Establishing the Need to Use Mobile Phones in Distance Learning in Ghana (original) (raw)

International Journal of Innovative Research and Development

Introduction Education, in Ghana today, has become so important that anyone without the requisite qualification in formal education feels so bad about how society treats him/her. Though the demand for tertiary education is becoming high, access to these institutions is low because these institutions are inadequate. Moreover, our classrooms are not enough to contain learners. In the attempt to find practical solutions to these problems in order that people can have access to tertiary education, much hope has been placed on distance education. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been developed which can empower teachers and learners by facilitating communication and interaction, offering new modes of delivery, and generally transforming teaching and learning processes. Of the many different forms of ICTs, mobile phones are thought, for several reasons to be a suitable tool for advancing education in developing countries. Mobile phones are the most prevalent ICT in the developing world, and the penetration rate is rising rapidly. Advanced mobile devices such as "smart" cellular telephones are very popular among people primarily because they are wireless and portable. These functionalities enable users to communicate while on the move. The popularity of these devices is, therefore, a consequent of their ability to function at multiple levels. Moreover, the intense commercial competitiveness in the mobile device industry is forcing manufacturers to be very innovative, constantly striving to introduce new features that can give them a competitive edge. Against this backdrop, visionary educators, designers and developers should begin to consider the implications of these devices for the modern teaching and learning environment. In such an environment, contents and services can be relayed to a university or tertiary education student by personal wireless mobile devices. This will add another layer to the personal computer-based model of teaching and learning. This also means m-learning will take place in conditions that will be radically different from those educators and learners are familiar with. In Ghana, mobile phones are common technological tool that can be found in every household one can think of. In addition to voice communication, mobile phones allow the transfer of data, which can be particularly useful for delivering educational content over long distances. The trend today, is young men and women of Ghana use a lot more mobile devices such as ipads, galaxy tabs, kindles, tablets PCs, Netbooks and the like for their day to day activities. Mobile phone has found a place as a permanent companion of the poor and the rich. It is no longer a device for showing off one's prowess in