Department of Information Studies
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://197.255.125.131:4000/handle/123456789/4870
Browse
Item Academic Library Service Quality and User Satisfaction: A Survey af Distance Education Students and Faculty in Public Universities in Ghana(University of Ghana, 2020-10) Bubuama, C.K.A.Universities in Ghana are positioning themselves to expand their distance education. Quality Library services that adequately meet the information needs of distance education students and tutors is a critical component of ensuring quality distance education. This study investigated academic library service quality and user satisfaction among distance education students and tutors. Data was gathered using survey. A sample of 335 distance education students and tutors was conveniently selected from IDL-KNUST, ICDE-UG, CODE-UCC and IEDE-UEW. The findings from the study showed that the frequency of library use was high in ICDE-UG and moderate in IDL-KNUST, CODE-UCC and IEDE-UEW. Borrowing books and reading personal notes dominated reasons for visiting the library. In CODE-UCC, majority of the respondents indicated visiting the library to read for pleasure. In terms of quality library services, respondents from ICDE-UG rated their library resources and services highest, followed by IDL-KNUST, CODE-UCC and IEDE-UEW. Respondents from ICDE-UG rated their library resources and services highest on reliability, responsiveness, empathy, accessibility and tangibility. Respondents from IEDE-UEW rated their institution highest on assurance of library services. Respondents from ICDE-UG rated highest on all the indicators of user satisfaction, followed by IEDE-UEW, IDLKNUST and CODE-UCC. Library resources and service delivery were found to be most challenging in IDL-KNUST, followed by CODE-UCC and IEDE-UEW. ICDE-UG was rated least in terms of challenges of library resources and service delivery. It is recommended that continuous competency training, information literacy courses, expansion of electronic resources and offcampus access, as well as adopting customer care model be instituted to improve library service delivery for distance education students and tutors.Item Acceptability of School-Based De-Worming Exercise for the Control of Schistosomiasis in the Biakoye District of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2021-03) Hayford, D.The School-Based De-worming Exercise was introduced to reach communities and targets school going children who are often infected with schistosomiasis. As such the study sought to explore the knowledge about schistosomiasis among residents of the district, to determine perceptions of school-based deworming exercise and to identify challenges and coping strategies in relation to school-based de-worming exercise. This study used a qualitative approach employing phenomenological design to identify the factors that promotes acceptability of the School-Based De-worming Exercise in the Biakoye district. A total of 27 participants were recruited to take part in this study. Out of this number, fourteen caregivers were grouped into two FGD‘s of 6 and 8 members respectively. Then through purposive sampling three (3) IDI‘S with disease control officers, five (5) IDI‘s with teachers and five (5) more IDI‘s with caregivers was also conducted. With the aid of NVivo version 12.0, inductive-deductive analysis was done after recorded interviews were transcribed word for word, coded and analysed for generating themes. These themes and sub-themes have been duly presented in the results and discussion sections of this paper. There is basic knowledge on schistosomiasis and the School-Based De-worming exercise among respondents. Among the people studied, it is accepted that the SBD exercise is beneficial, it has improved school attendance and their performance in school. It is a very good avenue for children from poor homes to get dewormed. Yet despite these widely accepted benefits, some caregivers do not allow their wards to take part in the exercise due to limited knowledge on the consequences of schistosome infections. Other contributing factors misconceptions of praziquantel and the SBD exercise and fear of what may happen to a child who takes the drug. Overall, there exist high acceptability of the school-based de-worming exercise. Based on the findings above, it was recommended that more education should be given to residents of Biakoye district those who have benefitted from the SBD exercise should share their experiences with others to encourage joining in.Item Accessibility and Use of Library Resources in Balme Library, University Of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2010-06) Angono, B.E.The advent of information technology has led to information explosion and as such libraries are shifting from collection to access. Providing access to information has thus become the principal goal of libraries. Patrons enjoy using resources that are accessible and this is made possible by providing an enabling environment. This study attempts to evaluate accessibility and use of library resources in Balme Library, University of Ghana, Legon and to profile some suggestions to improve accessibility and use. Using the survey method, the researcher administered questionnaires to Level 400 students of the Department of Information Studies and the staff of Balme Library to elicit information from them. The findings indicated that the information literacy skills provided in Balme Library was not adequate enough to enable users make effective use of the resources. The study revealed that formats of documents such as audiovisua1 materials were not adequate. Furthermore, the study revealed that accessibility was hindered by mis-shelving; miscatalouguing; invisible call numbers; low bandwidth; inadequate information literacy skills; and inadequate workstations/computers. However, it was found that most of the users made use of the Online Public Access Catalogue hence justifying the huge surn of money spent on automation. It was also discovered that the existing enabling environment in the library was not conducive enough. To resolve the findings, several recommendations were advanced to improve accessibility and use of the resources in the Balme Library. Some of these recommendations are as follows: provision of adequate literacy skills; more workstations/computers; better staff strength through training; internet connectivity on campus to enable 'anytime and anywhere' access to Balme Library Online Public Access Catalogue(OPAC)Item Accessibility and Utilization of Scholarly Electronic Journals by the Academic Staff of Garden City University College, Kumasi and Christian Service University College, Kumasi, Ghana(University of Ghana, 2015-07) Boakye, E.; Alemna, A.A.; Ankrah, E.