Date of Award

Fall 2021

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Alison Moore

Abstract

The purpose of this action research was to explore the information and communication technology (ICT) literacy skills of first-year minority students at Saint Augustine’s University in order to develop a plan for an ICT professional development program. ICT skills are essential in our rapidly changing and technology-driven society. While there is a growing awareness of the importance of ICT, universities are lagging behind in their approach to provide students with the much-needed digital competencies (Murray & Perez, 2014). This study focused on three research questions to determine (a) the ICT skills of first-year minority college students at Saint Augustine’s University, (b) what faculty and students thought should be included in an ICT program for minority college students, and (c) how faculty integrated ICT skills into their courses for first-year minority college students at Saint Augustine’s University.

This study incorporated a mixed-methods approach, informed by the ICT framework. Participants in this study included faculty and students from Saint Augustine’s University, a, historically Black private university. Quantitative data was collected via surveys concerning students’ ICT skills, what should be included in an ICT program, and how faculty integrates ICT skills into their curriculum. Qualitative data was collected from open-ended survey questions, student focus groups, and faculty interviews. The student focus groups addressed their ICT skills and what they believe should be included in an ICT program. The faculty interviews addressed what faculty thought should be included in an ICT professional development program and how faculty integrates ICT skills in their curricula. It was determined that faculty and students value ICT and would like to be included in the development of a program. Students self-reported that they were proficient in all areas of ICT, but 13 of 41 survey respondents stated that they knew nothing about ICT skills. Sixty-eight percent of students reported that they did not receive ICT instruction in high school and sixty-six percent of students reported that they did not receive ICT instruction in college. The findings from this study are important for future ICT research initiatives related to ICT acquisition and minority students. The results from this research will be used as a foundation for the future development of an ICT program for first-year minority college students at Saint Augustine’s University.

Rights

© 2021, Krystinq McCauley

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