Impact of Internet on Postgraduate Research

1.0 Introduction

There is an already reorganized fact that the need for educational experience is rapidly growing and that development of technology is rapidly changing the pace of education to ‘which teaching, research and learning are taking new dimensions. The internet provides several oppurnities for the postgraduate scholar. It is a mechanism for information dissemination and a medium of collaborative interactive between individual and their computer without regard for geographic limitation of space. A wealth of resource and techniques now exist which serve as source of exciting examples ]of new teaching practices as well; as easily accessible methods for adoption into various format of teaching, research and learning internet technology allows postgraduate students to keep up with the latest research information.

Internet information researches are fast sweeping into the consciousness of Nigerian postgraduate students alongside with traditional academic resources in core research assignment. Postgraduate, like the lectures, incorporate the internet through such techniques as posting course syllabus and reading on the web, using interactive course design pack sage such as web CT and first class, and using communication tool.

The eagerness .with which many instructors approach integrating web research tools and technology into their course provide a significant opportunity for collaboration and interaction with teachers, lectures, student postgraduate and research as well. The internet is a global network of computers linked together over large distance. It was .created by the American military as a means of communication and has been in existence since the 1960's up from the mid to late eighties commercial organizations and educational institution were the only user of the internet this was due to high cost. The rapid development of technology has seen improvement in communication links and a lowering of costs. The now more widely available to many people.

The internet is a valuable source of information for postgraduate searching for material for their research works. With over 50 million websites on the net, the chances are any information however obscure can be found. The only tools required to find this information would be some patience and a decent tool for postgraduate research in helping to prepare or obtain information on the research work as there are number of sites especially in America, dedicated to ‘providing education and research material. Although there may be many advantages to be general from using the internet as an educational tool or research tool. There are also many drawbacks for first time users like some postgraduate students. For such student the internet can be a very unfriendly environment but users like the postgraduates, research can get familiar with pretty quickly.

Furthermore, because of the attractive characteristics of the internet, the postgraduate are trying to use the web to assist in interactive research in recent years. The use of the web for interactive research is relatively recent. The first material appeared in the early 90s. The impact, however can postgraduate has been considerable, mainly because the technology has advantages over the previous generations of interactive learning inventions. The internet will make a hunge contribution to postgraduate in the education system and research work. It will help both the postgraduates and research develop and exploit their own imagination and intellectual capabilities. In this way, it can aid continuing self-education. It will Make it ensure and more efficient for postgraduate college authorities to request information from collegues in and outside Nigeria. It will facilitate collaboration and interaction. Among postgraduates. These collaborative efforts promote information sharing, gunde research, and help to integrate research experience.

To sum up the application of the internet in research will facilities the followings.

1. Submitting research papers, ]proposal and reports and coordinating research for staffs on study leave overseas.
2. Making library contacts and discussing issues pertinent to these institutions with regard to provision and services.
3. Providing access to e-mail & fites.
4. Publishing educational institution to order to seek funds for projects and research.
5. Applying for further studies overseas and ordering equipment from supplier outside the country.

1.1 Background of the Study

Historical Background of the Two Schools; Background Information On Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) Library.

The Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) library was initially sited at Lake Nwaebere campus at a temporary site while the permanent site was under construction at Ihiagwa. The preparatory work for the library began in June 1981 with Mr. J.C. Anugude as the pioneer university librarian. A class room block was selected and converted into a make shift library. It was filled with shelves for ten thousand volumes of library materials. Other members of the library professional staff joined in October to prepare for the opening on the 19th November 19081. At the time of the opening, approximately 2,500 volume were on the shelves. However, the important of journals to the science and technology oriented university community was reorganized at an early stage and a list of about too title were ordered for. in the library reached six thousand to students.

After two years of operating in a classroom block, the university library was moved to a permanent building in the first week of September 1983. The building which was originally designed as a library for federal government girls' college, owerri was modified to meet the requirement of a growing university library. On 17th may 1983, the library moved along with the university to its permanent site. ‘on arrival, the pilot plant house of the school was immediately converted to a library in no time it was realized that the building was to small to accommodate the ever increasing stock, staff and library users.

As such, the library moved partly to the library place iv in 1995, thereby making available two library buildings for use: Pilot plant and phase iv library building. The pilot plant library was lefe with serials section, the technical section for cataloguing and classification, the acquisition section, the information technology unit and the document and archive section the pilot plant library [is regarded as a “reference library” as no borrowing is done there. It seats a little over 100 readers.

