A Survey on the Use of Computers and Internet in Conducting Research and Training in a Developing Country.

This paper presents the Nigerian situation on the use of the Internet and computer-based educational/research processes at the university level. It is always interesting to know the problems teachers and researchers are confronted with in education, training, and research, while making clear distinctions between them. A survey was conducted to find out how computer literature students and faculty/staff of engineering departments in tertiary institutions were utilizing these resources. The survey results may help people who are interested in comparing the use of computers and the Internet in conducting research and training between institutions in developed and developing countries. Questionnaires and interview techniques were used to collect data for this study using stratified random sampling. Statistic analyses were employed in the examination of data. Specific discussions on engineering curriculum are also presented. Some specific Internet and/or computer-based applications dedicated especially to engineering curricula are presented. Due to the existing gap between technological assets and their actual use and inaccessibility, the authors present some recommendations to reduce the time necessary to deal with actual situations. Recommendations for improving the use of computers and the Internet in conducting engineering research and training are also presented. The paper considers the benefits that the studied country will gain, supposing that all the proposed recommendations are achieved. Achievements in terms of human skills, knowledge, and integration in the Nigerian economic life are considered also