Internet technology utilization in learning

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395 -0056
Volume: 02 Issue: 09 | Dec-2015 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072
© 2015, IRJET ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal Page 11
Internet technology utilization in learning
Khakata Esther Nyokabi1*, Msanjila Simon Samuel2, Omwenga Vincent Oteke3
1* Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of information technology, Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya (Corresponding
author, Supported from the Faculty of Information Technology, Strathmore University Research Grant.
2 Senior Lecturer, Faculty of information technology, Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya
3 Senior Lecturer, College of Business Education, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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Abstract - Internet technology utilization has drawn
significant attention when used in the learning
environment. The utility derived from the technology in the
learning process of a student has not been considered and
determined over the years. The internet is a valuable
resource used in the discipline of education and has brought
significant changes and developments. Hence, there is a
challenge in determining whether its use in learning
contributes to the learning output of a student or not.
The use of internet technology in higher learning
institutions has been influenced by factors that affect both
the student and the institutions. These factors include the
knowledge of a student in the use of the technology (which
ends up affecting their level of interaction with the
technology), the total investment made by an institution in
the provision of the technology and the usability of the
technology that has been invested in.
This paper addresses the measure of internet technology
utilization in the learning environment by applying the
Cobb Douglas production theorem.
Key Words: Internet technology, internet utilization,
Cobb Douglas theorem
1. INTRODUCTION
The internet is a rich, multiple layered, complex
environment which has become a fundamental part of
daily human activities. It has impacted on people’s
ideologies and ways of life in a number of ways [14]. For
instance, it has availed opportunities that have expanded
and improved human relations hence reducing the digital
divide between nations [17] [25]. The utility derived from
the continued use of this resource varies from sector to
sector. The focus of this paper will be in education.
Utility refers to the power of a commodity or a given
service to satisfy an existing want. This satisfaction can be
actual or expected and derived from the consumption of
the commodity at hand. Hence, utility differs from one
person- to-another, one place-to-another and one time-to-
another. As a result, a good or service that has the
capability of satisfying a human want, has utility [7]. This
paper will focus on the utility of internet technology in
satisfying the learning output of a student in a higher
learning institution.
The utilization of internet technology in higher learning
institutions has greatly influenced the way teaching and
learning is conducted in the recent past. [22] The use of
internet technology in higher education has created a
better and faster learning environment by digitizing
resources that can be made available both on and off-
campus, hence facilitating and enabling learning to take
place in diverse environments. Moreover, utilization of the
technology in the learning environment has enabled easy
access to many resources and as a result, information
sharing has tremendously increased [26]. Somewhat, this
has promoted learning to take place anywhere anyway.
In order to fully understand the effects of internet
technology utilization in learning, one would measure how
the technology is utilized in the learning environment by
considering its effect in the learning output of a student.
This requires an understanding of the utility of the
technology and other factors that affect its use. By
applying the Cobb Douglas production theorem to
evaluate these factors that affect the use of internet
technology, it will then be possible to evaluate the usage of
the technology in learning.
2. INTERNET USE IN LEARNING
The integration of computing technologies into learning
institutions infrastructure is tremendously affecting
internet usage in these institutions. Some of the immediate
effects of internet usage is in information acquisition,
innovative teaching and learning and unparalled research
outcomes [21] [4]. Generally, learning and teaching have
become more flexible globally [13] [30].
Using the internet as a teaching and learning tool is
becoming a common phenomenon in providing teachers
with anecdotal accounts and valuable insights that can be
integrated into learning [16].

