DSpace Angular :: Browsing by Author "Ocholla, D.N."

Browsing by Author "Ocholla, D.N."

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Access and use of clinical informatics among medical doctors in selected teaching hospitals in Nigeria and South Africa
(University of Zululand, 2017) Owolabi, Kehinde Aboyami; Evans, N.; Ocholla, D.N.
This study examined access and use of clinical informatics among medical doctors at University College Hospital, Nigeria and King Edward VIII Hospital, South Africa. The specific objectives of the study were to explain the purposes of using clinical informatics; determine the benefits of using clinical informatics in the selected teaching hospitals; ascertain the availability of clinical informatics infrastructure in the selected teaching hospitals; identify the clinical informatics facilities that are accessible to medical doctors in the selected teaching hospitals; determine the factors that influence the behavioural intention to use clinical informatics by medical doctors in the selected teaching hospitals; determine the policies that guide the effective accessibility and utilisation of clinical informatics among medical doctors in the selected teaching hospitals; and investigate the challenges that faced both the access to and the use of clinical informatics among medical doctors in the selected teaching hospitals. The study adopted the post-positivist paradigm which combines both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study largely used a survey design. The sample for the study was drawn from medical doctors in two purposively selected teaching hospitals in Nigeria and South Africa. The teaching hospitals were King Edward V111 hospital, Durban, South Africa and University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. The two teaching hospitals were selected because they belong to the first generation of teaching hospitals in Nigeria and South Africa, among other reasons. It was believed that they would be well established in terms of funding towards infrastructure and human development in their respective countries. Convenience sampling was used to select the respondents for the study. The questionnaire was administered to 413 medical doctors, 258 (63%) of whom returned the questionnaire. Interviews were also conducted with the heads of the ICT units at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, and King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban, South Africa. The quantitative data aspect of the study was analysed using descriptive statistics and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), while the qualitative aspect of the data was analysed through the use of qualitative contents analysis. The study was guided by the Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). The essence of using this theory is to identify the factors that influence the use of clinical informatics. The finding of the study reveals that there was an association between the demographic variables and the use of clinical informatics. It was established that there was a significant association between the medical department and the use of electronic medical records. An assessment of the socio-demographic characteristics and the use of the Clinical Decision Support System revealed that there was a significant association between the years of medical practice and the use of Clinical Decision Support System. The finding also revealed that social demographic variables such as age, years of practice and position were all significant related with the use of diagnostic image archiving. Furthermore, the surveyed medical doctors stated that their main purpose of using clinical informatics is for medical diagnosis. It was also discovered that there is association between the teaching hospitals and the use of clinical informatics for knowledge sharing. In addition, clinical informatics was found to influence the spirit of team work amongst the medical doctors through knowledge sharing with their professional colleagues and their medical students. Similarly, there were association between the teaching hospitals treatment of patients and effective healthcare delivery. In addition, the major benefit of using clinical informatics in the two hospitals was to reduce medical errors. The most available clinical informatics tools in the selected teaching hospitals were the Diagnosis Image Archiving and Clinical Decision Support System. Performance expectancy and effort expectancy were identified as the factors from the UTAUT that influenced the medical doctors’ behavioural intention to use clinical informatics resources in the selected teaching hospitals. The non-availability of clinical informatics resources was identified as the main challenge facing the effective access to and use of clinical informatics. In addition, the two hospitals relied on the ICT policies of other institutions and did not have their own ICT policies, which was problematic. The study concluded that the clinical informatics environments in the two teaching hospitals are inadequate and there is poor access to clinical informatics resources among medical doctors in the selected teaching hospitals. Major recommendations of the study include the need to establish ICT policies and increase investment in clinical informatics resources at the surveyed teaching hospitals in order to promote effective and value-based healthcare delivery. In addition, the hospital management should create awareness on the importance and benefits of clinical informatics particularly for the medical doctors through informal and continuing education and training such as workshops and short courses. Moreover, the hospital managements need to partner with relevant stakeholders such as government, corporate bodies, and departments of health. This is for the provision of adequate and suitable environment to support the access and use of clinical informatics. Further studies on the various types of health informatics such as nursing informatics, pharmacy informatics and veterinary informatics are recommended. It is also suggested that the study should be extended to other regions of Africa. The study is significant and makes tangible contributions to technology acceptance and use in clinical medicine from developing country contexts such as Nigeria and South Africa giving the increasing role of information and communication technology in diagnosis, prescription, treatment, monitoring and overall management of patient care in an environment characterized by complex diseases. The study has the potential to inform policy, practises, and also contribute to this research in the general area of social information in Africa.
A comparative analysis of the web information seeking behaviour of students and staff at the University of Zululand and the Durban University of Technology
(2009) Nkomo, Ntando; Ocholla, D.N.; Jacobs, D.
Today’s online experience has literally added a new dimension to our information seeking activities, presenting users with a vast array of options. A considerable amount of information has migrated from the print world and is now available electronically. Thus a lot of people immediately associate the World Wide Web (WWW) with information and its related activities. This association partly prompted this study on the web information seeking behaviour of students and staff at the University of Zululand and the Durban University of Technology. Web information seeking generally raises new challenges within academic dispensations in different settings and in different ways. The selected institutions were assumed to be at different levels of development because of the country’s (apartheid) history; the former institution is rural-based and the latter, urban based, and it was thought that this would affect the uptake of ICTs. The objectives of the study were: i) To identify the web information needs of students and staff; ii) To determine how, when and where web information is sought; iii) To establish the channels used when searching the web for information; iv) To identify the challenges faced when searching for information online; and v) To recommend the best ways to improve web information seeking and use within the two institutions. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were employed in a survey. The main research instrument was a questionnaire, supported by limited interviews. The results show that the web is a platform that people in academia have come to rely on, although only a few of its numerous channels are used significantly. A wholesale swing in the pattern of use from reliance on traditional information providers to this new medium was not evident; however, the old and the new appear to coexist. Many claimed that although the web is now their first choice as an information source, they have not discarded the ‘old ways’ - they still visit the library and feel it plays a vital role in meeting their information needs. A number of challenges were identified, chief among them being connectivity problems. Bandwidth was particularly problematic and made worse by the two institutions’ large student populations. Relevant infrastructure (computer laboratories, computers, etc.) seemed available, although inadequate. The results shed light on the general retrieval difficulties students’ face. Most of these appeared to stem from poor training or lack of skills. Many users, students in particular, appeared to be familiar with how web technology works but not with how to use the technology to achieve results. The study recommends comprehensive training programs that address the skills’ deficiencies noted. It is also necessary to institute mechanisms that improve both physical and intellectual access to web resources.
Comparative assessment of information and knowledge sharing among academics in selected universities in Nigeria and South Africa
(University of Zululand, 2015) Fari, Sani Abdu; Ocholla, D.N.