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Information StudiesDevelopments in the field of information technology have led to a great change in the collection development and service structure of libraries. In recent times, libraries, especially academic libraries, are not only seen with print and non-print resources but also with scholarly electronic journals. Scholarly electronic journals in reality have become one of the most used technological innovations in modern times and also the backbone of many academic institutions. The main focus of the study was to compare awareness, accessibility and utilization of scholarly electronic journals by the academic staff of Garden City University College (GCUC) and Christian Service University College (CSUC), Kumasi. The study also sought to determine factors affecting electronic journal usage and limitations in accessing and using scholarly electronic journals. The survey method was used and questionnaire was also used as the main instrument. The entire population of one hundred and eighty-seven (187) was used. The findings revealed low awareness and accessibility levels as well as under-utilization of scholarly electronic journals in both university colleges. No statistically significant relationship was found between gender and usage of scholarly electronic journals at a p-value of 0.354 which is greater than the significant level of 0.05. No statistically significant relationship was found between age and usage of scholarly electronic journals at a p-value of 7.159 which is greater than the significant level of 0.05. No statistically significant relationship was found between other factors including differences in discipline, educational level, computer skills and age at a p-value of 7.159, 5.308, and 0.504 respectively which are all greater than the significant level of 0.05. However, a statistically significant relationship was found between awareness and usage of electronic journals. The study recommends awareness creation, training, provision of more relevant electronic journals, infrastructure, quality staff and sustenance to ensure maximum access and use of scholarly electronic journals in GCUC and CSUC and also to commensurate the investment made in them.Item Accessibility Of Academic Library Services To Distance Learners: A Study Of University Of Ghana Library System(University of Ghana, 2015-07) Bubuama, C.K.A.This study seeks to investigate the accessibility of academic library services to distance learners, with specific reference to University of Ghana Library System (UGLS). The general objective of the study is to assess the level of awareness and accessibility of library services to distance students. A survey was conducted and one hundred and thirty eight (138) Level 400 distance learning students in the Accra Learning Centre together with University librarian of the University of Ghana were selected by the convenience and purposive sampling methods to collect primary data using questionnaires and interviews respectively. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and thematic analysis are used to analyze the completed questionnaire and interview responses respectively. The results from the findings revealed that a greater proportion of the respondents were not aware of the library services and programmes. Moreover, it was discovered that most of the subjects acquired their IT training through personal effort other than the University‘s. In addition, the study revealed that quite a number of the respondents were at the intermediate level with regard to IT or computer knowledge. Furthermore, distance learners had no remote access to library electronic resources and other databases and therefore did not strongly agree to the provision of their information needs through social media services. It was also evident that information needs of respondents were mostly not provided for adequately. The study recommended the following to the management of the University of Ghana Library System (UGLS); awareness creation of library resources, user education on Information Literacy of library resources and programmes, encouraging the use of social media, training/user education and initiation on borrowing of library resources.Item Adoption and Implementation of Mobile Technology Based Library Services in Ghanaian Academic Libraries(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Acheampong, E.Modern trends in library settings particularly in the academic library environment require that, academic libraries be positioned to provide remote and boundary-less access to their collections and services. Mobile Technologies (MT) have been embraced by stakeholders of academic libraries globally in recent times, as it is considered as a strong communication medium that can offer convenient library services to library patrons. The overall objective of this study was to ascertain the potentials of adopting and implementing Mobile Technology based Library Services in academic libraries in Ghana. The study was a descriptive survey and the mixed method approach was used. The study was limited to two academic libraries in Ghana namely, Sam Jonah Library of UCC and Osagyefo Library of UEW. A total sample size of 400 respondents was used, consisting of 10 library staff and 390 graduate students. