accurate result, the study employed stratified random
sampling techniques. The technique gives every student of the department an equal
chance of being selected in the sample.
3.4 Instrument/ Method for Data Collection
The instrument used in this study was a well structured questionnaire. This is because;
questionnaire is the best method for data collection. The researcher, then visited the
department under study personally to administered and collect the questionnaires, so as to
ensure a good return of them. A total number of 156 questionnaires were distributed to
each department. 145 were filled and returned from OTM department while 136 were
also filled and returned from computer science. Therefore, 281 questionnaires were used
in analyzing data.
The researcher used simple mean statistical method to analyze the data collected for the
study. The analysis of the data was based on the value of the four (4) point scale known
as modified Likert scale. The questionnaires were assigned values from 4-1 as shown
below: SD = Strongly Agreed
A = Agreed
SD = Strongly Disagreed
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D = Disagreed
Values are:
SA =4
A=3
SD =2
D=1
Considering the Likert type of rating scale of 4, 3, 2 and 1 to obtained the cut off
point for the decision, the following was used. 4+3+2+ 1 = 10 divided by four (4)
is equaled to 2.5. That is, the number of the point which is = x1
Therefore:
The mean score for the data collection was calculated by multiplying the frequency of
the variable by the value of the scale to get FX. The FX was then summed up to
obtained £FX, which was later divide by the sum of the frequency £f.
DECISION RULE
Any response from 2.5 and above is accepted while response below 2.5 is rejected.
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References
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