KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND BUILDING
ENGINEERING

THIRD YEAR INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL

USING TECHNOLOGY TOOLS IN INSTITUTIONAL CLASSROOMS. (CASE
STUDY KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY)
SUBMITTED BY
NUWENYESIGA ALOYSIUS

17/U/397/VTD/GV
SUPERVISED BY: MR. MUGERWA DICKSON

AN INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

CIVIL AND BUILDING ENGINEERING IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A BACHELOR OF VOCATIONAL STUDIES IN
TECHNOLOGICAL STUDIES WITH EDUCATION OF KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE ............................................................................................................................................... 1
1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1
1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY.......................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Statement of the problem. ............................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Purpose of the study ....................................................................................................................... 2
1.4 Research Questions......................................................................................................................... 3
1.5 SCOPE .............................................................................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................................................. 4
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 4
2.2 Creating with technology ................................................................................................................ 4
2.3 Children of the technological tools revolutions .............................................................................. 5
2.4 Student learning with technology ................................................................................................... 6
2.5 The use of technological tools to support reading skill development ............................................ 6
2.6 Writing and Technology Tools ........................................................................................................ 6
2.7Government support and standardized testing’.............................................................................. 7
CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................................................ 8
3.0 Methodology........................................................................................................................................... 8
3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 8
3.2 Research design .................................................................................................................................. 8
3.3 Study population ................................................................................................................................. 8
3.4 Methods of data collection and instruments ..................................................................................... 8
3.4.1 Questionnaire method ................................................................................................................. 8
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................. 9
APPENDIX .................................................................................................................................................... 10
Appendix A: Survey for technology tools for teachers. ...................................................................... 10
Appendix B: Students’ technology survey .............................................................................................. 11
Appendix C: Table 1 showing budget ...................................................................................................... 13
Appendix D: Work plan ........................................................................................................................... 13

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 CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Technology is part of nearly everything people do. But does it have place in the class room? In
this study, lecturers in Kyambogo University have almost all pursued master degrees in different
courses of specialisation and some attended specific software training classes. The students that
attend the institution are from all regions of Uganda and neighboring countries. I hope Lecturers
are ready to infuse their classroom lesson plans with a variety of technology and assign students
activities that involve creating brochures, creating power point presentations, and using cameras.
This rush of technology can be seen in all regular classes. However, in Kyambogo university this
a slow back to traditional classroom instruction, leaving power point presentations, use of
publisher, and video production. Student are still using Microsoft word processing programs and
completing a few scattered technology projects but the flurry of technology use is over. Some
students’ performance could be reducing, along with students’ attendance in some or for a few
classes after use of technology has not been effective. Use of technology in institutions is to
enable fresh graduates compete for job market since more jobs are technology based than in
previous years. Even if a student life, he/she need to learn to work the cash register which is
computerized. In addition, the rising use of internet has brought people together from all over the
world. People in Uganda are able to do business with people in Kenya via internet, for example.
According to Kleyn- Kennedy (2001), “the unprecedented, exponential growth of technology has
changed the world as we know it, and its impact on every aspect of society is as of yet,
impossible to measure” (as cited in Honey, 2005, Smith (2002) offered these thoughts on the
impact of technology on the work place;

Clearly it is now impossible for more to compete than ever to collaborate and compete in real
time with more other people on more different kinds of work from more different corners of the
planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history of world- using
computers, emails, networks, teleconferencing and dynamic new software

Therefore, it is imperative students that have a positive attitude and a basic understanding about
technology to be successful in their adult lives. If Kyambogo University does not change along
with the society as far as technology is concerned, she may educate a group students who do not
have the technological skills to compete and succeed in the job market both nationally and
internationally.

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 Today all lecturers need access to innovative tools with which to enhance their curriculum.
One of these technology tools is internet, which gives students a new way to do research, allow
lecturers to offer to a wider topic range, and make available an endless amount of information.

Additionally, email connects lecturers and learners from all over the world so they can work
collaboratively with other lecturers and students from anywhere in the world. Interactive
whiteboards can allow students to touch screen and participate in thought provoking activities
prepared by their lecturers. Specifically, special education stake holders (in Kyambogo
University) need access to tools such as a scanner that will read a loud and software programs
that emphasize reading skills. These tools could be helpful to a blind student listening to a book,
learning disabled students playing with reading software and dyslexic students learning how to
read with a software.

In the field of education, the influence of technology is increasing and it is important to apply
new technology tools in class room such as an interactive whiteboard, a liquid crystal display
(LCD) projector, a projector that connects to a computer hard drive; and an educator work
station, a laptop computer with a docking station and a wireless keyboard and a monitor.

Therefore if lecturers and tutors understand the importance of integrating technology into their
lessons and receive the professional development needed in their fields, they could become
accustomed to using technology tools, therefore, student learning can increase.

