|
Executive Summary
Read the full report
As the use of
information communication technology (ICT) on campuses increases,
institutions are striving to provide the best possible ICT systems for
their staff and students. Over the years, the cost of
developing and maintaining ICT systems has required institutions to
resort to complex and well thought out strategies to ensure that their
ICT systems are sustainable.
This report is a
compilation of facts and figures on trends with regards to the
imposition of ICT fees by various institutions in developed countries.
It is also a collection of information on ICT systems development and
use by some of these institutions.
It is very crucial
for academic institutions to realize that the development and running
of an efficient ICT system requires carefully thought our plans. It
involves a process of determining the amount of fees to charge
students, the nature of those fees (e.g. one lump sum for computer
use, or one lump sum and then payment for additional services like
printing, etc) and the ways these computer fees are used in these
institutions. The goal of this report is to furnish
institutions/organizations with some guidelines from which specific
and contextually appropriate plans and strategies can be developed.
The 12th National
Survey on Computing and Information Technology in US higher education
revealed that between 1994 and 2001, the use of email in classroom
instruction has increased from less than 10% to about 63%. Over the
same period, the use of Web pages for disseminating course materials
rose from 7% to about 35%, while the use of Web simulations increased
from about 9% to 18% and the use of ICT in course presentations and
handouts rose from about 15% to 45%. As well, the survey demonstrated
that the use of Internet resources for faculty and student research
rose from about 11% to 43% between 1995 and 2000.
In 1997, the
average ICT fee was $5.96 per credit for public universities. However,
according to the
Campus
Computing Project, in the year 2001 the average ICT
fee paid by students in public and private universities is $197.
(The University of Iowa, for example, charges $140). For public and
private 4-year colleges, the average fee is $245 and $282
respectively. For community (two-year) colleges, the average ICT fee
is $164.
Interestingly, the imposition of computer fees at universities in The
United States has been met by little or no opposition from students.
This seems to be as a result of the institutions involving students to
guide the process
of determining and spending these fees. This strategy appears to have
given the students an opportunity to fully understand how much it
cost their institutions to provide the ICT services. Furthermore students
felt that their opinions mattered and that their contributions
were considered meaningful.
One issue
of increasing importance in institutions of higher learning is access
to dial-up facilities. Eighty-four percent of public universities
provide dial-in ISP services for their students. (Students at the
other 16% use local, private sector ISPs.) Of these, 60% provide
it for free. In the case of private universities, 62% provide dial-in
access and 43% of these provide it for free.
Also included in
this report is a survey of how computer fees are used in the various
institutions, revealing a list of common recommendations for providing
ICT services to students:
-
Provide hardware and software for student computer labs, including
in some cases specialized software and laptops
-
Hire personnel to support students in labs and faculty in
classrooms
-
Upgrade server support in student computer labs
-
Upgrade infrastructure
-
Increase online courses
-
Enhance classrooms with technology
-
Improve remote connectivity
|
