Abstract:
This study sought to explore distance education students’ readiness to use digital learning
materials from a College of Distance Education programme which was in the process of
transforming the face to face approach of delivery to a more digitized one in Ghana.Using a
descriptive survey design, 400 distance learning students were randomly sampled to
respond to a 14-item questionnaire. However, 306 students duly responded and completed
the questionnaire on their readiness to use digital tools, their access to digital technologies
and the internet as well as challenges they envisage to confront in using digitized learning
materials. The results revealed that majority of the students affirmed their readiness to use
digital learning materials for learning. While respondents of the study did not report high
access levels of some digital technologies such as tablets/iPad, desktop computers and
laptops, majority of the students had personal access to smartphones with internet capabilities.
Thus, the study highlights the potential of mobile phone device usage in distance
learning and contends that in the midst of challenges bothering on access levels and high
cost of internet, distance education institutions can operate the policy on bring-your-owndevice
(BYOD) in which distance learners make use of their personally owned devices to
access digital content to support their learning.
