Access and Use of Networked Electronic Devices for Educational Information Management by Undergraduates in South Africa

Abstract

Electronic networked devices have broken down fences of communication and information access from anywhere in the world, and its capacity to store, manage, as well as transmit vast amounts of information to anybody anywhere in the world often makes it to be referred to as the “Information Highway.” But digital divide has constraint access and use of these devices especially in developing countries like South Africa where economic-digital divide is very common. Four electronic devices (desktop, laptop computer, mobile phones, and tablets) that are mainly used for schoolwork and educational information management were sampled. The objectives of the study were to find out the electronic devices owned/accessible to undergraduate students for educational information management, identify the location where undergraduate students mainly access the internet, appraise the means and cost of accessing the internet by undergraduate student, and ascertain how undergraduate students utilise networked devices to manage educational information. Survey research design was adopted for the study and quantitative data was collected with the use of a questionnaire from 390 respondents. Results from the study indicated that mobile phone (362 or 92.8%) and laptop computers (305 or 78.2%) are the most owned electronic devices. Only 3 or 0.8% do not own any of the electronics listed in the survey while 2 (0.5%) do not have access to any electronic device listed for the survey. Most of the respondents (307 or 78.7%) access the internet from their mobile phones with access to the internet being free wi-fi on campus 349 (89.9%). Ninety percent of the respondents make use of their mobile phone in managing educational information while only 19% manage educational information on their laptops when outside the university campuses. Digital divide still plays a major role in the hindering undergraduate students in the management of educational information using networked devices.