Prioritization and Implementation of ICT Infrastructure in Higher Education Institutions in the Philippines
Dave E. Marcial
College of Computer Studies, Silliman University, Philippines
This paper presents a statistical analysis of the level of prioritization and implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines. A total of 95 HEIs in the Philippines participated in the study. The respondents are all heads of Management of Information and Communication Technology units. The instrument used in data gathering was a self- constructed survey questionnaire based on an EDUCAUSE tool.
The aggregate mean for ICT infrastructure was 4.06, which means it is considered ‘high priority’ in the Philippines HEIs surveyed. This indicates that the infrastructure component needs to be completed in the next three years in these HEIs. The degree of implementation of ICT infrastructure in the HEIs shows an aggregate mean of 3.27, which corresponds to “moderately implemented”, indicating that although this component is in the strategic plan of the HEIs, little or no action has been undertaken in this regard. The level of prioritization of infrastructure has a significant correlation at 0.01 level of confidence with the degree of implementation of these components. In addition, there is a significant difference between the level of prioritization and degree of implementation of ICT in the HEIs surveyed in terms of the total number of years of existence of the HEIs, annual ICT expenditures of the HEIs, total Internet bandwidth of the HEIs, and extent of participation in decision-making of the respondents.
Philippine HEIs face the challenge of catching up with new trends and developments in ICT that affect the teaching-learning process. It is recommended that the HEIs review their strategic plan and assess their priorities in relation to ICT infrastructure. The HEIs should develop a tactical plan to effectively implement the identified priorities.
Keywords: ICT infrastructure, management, information and communication technology