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques were adopted to select the library staff and graduate students respectively. Three hundred and sixty five responses were received. A questionnaire and an in depth interview were used to collect data for the study. The data collected was analyzed with SPSS software version 22 using descriptive statistics (frequency counts and percentages) and content thematic analysis. The major findings were that there was a strong awareness and deep appreciation for the use of MT library services among library management and students, however MT based library services has not been implemented in these two libraries due to diverse reasons. These include inadequate ICT infrastructure, skills gap as a result of lack of training, lack of policy framework for the adoption of the technology and clearing the hurdle of convincing university management to accept the technology. As a result, it was recommended that the two libraries need to invest more in ICT infrastructure specifically MT infrastructure and build on their human resource base through recruitment and professional training on emerging technologies.Item Adoption and Use of Information and Communication Technology in Academic Libraries of Selected Private Universities in Ghana.(University of Ghana, 2020-10) Abubakar, A.The importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in libraries cannot be over emphasized. The advent of information and communication technology has changed the way libraries operate in recent times, and private university libraries cannot be left out in the ICT revolution. Librarians have changed from simple storekeepers who were concerned with the protection of books against theft and mutilation, to information officers who encourage the use of information in the vast array of information material. Private university libraries have a lot of challenges in terms of level of adoption to ICT when compared to their counterparts in their public university. In view of the above, this study set out to examine the level of ICT adoption in private university libraries in Ghana in terms of physical and to find out how committed the management of private universities are in acquiring ICT tools for to the libraries. The study further examined the capabilities and competence of both library staff and student in the use of ICT facilities and the level of satisfaction in the use of ICT in the various universities. This study used the mixed method approach which involved adopting both the quantitative and qualitative approach. The study used thirty percent of the graduate students as the sample size. Therefore, sample size of the student’s respondents was one hundred and eighteen (118). Since the population of the library staff was not too large the entire population of professional librarians and 6 paraprofessionals was used. The research revealed that even though private universities have adopted ICT use in the libraries, there are challenges with training of staff in the use of ICT, and the lack of satisfaction with the work of technical people who do not understand the technicalities of the library work. The recommendations given were that management of private universities should invest more in ICT facilities for the libraries. Library staff should also be given enough training in ICT so that they can be in better position to help their users. Again, the government should constitute a body to oversee the affairs of private university libraries so as to ensure conformity with the library standards.Item Assessing Quality Assurance Practices in Institutions of Higher Learnings(International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 2019) Dei, D.G.J.In the effort to globalize higher education services and embark on innovative knowledge production and dissemination aimed at fitting into the global scheme, quality assurance becomes the sine qua non. Quality assurance (QA) provides the tools and direction to improve the quality of knowledge created, stored, and shared at institutions of higher learning. This study assesses the development and practice of QA in institutions of higher learning (IHLs) in Ghana. The mixed research method was used to collect data from staff and officers of institutions of higher learning who are directly involved in ensuring quality in the institutions. Six (6) IHLs participated in this study. The results indicated a generally higher degree of awareness and understanding of the concept of QA at the institutions as all of them have a QA department. The institutions are putting in more effort to ensure quality by carrying out internal assessments as there are available policies and strategies aimed at ensuring quality at the institutions. This led to high service quality at the institutions except for the College of Health. Besides, the focused areas quality at the institutions: stated vision, mission; governance structure; statutes and conditions of service; academic and programs; clean and siren environment; staffing; and library, technology, and information services. Despite these, the study established that the quality assurance units of the institutions lacked the necessary resources (technology, library, staff, laboratories, etc) for effective quality assurance activities.Item Assessment of Information Literacy Programmes in Tertiary Institutions in Ghana A Case Study of University of Education, Winneba and University of Cape Coast(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Nii-Okai, D.This study assesses the information literacy skills of students of University of Education, Winneba and University of Cape Coast in the Central Region. The main objectives of the study are to determine the students’ skills to access and use information; gather evidence on how students evaluate information; ascertain the students’ awareness of legal and ethical implication of information usage; to investigate barriers to access information by the students and finally to assess the teaching methods employed in teaching. The study employs the multiple case study approach with interviews and questionnaires. Questionnaires were distributed to one hundred and thirty-eight (138) students in the two institutions which represent 10% of the total population. An interview was also conducted with the lecturers