Intrinsic Factors Affecting Digital Inclusion in Higher Learning Institutions Among Staff and Students in Nairobi County
Abstract
The adoption of digital has started to massively increase within the education sector for knowledge; this
is evident in huge investments in computers for classrooms and training of teachers to use technology
while teaching. The implementation of digital technologies in the world has improved both quality and
inclusion among the higher learning institutions which has facilitated the growth of internet, web
browsing and allowed high access in the media and communication. In Kenya, while the e-learning has
been adopted in the creation of virtual universities, only a few universities have adopted digital
inclusion. Up to now a good number of students find it difficult to use e-learning due to poor and weak
technological infrastructure in place. Learning has been based on face to face. There is lack of clear
policies on e-learning, while learning activities is only accessed by the students available on the
campus and not to all the students that cannot afford accommodation. The learning methods being used
are traditional models of education which is based on face to face interaction between students and
lecturers. This indicates that digital inclusion is not being practiced. The government of Kenya is still to
make investments in the ICT sector at the university level, investments on high speed networks and
installation of a large number of computers has not been implemented. Individuals may have limited
experience, lack of skills or lack of willingness to use ICT, low education leads to low income which
leads to low affordability and use of ICTs. Therefore, it is not very clear that ICT is being widely
adopted and used at the higher education level. The aim of this study was to examine the intrinsic
factors affecting digital inclusion in higher learning institutions among staff and students in Nairobi
County. A descriptive survey comprising both qualitative and quantitative data was used in this study.
The results showed ICT skills, Access to digital, e-channels used in teaching and government policies
were important factors to Digital Inclusion implementation. The research examined Digital Inclusion in
the context of Kenyan public higher learning institutions where it is not fully implemented and
therefore may not adequately cover the process in other higher learning institutions. Digital Inclusion
could be used to gain competitive advantage in a cost effective manner thus need to enhance successful
implementation. The study sought to provide a better understanding on the intrinsic factors affecting
digital inclusion in the higher learning institutions among staff and students in Nairobi County, where
institutional policy makers use it as an experiential tool to strengthen their government-institution
relationship. The results contribute to the body of research on implementation of Digital Inclusion.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
The following license files are associated with this item: