Differences in ICTs access and use by faculty and students at the University of Zululand : 2002 and 2009

This article is based on a Masters study carried out at the University of Zululand in 2009. The study sought to determine the changes that had occurred between 2002 and 2009 with regards to how students and faculty used the Internet as an information source as well as their computer skills at the University of Zululand. In 2002 Mugwisi carried out similar study and Nkomo repeated the same study in 2009. The results of the two studies are compared in this article. The comparison between the two studies revealed that there was significant, positive infrastructure development between 2002 and 2009 in the form of computer laboratory venues, the quality of the computer facilities, and enhanced connectivity through increased bandwidth. Despite these improvements, there is limited exploitation of newer forms of Internet connectivity such as, wireless access. In addition student populations continue to grow, leading to overcrowding and thus putting serious strain on the network capacity especially during critical times when traffic is huge. The study recommends greater exploration of connectivity options in particular wireless technology to increase access; expanding access to student residences; the creation of hotspots on campus; and training of students and faculty as well as the need to plan for increasing number of faculty and students.