Use of information technology by academics in selected universities in Nigeria

This study investigates the extent and level of use of information technology (IT) by academics in selected universities in Nigeria. Five Federal universities were used for the study; and data were collected using questionnaire survey. Three parameters were used to measure the extent of use of computers: percentage of academics who used computers, variety of academic application areas in which computer is used, and various uses of available computer software packages. The level of use of computers was measured in terms of computer experience, frequency of use, and accessibility to computers. The study results show that computers were extensively used by the academics, while the level of use of computers was very low. There was negligible use of networking and Internet. Major obstacles to effective use of information technology include lack of access to IT, inadequate skills in use of computers, and incessant power supply. The study concludes that, use of IT is a recent development in these universities, and recommends provision of computers to academics with corresponding training programmes to enable them acquire adequate skills and knowledge of computer potentials. Keyword: Computer, software, Internet, computer experience, information technology [Global Jnl Mathematical Sci Vol.2(1) 2003: 57-65