Teachers learn about professional conferences and
workshops via the internet and as a result they gain both
pedagogical knowledge and technical training in order to
assist their students in embracing the expanding nature of
the technology. Teachers use the internet in their
professional activities to prepare their lectures by finding
low-cost or free information and other resources. This is
because there is online access to thousands of books,
games and websites. They also communicate with
colleagues and other teachers in other institutions through
email. They post information or opinions or suggestions
that can help in different joint projects. Teachers use the
technology to connect their students to the larger world
and help in developing their perspective and look of
things. This ends up motivating students and giving them
an opportunity to learn by doing things themselves.
Teachers also use the internet to share ideas of the good
things taking place in their classes and as a result other
instructors benefit from the different experiences shared
[11].
Students on the other hand have been globally connected
online. This assists them to become multicultural and
hence bridge the gap between students all over the world.
Virtual classrooms are created and students meet to
discuss a variety of extensive ideas while being miles apart
[28]. Moreover, students interact with the massive
resources available online with the help of their parents
and teachers and as a result improve their research.
Furthermore, students use the internet for both social
communication and academic work.
It is therefore clear that, the internet has been exceedingly
useful for both teachers and students. Its presence in the
learning environment makes lives simpler and enables a
vast access to information than ever before. Most
importantly, it enables students and teachers to learn and
connect with each other and hence ease and promote the
learning experience.
3. INTERNET TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION IN
LEARNING INSTITUTIONS
Internet technology utilization in higher learning
institutions has been seen in different perspectives.
Students and teachers frequently use this resource in
research. It has also made it possible for students to
acquire up to date information regarding different
developments taking place in different disciplines and this
can be accesses from different databases with scholarly
information.
The utilization of internet technology in learning has
promoted the implementation of visual data rather than
plain text. This includes the use of images, graphics,
animations and pictures [10]. Using visual text and the
internet leads to a greater satisfaction in the learning
approach of students. They get to see different aspects of a
subject and hence appreciate it more.
Internet based learning leads students to attend virtual
classes, to learn and have assessments. The use of internet
technology aids in the satisfaction of students who desire
to gain knowledge from anywhere in the world regarding
different subjects.
The utilization of internet technology in learning can also
be seen in the area of communication where students are
able to communicate with their teachers and their fellow
students [14]. This also enables teachers to communicate
with the parents and guardians of the students.
Students also derive great utility while using internet
technology for their research on their respective projects.
The resource hosts one large sea of information regarding
a vast variety of subjects. This information proves helpful
and easier for students looking for information. It is also
faster to use the internet on a given subject than going
through an entire book.
The utilization of internet technology has led to easy
access of knowledge at an affordable rate. It is possible to
acquire knowledge in a university course regardless of
location. This helps in demystifying access to education
and jobs for all.
Internet utilization in learning has made it possible for
people of all ages and circumstances to acquire some extra
knowledge on a given subject. This is possible due to the
fact that students can now access the internet and attend
virtual classes according to their needs and time available
[17] [29].
The use of internet technology in learning has helped
researchers to benefit from fully refereed academic
journals, e-books, magazines, newspapers, books and
archives that are present online. Researchers can
construct their studies, have publications done and also
circulate the publications [19].
Utilization of the internet has allowed academics to
communicate in a disciplined and rigorous manner with
their national and international colleagues while
publishing in the scholarly journals. This helps in
improving the levels of research done in the higher
learning institutions. Hence, researchers can build long-
term knowledge, skills and research expertise [5].
Use of internet technology forms a key aspect in teaching,
learning and research in the institutions of higher
learning. This cannot be taken for granted with the current
changes that are being seen and experienced in the field of
academia. Hence, this resource has greatly assisted in
revolutionizing the education sector.