The library phase IV which was originally intended to be a reading room is centrally situated at a convenient distance form the hostels, lecture halls / laboratories in a relatively noiseless zone of the campus. The organ gram of the library materials is situated at the entrance to the library there is bookshop at the south wing of the library has a seating capacity of about 500.

1.2 Background Information On Imo State University

The Imo state university, Owerri (IMSU) library is as old as its institution which was established in 1981, ‘following passed

Can the 13th on April 1981 by the Imo state house of assembly during the MBAKWE'S administration. The school was officially opened at two campuses, i.e. Aba and Eketi in October 16th, 1982. The school was later moved to Okigwe by the military administrator, major general Ike Nwachukwu (RTD) but was relocated to Owerri from Okigwe in 1992 as contained in the law establishing the institution.

Imo state university was opened in 1993 at Lake Nwaebere campus before admission of students and Dr. Ononogbo becomes the first acting librarian of the university library. Since the stock had been increasing and it is of note ]that the library stock has recovered gifts both in cash and in materials from individual and the European union and all the activities of the library geared towards the realization of the goal of its parents institution. As stated in the Imo State university library fact sheet, the library systems of the school consist of ten libraries as follows:

1. The main library
2. The law library
3. The college of machine ]library
4. The library of the faculty of business administration
5. The department of the architectural library
6. Social science library
7. Humanities library
8. Department of education library
9. Quantity surveying library
10. The agricultural library

The activities of all the libraries are coordinated from the main library. This is to enable the library provide efficient and effective service to its chenteles in various faculties and colleges of the institution.

1.3 Objective of the Study

The manifest aim of this study was ostensibly to:

1. Study the impact ]of the internet for research in institution of higher learning
2. Asses the usefulness of the internet as a tool for interactive research on postgraduate studies.
3. Determine the benefit of the internet in advancing research abilities and techniques of postgraduate students,
4. Find out the achievements and the level of its impact on postgraduates.
5. Evaluate the postgraduate wiliness and readiness to use the internet as a research tools.
6. Find out the level of use of interest among postgraduate.

1.4 Research Question

• Does the internet has any impact on post graduate in the institution of higher learning
• Is the internet of any use as a tool fro interactive research I Nigeria postgraduate
• Does nor interact has any impact on the advancing research ability and techniques of the postgraduate
• Does not have any quality or gains to the level of penetration among postgraduate
• Does postgraduate develop any willingness and readiness to use the internet as a research tools
• Does postgraduate make use of the internet at all?

1.5 Significance of Study

The recent commercialization of the internet in Nigeria has revolutionaries our information flows and system. The internet is now being used in a variety of ways to promote productivity, communication, business, advertisement and marketing in Nigeria. Internet usage for education is just receiving recognition because of the need by most institution to operate distance learning programs and the need to connect academic staff to global resource for improved teaching and research.

Postgraduate firm the major population in higher institution of learning as researchers and the introduction and success of any new technology within the educational and research framework should consider them. Provision of internet access to postgraduate will create a large revenue base for the maintenance and sustenance of the internet facilities. This, this experimental studies seek to provide information on the impact of the internet as a knowledge acquisition tool for postgraduate and its effects on postgraduate research work. If the internet is seen to impact enough research ideas on the postgraduate, most researchers would be encourage to investment in the technology.

1.6 Scope and Limitations

The research work is on the “impact of the internet on postgraduate research”. Therefore the research will focus on the internet usage and the impact of the internet on research works of the postgraduate with special reference to federal university of technology Owerri and Imo State University because the researcher will explore the topic with particular reference to the two institutions under study both in Owerri. However, in the course of trying to any [out meaningful researcher encountered difficulties as a result of time frame which invariably hinder effective generation of data and financial constraints which was an impediment to generation of enough data for this work.

1.7 Definition of Term

The operational definition of terms.

1. Internet:

As the word already suggests the internet is a system in which computers are networked i.e. (connected) together, so that they can share information. Thus creating a untual areas called cyberspace. Information is anything you can send over electronic communication lines. Such lines include e-mail sound (music or voile), graphics (pictures) and document e.g. books magazines and articles. Just about anything can be sent across the internet. Internet is a connection of networks through out the world. Academic military, governmental and commercial networks all combines to create the internet. In Nigeria, internet access is provided by companies know as internet service provider (ISP). It is these ISPs who provide access to the various cybercafé who in term provide you with services this book is about the most useful internet tool the e-mail.

2. Postgraduate:

according to oxford termed dictionary Postgraduate are those who already holds a first degree and who is doing advance study or research. Postgraduate can be someone who is studying at university to get degree .or PHD. New information. Research can also be an activity to study a subject in detail so you can discover new information about it. (Oxford learned dictionary).