This study sets out to investigate information and knowledge sharing among academics in selected universities in Nigeria and South Africa. The areas focused upon were universities in the two countries and three each were sampled. The data was gathered through literature review, field survey, and the Bibliometric analysis of publications in Scopus, an online database. The combined techniques of purposive and probability random sampling were applied to determine the required sample frames of universities and respondents respectively. The respondents were drawn from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Federal University of Technology Minna (FUT) and Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYU) in Nigeria, and University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Durban University of Technology (DUT) and University of Zululand (UZ) in South Africa. A Questionnaire was administered to obtain the necessary data from sampled academics in the selected universities. The questionnaire was administered to a total of 382 respondents comprising academic staff in both countries and a response rate of 311 representing 81.41% was achieved. Data was analysed using both quantitative statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 21 and UCINET version 6.0 to represent data obtained from the SCOPUS database. Four null hypotheses were tested at α = 0.05 using Correlation and the T-test. The demographic data revealed that majorities of the surveyed academics in Nigeria (74%) and South Africa (70.7%) were male, and had Master’s Degrees (52.5% Nigeria; 51.1% South Africa). Majority of the respondents were also in the Humanities (57.1% Nigeria; 41.3% South Africa), and had between 11 to 20 years of (42.0% Nigeria; 53.3% South Africa). The overall results revealed that the academic respondents from Nigeria (100%) and South Africa (100%) understand and participated in information and knowledge sharing through various means, such as seminars, conferences and workshops. The academics in the Nigerian universities indicated that they share and preferred information on additional jobs and scholarship availability, while the South African academics showed more interest in new technologies and collaborative initiatives. There was evidence that the surveyed academics in both countries shared information: through personal discussions; on research progress with others, both within and outside their universities and disciplines; and before undertaking research. The study determined that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are being used by the academics in the selected universities for information and knowledge sharing. All the surveyed academics indicated that they used the most common ICTs such as computers (100% Nigeria; 100% South Africa), mobile phones (100% Nigeria; 100% South Africa), internet facilities (100% Nigeria; 100% South Africa), and USBs (100% Nigeria; 100% South Africa). However, the overall utilization of ICTs was higher in the surveyed South African universities. The top collaborating authors were found to be from South Africa, while the top two collaborating universities were from Nigeria. However, it was established that there were far more collaborative ties both within and outside the selected universities and countries in South Africa than in Nigeria. The study found that knowledge sharing positively affects academics in their teaching, research, self-development and community service, with varying magnitudes with respect to selected universities in each country and the type of effect. And the number of collaborative ties both within and outside their universities and countries are more in South Africa than in Nigeria. Many problems were found to be affecting effective information and knowledge sharing, such as poor research management; poor communication of conferences, seminars and workshops among academics; poor support services; and negative attitude to sharing on the part of some academics. The study recommended that the prevailing problems of knowledge sharing could be decreased by the provision of some basic services, in particular: effective research management and support, adequate information resources and services, and strict policies to persuade academics to undertake and publish joint research results. It is also necessary to improve awareness among academics on the importance of information and knowledge sharing. Other recommendations include: 1. Further research should be embarked upon to compare African universities with European, American universities to ascertain the real problems behind the poor research performance of academics and universities on the continent and between Europe and America. 2. Multinational initiative to encourage and support African scholars participation to international academic gatherings which are usually hindered by travel/diplomatic issues 3. African universities must ensure further training and retraining of academics especially on information literacy skills and lifelong learning to emphasize the relevance of collaborative research via social interactions such as the Web 2.0 etc.
A comparison of research and publication patterns and output among academic Librarians in Eastern and Southern Africa between 1990 to 2006
(2009) Sitenei, Grace C.; Ocholla, D.N.
Different categories of people who may be scholars, lectures, students, retirees, housewives, politicians, administrators etc. use the library to access the information they require to pass exams, make decisions or read for leisure. Academic libraries are most important to all scholars and students who pass through a university. For these libraries to continue striving and provide effective services, research is required to improve on areas that are not viable to users. The professional academic librarian is mandated to provide guidance on how these services can be improved in order to make the library useful to all. This cannot be possible if the academic librarians only concentrate on shelving, acquisition, classification, cataloguing, charging and discharging and processing of information materials. The role of academic librarians has continued and will continue to change as time goes on. Many academic librarians provide research assistance to their users and other vital services to facilitate the completion of their client's research. However, it is significant to note that academic librarians must engage in research and publish, in order to improve services and attract more users to the library. Payne and Payne (2004: 9) highlights that there are two main reasons why people carry out research. One among others is because there is an intellectual challenge and the urge to fill a gap in our knowledge, or believe that current accepted theories should be tested. A second reason is that we want to change the world. Academic librarians need to be provided with incentives such as funding, promotions, and time out in order to entice them to carry out research. This study was carried out with an idea that academic librarians should carry out research and publish, for development and for the improvement of library services. Academic librarians holding a bachelors degree and above,, who were working in public universities in Eastern and Southern Africa were targeted for the study. The purpose of this research was to compare the research and publication patterns of academic librarians working in Eastern and Southern Africa from 1990 to 2006. Six objectives were formulated in order to achieve this purpose. The research was purely carried out online, 866 academic librarians names were retrieved from a total of 47 Public university libraries WebPages, via the universities websites. These names were used as access points to retrieve data from the two online databases (i.e. LISTA and WORLDCAT). Bibliometrics was used as research method, Microsoft Excel software was also employed for the purpose of data analysis and presentation of the collected data. Findings indicated that Southern Africa was the most prolific region with 194 (74.00%) of the publications emanating from there. South Africa was the most productive country in Southern Africa with 111(42.21%) publications. Tanzania was the most productive country in Eastern Africa with 31 (11.41%). Muswazi and Pienaar were the most prolific academic librarians with 11(3.97%) publications each. Most productive academic library was from Southern Africa, which was Botswana with 31 (11.41%) publications. Majority of the academic librarians from both regions contributed to one publication. The study was concluded with the following observation being made: Overall South Africa emerged the most prolific country in both regions; majority of the countries from both regions were not consistent in their publication production; there was a continuous rises and drops in research publication from 1990 to 2006; and academic librarians preferred publishing articles than any other publications, many academic librarians did not engage in research and academic librarians, from the two regions prefer publishing individually. The study further recommended several studies that needed to be carried out in Africa and other parts of the world in order to fill and clarify gaps that emanated from the study.
Conceptualising knowledge management in the context of library and information science using the core/periphery model
(African Online Scientific Information Systems (AOSIS), 2009) Onyancha, O.B.; Ocholla, D.N.
This study took cognisance of the fact that the term 'knowledge management' lacks a universally accepted definition, and consequently sought to describe the term using the most common co-occurring terms in knowledge management (KM) literature as indexed in the Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts (LISTA) database. Using a variety of approaches and analytic techniques (e.g. core/periphery analysis and co-occurrence of words as subject terms), data were analysed using the core/periphery model and social networks through UCINET for Windows, TI, textSTAT and Bibexcel computer-aided software. The study identified the following as the compound terms with which KM co-occurs most frequently: information resources management, information science, information technology, information services, information retrieval, library science, management information systems and libraries. The core single subject terms with which KM can be defined include resources, technology, libraries, systems, services, retrieval, storage, data and computers. The article concludes by offering the library and information science (LIS) professionals' general perception of KM based on their use of terms, through which KM can be defined within the context of LIS.
Customer care services and strategies in academic libraries in tertiary institutions in KwaZulu-Natal
(2004) Dlamini, Petros; Ocholla, D.N.
The study defined customer care as an activity that allows customers to make direct contact with an organization to pass comments on products and their use. It also observed customer care as a customer service that seeks to acquire new customers, provide superior customer satisfaction, and build customer loyalty. The aim of the study was to investigate customer care strategies and services in academic libraries in tertiary institutions in KwaZulu-Natal. Two research assumptions were made. Firstly, it is assumed that academic libraries in South Africa do not have operational customer care strategies and services in place. Secondly, there is a relationship between poor information use and customer service and lack of customer care strategies and services in academic libraries in tertiary institutions. The study targeted 401 respondents, 307 students and 79 academic staff as well as 15 library staff. The study applied both quantitative and qualitative approaches and the population targeted was sampled by the use of stratified random sampling techniques. Three hundred and eighty six (386) questionnaires were distributed to both academics and students while interviews were conducted with the library management or unit and committee responsible for customer care. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data from academic staff and students. This software was selected because it is a user friendly data management and analysis package that can perform a variety of data analysis tests and presentation functions. Additionally, Microsoft Excel was used to analyze data collected from the library staff respondents. The study focused mainly on the problem areas, which depicts customer care policy and structures, customer care products and services, conducting of customer care, satisfaction of customers and strategies of customer care. It was discovered that some academic libraries do not have a formal policy on customer care in place. However, respondents were aware of and familiar with customer care policies in their libraries. Additionally, awareness and familiarity with information products and services was found to be known among library users. Furthermore, it was found that academic libraries do not have proper methods and strategies of customer care. Even those strategies that exist, are unknown among library users. It was further drawn out that library users are satisfied with information resources offered by their libraries. The study therefore, recommends that academic libraries should have a unit/person and committee responsible for customer care in place. In addition to that, library staff should attend workshops on customer care, to get formal training on how to deal with customers. It was observed that proper strategies and methods of conducting customer care must be implemented.
