February 2003 Insights Education
Issue #1
Aiming high:
ICTs and higher education in Mexico
The use of ICTs is becoming widespread in higher education (HE) today.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) and governments are committing themselves
to making the most of new technologies to enhance teaching and learning.
But what changes do HEIs need to make if they are to use ICTs effectively?
Research from the UK’s University of Sussex examines a private
HEI in Latin America that has recently introduced ICTs and highlights
some of the benefits and problems it has experienced. The Monterrey Institute
of Technologies (ITESM) is a private Mexican university with more than
80 000 students at over 30 campuses in Mexico and elsewhere in Latin America.
Rather than start with a pilot project, the ITESM has introduced computer
laboratories, new software and internet connections throughout the campuses
and students are asked to purchase a laptop computer prior to registering
for their courses. It has developed a huge technological infrastructure
and committed itself to provide training in the use of computers and the
Internet to all of its faculty members and students. Staff can now give
lectures and converse with their students from remote locations. Students
are using the new technology to aid independent learning and collaborative
work and now have an almost permanent interaction with their lecturer
via their computers.
As a developing country, Mexico shares the restrictions of access to
ICTs experienced by most of the countries in Latin America so the ITESM
appears as an ‘oasis of excellence’. However, some of the
limitations that affect Mexico's ICTs users, such as poor access to telephone
lines and computers, have also caused problems for the Institute.
There are a number of other obstacles that still need to be overcome,
such as:
- Some lecturers are uncertain about what is expected from them as
the ITESM implements its new methods of teaching.
- Those lecturers who now solely interact with students through video-conferencing
(communicating from remote locations), are experiencing the most difficulty
with the new technology.
The ITESM project joins other examples of remote lecturing in the developing
world such as the African Virtual University. South Africa’s University
of Cape Town had a similar experience to the ITESM. Here, using ICTs effectively
as a learning and teaching tool required development of lecturers’
skills and constant interaction between instructors and learners. Although
the ITESM project was expensive to start up in terms of infrastructure,
running costs and training, it has lessons which are relevant to other
HEIs that are considering introducing new technology.
The study suggests that effective use of ICTs in HE relies on:
- a general willingness for change among lecturers and students
- adequate technological infrastructure with sufficient support from
technicians
- the development and use of innovative teaching methods by lecturers
- training for students in how to use the technology for independent
learning or collaborative work.
Martha Burkle
T +52 (33) 3669 3000
mm_burkle@infosel.net.mx
See also
'Virtual Learning in Higher Education in Mexico and South Africa: Prospects
and Possibilities', presented at ‘Virtual Learning and Higher Education’
conference, UK, by M. Burkle and Y. Sayed, September 2002
'Providing universal student access to technology. A summary of alternative
models', presented at the Small College Computing symposium, Missouri,
USA, by R. Brown, P. Heeler and R. Von Holzen, April 1998
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