Problems and Perspectives of ICT in Higher Education Institutions of Kazakhstan

Contemporary teaching, learning and assessment processes involve more information and communication technologies. The main goal of using information technologies in the educational process is to improve the quality of education by individualization and strengthening intellectual capabilities of students in the information society. This research considered the information communication technology use in higher education institutions of Kazakhstan, exploring its benefits for students and suggesting possible solutions for the problems arising with ICT implementation. For the purpose of this paper a small fragment of students' survey out of the ongoing research project was used. 558 students from various Kazakh universities were surveyed. One of the questions concerned IT development and digitalization level of the universities, because it enhances students' inclination for innovation and entrepreneurship. According to survey results forty three percent of students think that their universities have been sufficiently digitalized. Other forty percent remained neutral, and seventeen percent complained about the ICT equipment, which means that universities should address this issue to remain competitive. The research contributes to previous studies by focusing on students' attitudes toward ICT implementation. It describes both advantages and disadvantages of the ICT in education, and tries to summarize the current conditions of Kazakhstani higher education. For the successful policy implementation, the suggestions should come from the bottom. Therefore, the students' hands-on knowledge and experience with ICT implementation should be taken into consideration and could be helpful for further integration into educational process.