Resumo

BERMUDEZ PIRELA, José Manuel; GONZALEZ HIDALGO, Karela Paola  e  GUTIERREZ MONTERO, Marlyn María. Use and diffusion of information and communication technologies in the Engineering Faculty at the University of Zulia. Opcion [online]. 2009, vol.25, n.58, pp.117-132. ISSN 1012-1587.

The following study analyzes the level of use and diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) among students of the Engineering Faculty at the University of Zulia, related to the dimensions of connectivity, accessibility, digital gap and functional barrier. It is a descriptive, trans-sectional, non-experimental investigation. The population consisted of 6739 active engineering students, and a sample of 377 students was stratified by school and selected randomly. Observation techniques were used and a structured questionnaire was applied, whose content was validated by five experts. Results determined that the current situation of ITC use is unfavorable because the existing infrastructure is insufficient, the technological equipment is poor and the students’ skills are low. Also, the study indicates that it is possible to improve the level of ITC use and diffusion due to the existing demand on computer laboratories to improve the teaching - learning process, and based on this, to formulate strategies to improve teaching practices and student learning through the use of ICTs.

Palavras-chave : information and communication technology; technology and the digital gap; digital access.