GENDER DIFFERENCES IN COMPUTER ACCESS AND LITERACY – AMONG AGRICULTURAL STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST IN GHANA

Abstract

Computer and its related technologies have become a standard and an enabling tool in almost every career worldwide. Therefore the issue of computer access and literacy have become important for higher education and institutions which churns out graduates for the world of work. The Information Communication Technology (ICT) policy of University of Cape Coast, Ghana is to ensure that all graduates acquire proficiency in ICT. ICT literacy and access are components of agricultural curriculum. The paper presents findings of a study that determined gender differences in computer access and literacy among agricultural students at University of Cape Coast in Ghana. Survey design involving the use of questionnaire was used to collect data for the study. A cluster random sampling procedure was used to sample 144 respondents out the population of 585 undergraduate students in the School of Agriculture. The study concluded that there are gender differences in computer access and literacy among agricultural undergraduates at the University of Cape Coast. The study recommends compulsory ICT proficiency course and a scheme to acquire Personal Computers for students to bridge the computer access and literacy gap.