Abstract

Information and communication technology is a top national objective in many countries, often enshrined in laws that govern the sector. One of the distinctive features of human beings is their ability to acquire knowledge, and what makes this knowledge an ever-thriving entity is man’s ability to ‘impact’ this knowledge to others. The rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), particularly the Internet, is one of the most fascinating phenomena characterizing the Information Age. ICT powers our access to information, enables new forms of communication, and serves many on-line services in the spheres of commerce, culture, entertainment and education.

Applications of ICTs are particularly powerful and uncontroversial in higher education's research function. Four areas are particularly important: The steady increases in bandwidth and computing power available have made it possible to conduct complex calculations on large data sets. Another important dimension of ICTs in research is the use of online full text databases and online research libraries/virtual libraries which are the direct outcome of the growth in telecommunications networks and technology.