Diffusion of information and communication technologies in communication of Agricultural information among agricultural researchers and extension workers in Kenya
(2004) Kiplang'at, Joseph; Ocholla, D.N.; Adigun, M.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the ditTusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in the communication of agricultural information among agricultural researchers and extension workers in Kenya. In particular. the study focused on the public agricultural sector and covered the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD). A survey research method. comprising a self-completed questionnaire and a structured interview schedule was utilized to gather data from the respondents. This was supplemented by observation and document review. The questionnaire was used to solicit information from agricultural researchers and extension workers. while the face to lilCe interview was used to obtain information from the key informants of the study. The agricultural researchers were drawn from the 21 KARI research centres distributed in all the eight provinces of Kenya and strategically spread to cater for different agroecological zones and socio-economic systems. The extension workers, on the other hand. were drawn from the Uasin Gishu and Baringo Districts, while the Key informants of the study were drawn from all the institutions surveyed. A total of 356 respondents compnsmg 159 agricultural researchers, 138 extension workers and 59 key informants participated in this study. The completed questionnaires were reviewed to determine their usability. Two questionnaires were discarded because they were incomplete. A total 01'295 questionnaires (159 agricultural researchers and 136 extension workers) and 59 recorded interviews were usable. This brought the lotal number ofrespondents to 354. It was observed that KARI and MoARD had adopted a wide variety of ICT tools and services in an effort to facilitate information sharing and exchange among agricultural researchers. extension workers, farmers and other actors involved in research and extension. These ranged from modern ICT based on digital information that included computers, the Internet and emaiL electronic sources. scanners. digital cameras among others. Traditional ICTs based largely on analogue information wa\'Cs included radio VI cassettes, tape recorders, television. video cameras, VCR. telephone. fax (analogue and digital) among others. lt was further established that the Agricultural Information Centre (AIC) had a modern radio studio equipped with professional sound recording equipment and editing suites amongst a variety of other video production facilities. The wide range of leT models adopted addressed the ditTerent kinds of intormation needs and commtmication problems encountered by agricultural researchers. extension workers and fanners. The agricultural researchers and extension workers had a critical need for information that was specific to the nature of their work. In addition. they needed information on agricultural policies and meteorology. The intormation needs of the two categories of respondents were met through the use of print and electronic sources. Agricultural researchers obtained useful infornlation from the Internet and CD-ROM databases with TEEAL database having the most useful information, while the Kenya Agricultural Research Database (KARD) provided useful information on local content. In contrast. the extension workers were disadvantaged as the majority lacked skills and physical access to ICTs. Their information needs were, therefore, met through the use of printed sources of information, and by attendance of meetings, workshops and seminars, Most of the respondents used ICTs to communicate among themselves and also with actors involved in research and extension. The Internet and email was used for consultation purposes, for communicating agricultural information, for research purposes and for collaborative projects with other colleagues. Radio, television and video were used in disseminating agricultural information to the farming community. Mobile phones were found to be a convenient means of communicating short messages. It was observed that use ofICTs had increased the respondents' work productivity and creativity. Information literacy programmes were taking place in the institutions surveyed although at different levels of intensity and continuity. Through the programme most of the respondents had improved their skills on the use of computers. Internet, emaiI and VII electronic sources. The programmes were better coordinated and managed at KARI than the Ministry of agriculture. Although ICTs had facilitated communication of agricultural information among actors involved in research and extension. it was yet to improve the linkage between agricultural researchers and extension workers. For ICTs to be levera~ed in the agricultural sector. it ~ ~ was observed tbat the agricultural researchers and extension workers should work more closely as tbeir activities are interrelated. Each group should play their roles in the multifaceted process of transmitting new knowledge of farm technology to farmers and getting their leedback. An attempt had been made to formulate institutional ICT policies to guide the dilTusion of ICTs at KARl and the Ministry of Agriculture. Implementation of these policies had been hampered by the lack of adequate funds. poor infrastructure and lack of commitment by some of the policy makers. The policies had also failed to address the over-reliance of donor funded projects, capacity building and skill development and to bring institutional changes. It was observed that the Kenya Government had formulated policies to guide liberalization. privatization and tariff reform. These policies had been implemented to a greater extent and had paved the way for the involvement of the private sector in the development of the various sectors of economy in the country. The government was also in the process of formUlating a comprehensive national ICT policy to provide guidelines in the ICT sector. Despite the efforts to expand and modernize lCTs in the agricultural sector, its gro\\1h had been hampered by a number of constraints and challenges. Among them includc inadequate funding; poor infrastructure: inadequate skill development; lack of comprehensive national and institutional ICT policies: lack of monitoring and evaluation system; inadequate provision of ICTs tools and services; poor maintenance, and overreliance of donor funded projects leading to a low level of sustainability. To address these problems requires the intervention and interaction of all the stakeholders in the agricultura~ and ICT sector and also involvement of the government. The study viii recommends the following: improvement of telecommunication inti'astructure and rural electritication: tormulation of comprehensive institutional and national lCT policies: alternative sources of tinance: employment of more IT personnel: comprehensive strategies on lCT skills development: reduction of taxes on lCT tools and services: development of responsive content: development of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms tor lCT projects: improvement of communication between agricultural researchers and extension workers: and adoption of FAO Virtual Extension. Research and Communication Network (VERCON) system to improve the linkage among and between actors involved in research and extension. It is concluded that despite the constraints and challenges encountered in the application and use of lCTs in the agricultural sector. a wide variety of ICTs had been adopted to tacilitate information sharing and exchange among agricultural researchers and extension workers. The application and use of these lCTs have a greater role to play in the context of the changing paradigms in agricultural research and extension. where linear information flows are being replaced by pluralistic information flows.
The diffusion of information and communication technologies in the informal sector in Kenya
(University of Zululand, 2012) Gikenye, Wakari; Ocholla, D.N.; Le Roux, C.J.B.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the informal sector in Kenya. The study specifically focused on micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in two provinces in Kenya, namely Nairobi Province and Central Province. Information for the study was gathered through a literature review, a field survey, and personal observation. Questionnaires were used to solicit information from micro and small enterprise participants drawn from the two provinces. A combination of purposive and probability random sampling was used to generate the sample frames of MSE clusters and respondents respectively. The sample of respondents was drawn from the central business district in the city of Nairobi, two markets (Gikomba market and Kenyatta market) and a horticultural products’ depot next to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi Province. Two urban centers and two market centers were selected from Central Province, namely Kiambu and Thika towns and Kabati and Makutano market centers in Muranga District. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 390 MSE participants comprising of owner/managers and selected employees. The overall results revealed that the majority of MSEs are small and are started with little preparation and scarce capital. Only 5.6% of the enterprises had more than five employees, while less than one percent had over ten employees. The majority of the MSEs (over 90%) therefore fell in the micro-enterprises category. The use of ICTs by the micro enterprises’ participants, with the exception of the mobile phone and mobile money services, was found to be quite low. The use of the mobile phone and mobile phone services was over 90%. . Access to formal business information sources was also poor, and the majority of the MSE participants relied mainly on their knowledge and experiences, customer reactions, telephone contacts, and friends and relatives. Information was rarely sourced from government agencies and other formal sources like the internet and mass media. MSEs face many challenges in the use of ICTs because of the nature and small scale of their businesses, which do not allow them to focus on much else beyond survival. The MSEs lacked institutional capacity and support in the form of affordable telecommunications facilities and ICTs as formal sources of information. The mobile phone has been embraced by MSE workers, as an affordable and quick way to communicate and perform business transactions. The mobile phone technology has been quickly adopted and is heavily relied on in MSE operations. The study recommends accelerated government involvement in order to address the various challenges of providing the necessary infrastructure, developing and implementing effective policies, improving the distribution of economic resources, improving business premises and infrastructure that can reach the MSEs, improving skills and training to enable the use of ICTs, raising awareness, facilitating access to credit and finance, as well as improving information structures for formal information sources and dissemination. The study recommends more research to gain a deeper understanding of the context and information needs of small business enterprises in order to be able to offer a strategic framework for appropriate intervention in providing information for MSEs. Further research is also recommended in the area of mobile telephony, given its rapid adoption and use in a short span of ten years, to bring out its full potential and benefits.