of the two universities. A total of sixteen (16) interviewees were used. The questionnaire data was analyzed with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) in line with the objectives of the study. The interviews were analyzed under the thematic areas of the study. The findings of the study show that students to a very large extent were familiar with the various types of information. It was further revealed in the study that students lacked the competencies in using wildcard/truncation and Boolean operators. Some of the barriers to the effective use of information include students not getting the needed materials from the library, lack of support from library staff and lack of information retrieval skills. Other challenges heighted in this include inadequate credit hours, insufficient lecture halls and ICT laboratories. The study therefore recommends among other things, the acquisition of more teaching and learning materials, increase in the credit hours, increase in infrastructure, provision of functional ICT laboratories, employing of more lecturers, making the programme stand-alone course in UEW and placing more emphasis on search strategies to help improve on the programme.Item Assessment of Information Literacy Skills among Students of Opoku Ware and Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High Schools in Kumasi(University of Ghana, 2016-07) Yeboah, P.; Dadzie, P.S.; Akussah, H.; University of Ghana, College of Education School of Information and Communication Studies Department of Information StudiesThere has been a global acceptance of the need for students at all levels of education to acquire Information Literacy skills. Currently, there has been proliferation of information sources as information comes in various forms and it is prudent for every individual and especially students to be wise information users to assume greater control of their own learning. This study assesses the information literacy skills of students of Opoku Ware and Yaa Asantewaa Girls’ Senior High Schools in Kumasi. The main objectives of the study are to determine the students skills to access information; gather evidence on how students evaluate information; ascertain the students awareness of legal and ethical implication of information usage and finally to investigate barriers to access information by the students. The study employs the cross-sectional survey research methodology. Questionnaires were distributed to one hundred and seventy (170) students in the two schools which represent 10% of the total population. An interview was also conducted with the heads of the two schools and with the library staff of the two schools. A total of four interviewees were used. Data was analyzed with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) in line with the objectives of the study. The findings of the study show that though both schools have libraries, they are manned by unprofessional staff that do not possess the skills to organize orientation and user education and as well teach the students to acquire the skills of Information Literacy. Further revelations show students’ lack of understanding of how to evaluate information from both print and online sources. Furthermore, only a few students from both schools were aware of the issues of legal and ethical surrounding the use of information. Some challenges to accessing information by students are the unavailability of the internet services on campus especially as in the case of Opoku Ware School and the high cost of textbooks. The study therefore recommends among other things, the incorporation of Information Literacy Program into Senior High School Students (SHS) Curriculum, provision of functional Information and Communication Technology (ICT) laboratories with Internet connectivity, employment of trained library staff and the collaboration between librarians, teaching staff and the major stakeholders in the educational sector in Ghana to promote Information Literacy programs.Item An Assessment of Mobile Money Service Adoption in Ghana, A Case Study of Fidelity Bank Ghana Ltd and Ghana Commercial Bank Ghana Limited(University of Ghana, 2018-07) Akosen, L.T.The rise of mobile money in Ghana has opened up diverse opportunities in the financial sector, and has become the catalyst to bridging the gap between the banked and unbanked population. It has increased awareness of the need to develop the technological base of every sector for national development. This study assessed mobile money service adoption in Ghana using GCB Ghana Bank and Fidelity Bank Ghana Ltd as case studies, with a view of recommending solutions to fine-tune the banks’ services portfolio. A conceptual model was developed based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). The study adopted the survey methodology and was placed within the scientific epistemology of realism. The study setting were GCB Limited and Fidelity Bank in the Greater Accra Region. The study population were the bank customers, a sample of 188 of which were used for the study. Convenience sampling was adopted for the study. Questionnaire was the main instrument for data collection and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 2.0 was used for the analysis of the data. The findings revealed that, customer needs for mobile money services differed between the banked and the unbanked population. The respondents informed that, the main reasons mobile money adoption in the banks are checking of accounts, paying bills, withdrawals among others. But, for the unbanked customers adoption is mainly driven by sending and receiving cash. It also noted that, adoption of mobile money service in Ghana is affected by perceived usefulness, perceived trust, social influence and competitive intensity. The study recommended among others that, stakeholders in mobile money in Ghana and the mobile money providers recognize these factors that affect customers ‘intention to use mobile money as well as the challenges associated. This is necessary so as to increase its use and encourage its general acceptance within the banking sector. Furthermore, the study provided