The awareness and application of multimedia tools for information literacy instruction at an African university

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine academic librarians’ awareness and application of multimedia content for information literacy (IL) instruction at the North-West University in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach This study used both the survey and focus group interviews to gather data from the university's faculty librarians. Findings The results of this study show that despite the majority of librarians being aware of the existence and benefits of multimedia tools that can complement their traditional instructional practices, very few actually apply the tools for IL instructional practices. Among the multimedia tools that the librarians often use for the IL instruction, LibGuides were the most favourable because of their ease of use. The main reasons for not using the multimedia tools cited by librarians include the lack of infrastructure and insufficient skills. Practical implications This study recommends the reskilling of librarians by training them in the use of multimedia tools for IL instruction. Social implications The paper sheds light on the current strategies being implemented by faculty librarians in providing IL using multimedia tools. It also outlines the importance of multimedia tools in enhancing eLearning endeavours. Multimedia skills for librarians can also be essential during times of crisis such as the recent COVID-19 outbreak. Originality/value This study is a welcome contribution to the role of ICTs in enhancing library activities during the 4IR. The voice of the librarians in this area has also been minimally represented. This study, therefore, seeks to address these gaps in published scholarly literature.

Migration to online pharmacy education in Namibia: Successes, challenges and competence implications

“…The School of Pharmacy in Namibia was uniquely placed to implement online learning relative to other schools in the African region (Mashiyane, Bangani, & Van Deventer 2020). This is due to the ICT infrastructure being in place before the COVID-19 outbreak.…”

“…Online education has been posited as having promise to enhance access to quality pharmacy education and improve pass rates, however this study highlights some major barriers that exist with regards to adaptation to online learning. These include high connectivity costs, more workload on staff members as lectures, tutorials and practicals all have to be repackaged for online delivery (Khadmlu et al, 2013;Mashiyane, Bangani, & Van Deventer 2020;Murphy 2020). Lack of qualified, ICT-savvy academics, information technology (IT) technical support and educational design support, have the potential to distract students from actively participating and can decrease students' social skills (Muiruri et al, 2014), increase dropout rates and could result in students who are poor in face-to-face communication (Alkoudmani & Elkalmi 2015;Julius, Nuugulu, & Julius, 2020).…”

“…Pharmacy Education 20(2) 174 -182 as the limitation of the platform to deliver effective learning to achieve competences unique to the module or the pharmacy profession (Mashiyane, Bangani, & Van Deventer 2020). For instance, it's a challenge to deliver modules such as pharmaceutical sciences that require demonstration of calculations and chemical equations using the recommended platform (Muiruri et al, 2014;Safari, Alikhani, & Safari 2016).…”

“…Due to limited resources, most pharmacy training programmes in sub-Saharan Africa rely on traditional didactic methods and seldom integrate ICT in delivery of teaching and learning (Tran et al, 2003;Murphy, 2020). Thus, migration to online learning in pharmacy education has been implemented to varying extents in sub-Saharan Africa during the pandemic, with some institutions suspending academic activities until 2021, while others modified training to integrate online remote learning using various platforms (Mashiyane, Bangani, & Van Deventer 2020;Mulla et al, 2020). This undermines efforts to up skill pharmaceutical workforce and strengthen pharmaceutical systems in these countries.…”

Information literacy instruction in university libraries of Islamabad, Pakistan: a study of librarians’ perceptions, practices, barriers, and strategies

“…Information literacy instruction in university Mashiyane et al (2020) conducted a study at a South African university to explore the awareness level and application of multimedia tools in IL instruction by academic librarians. The study revealed that regardless of the majority of library professionals being aware of the existence and merits of multimedia tools that can supplement their practices of traditional instructions, only a few actually applied these tools in IL instructional practices.…”