The diffusion of social informatics in the civil service work environment in KwaZulu-Natal
(University of Zululand, 2011) Mbatha, Blessing Thuthuka; Ocholla, D.N.; Adigun, M.O.
ICT is a compound term that is used to refer to the convergence of a wide array of new technologies presently being developed and used in the creation, processing and transmission of information. Broadly speaking, these technologies encompass all aspects of data / information recording, handling and transmission, and include computers, telecommunications, satellites, fibre optics, video-based multimedia applications, automated speech outputs, and electronic broadcast technologies. The public services referred to in this study are government departments, and they are responsible for servicing society, devising policies, and ensuring that they are implemented. The civil servants referred to in this study are government employees. The focus of this study was to examine the use, types, interaction, and availability of ICTs in four government departments in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, in the context of work productivity and creativity. In order to achieve the stated aim, the following research had to be answered: What types of ICTs are available in government departments? What problems are experienced by the civil servants in their utilization of ICTs? How can the education and training needs of the civil servants be addressed? To what extent are ICTs used by the civil servants in their work activities? What strategies and solutions can address the problems faced by the civil servants? This study adopted mixed methods where aspects of both quantitative and qualitative approaches were employed. The quantitative method was used to solicit information from the civil servants, while the qualitative approach was used in the review of different social informatics studies. The literature review was undertaken across a broad spectrum of sources including conference papers, journals, government policy documents and several Internet sources. The study used multistage probability sampling to select the elements for the survey and to achieve the desired representation from the population. Probability samples helped the researcher acquire a demonstrable degree of reliability and validity. The sampling techniques used were simple random, systematic, and stratified sampling. Simple random sampling was first used to identify government departments in the province that have considerable reach and are service intensive, namely the Departments of Arts and Culture, Home Affairs, Education, and Health. Secondly, systematic sampling was used to select suitable district municipalities. This sampling technique was used in order to increase the chances of obtaining a representative sample and to prevent bias in the selection process. The initial starting municipality in this technique was selected randomly and every second district municipality from a list was selected thereafter. The departments were selected from the following district municipalities: uMgungundlovu, uMzinyathi, Zululand, uThungulu and Sisonke. The first stage of stratified sampling consisted of the division of the service area into rural and urban based areas. In the second stage, stratification of personnel in the selected departments into top, medium and lower level management was done. This was to ensure that all the levels of management were represented in the study. In the last stage, a simple random sample was used to select the sample elements from the different levels of management. Government departments in South Africa have a well defined organogram such that the number of managers is almost equal across all departments. A sample size of 20 % of the population elements was used and this resulted in 65 personnel being selected from each ministry and a target sample of 260 managers. A questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. The data collected was analyzed using thematic categorization and tabulation, and the findings were presented descriptively. The findings show that a variety of ICTs have been adopted in the sector. All the civil servants surveyed indicated that they used ICTs to communicate with fellow colleagues, for spreadsheet purposes, word processing, printing, and to disseminate departmental information. The respondents’ level of interaction with some of the ICTs, such as e-mail, personal computers, Internet, printers and telephones, was very high, while the use of ICTs such as video conferencing, television and radio was very poor. The most common obstacles to the effective use of ICTs in government departments were found to be lack of skills / competence, the lack of a comprehensive ICT policy, and the lack of proper planning for the adoption and diffusion of ICTs in the sector. The civil servants particularly voiced the need for training on database searching and information retrieval. The contextual conditions that need to be adapted in order to improve the use of ICTs in government departments include the need for adequate and well structured planning; an introductory a comprehensive ICT policy that would provide sufficient frameworks for ICT development and/or use in the public sector; provision of proper and sufficient ICT infrastructure; funding for the purchase of all necessary facilities and resources for ICTs; and the training of staff on how to use ICTs. The issue of planning revealed here is very important as embarking on any new innovation requires adequate planning. Other recommendations include training sessions for civil servants so that they can use the acquired ICT knowledge and skills in their daily work and activities. Where necessary, the government should continually review the ICT training it offers to civil servants, especially considering the rate of developments in the ICT industry. A good policy would also provide sufficient frameworks for ICT development and/or use in government departments, for instance in areas of strategizing implementation, staff development and communication. Policies to foster the uptake of ICTs are insufficient. Moreover, policies specific to ICT diffusion and use will not, on their own, lead to stronger performance; they should be part of a comprehensive set of actions to create the right conditions for growth and innovation. The diffusion and adoption of ICTs in government departments require expertise at various levels. The South African government is still working on putting together a comprehensive national ICT policy that would guide ICT use in the country.
Evaluation of NEPAD’s pilot e-schools in Kenya
(University of Zululand, 2012) Nyagowa, Hesbon O.; Ocholla, D.N.; Mutula, M.
This study was conducted to evaluate the success of the pilot phase of the NEPAD e-School project in Kenya. The specific objectives were to: establish the ICT infrastructure installed in the e-Schools and determine the infrastructure‟s quality, accessibility and suitability for enhancing teaching and learning; determine the effectiveness of the training imparted to teachers and students to enable them to constructively engage with the installed ICT infrastructure in teaching and learning; establish the extent to which e-School infrastructure is being used to enhance teaching and learning and provide health information; determine the extent to which e-School users (students and teachers) felt that the e-Schools were preparing students to function in the global economy; and establish the extent to which the e-School improves the efficiency of school management and the processes of teaching and learning. The study employed survey research methodology. All six of the NEPAD e-Schools in Kenya were included. Chevakali High School, Isiolo Girls Secondary School, Maranda High School, Menengai Secondary School, Mumbi Girls Secondary School and Wajir Girls Secondary School and the teachers and students in those schools formed the study population. Of the 5,186 students and teachers, a representative sample of 1,508 was selected using probabilistic techniques that involved stratification based on the number of students in each school, the number in each class level (forms I, II, III and IV), and gender in the case of Menengai Secondary School. Data was collected using an observation schedule, interview schedule and questionnaire. Observations were made of the infrastructure installed in the e-Schools with specific attention to computer laboratories, computer hardware, networking accessories, and presentation and communication equipment. The interviews were conducted with the principals of the e-Schools and self-administered questionnaires were hand-delivered to students and teachers. The collected data was edited and cleaned. An analysis of quantitative data was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) together with Microsoft Excel, while qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests assisted with the rejection or acceptance of the hypotheses. xviii The study established that all six of the e-Schools had installed the basic computing facilities required for integrating ICT in teaching and learning. All the e-Schools had VSAT for internet access via satellite in computer laboratories in which a variable number of computers were installed. The computers were networked using structured cabling into a LAN, and the LANS were linked into a WAN through the VSATs. The computer laboratories also had smart televisions, smart boards and LCD projectors. The study revealed that the conceptualized E-School Success Model is valid for the evaluation of the e-School. All seven of the dimensions were found to correlate well with e-School success, with Cronbach‟s alpha values above 0.4. It was further revealed that students and teachers were trained in the use of e-School infrastructure and they were using the ICT infrastructure for teaching and learning. Students found learning with integrated ICT enjoyable, and it appeared to improve their performances. Using document analysis, performance improvement was confirmed in four out of six of the e-Schools. The other two e-Schools experienced decline in academic performance over the period 2005 and 2010. It also seemed as though e-School infrastructure had enabled students and teachers to collaborate and had contributed to their teamwork skills. By testing hypotheses the study revealed that six of the seven dimensions of the E-School Success Model contribute towards the success of the e-School. It was established that the user satisfaction dimension does not contribute towards the success of the e-School. Three variables for measuring the user satisfaction dimension - the ability of the e-School system to facilitate discussion between students, their peers and teachers; sharing what students learn with the learning community; and overall satisfaction with the e-School - were poorly rated and could not support the rejection of the hypothesis that high user satisfaction does not contribute to the success of the e-School. The study concluded that the E-School Success Model is a good model for the evaluation of e-Schools. In addition, the NEPAD e-School project in Kenya has considerable potential for success. Having identified the aspects limiting its level of success, it was recommended that stakeholders should continue investing in the NEPAD e-School project as the gaps highlighted in the study are addressed. Further studies on the impact of e-School benefits are recommended.
