Rethinking information ethics education in Ghana: Is it adequate?

The International Information & Library Review
This paperhighlightstheimportanceofinformationethicsandgivesanoverviewof thevariousaspectsofthesubjecttaughtatvariousinstitutionsofhigherlearninginGhana. The studynotesthatinformationethicsisnottaughtasaspecificorwholesubjectatanylevel in thetertiaryinstitutionsandquestionsthedepthofeducationgiventostudentsinthelight of someseriousinformationethicsviolationssuchasplagiarism,copyrightviolation,cyber crime andsocialnetworkabuses.Dataforthestudywerecollectedmainlyfromthedifferent university websites,universityhandbooks,courseoutlinesaswellasinterviewswithlibrarians and afewfacultymembersoftherespectiveuniversities.Thestudyrecommendstheintroduc- tion ofinformationethicsasauniversityrequiredcourseforallfreshmen,astand-alonecourse in informationethicsattheDepartmentofInformationStudies,adequatesensitizationpro- grammesonacademicintegrityandplagiarismpolicies,andtheenforcementoflawsand polices inGhana.Thesemeasuresaremeanttosafeguardindividualrightstoownership, privacy,confidentiality and security.
Research Article