Use Patterns of Electronic Information Resources among Students and Teachers in Horticultural Colleges in Karnataka: A Study

Electronic information resources have transformed the way academic communities access, retrieve, and utilise information for teaching, learning, and research. The present study examines the use of electronic information resources among teachers and students of horticultural colleges in Karnataka. The study was conducted among 2,033 respondents, comprising 207 teachers and 1,826 students from 12 horticultural colleges, using a structured questionnaire. Computer laboratories and libraries were the primary locations for Internet access, while Google emerged as the most preferred search engine. Significant differences were observed between teachers and students with respect to computer literacy, Internet literacy, Internet usage, and duration of Internet use, whereas perceptions regarding the adequacy of infrastructure facilities did not differ significantly. The study concludes that electronic information resources have become indispensable in horticultural education and highlights the need for continuous improvement of digital infrastructure and information literacy programmes to enhance their effective utilisation.