guidance to mobile financial institutions to ensure ease and usefulness of mobile money services to increase growth and adoption. Further research on the assessment of mobile money services in the banks could help to determine the impact of these services on revenue and liquidity of the banksItem Assessment of Skills and Competencies of Academic Librarians for Scholarly Communicaton: A Case of Private Universities in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2019-07) Adu – Sarbeng, A.The last decade or two has witnessed the rise in the setting up of private tertiary education in Ghana, most of which are set up in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. These private institutions are attached to their respective academic libraries which support the teaching, learning and research need of the institutions. Since these institutions are that of higher learning, it is imperative that their librarians develop high level of knowledge and skills in the major areas of scholarly communication so that they can contribute meaningfully to the research processes and activities in their respective institutions. This study adopted both exploratory and quantitative methods. In all, thirty academic librarians from various private universities were selected as the population of the study. The instrument used to collect data was the questionnaire. The questionnaires were personally distributed to the respondents by the researcher. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data collected from the study. The study revealed that academic librarians of the Private Universities play critical roles in academic research which include increasing access to information, promoting information literacy, institutional repository management, ensuring copyright compliance among others. It was also discovered that librarians of the private universities have intermediate level knowledge on the various practices under research data management. Formal education was found to be the most effective mode of training librarians. Recommendations made based on the findings of the study include advocacy and training of librarians, development of robust and sustainable methods of identifying training needs of librarians and the formation of a proactive and collaborative unit by the librarians to exchange knowledge and expertise.Item Automating a Private University Library in Ghana: Prospects and Challenges: A Study of the Walton Whaley Library of the Valley View University(University of Ghana, 2003-12) Amoah, C.N.E.This work enquired into the issues concerning automating a private university library - the Walton Whaley Library at the Valley View University. It looked Into how patrons and staff of the library feel about the issues. It examined their knowledge about computers and library functions. Based on this knowledge they would be able to intelligently advice or voice their opinions on the issue.Item Automation of Private School Libraries in Ghana: A Case Study of SOS-HERMANN GMEINER International College, Tema(University of Ghana, 2000-10) Awortwe-Abban, J.P.The automation of information systems is now a necessity. School libraries. as information centres In second-cycle institutions, must automate their services in order to provide more efficient and quality services as well as introduce new information media for the enhancement of the schools' instructional programmes This study is conducted partly to investigate the role of these multimedia in he enhancement of information provision in schools. It also sets out to investigate the integration of school libraries in the academic programmes of schools, using the SOS-Hermann Gmeiner International College Library automation as a case study. The methodology adopted for the collection of data is the cross sectional survey, based mainly on the use of the interview and survey questionnaire. The results of the study are presented in the form of descriptive statistics and the facts emerging from the study commented upon. The major conclusion drawn from the study is that though an expensive venture, automation is crucial to the enhancement of the teaching-learning situation in schools and must be adopted in all school libraries in Ghana, as a matter of necessity. Based on the conclusion the recommendation is made to the Ministry of Education of Ghana and the proprietors of private secondary schools on how best to automate school libraries in the face of the current low budgetary allocations from Government.Item Availability and Use of Adaptive Technology for Supporting Persons with Disability in Selected Public Academic Libraries in Ghana.(University Of Ghana, 2019-06) Addae-Wireko, A.This study was to examine the available adaptive technologies and the role they play in supporting PWDs in public academic libraries in Ghana. University of Cape Coast library and University of Ghana library were purposively selected for the study since these institutions were known public universities that practice inclusive education. Interview guides were used as data collection tool. A total of 20 respondents were selected and the interviews targeted 16 students with disabilities, the 2 librarians and the 2 heads of the unit in the library that catered for the needs of the students with special needs. The library environment and services were assessed considering the adaptive technologies that are present in the selected cases to support PWDs to be independent users of the library. The thematic content analysis was used in analysing the data. On the constructive side, the study revealed that the two selected cases had some form of adaptive technologies that aided PWDs to access some services in the library, there was a special unit dedicated to serving the needs of PWDs and there were dedicated staff that served their needs. Nonetheless, the adaptive technologies that were needed to access the libraries built environment as well as library services were woefully inadequate to afford the students with disabilities independent life in the library environment. Elevators and ramps were missing, computers were often faulty, alternative format of information