1.2 Statement of the problem.

The problem is that very few technology tools are available for lecturers to use in their
classrooms, training must be provided and continuously encouraged for implementation to be
successful. Lecturers should realize if they spend the initial time learning to use technology tools
such, as an interactive whiteboard, email, or the internet, the tools could benefit their students.
With practice and a little extra planning time, lecturers should be able to integrate technology
into their classroom and soon witness the benefits, such as improved student test scores and
motivation.

Some lecturers are anxious about change and, therefore, shy away from technology. However,
the technology tools suggested in this proposal are user friendly and could possibly reap many
rewards for students in the classroom. If training is provided to lecturers and followed up with
peer coaching, observation of other lecturers using the tools, mentoring and co-teaching,
lecturers should have less anxiety about integrating technology tools in their classrooms.

1.3 Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to prove the importance of adding technology tools into a lecturer
instruction method. During the information age, technology tools should motivate students by
making their lessons more real world experiences and bringing Ugandan education into the 21st
century. When lecturers add technology tools to prove instructional strategies in their curriculum,

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students can be more excited about learning, their attitudes can positive about technology, they
can be more engaged in the lesson, and their test scores could increase.

Any lecturer who can use a computer can integrate technology tools into his/her classroom. This
study hopes to show the significant improvement in risk students’ attendance and performance
based on the relationship between students and computers. The fact that classrooms contain
computers with an abundance of software does not mean that lecturer technology use and student
technology use will have an immediate and sustained positive effect on students’ attendance and
performance. For this benefits to occur, lecturers must undergo professional development in
combining use of technology tools with effective instructional strategies

1.4 Research Questions

Technology in education is a very broad topic, and many questions can be asked of lecturers and
students to gather information for this study. The researcher will narrow down the topic by
focusing on teachers and students’ motivation, attendance and attitude.
As a result, this study will consider the following research questions

1. What anxieties do lecturers have about adding technology to their classroom?

2. How does the attitude of students improve when technology is used in the
classroom?
3. What benefits are there to students when technology is integrated into the
classroom?

1.5 SCOPE
The scope of the study will be categorized into three, that is to say geographical scope, time
scope and content scope.

1.5.1 Geographical scope

The study will be carried out in Kyambogo University and survey will be made in different
departments

1.5.2 Time scope

The study spans a period of about 10 months from August 2019 to May 2020. The time scope
will be managed using a work program.

1.5.3 Content Scope

The study will focus on the technological tools which are user friendly and that can influence
students’ learning.

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 CHAPTER TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
Technology has been a growing force in education, business and private life is quite sometime.
More and more people use email instead of writing letters and sending them from postal service
and many times, e-cards are sent for birthdays and other special occasions instead of paper
greeting cards. My space, an international site that offers email, social networking, communities,
videos and web logging on the internet is where the students can communicate with friends,
virtually designing and maintaining their own website for fun. In addition, more and more
homes, schools, and business offices have computers and internet access. A decade ago, access
to technology was limited, and writing institutions was one of the nation’s education priorities.
Ten years of substantial investments and government interventions have easily improved this
picture. Many institutions across the country use technology to enhance student learning tools
such as internet access, laptops, LCD projectors and course software that support the curriculum.
Most lecturers in Kyambogo University need to have a basic understanding of how to use word
processing software; such as Microsoft word which available on all computers. Many lecturers
are allowing students to use the internet as the source of information for research projects
assignments. (Honey, 2005), stated that, according to the National Center For education statistics
(NCES), public schools have made consistent progress in expanding internet access in
instructional rooms.

However, it is a tool the lecturer uses to widen the student’s reach and complement teaching
methods. Research completed by (Roshelle, 2000)indicated that computers can be used in
collaboration for all subject areas, but lecturers need to take into account the different styles of
teaching and the students’ different styles of learning in order to use them effectively.

2.2 Creating with technology

As 21st-century learners, students are expected to be able to create a multitude of products in the
school environment. The creation of new ideas can be exemplified through stories, maps,
projects, games, journals and much more. Curriculum documents have changed to address the
increasing demands of the technological world that we live in; they also hold steadfast to
fundamental values for learning.
In the examples below of the new Australian Curriculum English K–10 draft document, note
how the example includes the use of technology while still emphasizing the importance of
students being able to create:

2.2.1Literacy: Creating texts

Students learn to use a range of software programs including word processing software, selecting
purposefully from a range of functions to communicate and create clear, effective, informative
and innovative texts. [my emphasis]

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2.2.2Literature: Creating literature
Students learn how to use personal knowledge and literary texts as starting points to create
imaginative writing in different forms and genres and for particular audiences. Using print,
digital and online media, students develop skills that allow them to convey meaning, address
significant issues and heighten engagement and impact.