An exploratory study of the information availability and utilization by the rural women of Melmoth, KwaZulu-Natal
(2002) Jiyane, Glenrose Velile; Ocholla, D.N.
Women constitute 51,6 % of the population of South Africa. It is widely known that in many households, especially blacks, men leave homes for urban areas in search for jobs, leaving women behind to maintain the entire household on their own. Despite significant role played by the women, they are faced with many problems as those experienced by women in other developing countries such as illiteracy, poverty, low social status and multiple roles of child care, farming and housework. The plight of women in rural parts of South Africa, hinder their access and exploitation of media, that can enable them to participate responsibly in nation building. The study explores the media needs of the rural women and how they are fulfilled in the areas of KwaZulu-Natal. Through a normative survey method and critical incident technique, 109 women were interviewed and questionnaires administered to 18 community leaders as well as observation for primary data. Evidently, there is need for suitable media where information on agriculture, health, education, business, legal, and career opportunities as well as self-help-related activities can be accessed. Such media should be available closer to home environment, in visual and sound formats, orally delivered by people closer to the community such as friends, relatives and neighbours as well as community leaders. Methods of information transmission should be overwhelmingly oral that includes greater use of radio transmission. Largely, the findings are consistent with similar studies conducted elsewhere in the developing countries. Conference presentation and publication in a peer-referred journal is planned in 2002.
Information and knowledge society and its impact on poverty alleviation and economic empowerment among informal sector women entrepreneurs in South Africa
(University of Zululand, 2012) Jiyane, Glenrose Velile; Ocholla, D.N.; Mostert, B.J.; Minishi-Majanja, M.K.
The use of tools for development has evolved from the industrial revolution in the late 18th and 19th centuries that saw the increased use of machines and developments in the mining industries, to the increased use of information and technology in the 20th century and major breakthroughs that sparked the evolution into the information and knowledge society of the 21st century. The basis of the information and knowledge society revolves around technology’s increased assimilation and diffusion in human society, particularly information and communication technologies and their rapid growth and use in the exchange of information and knowledge. This society offers many opportunities and benefits to people in terms of the facilitation of information creation, distribution, diffusion, access and use for growth and development in various spheres of life. Information and communication technologies are thus regarded as tools for the advancement and development of communities, and this includes rural, illiterate, marginalized and poor communities and the female entrepreneurs in the informal sector who are the subject of this thesis. The aim of this study was to examine information and knowledge society and its impact on poverty alleviation and the economic empowerment of informal sector women entrepreneurs in South Africa and develop a model for utilization of information and knowledge in the informal sector. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed for triangulation, although the qualitative approach significantly outweighed the quantitative in this study. The absence of a comprehensive list of informal activities in KwaZulu-Natal led to the decision to use snowball, purposive and haphazard sampling techniques to select the sample for the study. Focus group discussions, interviews, observation and content analysis were used to collect data from 118 women entrepreneurs from the informal sector, 17 women leaders, and 4 officials from the Hlabisa Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
The information behaviour of law students in Nigerian universities
(University of Zululand, 2014) Yemisi, Olorunfemi Doreen; Mostert, B.J.; Ocholla, D.N.
Information seeking skills are important for students who are preparing to embark on information intensive professions such as the legal profession. Despite law libraries being available in all the Nigerian universities offering law as an undergraduate programme, law students generally do not seem interested in making optimal use of the available facilities and sources to find relevant information for their studies and to prepare them for their chosen career. Though many information behaviour studies relating to students do exist it is important to establish how and why students, especially those who have to rely on information to perform their duties as legal practitioners, seek for information and how they use the available information facilities and services to satisfy their information needs. The specific objectives of this study were to: investigate the information behaviour of law students in Nigerian university law libraries, determine the purposes for which law students retrieve information in Nigerian university law libraries, investigate the library information resources available to law students in Nigerian university law libraries, examine how law students utilise information resources in university law libraries, specifically ICT resources, determine the challenges faced by law students in the use of law library electronic resources and other law sources in the process of information retrieval in Nigerian university law libraries, provide recommendations for improving law library systems in Nigerian universities and to develop a theoretical model that suits the information seeking behaviour of law students in Nigerian university law libraries. The research paradigm followed a positivism and interpretive perspective using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study adopted a survey research design. The study targeted all the law students in Nigerian universities. Out of the 30 universities offering law as a course of study in Nigeria, a total of 12 universities were chosen for the study namely: Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma; Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti; Imo State University, Owerri; Kogi State University, Anyigba; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; University of Benin, Benin; University of Calabar, Calabar; University of Ibadan, Ibadan; University of Ilorin, Ilorin: and University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus. From the 12 chosen universities, 1,534 law students were randomly selected; this represents the sample for the study. Data was collected using a questionnaire, an interview and observation methods. The findings revealed that the surveyed law students generally exhibited a positive attitude towards patronage of law libraries, and that printed information sources are the main information sources utilised by respondents in law libraries. Digital libraries found in the law libraries were found not to be optimally used. Reasons given were the unavailability and inaccessibility of computers and the lack of Internet connectivity. The majority of the respondents indicated that they possessed the ICT skills required to search for information using electronic information resources in the law libraries. The Internet facilities provided in the law library where only used by 33% of the respondents when it was necessary to find academic related information. An ability test showed that only 47% of the respondents tested had the Internet skills to effectively retrieve applicable information sources/databases on the Internet. It was revealed that access to ICT facilities in the law libraries was poor, and the existing electronic libraries and other sources like the Internet and law databases were underutilised by the surveyed law students for a variety of reasons, such as a lack of access to the electronic law libraries, lack of ICT resources, or the fact that the existing ICT sources were not intended for law students’ use. Observations showed that only three law libraries provided access to law databases out of the twelve law libraries. Other challenges identified concerning the use of the law libraries included: erratic power supply; Internet connectivity problems; slow downloading speed; non-subscription to law databases; lack of qualified staff to manage and maintain the electronic law libraries; inadequate amount of computers for student utilisation; unhelpful library staff; and inadequate funding to provide quality ICT resources in the universities’ law libraries. The study recommended that law students should be allowed access to all law library resources and be provided with current and relevant library sources, electronic sources and ICT equipment that will encourage them to frequent the law libraries and use its information resources. Additionally, the libraries need adequate support and enough funds to facilitate the purchase of current legal material; upgrade ICT equipment; subscribe to legal databases; upgrade Internet connectivity; and improve their power supply. The study also recommended that library sources (print and electronic) should be aggressively advertised to attract students’ attention and more library orientation and ICT training courses should be provided..
The information needs and challenges of agricultural researchers and extension workers in Zimbabwe
(University of Zululand, 2013) Mugwisi, Tinashe; Mostert, B.J.; Ocholla, D.N.