were in most cases not available, internet connectivity were often poor, and all these together with the financial challenge faced by the libraries and the lack of formal library policy that targeted service provision for PWDs made it difficult for the libraries to serve the students with disability. In view of these recommendations to improve on the provision of adaptive technologies included: changing some of the disabling factors in the built environment like providing ramps and elevators, increasing the number of adaptive technologies like computers with all the necessary software and ensuring that the available adaptive technologies are in a good working condition.Item Availability And Use Of E-Resources By Postgraduate Students Of The University For Development Studies (UDS)(University Of Ghana, 2021-12) Aloribasua, G.A.With the advent of technology, tremendous changes have occurred in the digital information environment that has brought about a diverse and sophisticated change in taste and preference of information needs of library patrons. This has necessitated a paradigm shift in library resource collection process, with e-resources now becoming core resources for information delivery in academic libraries. To keep pace with this technological trend and change in information preferences of users, academic libraries have focused on making available electronic information resources for both local and remote users. However, making available these electronic resources without full utilization by users leads to wastage of scares financial resources used to subscribe to the resources. The study sought to examine ways to promote greater effective use of electronic resources by postgraduate students in the University for Development Studies (UDS) library. The research design was a quantitative survey approach. Sample size was determined with the aid of the Krejcie and Morgan sample ratio table, while sampling technique was convenience sampling. Postgraduate student population was 750 with a sample size of 256. Four (4) librarians were engaged for the data collection as well. A well-structured questionnaire was administered through Google forms to respondents. Response rate was 85%. Responses were analysed with Google forms and transferred to Microsoft Excel version 16 for representation of results in Tables and Pie charts. The findings of the study revealed that majority of postgraduate students were not aware of the e-resources available in the UDS library. It was revealed that there was low publicity of the resources resulting in the low awareness of their existence. The study also showed that training on e-resources for users was inadequate, hence rendering the e-resources not easily accessible and usable for the students. Major challenges identified were limited internet bandwidth, intermittent power outages, and insufficient budgetary funds. It was recommended that library management acquire adequate internet bandwidth to ensure faster internet connections for smooth use of e-resources and easy downloads, procure a standby power supply to keep the library running continuously even when there is power outage or a fluctuation, solicit for more funds from university management to enable the library to undertake activities like trainings and workshops, exhibitions, and other promotional activities on a regular base to create awareness of the library’s resources and services. Management of UDS library should also advocate for the academic board to incorporate the teaching of information literacy as a compulsory course for postgraduate students.Item Awareness and Incidence of Plagiarism among Students of Higher Education: A Case Study of Narh-Bita College(University of Ghana, 2016-07) Abukari, Z.; Dadzie, P.S.; University of Ghana, College of Education, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Information studiesA series of ethical issues are on the rise in academia, especially plagiarism. In this age of information overload, more and more students and researchers are turning to the Internet for already made solutions and short-cuts for writing assignments, research papers and thesis. This culture certainly does not promote academic excellence and critical thinkers. The study examined students’ awareness and incidence of plagiarism at the Narh-Bita College. It further looked at motivations behind plagiarism and students’ knowledge of the institution’s policy on plagiarism. The study employed the survey research methodology. A total of 143 nursing and physician assistant students participated in this study. A self-reported questionnaire survey was used for collection of data. The findings of the study revealed that there was high level of awareness about plagiarism amongst the students. Findings also revealed that there was high incidence and practices of plagiarism in the academic life of the students. Poor understanding of the concept of plagiarism was ranked as the highest motivator behind plagiarism. The findings of the study further revealed that students’ knowledge on the institution’s plagiarism policy was low. The study again revealed faculty’s laxity in the enforcement of plagiarism policies. Based on the findings of the study, the study recommends among others the teaching of the concept plagiarism to promote the ethical use of information among students and the pro-active enforcement of policies on plagiarism by faculty to effectively stem the incidence of plagiarism in the college.Item Awareness and Use of Online Academic Databases among Undergraduate Students at the University of Ghana(University Of Ghana, 2020-10) Okyere, E.K.The advancements in technology have necessitated the change in preferences in a number of fields. This is seen in libraries making the conscious effort to subscribe to online academic databases to enable their users can get access to thousands of scholarly and peer reviewed articles. However, due to the cost of subscriptions, equipment and among others, if the users are not making use of them, then it becomes a challenge. Hence, this study investigated the awareness and use of online academic databases among the undergraduate