Impact of ICT Integration into the LIS Curricula in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The study assesses Library and Information Science (LIS) education and training in Zimbabwe in the context of global and technological innovations. The study is informed by the post-positivist paradigm and used both qualitative and quantitative methods. The case study research design was used with different data collection tools such as survey questionnaires, in-depth interviews and document reviews. The population of the study included five deans or heads of departments and 47 LIS faculty staff, 108 final-year students from the five institutions offering LIS education and training in Zimbabwe, and 17 employers. Deans and LIS employers were purposively selected. All LIS faculty staff were included in the study. LIS final-year students were selected using the simple random sampling technique. Data were analysed using NVivo 10 and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 20. The study found very low levels of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration into LIS curricula. This was attributed to status quo bias (a preference for the current state of affairs), a lack of appropriate enabling incentives such as policy and regulatory frameworks, inadequate human and physical ICT infrastructure, lack of a committed transformational technological leadership, and lack of a clear sense of educational purpose for ICT use. In addition, the study found that effective ICT integration is hindered by paradigm paralysis, paradigm effects and attendant organisational inertia in LIS education institutions in Zimbabwe. The study calls for a paradigm shift in LIS education from the teacher-centred instructivism to student-centred or heutagogical approaches.