INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) ACCESS FOR PRACTICALS AMONG SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS IN AN OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study utilised a non-experimental, quantitative research design to describe the ICT experiences of fourth-year Social Work students of the University of South Africa. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 317 students for the study. A questionnaire was used as a data-collection instrument and the data collected were analysed using SPSS. The study’s findings indicated that the majority of the students (83.5%) have access to computers, but some of them could not access the internet because of inadequate knowledge of computer usage, lack of financial resources to buy a laptop, and the cost of commuting to a computer centre.

Keywords

• access for practicals
• information and communications technology (ict)
• open distance learning
• practical work assessment
• social work
• social work students