Students' Perception on the use of Information and Communication Technology in Polytechnics " A case of IPRC Kigali"

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become an engine to speed up knowledge construction and sharing especially in education. ICT has been used to solve social problems and needs of daily lives through education for the development of the world. This research entitled “students’ perception on the use of ICT in Polytechnics: case of IPRC Kigali aims at analyzing the students’ views on the use of ICT in their learning activities. It was based on qualitative method by which secondary data analysis of various researches and descriptive research has been tackled using interviews and documentary reviews targeted 18 respondents composed of 8 female and 10 male students from IPRC Kigali have been interviewed. The study revealed that ICT has a great impact on students’ academic success and other curricular issues when it is used effectively to strengthen learning like demonstrating simulation and real world object. Ineffective uses also have impact on student’s learning like the social media that can divert course. In comparison of both use, some measures have been proposed to increase the level of success in polytechnics such as intense use of ICT for lecturers to prove some real world examples, motivating students while using ICT tools for better performance and understanding during their studies. The study suggested that polytechnics should sustain their ICT e-learning given that it is an enabling tool for academic tasks that is more effective, rapid, and reliable, yielding results of high quality. The research elaborated all suggestions on the use of ICT, its effective use for learning purposes in Polytechnics to improve scholastic performance where it predicts success. Further researches can cover other aspects of learning other than students’ perception on the use of ICT and be broadened to other public and private polytechnics other than IPRC Kigali.