Agriculture is the dominant sector in Zimbabwe’s economy, contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and providing an income to over 75% of the population. Agricultural research and extension is undertaken in both public and private sector institutions across the five agro-ecological regions of the country. The aim of this study was to investigate the information needs and challenges of agricultural researchers and extension workers in the public sector in Zimbabwe. The government is responsible for agriculture in Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development (MoAMID). The study focused on researchers falling under the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DR&SS) and extension workers under the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX). The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods; a questionnaire was distributed to researchers and extension workers, and interviews were conducted with key informants and librarians. An observation schedule on the state of agricultural libraries in Zimbabwe was also used. The respondents were drawn from eight provinces and research institutes as defined in the target population. Mashonaland Central Province produced the highest number of respondents because the population for the province included ward and village extension workers in addition to the district and provincial extension officers and supervisors targeted in each province. Forty four (44) districts participated from the projected sixty (60), while sixteen (16) out of seventeen (17) research institutes responded, although there were variations in responses per institute. The findings of the study indicated that the respondents held qualifications ranging from certificates (for extension workers at ward level) to doctorates for senior researchers in their respective areas of work. The study also showed that the agricultural researchers were generally younger than extension workers, and on average the majority of both categories of respondents had less than 10 years working experience. The majority of the respondents also had less than five years working experience in their current positions. In terms of gender, there were more males than females in both categories of respondents. The study revealed that the information needs of the researchers and extension workers aligned with the major agricultural disciplines of crop science, animal science, agricultural engineering, although agricultural economics did not attract prominence. v The respondents were using various sources of information in fulfilling their information needs, ranging from libraries to internet sources (including databases and other electronic sources), consulting colleagues, workshops and seminars, and personal collections. The level of usage and preferences differed, but overall agricultural researchers showed a preference for electronic sources while extension workers preferred print sources. Departmental collections were especially prominent among the extension workers, and these were mentioned as their first point of call when they were in need of information. Library usage was low, and it was observed that the Ministry of Agriculture’s libraries were not adequately equipped to meet the information needs of the researchers and extension workers. The materials were dated, and the libraries had no budget for the acquisition of new resources. Internet access was limited to institutions with access to internet connections and requisite technologies like computers; the TEEAL database, for example, was only available on standalone access at the Central Library. The different available resources were considered to be important sources of agricultural information. The use of indigenous knowledge by both researchers and extension workers in agriculture was also evident in the study. The study revealed that agricultural research prioritisation was determined by the government, national needs, and the availability of funds in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including farmers. The research extension model that is used suggests a communication pattern where researchers reach the farmers through the extension system and also through direct contact with the farmers. The reverse – farmer to researcher - also shows communication in the opposite (upward) direction. Overall, the researchers and extension workers appear to play a pivotal role in disseminating agricultural information to the farmers. Various channels also appear to be used to communicate agricultural information, including the media, pamphlets and posters, and public gatherings like field days and agricultural shows. Lack of material in local languages was identified as a major challenge in the communication process, although some translation was being done. This challenge was exacerbated by the land reform programme, which has seen a massive increase in the number of people directly involved in farming. The Ministry of Agriculture was seen to lack a clear policy on the management of information generated by its departments, including research and extension. This was vi despite mention by the respondents that the information was adequately captured. The study showed that ICTs were used to generate information which was subsequently distributed as hard copies. The distribution of such material was hampered by lack of resources like printers and toners. ICTs such as the radio, television, the internet, databases, and telephones were also being used to disseminate agricultural information, although databases were hampered by the lack of computers. Mobile phones, although not readily available as office equipment, were highly utilised in the communication process. The study revealed that there is collaboration between agricultural researchers and extension workers and with other stakeholders at both local and international level in the areas of material production, research facilities, and training. Linkages were also evident with farmer organisations in the areas of funding, farm research, and materials production. The study concluded that funding was one of the main challenges facing research and extension in Zimbabwe, with donor funding having dried up in recent years. Although privatisation and charging for services have been considered as alternatives for income generation, they face criticism for discriminating against poor farmers. The study recommends that the Central Library should be empowered in terms of personnel and other resources in order to address the information needs of researchers and extension workers. It also recommends the strengthening of the delivery of research and extension services by capacitating research and extension institutions through adequate ICTs, funding and enhanced collaboration with relevant stakeholders among other issues.
The information needs and seeking behaviour of orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers, and the role of service providers in Namibia
(University of Zululand, 2013) Mnubi–Mchombu, Chiku; Ocholla, D.N.; Mostert, J.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the information needs and seeking behaviour of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and caregivers, and to examine the role of service providers in disseminating information to OVC and caregivers in Namibia. Although several studies focusing on different aspects of the OVC situation have been done, the researcher could not identify any study that focused on the information needs and seeking behaviour of OVC and their caregivers in Namibia and how the two groups satisfy their information needs at present. In order to obtain data from the respondents, the study adopted qualitative and quantitative research methods for data collection. A questionnaire was mailed to the sampled service providers, while interviews were conducted with OVC and caregivers. Focus group discussions were also held with caregivers and key informants in order to explore the general attitudes, feelings, beliefs, experiences and reactions of the research population with respect to information needs and seeking behaviours. The study took place in the rural community of Ohangwena and the urban setting of Khomas. A total of 566 OVC, 70 caregivers, and 18 services providers from both regions took part in the study. A total of eleven focus group discussions took place; eight focus group discussions were held in Ohangwena, while three were in the Khomas region. Both rural and urban OVC indicated that they needed information in order to access financial vii assistance/grants, child care/support, feeding schemes, and health services. The most important information required, according to the OVC from Ohangwena, was information on school development fund exemption, financial assistance or grants, health services, child care/support and training opportunities. The OVC from Khomas had similar priorities with the exception of training opportunities, which was replaced with counselling. Both rural and urban OVC consulted relatives, teachers, and friends to satisfy their information needs, indicating that people were their most important source of information. The findings from focus group discussions (FGDs) with caregivers and key informants indicated that there are disparities between rural and urban areas in terms of information access and use based on literacy and education. For example, the rural dwellers cited their need for information on educational support, psychological and counselling services, child care/support, and job opportunities. In the urban setting of Khomas, educational support and the establishment of small businesses featured as prominent needs. The FGDs revealed that the radio, traditional leaders, regional councillors, friends and relatives were the most important sources and channels of information in Ohangwena, while in Khomas, friends and relatives, community leaders, and regional councillors were the most popular channels. Social workers and the television were also popular channels in Khomas. The findings of the study indicate that service providers provide a range of services to OVC and caregivers in both rural and urban areas. In the rural areas, the majority of the supporting organisations had health-related programmes focusing on feeding schemes and nutrition, and HIV/AIDS awareness. In urban areas, service providers provided psychosocial support, counselling, and resilience services. The findings reveal that the majority of the service providers used community meetings and public forums to communicate their own information and to create awareness of their services in both regions. The channels that were most frequently used in Ohangwena were community meetings and open forums, while the use of volunteers featured prominently in Khomas. The OVC and caregivers encountered various problems in accessing information, including: long distance to access information and services; language barrier for printed materials; shortage of service providers in rural areas; lack of coordination of service providers; and viii bureaucratic red tape from government departments. Major recommendations stemming from the study include: the need for service providers to provide clear information on how to access the different services that target OVC and caregivers; service providers should collaborate and use mass media channels to disseminate information; the need for a “one stop shop” where all information related to OVC services would be made available; and the need to provide information in local languages. The study concluded that information provision is a crucial resource for OVC and caregivers because it helps them identify and take advantage of available services. Conversely, lack of information leads to the lower utilization of available services and increased poverty and disempowerment. Several recommendations are made on how to improve the flow of information to OVC and caregivers to help them easily locate and use facilities and services that have been set up for them either by the government, or by non-governmental organisations and other service providers. The study also proposes a model to improve the provision of information to OVC and caregivers in the two regions.
An informetric analysis of HIV/AIDS research in Eastern and Southern Africa, 1980-2005
(2007) Onyacha, Omwoyo Bosire; Ocholla, D.N.
