THE IMPACT OF ICT SKILLS AND USE OF E-RESOURCES BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ABIA STATE POLYTECHNIC

THE IMPACT OF ICT SKILLS AND USE OF E-RESOURCES BY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN ABIA STATE POLYTECHNIC

CHAPITRE ONE:

INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Study’s Background

Undergraduate students must be aware of electronic information resources, which are systems in which information is stored electronically and made available via electronic systems and computer networks, in order to use them. Prangya and Rabindra (2013) state that knowledge is required for successful usage of electronic information resources. The user’s capacity to access such information resources is considerably reduced when materials are close at hand. When they are open access (not subscription-based), students can find them and use them for any reason they require. Undergraduate students require information literacy skills to utilize EIRs efficiently, and if these skills are lacking, their academic and research obligations will be impeded. Watt and Igbo (2010) underline the importance of the user’s ability to navigate the maze of electronic resources given by technology-based terminals in their use of electronic information resources (EIRs). In the academic sector, electronic information is likewise becoming increasingly important (Egberongbe, 2011). End-users should be equipped with skills such as information literacy, information retrieval, and computer abilities, among others, to increase their usage of electronic resources (Adekinya & Adeyemo, 2006).

The utilization of electronic information resources by undergraduate students at Abia State Polytechnic is laden with obstacles, such as the country’s insufficient telecommunications infrastructure, which has been a cause of contention among researchers and higher education institutions (Adomi, 2005). Poor telecommunication infrastructure, poor e-resource navigation skills, high Internet subscription costs, epileptic Internet subscription, unreliable power supply, poor user skills, and restricted access to e-resources are all major challenges that undergraduate students at Abia State Polytechnic face when using e-resources. It is critical to underline that when undergraduate students are aware of e-resources, they make full use of them for academic and research purposes. It’s also important to highlight that in order for students to properly use electronic resources, they must be familiar with the usage of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in order to gain autonomous access to a wide range of electronic information resources around the world. According to Bozimo (2007), e-resource consumption is extremely poor in Nigerian academic libraries.

Despite the fact that the value and use of e-resources has increased over time, users, particularly undergraduate students in higher education, continue to rely on one another’s talents to recognize certain knowledge pieces. According to the Final Report of the American Library Association Presidential Committee on Information Literacy (2001), an information literacy talent is the ability to recognize when information is needed and to effectively access, analyze, and use information resources. According to Tyagi (2011), efficient use of e-resources requires basic computer skills, knowledge of what is accessible and how to utilize it, and the ability to establish a research topic. Many factors influence undergraduate students’ acquisition of the aforementioned skills and information, including their level of computer experience, fields, gender, academic standing, and access. According to Prangya and Rabindra (2013), the challenges to proper and full use of EIRs are a lack of ICT skills training, poor infrastructure, and the high cost of accessing various e-resources.

The primary goal of academic libraries is to support teaching, learning, and research in ways that are consistent with and supportive of the institution’s mission and goals. Furthermore, to support the institution’s program, library contents and services should be adequate in terms of quality, depth, diversity, and currency (Okorie & Agbola, 2012). As libraries have evolved into digital and virtual libraries, books, journals, and magazines have been supplanted by E-books, E-journals, and E-magazines. According to Narayana and Gouder (2005), print media is gradually losing ground to electronic sources of content. According to the researchers, the Internet and the web are constantly influencing the development of new modalities of scholarly communication; their potential for delivery is great, since they bypass the geographical limitations imposed by print media. Furthermore, the time between the publication of a product and its delivery has been significantly reduced. Because the majority of polytechnic libraries require more research, the Internet is essential for effective retrieval and meeting information requests. To access this information from the library, an information seeker must be well-versed in the library’s information resources, particularly electronic information resources. However, comprehending electronic resources is crucial in this digital age, since print materials are increasingly being phased out.

1.2 Problem description

Previously, most information resources were presented on paper. As information is generated at an exponential rate, the necessity to make it readily available and accessible to all has become an issue, driving the quest for a new medium for storing and sharing information resources (Adomi, 2005). Using the Internet and other electronic information resources such as CD-ROMs, databases, and OPACs, information may be kept in one location and made available to everybody at the same time. Many research on students’ usage of academic libraries have been undertaken, but none on the awareness and use of e-resources in the Abia State Polytechnic library. Furthermore, Abia State Polytechnic students are expected to be familiar with the polytechnic library’s electronic resources (Okorie, 2012). The majority of the institution’s students, however, are said to be unaware of the library’s computerized resources. This study investigates the impact of undergraduate students’ ICT abilities and use of e-resources in this environment.

1.3 The study’s purpose

The study’s principal goal is as follows:

1. To assess the impact of ICT skills and the use of E-Resources by Abia State Polytechnic students.

2. To investigate the frequency with which students use electronic resources in the library.

3. Determine the causes for students’ use of electronic information resources in the library.

4. To study the difficulties that students confront when using electronic resources.

1.4 Research Issues

The following study questions have been prepared:

1) What is the impact of Abia State Polytechnic students’ ICT skills and use of e-resources?

2) What is the frequency with which students use electronic resources in the library?

3) What are the reasons why students use electronic information resources in the library?

4) What are the difficulties that students confront when using technological resources?

1.5 Importance of the research

The impact of ICT skills and the use of e-resources by undergraduate students will be investigated in this study.

The study would help the management of the Abia State Polytechnic strengthen the ICT department and the usage of electronic resources.

This research will also benefit the academic community by adding to the existing body of knowledge.

1.6 The Study’s Scope

This study will assess the impact of ICT skills and the use of e-resources by Abia State Polytechnic students. The survey will also look at how frequently students use electronic resources in the library. Furthermore, the research will look into why students use electronic information resources in the library. Finally, the study will look into the difficulties pupils have when using electronic resources. As a result, the research will be limited to the Abia State Polytechnic.

1.7 Study Restrictions

A variety of difficulties hampered this investigation, which are as follows:

As with any other research, there are challenges, such as a lack of accurate resources on the issue under study and an inability to obtain data.

The researcher faced financial constraints in obtaining essential materials as well as printing and collating surveys.

Time limitation: Another constraint is time, which makes it difficult for the researcher to juggle between producing the research and engaging in other academic activity.

1.8 Terms Definition

ICT abilities entail knowing and applying a variety of computer programs, software, and other applications.

E-Resources: all of the products made available by a library via a computer network.