Investigating digital artistry of university students in a low-tech economy

This study aimed to investigate students’ digital (ICT) skills, perceived relevance (usefulness), and actual use of digital (ICTs) skills for learning. Data were obtained via Google Forms from 325 students who were conveniently sampled from two public universities in Ghana. The results from the multivariate analysis of variance showed that age and marital status had significant multivariate effects on ICT (digital) skills. Further univariate analyses showed that younger students reported significantly lower skills related to multimedia, collaborative platforms, and graphics, whereas married students reported higher skills related to engagement in collaborative platforms. Bivariate correlation analyses showed that multimedia skills, software application skills, virtual reality environment skills, collaborative platform skills, and perceived usefulness of ICT were positively correlated with the actual use of ICT. However, further analysis using multiple linear regression showed that only multimedia skills significantly predicted actual ICT use. The implications of the findings for policy are discussed. © The Author(s) 2024.