Assessment of impact of information communication technology on the academic performance of medical students in ABSUTH, Aba, Abia State

Abstract

Background: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become so entangled in our daily lives and every sphere and sector is influenced including the educational system. It has an impact on the teaching-learning process and performance of students as it avails them with relevant and accessible information that aid them in classrooms and clinics. This impact could either be beneficial or detrimental and it depends on if ICT is utilized in and for academics.
Objective: To assess the impact of ICT amongst medical students of ABSUTH, Aba.
Materials and methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 412 students from ABSUTH, Aba. Research instruments were structured and self-administered questionnaires. Data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0
Result: Our findings revealed that majority (94.4%) were of the opinion that ICT improves academic performance. Majority of the respondents were of the opinion that the use of WhatsApp (67.6%), E-books (81.2%), E-library (53.2%) and Smartphone (85.9%) had positively affected their academic performance. About 42.9% agreed that the recent use of zoom in academics has improved their academic performance. As regards the 2nd MBBS examination, 74.2% of the respondents opined that the use of ICT helped them pass Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry.
Conclusion: Findings from this study indicate that ICT has a positive impact on the academics of medical students.