Remote Access and Electronic Resources Use by Undergraduates in the Engineering Faculty of a University of Technology

Abstract

Electronic resources are vital to undergraduates` academic activities. However, literature reveals that undergraduates do not maximise the use of electronic resources in Nigeria because of remote access. This paper examinedremote access and electronic resources use by undergraduates in the Engineering Faculty of a Nigerian University of Technology.The descriptive survey research design was adopted using quantitative methodology. A sample size of 394 was selected from the population of the study consisting of 3,924 undergraduates in the seven departments of the Engineering Faculty (Computer Engineering, Civil Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Electronics Engineering, Agricultural Engineering and Food Engineering). Data were collected using the questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation, and Pearson's Product Moment Correlation at a 0.05 level of significance. The study found a significant relationship between remote access and undergraduate` use of electronic resources. The result indicatedthat remote access to electronic resources enhanced the undergraduates` use of electronic resources in the university`s Engineering Faculty. The findings imply that remote access to electronic resources improves the use of electronic resources for academic purposes. Therefore, it is recommended that academic libraries provide the necessary software that will foster remote access to the library`s enormous electronic resources