Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education-Help and Challenge

This paper attempts to highlight the role of ICT in higher education for the 21st century and its benefits and challenges. In particular the paper has argued that ICTs have impacted on educational practice in education to date in quite small ways but that the impact will grow considerably in years to come and that ICT will become a strong agent for change among many educational practices. It is evident from the study that use of ICT in education is increasing very rapidly in various states of India. One of the most common problems of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in education is to base choices on technological possibilities rather than educational needs. In developing countries where higher education is fraught with serious challenges at multiple levels, there is increasing pressure to ensure that technological possibilities are viewed in the context of educational needs. The use of ICT in education lends itself to more student-centred learning settings and often this creates some tensions for some teachers and students. But with the world moving rapidly into digital media and information, the role of ICT in education is becoming more and more important and this importance will continue to grow and develop in the 21st century. With these advantages also its been observed that teachers are still hesitant in adapting technology for education as well as professional development.