PROVIDING INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT TO DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENTS: A Case of The University of Ghana, Legon

A study to investigate the current state of Information Communication Technology policy of the University of Ghana Distance Education (DE) programme and the extent of awareness and use of ICTs in general by the DE learners was carried out. The survey methodology was adopted using questionnaire and interview instruments. Respondents were made up of 120 DE students, the coordinator of the DE programme, and 5 workers at the DE unit. The questionnaires were distributed to all the 120 students while the workers responded to a semi-structured interview. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (percentage frequency distribution and examining relationships). The main findings of the study revealed that there was a policy statement on providing ICT-based support to the DE learners; however, this policy has not yet been implemented. Most of the DE students were fully aware of ICT and majority of them use the internet across the regions. The students had positive attitude towards ICTs in that they deemed it necessary in the course of their studies and were willing to pay for ICT services. The main barriers identified that could affect the usefulness of the various ICTs were electricity, cost and accessibility. The study recommends among others, the forging of partnerships between distance education programmes and ICT companies, the networking of DE centres and the use of diverse ICT facilities, among others.