The importance of introducing a course on information and communication technologies for development into the information technology curriculum

This paper studies the role and the importance of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) education in Information Technology (IT) programs. The research included the students who attended an ICT4D course at NYiT Amman Campus in the academic years of 2006 to 2009. Data were collected through two questionnaires developed by the researcher responsible for teaching the course. The first questionnaire was administered in the first lecture of the academic semester, and the second questionnaire was administered in the last lecture. The study shows that the students have expressed that an ICT4D course was an important ingredient in the IT curriculum. Of the students, 98.8% expressed that ICT4D had an important role in IT practices and education, 97.1% stated that they were satisfied with the course, 96.7% expressed that the course met the objectives. As a result, it was suggested that the ICT4D course be included in Bachelor of Information Technology curriculum. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]