Awareness and perception of use of web 2.0 technologies for collaborative learning in universities: A study of library and information science undergraduate students in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated undergraduates' awareness and perception of the use of web 2.0 technologies for collaborative learning in universities in Edo State. Five (5) research objectives were raised to guide the study and were converted into research questions. The survey type of the descriptive research design was adopted with a population of 810 library and  information science undergraduate students from three selected  universities in Edo State. Using the multistage sampling technique, a sample size of 162 respondents was used for the study and questionnaire was adopted as the tool for data collection. Out of 162 copies of  questionnaire administered, 157(97%) was retrieved and found usable. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages). The findings revealed that the level of undergraduates' awareness of web 2.0 technologies for collaborative learning is high and they have positive perception towards the use of the technology. The study also revealed that the level of undergraduates' use of web 2.0 technologies for collaborative learning in universities is high. The study concluded that web 2.0 present almost unlimited opportunities to facilitate collaboration with undergraduate students in different universities and also to enhance learning. The researchers recommended that Libraries should help improve students' perception of the use of web 2.0 technologies by organizing periodic trainings for students on the use of emerging technologies for knowledge acquisition and collaboration among colleague.

Keywords: Web 2.0, Collaborative Learning, Undergraduates Students, Social Media, Library and Information Science.