The use of information and communication technology and the management of Kyambogo University: A case study

Abstract

The investigation sought to establish the relationship between the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the management of Kyambogo University. The descriptive survey was used as research design with sample survey technique to collect data from the sampled respondents.

The objectives of the study were to: determine how the availability of ICT equipment and infrastructure in Kyambogo University affects the management of the University; ascertain how the use of ICT in Kyambogo University affects the management of the University; identify how the levels of ICT in use in Kyambogo University affect the management of the University; ascertain how the maintenance of ICT equipment and infrastructure of Kyambogo University affects the management of the University; investigate how the attitude of users of ICT towards ICT applications affects the management of Kyambogo University.

The target population consisted of 98 staff and 4,502 resident students of Kyambogo University. The study sample included 18 management staff, together with 80 academic staff purposively selected and 450 students, who were systematically chosen. The following data collection methods were used: Documentary review to identify historical perspective of the research; and self-administered questionnaires, together with face-to-face personal interviews to accommodate different types of respondents.

The major findings of the study were that: The availability of ICT equipment and infrastructure, together with the levels of ICT applications in use, as well as maintenance of ICT equipment and infrastructure in Kyambogo University, negatively affected the management of the University.

Based on the findings, the following recommendations were put forward:  Kyambogo University should review its ICT policy for both managerial and academic activities of the University from the perspective of availability for use of ICT equipment and infrastructure.  The University should also re-design and develop appropriate levels of ICT applications in use to support teaching, research, and learning activities in the academic units; and managerial and administrative operations in the management and finance units.  A programme of maintenance and service of the ICT equipment and infrastructure should be designed with frequency and sustainability in consideration.  Tendencies of stress and anxiety on the ICT applications among the users, could be controlled by Kyambogo University through in-house sensitisation, counseling and re-tooling sessions to enable staff and students cope with the demands of the technology.  This study should be replicated in another university in Uganda with a variation in the identification of independent variables, sampling methods, analysis of the findings and selection of another management theory on which to base the study.