ABSTRACT

This study evaluation of the Availability and Utilization of Information and Communication technology in the National Open University of Nigeria in Abia State and Imo State, Nigeria niiuies nd C\ aIuate Information and Communication Technology as used in the National Open University of Nigeria. South East Zone, precisely Imo and Abia State chapter of NOUN. A surve\ research design was used for the study. Nine research questions guided the study and three null hypotheses were posited and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The population of the study was made up of 2000 students of National Open University in Imo and Abia State study center. [he sample comprised 193 students in Imo and 129 students in Abia given a total of 322 students. I his sample \\ as drawn fiom 2 states out of 5 states in South East Zone using simple randoni sniiplinn icelmique. The instrument used for data collection was EICTMOUN based on purpose ot the study and was made up of 43 content items using 4-points likert scale model and validated by three experts in the unit of measurement and evaluation, Michael Okpara IJniversit ot Agriculture. Uinudike. The test-retest method of reliability of the instrument was used and the data obtained were anal\ zcd using Pearson product moment correlation and yielded a correlation eoefiicieiu of' 0.85. This was administered to a simple randomized sample of 322 students dla\\ n routa population of t\\ o thousandstudents from two states study centers in the zone All the research q siftins were analyzed using criterion mean scores, and cluster mean scores \\ hiIc ttest \\ asemployed in testing hypothesis I and Chi-Square test statistic was used in testing hypotheses 2 and 3.The results of the dta analyzed revealed that the National Open Universit\ of Nigeria has not full\ employed the ICT media that are currently made available hut still patronizin the ICT resource study centers, and face-to-face weekend/evening conventional methods/classes which were found a bit ineffective especially considering the large students population involved. However, the little utilization of t11e available ICT media has pro cd successful as introduced and applied by National Open University of Nigeria and should be encouraged by students and all distance learning providers. There was a significant association or relationship between the students who prefer the use of conventional method and ICT media method in learning and assessments, that is. students prefer the use of Information and (ommunication Technolocv media in learning and assessments to the Conventional method. Based on t liese lndings. it was recommended that Information and Communication Technolog\ media shold be used in distance education to reach greater population of workers aad school J op u