Use of ICT Services in Higher Education a comparative study of Rural and Urban Degree Colleges of Kashmir

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology is a wide term and refers to a multitude of services including various computer based applications and communication devices like radio, television, computer, Cellphone, networking hardware and software, satellite systems and the allied services and applications associated with such electronic platforms like audio-video conferencing, online learning and distance learning. ICT has revolutionised each and every sector of the world in general and education in particular. It has transformed the ways to store, retrieve and disseminate the knowledge and information. It has changed the means of communication, transformed the teaching learning process from a highly dependable and teacher centric approach to a highly flexible and student centric approach. It has facilitated and augmented the teaching process by bringing to the scene many tools and techniques that have made teaching more attractive and interesting. It has facilitated more effective communication between the student and the teacher. It has brought into existence the online universities providing online education across the globe. It has facilitated e learning, ebooks, ejournals, e-repositories, digital libraries, online forums, discussion groups and much more. It has a promising role in student admissions, record keeping, support services, study material and has facilitated public outreach of educational institutions. It has widened the horizons of higher education significantly. The present study has a special focus on the study of use of Information and Communication Technology in higher education. The focus of the study is to have a comparative analysis of the use of ICT services in rural and urban degree colleges of Kashmir.