HIV/AIDS is said to be a new type of global emergency - an unprecedented threat to human development requiring sustained action and commitment over a long term. Nowhere is its impact felt more than in Sub-Saharan Africa, even more so in Eastern and Southern Africa. HIV/AIDS, in all its dimensions, demands novel alliances between the social and biological sciences, particularly when it comes to designing effective interventions to prevent or treat the complications of HTV transmission. This study therefore sought to provide decision makers and other stakeholders with a tool to use when formulating policies on HIV/AIDS intervention programs. To that end, the study set out to examine the research output and impact of HIV/AIDS by identifying and determining its nature, types, and trends in Eastern and Southern Africa as indexed and reflected in the MEDLINE, Science Citation Index (SCI) and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) databases. Specifically, the study's focus was: ♦ To examine the nature, trend and type of HIV/AIDS research collaboration in E&S Africa between 1980 and 2005 with a view to recommend ways of improving or strengthening such collaborative activities. ♦ To examine the growth, productivity and scientific impact of HIV/AIDS sources of information [source publications] as they relate to E&S Africa between 1980 and 2005 in order to assess the visibility and coverage of HTV/AIDS sources and to provide relevant information so as to assist information providers, users in general, and more specifically, collection development librarians, particularly in the two regions, in their decision making processes regarding the identification, selection and development of relevant HIV/AIDS resources •> To evaluate the performance of individual authors, institutions and countries in terms of their productivity and scientific impact with a view to: (a) identify the most prolific and influential researchers, countries and institutions that conduct HIV/AIDS research in and about E&S Africa and (b) to compare the productivity and scientific impact of domestic/regional authors, institutions, and countries with their foreign counterparts. ♦ To assess the publishing activity in the fields/topics of HTV/AIDS research in order to: (a) distinctly bring out a clear picture on the efforts made in the various sub-fields of HIV/AIDS research and (b) to find out the relatedness of the risk factors, opportunistic infections, pre-disposing factors, sexually transmitted diseases and other tropical diseases that are common in Africa to HIV/AIDS. Using informetrics (as a research method) and more specifically publications count and citations count and analyses, relevant data was extracted from three key bibliographic databases (i.e. MEDLINE, SCI and SSCI) through an advanced search strategy which was employed to search and download HIV/AIDS documents specific to Eastern and Southern Africa using the Title, Abstract, Authors address and Subject Fields. This was accomplished by combining the names of the countries and 26 HTV/AEDS-specific terms which included the terms by which HIV/AIDS was known at the beginning of the epidemic. The downloaded data was analyzed using various computer-aided bibliographic software that included Sitkis version 1.5 ©2005, Microsoft Office Access ©2003, Microsoft Office Excel ©2003, Bibexcel ©2005, Citespace version 2.0.1 ©2005, TI, UCESTET for Windows ©2002, and Pajek version 1.08 ©1996. The findings show that HTV7AIDS research in E&S Africa is largely conducted through collaboration, as illustrated by the number of co-authored papers, which accounted for over 70% of the total number of papers in each country. Research collaboration between E&S African countries is rninimal when compared to the collaborative activities between these and foreign countries (i.e. countries outside Africa). This type of collaboration was predominant, and collaboration between E&S African countries and the rest of Africa was found to be almost non-existent, with the countries in West Africa recording a comparatively higher pattern than North African countries. Institutional collaboration is mainly between universities. Nevertheless, industry-university collaboration was visible, especially between government laboratories, ministries or teaching hospitals and the university, which to a large extent was responsible in the day-to-day running of the hospital teaching facilities/programs. It was also observed that there has been a remarkable growth in the number of HIV/AIDS researchers' networks between 1980 and 2005. The composition of these networks shows a high pattern of collaboration between local and foreign researchers. Finally, it was noted that research collaboration increases the average impact by 12.75 citations, while research conducted by individual researchers increases the average impact by only 3.48 citations. Concerning the sources of HTV7AIDS research, it was noted that the coverage of sources published in E&S African countries in key bibliographic databases is minimal, with the MEDLINE database indexing only 14 (1.01%) serials, while SCI and SSCI respectively covered 23 (1.65%) and 4 (0.29%) of the total 1393 serials published in the regions. Furthermore, sources that publish HIV/AIDS research on E&S Africa are evenly distributed in the MEDLINE and ISI databases, although about 50% of the total research output is unique in each database. Other observations were as follows: (a) journals are the most commonly used sources and channels in publishing and disseminating HIV/AIDS research on E&S Africa. The second most preferred source and channel was that of newspapers; (b) the number of sources publishing HIV/AIDS research on E&S Africa has exponentially increased over the period under study, i.e. 1980-2005, thereby posing serious challenges to collection development librarians and researchers/authors; (c) sources that publish HIV/AIDS research on E&S Africa are largely published in foreign countries. Out of the total 804 and 823 HIV/AIDS sources in MEDLINE and ISI, respectively, 92.54% and 97.57% were published in foreign countries, while locally published sources accounted for 3.73% and 2.19% of the total source publications in MEDLINE and ISI, respectively; (d) most HIV/AIDS research on E&S Africa is published in relatively low impact factor journals. Out of the total 823 sources in ISI, only 11 sources had an impact factor of more than 10.0; (e) HIV/AIDS research on E&S Africa is largely published in medical science-specific source publications, and more particularly, in general medical sources; and (f) there are about 13 core sources of HIV/AIDS research, namely, AIDS, LANCET, J INFECT DIS, NEW ENGL J MED, J VIROL, J ACQ IMMUN DEF SYND, JAMA, AIDS RES HUM RETROV, SCIENCE, BRIT MED J, S AFR MED J, SOC SCI MED, and J CLIN MICROBIOL. An analysis of the data according to the producers of HIV/AIDS research yielded the following findings: (a) a relatively high number of countries (i.e. 120) have been or are engaged in conducting HIV/AIDS research about E&S Africa; (b) HTV7AIDS research is evenly conducted in and/or by regional and foreign countries. Counting the frequencies of occurrence of each country in the address field yielded a total sum of 7041 occurrences for foreign countries and 6161 for African countries; (c) most HIV/AIDS research about E&S Africa is published in foreign countries, which accounted for approximately 83% and 88% of the total research papers in MEDLINE and ISI, respectively; (d) HIV/AIDS research is largely conducted by or at universities; and (e) the impact of HIV/AIDS research in and about E&S Africa has continued to increase as illustrated by the continued growth of the number of citations between 1980 and 2005. Nevertheless, a relatively huge amount of HIV/AIDS research (26.2%) remains uncited. Concerning the subject content of HIV/AIDS research, the following were the main observations: (a) the number of keywords/terms that are used to index HIV/AIDS research outputs has exponentially grown, thus providing a number of options for accessing HTV/AIDS research findings; (b) HTV/AIDS-specific terms (i.e. HIV infections and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) are the major keywords by which HIV/AIDS research findings can be accessed in the indexing services/databases; (c) HIV/AIDS research in E&S Africa is mostly on the sub-fields of epidemiology, prevention & control, transmission, complications, and Drug therapy; (d) drug therapy and Anti-Retrovirals (ARVs) are quickly emerging as the main areas of HIV/AIDS research in E&S Africa; and (e) HIV/AIDS is strongly associated with opportunistic infections, pre-disposing factors, risk factors, sexually transmitted diseases and other tropical diseases that are common in Sub-Saharan African countries. Finally, the study, while commending researchers in the region for their collaborative efforts, recommends that research collaboration, both at the national and international level, should be encouraged through such means as organizing international conferences within E&S Africa where researchers can exchange ideas and in so doing they can identify researchers from other countries with whom they can collaborate. Regarding the dissemination of HIV/AIDS research through publications, it was recommended that researchers be encouraged by way of incentives to present the findings in regionalized conferences as well as publish them in both print and electronic conference proceedings while publishing the papers in foreign sources. For purposes of visibility and impact, local journal publishers should endeavor to publish their journals both electronically and in print. In this way, both researchers and sources that publish HIV/AIDS research would receive a wider visibility and produce higher impact. In conclusion, it is hoped that the findings of this study will support HTV/AIDS researchers, funding organizations, AIDS prevention and control institutions, public health professionals, information service professionals, and government health ministries, among others, looking for information which can improve the quality of their decision making and/or increase their competitive intelligence.
Informetrics Education in Library and Information Science (LIS) Departments in South Africa
(University of Zululand, 2019) Zungu, Nkosingiphile Mbusozayo; Ocholla, D.N.
