THE EFFECTS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) ON STUDENTS' LEARNING IN TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS

The application of ICT in higher education has revolutionized teaching and learning. Teacher trainees with diverse learning styles are able to maximize their learning potential when instructors use ICT to support their pedagogical practices. An important consequence of ICT is enabling the learners to be more independent, reflective and self-regulated in their learning process. In addition, ICT makes it possible to deliver virtual instruction to students outside the classroom. There are two broad aims for this study which are: (a) to gain a deeper understanding of how ICT affects academic performance of teacher trainees, and (b) to investigate the effects of ICT on academic performance based on gender, type of teacher education program and type of learner. This study is significant in terms of improving teacher education programs by embracing ICT as a mean to provide and increase the quality of the teaching and learning process. The results of the study is expected to highlight significant effects of ICT on students' academic performance and issues related to further improvement in teacher education programs.