The ability to create is at the peak of Bloom’s (1994) taxonomy of higher-order thinking. For
21st-century students, creativity is an important focus. Perhaps one of the most innovative ways
to use technology in the classroom is for students to create original texts. Teachers and students
can choose from a range of software and websites.

Using technology to create texts provides students with many opportunities. Students can gain
confidence in their writing skills by learning to use tools such as spell check and increase their
vocabulary by using a thesaurus tool. Scaffolding takes place through models and how-to videos
online to guide students through the writing process. Students can plan their creative writing
concept-mapping tools to brainstorm their storyline. There is plenty of opportunity for students
to review each other’s work and use tools such as track changes in Microsoft Word to edit each
other’s creative writing. Students can also receive feedback from teachers once they post their
work on a blog or wiki.

Using technology to create artefacts and products allows learners to demonstrate creative
thinking and their construction of knowledge. Learners of all ages can apply their existing
knowledge to generate new ideas and create products as a means of expression.

In Applied Learning Experience 5.6, creating with technology takes the form of students learning
about their world by creating digital video news stories.

2.3 Children of the technological tools revolutions

Technological tools, especially personal computers, are often cited by educators and policy
makers as magic-workers in literacy programs, providing great access to all students.

(Blamires, 1999), claimed that technological tools could help overcome skill level barriers to
learning. He went on to say computers could make us smarter, if not wiser. Other researchers
such as (Baker, 1990) have dedicated pages to motivational qualities of learning with
technological tools. Students will get familiar with how to work computers, when they get more
engaged in using these technology tools. Motivation and engagement are the major benefit of
using technological tools to support learning, (Andrews, 2003). A common view is that using
computers, students are so engaged and motivated by a viewing text they hardly realize they are
accessing, reading, decoding and analyzing information. Why is it so engaging? As previously
mentioned, technological tools are everywhere in the society and are part of our everyday lives.
Hence the use of technological tools in teaching learning experiences directly relates to the real
lives of students. (Kraayenoord, 2002 ), declared, “students with learning difficulties in particular

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will quickly become disengaged if the classroom teaching does not connect with their lives, and
if not engage them as learners with topics and issues that have interest meaning for them.”
Reading information on a website advertised in a favorite skating magazine, downloading the
latest hits from the radio website and reading the latest gossip about new emerging technology
that connect with students’ real lives yet active practice and development of technological skills.

At the same time, since technological tools especially personal computers and internet access,
are becoming more and more a part of students’ everyday lives, using a computer may no longer
be motivational itself. This point can be true if new and innovative technology tools are
available. Therefore technology advances daily and tools that are “new and improved” will
always be a factor.

2.4 Student learning with technology

Since computers are being used, in part, to enable teachers to improve the curriculum and
enhance student learning, Lecturers need to team and work across disciplines, and university
schedules made to accommodate unusual ambitious projects by administrators and lecturers.
Lecturers and students must start to show mastery of technology and integrate several kinds of
media into lessons or projects.

2.5 The use of technological tools to support reading skill development

Many authors relate their experiences in researching the effectiveness of “TALKING BOOKS”
as a specific example of a technological tool that support reading skill development. When using
talking books learners will not need to be able to read in order to access a text. The text of the
story is highlighted from left to right as the narrator reads expressively and animations aid
understanding. Many student textbooks are very difficult to read because of long sentences and
an extensive vocabulary, so a learning disabled student will not be able to read and understand
the content of the book.
Children with learning difficulties, talking books stimulate because of sound, animation and
opportunity for children to be in control. Students do not to stumble over unknown words, which
aids in content comprehension.

2.6 Writing and Technology Tools

Although talking books, other computer programs and information communication technology
(ICT) text support learning of reading skills with positive skills, in Kyambogo University there is
a need to move students from being consumers of predetermined reading packages to actual
producers of texts. Introducing of multimedia authoring packages, such as Microsoft power point
and move students from the passivity of readers and responds to the activity of writers and
authors.
Use of a word processor may mean a student identified as being “at risk” of failing major literacy
outcomes will be included in more high level activities and will access and create texts they

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otherwise will not. Spell and grammar and check capabilities included in the computer software
are helpful tools for these students. In terms of programming and assessment, students and
lecturers may focus on literacy tasks and not lack of literacy skills while using these and other
technology tools. This is in line with the writing to learn model of literacy rather than learning to
write; however there may be dangers if lecturers use word processor simply to facilitate
repetitive tasks of copy typing, it may become educationally dehydrated means of student
control. Therefore lecturers and tutors will need these tools to aid students in completing a
project, not as a project itself. Again, tasks need to be engaging, purposeful, and relative to the
real lives of students because sitting in front of a computer doing word processing may not
necessarily be more interesting or constructive than using a pen and a paper.

