Educational institutions are under increasing pressure to integrate Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the instructional process as they prepare trainees for the job market in the 21st Century and trainers significantly contribute to this as the implementers. This paper reports a study that aimed at investigating trainers’ preparedness on the integration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the instructional process of engineering courses in national polytechnics in Kenya. The research objectives were to find out the perception of trainers on ICT integration; and the level of ICT knowledge and skills of trainers. The study was guided by the mixed method research methodology and the descriptive survey research design. Stratified and simple random sampling methods were used to select forty eight trainers from three national polytechnics in Kenya from Mechanical, Electrical, Building and Automotive departments. Purposive sampling was used to select the three principals and three heads of the departments. Data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis techniques respectively. The findings revealed that the trainers were willing to participate actively in integrating ICT in the instructional process and thus had positive perceptions. In addition, over 80 % of trainers were practically competent in the general use of ICT but minimally integrated ICT in the instructional process. The study recommended that national polytechnics should take advantage of the positive perception by trainers and formulate a policy on ICT integration in the instructional process in line with the existing government policies. Another recommendation was that national polytechnics should undertake capacity building for trainers on ICT integration in the instructional process. The findings of this study will be significant in policy formulation on ICT integration in education in Kenya and elsewhere.
The knowledge economy expansion has significantly affected the methodologies of knowledge transfer and skilling of human resource. The demand for skillful workforce is significant to the development of an ingenious educational approach to teaching and learning engineering. Integration of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning provides a number of endless interactive modernizations of training approaches to engineering processes and applications. The purpose of this study was to establish the status of integration of ICT in teaching and learning of practical engineering concepts in National Polytechnics in Kenya. The study surveyed the trainers’ competencies on the application of ICT for the teaching and learning engineering processes and practices. The descriptive research design was employed and involved both quantitative and qualitative data. The study was based on the constructivist theory of learning and under the framework of technology, organization and environmental theory. Qualitative data was collected through Interviews and observation while questionnaires produced quantitative data. Three National polytechnics; Eldoret, Kisumu and Kenya Technical Trainers’ College, were selected and a sample of 75 respondents consisting of trainers was selected using stratified simple random sampling, while administrators from mechanical, electrical, and automotive and civil engineering departments were selected by simple purposive sampling; to provide information on the trainers’ competence on virtual teaching and learning engineering. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The triangulation of the bi-data collected through mixed method strengthened the overall outcome as one approach offset the weaknesses of the other method. The findings of the study identified the constraints getting in the way of trainers to effectively integrate ICT in teaching and learning engineering and the pointer centred on the inadequate knowledge on the application of simulations and unavailability of virtual laboratories; 64% of the engineering trainers reported that their computer proficiency was good while 36% reported to be moderately proficient in the use of computers. However, a depressed 17% had the capacity to employ simulation software for TL. The study recommended enhancement of trainers’ competence on the application of ICT and provision of appropriate ICT infrastructure.
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