Abstract:

The revolution in information technology and communication has had a dramatic impact on the society and also on the learning environment. Consequently access and usage of the internet has become an integral part of the teaching and learning process. The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) is a single mode institution that operates by the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. It has 49 study centres across the country with a population of over 90,000 students. The internet is one of the major medium of communication between the students and the university. This study surveyed access and usage of the internet among open and distance learning students at the National Open University of Nigeria The objective is to establish the extent to which the students can access and use the internet for registration purposes, private studies and for carrying out their assignments. It also goes further to identify the problems students encounter in accessing and using the internet. A total of 1000 questionnaires were distributed using a stratified sampling method to select the respondents. All the six schools in the University were used for the study. Frequencies and percentages were used to analyze the data. The result of the study and the recommendations will enhance Internet usage by Open and Distance Learning Students and consequently impact positively on their academic performance.

Keywords:

National Open University of Nigeria, Open and Distance learning.