Internet Use among Students in Tertiary Institutions in the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana

The place of the Internet in an era that has been described as information and communication age cannot be overemphasized. This is because many people have today seen the competitive edge that easy access to current and accurate data and information gives to its users. The paper aimed to find out how tertiary students in the Sunyani Municipality have been harnessing the potentials of the Internet technology. The purpose is to find out how the Internet is being utilized by students in the tertiary institutions in Sunyani Municipality and the problems that students might be encountering in its use. The survey strategy was chosen for the research and a random sampling technique was used to select 600 students from three tertiary institutions in the Sunyani Municipality, of the Brong-Region of Ghana. The study showed among others that, many students in the Municipality had learnt how to use the Internet from their teachers and were more likely to use the Internet Cafés as access point. Many of them also believed the cost of access was expensive. The paper also showed that more tertiary students are using the Internet technology to look for information for assignments. The Internet has also led to improved communications among tertiary students. Google and Facebook were the most preferred search engine and social network respectively. Poor Internet speed, inadequate number of computers in computer laboratories, and inadequate user skills were observed as the leading constraints to Internet use. Since a significant number of tertiary students are using the Internet, addressing the hindrances to its use will enhance teaching, research and learning