Lebete-Sehalahala, Motselisi Aniciah2015-09-152015-09-152015-09-15http://hdl.handle.net/10539/18656A RESEARCH REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, IN FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN NURSING JOHANNESBURG, MAY 2015Medical InformaticsInformation SystemsThe purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and opinions of nursing students at Chris Hani Baragwanath Nursing College on the use of computer technology by lecturers in the classroom and student nurses' perceptions and opinions on their use of computer technology during self-study. A survey research design was used to answer the research questions. The target population was all students in their final year in 2012 studying towards becoming a registered or enrolled nurse at Chris Hani Baragwanath Nursing College. Self-report data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Census sampling was used and of the total population of students (N=320), 176 questionnaires were returned resulting in a response rate of 55%. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. The relationships between variables were determined by using chi-square and Fisher‟s exact test. Findings revealed that the use of computer technology by lecturers in the classroom was poor. It also seemed as if the students were not encouraged to use computers and the internet for self-study as there were little learning activities that required students to use computers. Connectivity and accessibility to computer technology and the internet were among the challenges. However, most respondents were positive about using computer technology including the internet, for teaching and learning in a nursing programme. It is recommended that lecturers be encouraged to use computer technology in the classroom in order to motivate students and stimulate their interest in learning. Students' access to use of computers and internet need to be improved. For instance, lecturers need to create learning activities that encourage students to use computer technology as well as searching for information from the internet to obtain more, updated and reliable information. There is a need to assist the students who lack skills in information and technology so that they may have confidence in the use of computers and the internet and maximize their opportunities for learning. The college may need to avail awareness campaigns, especially during orientation so that all students can be aware of the college computer laboratory. The number of computers need to be increased and the computer laboratory needs to be expanded so that as many students as possible can access the resources at any given time. It is also recommended that the college improve on connectivity and accessibility to computer technology and the internet.enThesis