students at the University of Ghana in Accra City Campus. This study is useful to libraries, the student body in academic institutions, policy makers in academic institutions and researchers. The study used the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as the theoretical framework. The study adopted a case study design which used a quantitative approach with a sample of 256 of the Accra City Campus BA students of the University of Ghana. Stratified and convenience sampling were used and questionnaire was the instrument for data collection and analysed using the SPSS and transferred to MS Excel for graphical representations and frequencies. The study revealed a high awareness and satisfaction of the online academic databases among the students. However, they are rarely used by them and mostly to aid in their academics. They again found it easy to use and access to the online academic databases was mostly through their mobile phones but the major challenge they faced was slow internet and the study as such recommended trainings, subscriptions to more databases, awareness programmes, intensive orientations and addressing the slow internet access to curb the challenges faced.Item Awareness and Use of the Internet by Academic Staff and Students of the University Of Ghana(University of Ghana, 2001-10) Markwei, E.D.The aim of the study was 10 find the extent of awareness and use of the Internet and its sources by academic staff and postgraduate students of the University of Ghana. The purposes for. motivations. the limitations and barriers in using the Internet were explored; so were the differences in use among staff, students, and faculty. The survey method was used. Questionnaires were distributed to 175 academic Staff and 216 postgraduate students. One hundred and twenty three (123) and 121 usable responses were received from staff and students respectively. The responses have been presented and analyzed. The main findings of the study indicate that, both staff and students are fully aware of the Internet and most of its services. Academic staff in general use the lnternet and its services more than students. However. both staff and students from the science faculty use the Internet and its services more than those from the Arts and Social Science facu lties. The study also established that, among the services. Email is highly used by both staff and students. The main motivation far using the Internet is communication with friends and colleagues; and the main limitation in Internet usage is slow data transmission in the case of staff, and difficulty in locating information in the case students. The main barriers to using the Internet arc: frequeat1y disrupted service and inadequate time available to users for accessing the net. A significant relationship has been established between Internet use and age of student, faculty of student, and computer usage of both staff and students Both staff and students found the Internet a very useful resource that. provides them with information in their subject fields. The main reason for non-use of the Internet is inadequate training The study recommended among others, the training of staff and students to use specific tools to ensure effective use of the internet in all their academic pursuits.Item Awareness Of Academic Research Ethics Among Senior Polytechnic Librarians In Ghana(University of Ghana, 2017-07) Barfi, F.K.The Polytechnics in Ghana are currently in transition of upgrading to Technical University status. In view of this, academic research and for that matter compliance to research ethics has become key. The study explored the awareness of academic research ethics among Senior Polytechnic Librarians across the ten regions of Ghana by looking at the librarians’ role in support to academic research, impact of Information and Communication Technology on research ethics, components of ethical dilemmas, importance of ethical compliance in scholarship, control of the menace of misconducts, and some of the tools and applications for assessing compliance with research ethics. As behavioural attitudes, the adoption of the ‘‘duty-based theory which complements the need for compliance to academic research policies, rules, code of conducts and committees was adopted. This was an exploratory study that adopted the quantitative method. Thirty-seven (37) Senior Polytechnic librarians were the population surveyed. Questionnaire was the instrument used for the data collection. The questions were emailed to majority of the respondents, whilst the researcher personally distributed that of Accra, Cape Coast and Koforidua Polytechnics. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. The study revealed research author aid services, development of institutional repositories, information literacy and digitisation as roles undertaken to support research in the Polytechnic. The study discovered plagiarism, copyright abuse, fabrication, encroachment on privacy, poor record keeping and abuse of fair use policy as some of the common ethical misconducts. Dilemmas such as honorary authorship, conflict of interest, ghost authorship and salami publications received minimal awareness among the respondents. Other delinquencies which came to light were data insecurity, social network abuse and e-waste. Academic integrity, reputation building, institutions’ ranking, competition for grants, standardisation in research, transparency, accountability and openness leading to continuity of research were indicated as some of the benefits. Ethical awareness and compliance additionally served as sources of funding in meeting sponsors and funders criteria. Recommendations identified included the use of innovative applications such as plagiarism detectors, reference managers, learning and content management systems. Interactive approaches such as practice of Personal Information Management (PIM), establishment of academic writing centres, information literacy, establishment of ethical committees coupled with vigorous accreditation standards were indicated. Teaching of ethics in Library and Information Science (LIS) schools was also recommended.