The role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century: ICT as a change agent for education
The role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century: ICT as a change agent for education Ron Oliver Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia r.oliver@ecu.edu.au Abstract: Information and communication technologies (ICT) have become commonplace entities in all aspects of life. Across the past twenty years the use of ICT has fundamentally changed the practices and procedures of nearly all forms of endeavour within business and governance. Within education, ICT has begun to have a presence but the impact has not been as extensive as in other fields. Education is a very socially oriented activity and quality education has traditionally been associated with strong teachers having high degrees of personal contact with learners. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centred learning settings and often this creates some tensions for some teachers and students. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in