2.7Government support and standardized testing’

In this proposal the researcher wants to suggest possible ways the government can check on how
the quality of public institutions affects parents and students as citizens because too many
children in Uganda are segregated by low expectations, illiteracy and self doubt. In a constantly
changing world that is demanding increasingly complex skills for its workforce, children are
literally left behind. I believe institutions should use technology as a tool to improve academic
achievement, and that using the latest technology in the classroom should not be an end itself.

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 CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Methodology.

3.1 Introduction
In the study we will discuss the effects of technology tools that have to be added into the class
room curriculum and the ways in which they can be beneficial to lecturers and students.

3.2 Research design

The study will use both descriptive and analytical research which involves qualitative research so
as to describe the observations.

3.3 Study population

The study population will include the students and lecturers from different departments and some
few administrators.

3.4 Methods of data collection and instruments

3.4.1 Questionnaire method

Teacher technology survey will be made to gather information on teachers and their lecturers use
technology tools in the classroom during the teaching learning process.

The student technology survey will be used to gather information on students’ motivation;
attitude toward attendance when technology is added in their classes.

The survey instrument is designed to identify lecturers’ proficiency on computer equipment and
application and the frequency with which lecturers and students use technology tools
/applications in the classroom. These surveys will be numerous times with various lecturer and
student samples to generate reliable results.

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REFERENCES
Andrews, 2003. where next inresearchon ICT and literaccies. interscience.

Baker, G. a. H., 1990. The Apple classrooms of tomorrow, Los Angeles: s.n.

Blamires, 1999. Developing literacy. In: enabling technologies for inclusion. london: s.n., pp. 27-34.

Honey, 2005. critical issue. using technology toimprove stundent achievement.

Kraayenoord, V., 2002 . Educating children with diverse difficulties.

Roshelle, P. H. G. a. M., 2000. Changing how and what children in school with computer based
technologies,The future of children, children and computer technology, s.l.: s.n.

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 APPENDIX

Appendix A: Survey for technology tools for teachers.

Name
Subject(s)
Date.
1. What is your schedule for this semester?
2. What technology do you use every day?
3. What technology do you use in the classroom?
4. Do you have a computer?
5. How often do you use the computer?
6. Do you have a projector?
7. How often do you use the projector during the lecturer?
8. Do you use the internet in your classroom activities?
9. Please name the subjects you teach where you use the projector.
10. Please name the subjects you teach where you use the internet.
11. What technology tool do you think can increase the interest in the topic when
in use?
12. Do you think the projector increases student interest in the topic when you use
it as a teaching tool?
13. Do you think the use of internet increases student interest in the topic when
you use it as a teaching tool?
14. Do you think students’ performance are better when you use technology tools
such as SMART board, projector or the internet?
15. Why/ why not?
16. What do you need to be successful when adding technology tools into class
room?
17. Dou think an educational technologist in your department would increase the
likeness of your using technology the class room?
18. Besides training and professional development opportunities, what else do you
need to improve your chances of success adding technology into the
classroom?
19. Do you think adding interactive technology tools in the curricula would
increase student motivation attitude attendance and performance?
20. Do you know to present a project using the SMART Board?
21. Have you ever presented the project on the Microsoft software programs?
Which software did you use

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Appendix B: Students’ technology survey
Name
Course
Year of study
1. Are motivated to learn in your classroom
2. Do you have a computer, if yes is it a PC or a MAC
3. Do you have internet access?
4. How comfortable are you with technology?
a. Un comfortable
b. Comfortable
c. Somewhat comfortable
d. Very comfortable

5. Rate your ability at creating a Microsoft word documents

a. Very strong
b. Average
c. Strong
d. Weak

6. Rate your ability at creating a power point presentations

a. Very strong
b. Average
c. Strong
d. Weak

7. Rate your ability to create tables

a. Very strong
b. Average
c. Strong
d. Weak
a.
8. Rate your ability to Excel spreadsheets
a. Very strong
b. Average
c. Strong
d. Weak

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9. How often do you personally use technology to complete assignments
a. Frequently
b. Occasionally
c. Seldom
d. Never
10. List technology areas that you would like to know more about or receive help
developing knowledge.
11. Do you have sufficient access to the university technology?
a. Yes before the lecture begins
b. Only on special arrangement
c. No I don’t have sufficient access
d.
12. What changes would you like to see in the university technology programs
13. Relate your ability to create simple program.
a. Very strong
b. Average
c. Strong
d. Weak

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Appendix C: Table 1 showing budget
Material/service quantity Price per unit Amount
Printing Pages(uncertain) 100 100000
transport 100000
facilitation 150000
internet 100000

Appendix D: Work plan

2019 2020
Activity AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
1 Selection of
topic
2 Literature
review
3 Proposal
writing
4 Proposal
presentation
5 Data
collection
6 Data
analysis
7 Report
writing
8 Research
report
presentation

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