4. FACTORS INFLUENCING THE LEARNING
OUTPUT OF A STUDENT WHO USES INTERNET
TECHNOLOGY IN LEARNING
The growing utilization of internet technology in learning
encourages students to spend increasing time online. It is
not therefore possible to measure their productivity and
effectiveness in their use of the resource to aid in learning.
As a result, a few factors will be considered to check on the
learning output of a student who uses internet technology
in learning. These include attitude towards internet
technology, knowledge of internet technology, availability
of the technology, effort of the student, infrastructural
investment for the provision of the technology and the
utilization of the technology.
In considering the use of internet technology, the
individual attitude needs to be reviewed. The attitude
portrayed by students in higher learning institutions as
they learn may either motivate and interest them to use
internet technology or vice versa [8]. The effective
implementation of a technology, regardless of its
sophistication and capability, depends upon the users
having a positive attitude [18]. Generally, attitude
encompasses the affective, behavioral and cognitive
aspects [31]. The affective consists of the like and dislike,
the behavioral consists of what the individual does or
intends to do and the cognitive involves the belief that
something can help improve the quality of their output [1].
Internet technology attitudes are based on the Technology
Acceptance Model (TAM) which was developed based on
the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA). TAM suggests that
attitude is based on two behavioral beliefs, perceived ease
of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) [9]. PEOU
posits that the use of a technology will be free of effort
(process expectancy) while PU posits that the use of a
technology will improve and enhance productivity
(outcome expectancy). The behavior intention of a student
leads to the actual use of the technology [32].
Knowledge of the internet consists of the different
individual features or qualities that are developed over
time. These features are applicable and can be used for
more than one set of tasks across the internet [26]. It can
also refer to what people know about internet technology,
both the terminology and the skills. Internet knowledge
also consists in what people know about the internet
(declarative knowledge) such as internet terms like
cookies and browsers; what people can do using the
internet (procedural knowledge) such as perform
different tasks [24]. However, internet knowledge (what
one knows) is different from internet experience (what
one has done). The more internet experience one has, the
more internet knowledge one will generally have. Internet
knowledge is also what people know about a specific
technology as well as the various kind s of things people
can do using that technology.
Knowledge is developed as individuals observe others and
experience their behavior. Such knowledge will affect their
beliefs in their 'capabilities to organize and execute the
courses of action required to produce given attainments'
[3].
Labor refers to the aggregate of all human physical and
mental effort that is required in order to get a task
accomplished [6]. In the context of this paper, labor is used
to identify the effort that a student expends while using
internet technology in order to accomplish a given task. As
a result, the effort of a student will be affected by the level
of knowledge and skill that a student has as far as use and
interaction with the internet technology is concerned. The
students need to be in a position to know how to use the
technology to aid in learning. Since, if a student does not
know much about the resource, using it and investing
effort in it will not yield much result [2] [23]. Effort
increases or decreases second by second when a student is
engaged in a task and these variations correspond to
changes in the demands imposed by the task at hand [15].
Capital refers to the money or any financial asset that is
used to generate income or make an investment [12].
Institutions of higher learning have largely invested to
ensure that they can provide internet access to their staff
and students. These capital costs include the cumulative
total of all the costs needed to set up the infrastructure in
the institution. This includes the money for procuring all
the required hardware and software that will enable the
implementation and access of internet technology. The
cost also includes all the trainings that are carried out to
educate staff and students about the presence and use of
the internet in the institution. The capital investment also
includes the cost of the effort required to set up all the
equipment and ensure that the internet resource is
available. This effort will also be rewarded through
remunerating the staff implementing the project based on
an agreed upon timed rate.
With the capital investment in place, it would be helpful to
consider the availability and access of the internet in
higher learning institutions. Internet access could be
influenced by the location of the institution, whether in
urban/metropolitan or rural setting. In some higher
learning institutions, inadequate financial capacity is a
constraint when it comes to providing internet access to
numerous users on campus. In some cases, departments
have taken up the initiative to provide internet access to
their respective students and faculty [20].
The utility of internet technology means that internet
technology gives satisfaction for one person at a certain
time or place and the same technology may not give any
satisfaction for another person at another time or place
[6]. A student therefore has a choice to use the internet
technology or not to use it. Hence, the student who uses

the internet has a higher utility index for the tasks that
they accomplish using the internet. As a result, an
aggregate utility index can be computed based on all the
tasks that are accomplished by the use of internet
technology.
The above factors can be modeled to give the learning
output of a student who uses internet technology in a
higher institution of learning. Given the nature of the
factors, an appropriate theorem would be an economics
production theorem which takes the different factors of
production, models them and gives an output. In this case,
the Cobb-Douglas production theorem will be used. This
theorem is suitable and convenient for use in all
industries. It is also the most commonly used function in
the field of econometrics and can be fitted to time series
analysis and cross-sectional analysis. The Cobb-Douglas
production theorem is defined as,

klaQ  …… (1),
where Q is the total quantity of goods produced, a is a
scaling parameter (this acts as a fixed regulator which
checks on the increase/decrease of attributes and is not
dependent on other attributes), l and k are factors of
production represented as labour and capital respectively.
The sum of the exponents α + β determines the returns to
scale on factor inputs.
5. CONCLUSIONS
As mentioned above, internet technology significantly
helps students in higher learning institution in learning, to
fulfil their academic and social needs and increase their
well- being. In order to measure the learning output of a
student who uses internet technology, there is need to
examine and model the different factors highlighted in this
paper. Therefore, the future plan of this research is to
measure the factors and to come up with the re-modelled
Cobb Douglas production theorem which will give an
index to represent the learning output of the student.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thanks to Strathmore University, Faculty of Information
Technology for the research support grant. Special thanks
to my supervisors Prof. Simon Msanjila and Dr. Vincent
Omwenga. Thanks to my husband, Simeon Timmothy
Khakata for all the support and encouragement.
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Internet technology utilization in learning

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