This research sought to explore informetrics education in Library and Information Science (LIS) departments in South Africa. This study adopted the pragmatic epistemology and pluralistic ontology. The abductive approach was considered appropriate for this study. The employed mixed research methods were survey and content analysis. The survey research methods, through questionnaire, were used to collect data from the LIS heads of departments (HODs) and informetrics lecturers. On the other hand, the content analysis was employed to analyse the content of course outlines. The study‟s population was all LIS departments in South Africa. Nine LIS departments were targeted and responses were received from eight LIS departments. Five of the eight departments were found to offer informetrics education. These were the LIS departments from the University of Cape Town, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, University of Limpopo, University of Western Cape, and the University of Zululand. The LIS department at the University of Zululand is the only department that offers informetrics education as autonomous module/course in the full programme. Other LIS departments offer it as a chapter/Unit in a module. Three LIS departments (University of Cape Town, University of Limpopo, and University of Western Cape) offer informetrics as module component at a Masters level. The LIS department at the University of Zululand offers informetrics education to level three and four undergraduate students in two programmes- BLIS and BIS. The University of Limpopo also offers it at an undergraduate level (level two, three and honours). The content analysis revealed that the scope of informetrics is broad in the essence that there is no uniformity in the content of informetrics across all LIS departments. The blended learning method is widely used: cased studies, group discussions, and online teaching and learning methods are commonly used for informetrics education. Numerous challenges that surround informetrics education were pointed out. Most of them are linked to the consideration that informetrics is broad, ICT reliant and dynamic. The solutions to the challenges were suggested. The study concluded that there is very limited informetrics education in South Africa. The study recommended that LIS departments create awareness about informetrics education, develop informetrics curricula, provide short courses on informetrics, and keep up with the trends in LIS education internationally.
The internet as a resource for research, teaching and learning : a comparative study between the University of Zimbabwe and University of Zululand
(2002) Mugwisi, Tinashe; Ocholla, D.N.
The Internet has been described as a collection of sprawling computer networks that link millions of computers used by tens of millions of people all over the world (Leedy 1997:66). From an initial few hundred computers, the Internet has grown exponentially enabling users to communicate with each other and share information. Libraries have embraced the Internet in order to deliver improved services and extend and expand the scope of what they offer. The purpose of this study was to explore and examine, through a comparison, the use of the Internet for teaching, learning and research by academics and students at the Universities of Zimbabwe and Zululand. It was also to explore how their libraries could contribute towards achieving this aim. The survey method was largely used in which both qualitative and quantitative data was collected. Two sets of questionnaires were distributed, one to academics and students, and the second to professional librarians in the two institutions. Interviews were also conducted with IT divisions. Data was then analysed using the SAS programme and Microsoft Excel. The study found out that there were high computer and Internet skills among the respondents, both among academics and students, and librarians. The Internet was used in both institutions, for study and work purposes. Among the resources used, e-mail and the web were the most used by the majority of respondents. The study found out that there was no recognisable difference between Internet use and academic discipline, between and within the two institutions. This was contrary to studies in literature reviewed where Sciences were found to use the Internet more than Humanities. No significant differences were also noticed when Internet use was analysed by level of study and status of faculty academics. The study however established that the Internet had changed the information seeking behaviour of the majority of respondents in all categories. There was evidence of use of others services like telnet, electronic journals and other library OPACs by librarians for work purposes. There was however a poor link between librarians and their users with regards to use of Internet resources. The study also highlighted rather similar problems facing the two institutions in terms of Internet accessibility. Access was a major concern, due to inadequate provision of computers and existing connection to the Internet. The need for more formalised training in the use of Internet resources and the creation of awareness among academics and other potential users were also highlighted. Despite these problems, the study revealed that there is a great potential for Internet use and appreciation among academic librarians and users in the two institutions. Recommendations were put forward, among them, the need for management in the two institutions to make resources, both financial and materially available in order to sustain Internet use programmes and initiatives that are already in place.
The management and diffusion of HIV/AIDS information in institutions of higher learning in South Africa
(2005) Dube, Luyanda; Ocholla, D.N.
The impact of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus/ acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is devastating worldwide especially among tertiary institutions whose constituencies are within the age bracket between 15-45 years. Unfortunately there is still no cure for the disease, and one way of controlling the rampant nature of the pandemic is through educational and enlightening interventions backed by appropriate information. The aim of the study was to assess the framework, nature and scope of the institutional response as well as the appropriateness of HIV/AIDS information dissemination interventions developed and employed by institutions of higher learning in South Africa for the prevention of the spread of the pandemic. The study was informed by theoretical framework grounded on the Diffusion of Innovations theory. Both qualitative and quantitative research design and methodologies were employed largely through survey, observation and document analysis. The study targeted HIV/AIDS service providers, health centers and institutional libraries within all public universities and technikons in South Africa. The respondents within institutions were identified largely through non-probability sampling techniques such as snowball and purposive sampling. The study mapped out the HIV/AIDS response of the higher education sector in relation to programmes offered and strategies and methods that are used to manage the pandemic and disseminate information. The findings reveal that the response of the higher education sector to HIV/AIDS is not uniform, but there is a positive move towards strong management of HIV/AIDS and information diffusion. Secondly, it is observed that the disease has some impact on institutional mandates such as teaching, learning, research and community service. Unexpectedly, the study confirmed widely held views that are also reported in related studies, that the response of academic institutions to the disease is still characterized by silence, denial, discrimination and stigma as most institutions do not address the disease openly. Thirdly, it was established that in those institutions where there is an AIDS Centre the response seemed to be more systematic and well guided as compared to those that relied on the services of the health centre. Fourthly, there was no distinction made in terms of the nature and strength of the institutional response between service providers that had higher academic qualifications and those that did not have. Most highly qualified respondents though had other academic responsibilities, dealt with HIV/AIDS as additional job. Fifthly, it was easy to distinguish between historically advantaged and disadvantaged institutions, as the tatter had interventions that were underdeveloped and limited in scope and depth. Similarly, universities as compared to technikons demonstrated more intense interventions and better resource provision. Sixth, in most institutions management supports the institutional HIV/AIDS management and response. This involvement was evident through observation on the nature of the response, capacity buildings and resources on the ground. However, it was sadly observed that this executive commitment to HIV/AIDS seemed to be overridden by other priorities such as the reconfiguration and reconstruction of the sector. Further, noted that all institutions have HIV/AIDS policies, but some of them have not implemented these policies. Seven, though the Higher Education HIV/AIDS Programme is coordinating the HIV/AIDS response within the whole sector, it does not seem to have all the answers for the systemic problems that are cropping up. Eight, HiV/AlDS information is disseminated by the institutional libraries, HIV/AIDS service providers and health centers. Mostly, information is disseminated in print form while other modem media seemed to be underutilized and repackaging is not extensively done due, partly, to shortage of resources and capacities. The study found strong link between the theoretical models earlier mentioned and results of the study. Specifically, these theories confirmed the importance of the content of HIV/AIDS messages and the value of horizontal and vertical communication strategies. The study recommends that the institutional response needs to be revamped and redesigned to improve the traditional information dissemination strategies that are used by most academic institutions. Information dissemination strategies should be designed in line with current trends in socio-cultural and political lifestyles of young people. However, though there are still flaws and inefficiencies, the sector is responding positively to the epidemic and efforts are being made to synchronize and coordinate the systemic response. The study recommends further research on feasibility, applicability and effectiveness of the centralized coordination of the higher education HIV/AIDS response. It also recommends that the higher education sector should be more involved in the initiative of the Higher Education HIV/AIDS Programme to make valuable contributions based on experiential encounters. Similarly, strategies should be rapidly implemented to redress past imbalances in relation to strengthening capacities and resources of previously disadvantaged institutions to enable them to deal effectively with the disease. Other issues have been unearthed and a model for effective HIV/AIDS management and information diffusion in the sector suggested.
Mapping and audit of information and communication technologies in Library and Information Science education in Sub-Saharan Africa
(2004) Minishi-Majanja, Mabel Khayisia; Ocholla, D.N.
Technology is a key subject with in C2005-RNCS and is targeted as a learning area which will contribute towards preparing learners for their roles in society and in the world of work. School principals are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that Technology as a learning area is successfully implemented at schools in line with national and provincial guidelines. This research examined management of the curriculum with specific reference to Technology as a learning area. The management role of principals is central to implementation of this learning area, including provision of resources for teaching and learning and assignment of technology education to qualified educators. A literature review was undertaken to establish the relevant technical knowledge and professional skills that the principal would be required to possess in order to bring about meaningful changes and to implement Technology education. The study revealed that there are challengers regarding management of Technology curriculum and resources to implement the learning. The study also revealed that in spite of barriers to successful implementation school principals have devised measures to implement and manage the curriculum, including communicating with the interest groups. The researcher has made recommendations regarding management and implementation for Technology education.

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