Digital Pedagogies Methods for Learning Information Retrieval Content Modules in South African Library and Information Science Higher Education Institutions

Ndumiso Shelembe; Athena Rajagopaul; Mogiveny Rajkoomar

doi:10.25159/2663-659X/20939

Authors

Ndumiso Shelembe Durban University of Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9075-3107
Athena Rajagopaul Durban University of Technology https://orcid.org/0009-0008-7562-7779
Mogiveny Rajkoomar Durban University of Technology https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0181-7947

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/20939

Keywords:

digital pedagogies methods, IR content modules, teaching and learning, LIS HEIs, LIS education, South Africa

Abstract

This qualitative article explores digital pedagogies methods for learning information retrieval (IR) content modules in South African Library and Information Science (LIS) higher education institutions (HEIs). The study seeks to establish the content of IR modules, and the digital pedagogies methods used for learning IR content modules in South African LIS HEIs offering LIS education. The population of this study includes the LIS students learning IR content modules. The researcher used document reviews for the IR content module descriptors and assessment plans, and focus-group discussions with the LIS students as data-collection instruments. The collected data were analysed using document analysis and thematic analyses. This study revealed that the content of IR modules comprises information literacy; information sources and resources; authority control; cataloguing; metadata; classification; subject headings; abstracting and indexing; information searching/seeking and retrieval; bibliographic control; information organisation; alerting services; designing personal websites, blogs, wikis and personal databases; scholarly communication; digital scholarship; digital curation; applications of digital technologies; principles, standards, frameworks and models for resource description and discoverability; vocabulary control; and thesaurus. This study further established that the digital pedagogies used for learning IR content modules involves the learning management system known as Moodle, and the online platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Telegram. This article recommends that the South African LIS HEIs teach and learn a standardised and digitally transformed content of the IR modules and adapt with the new teaching and learning methods of digital pedagogies.

Author Biographies

Ndumiso Shelembe, Durban University of Technology

Department of Information Systems, PhD: LIS Student

Athena Rajagopaul, Durban University of Technology

Department of Information Systems, Senior Lecturer

Mogiveny Rajkoomar, Durban University of Technology

Department of Information Systems, Senior Lecturer

References

Bitso, C., and R. Raju (Eds.). 2015. LIS Education and Research in a Dynamic Information Landscape: Proceedings of the Library and Information Studies Centre 75 Years Commemorative Conference. University of Cape Town Libraries. https://doi.org/10.15641/0-7992-2526-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15641/0-7992-2526-6

Cambridge Dictionary, “filing,” Accessed 2024. https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/filing.

Chikwaka, M., D. Ahmad and L. Mohebi. 2024. “Technology-Based Teaching.” In Digital Learning: Trends and Challenges in Education, 42–61. Eureka.

Chothia, A. 2020. “Coronavirus Outbreak Closes All South African Universities, Colleges.” The South African. https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/coronavirus-southafrican-universities-colleges-closed-nzimande.

Creswell, J. W. 2016. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches. Sage.

Davies-Hoffman, K., B. Alvarez, M. Costello and D. Emerson. 2013. “Keeping Pace with Information Literacy Instruction for the Real World: Will MLS Programs Wake Up and Smell the LILACs?” Communication in Information Literacy 7 (1): 9‒23. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2013.7.1.131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2013.7.1.131

Du Plooy-Cilliers, F., C. Davis and R. Bezuidenhout (Eds.). 2018. Research Matters. Juta.

Haleem, A., M. Javaid, M. A. Qadri and R. Suman. 2022. “Understanding the Role of Digital Technologies in Education: A Review.” Sustainable Operations and Computers 3: 275–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susoc.2022.05.004

Howell, J. 2012. What is a Digital Pedagogy and Why Do We Need One? Oxford University Press.

Idris, I. T. 2015. “Students’ Attitude to Cataloguing and Classification in an Academic Institution (The Case of Federal Polytechnic Offa).” Journal of Education, Arts and Humanities 3 (3): 40–48.

Kehrwald, B. A., and B. Parker. 2019. “Editorial: Implementing Online Learning, Stories from the Field.” Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice 16 (1): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.53761/1.16.1.1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53761/1.16.1.1

Ledwaba, L., M. A. Dikotla and M. R. Mahlatji. 2020. “Teaching and Learning of Cataloguing and Classification in Higher Education: A Case Study.” Innovation: Journal of Appropriate Librarianship and Information Work in Southern Africa 2020 (60): 1–22.

Leslie, D. J. 2023. “Authority Control.” Folgerpedia. https://folgerpedia.folger.edu/Authority_control.

Mahlatji, M., K. Maphopha and M. Dikotla. 2017. “Teaching and Learning of Classification Module: Experiences at University of Limpopo (UL).” Paper presented at the IFLA WLIC 2016 Satellite Meeting: Subject Access: Unlimited Opportunities, 11–12 August 2016, Columbus, Ohio, USA. https://library.ifla.org/id/eprint/2043.

Maluleka, J. R., and O. B. Onyancha. 2016. “Research Collaboration Among Library and Information Science Schools in South Africa (1991–2012): An Informetrics Study.” Mousaion 34 (3): 36–59. https://doi.org/10.25159/0027-2639/1082. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25159/0027-2639/1082

Manasseh, T. S., C. J. Nongo and E. E. Onah. 2021. “Information Search Strategy and Retrieval Tools in Libraries.” In Introduction to Library User Education in Higher Institutions in Nigeria, 81–89. Rayodok. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348995618.

Miller, P. 2003. “Metadata – What It Means for Memory Institutions. Metadata Applications and Management.” International Yearbook of Library and Information Management 3–16.

Monyela, M. J. 2019. “Cataloguing Practices from Creation to Use: A Study of Cape Town Metropolitan Public Libraries in Western Cape Province, South Africa.” PhD diss., University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Nanjundaswamy, C., S. Baskaran and S. M. H. Leela. 2021. “Digital Pedagogy for Sustainable Learning.” Shanlax International Journal of Education 9 (3): 179–85. https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v9i3.3881. DOI: https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v9i3.3881

National Institute of Open Schooling. 2023. “Information Retrieval Tools.” https://nios.ac.in/media/documents/srseclibrary/lch-016b.pdf.

Noori, A. 2021. Glossary of Key Terms in Educational Research. Kabul University Press. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED611000.pdf.

Onwuchekwa, E. O., and E. O. Jegede. 2011. “Information Retrieval Methods in Libraries and Information Centers.” African Research Review 5 (6): 108–20. https://doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.v5i6.10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/afrrev.v5i6.10

Panda, S. 2022. “The Work Architecture of the Sears List of Subject Headings (SLSH), Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), and Medical Subject Heading (MeSH): An Introduction.” Authoria 1–25. https://doi.org/10.22541/au.166212050.03129709/v1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.166212050.03129709/v1

Pongsakdi, N., A. Kortelainen and M. Veermans. 2021. “The Impact of Digital Pedagogy Training on In-Service Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Digital Technologies.” Education and Information Technologies 26: 5041–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10439-w. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10439-w

Rajkoomar, M. 2015. “The Development of a Framework for Blended Learning in the Delivery of Library and Information Science Curricula at South African Universities.” PhD diss., Durban University of Technology.

Raju, J. 2017. “To Teach or Not to Teach? The Question of the Academic Librarian’s Pedagogical Competencies in the Digital Age.” South African Journal of Higher Education 31 (2): 251–69. https://doi.org/10.20853/31-2-1096. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20853/31-2-1096

Riley-Huff, D. A., and J. M. Rholes. 2011. “Librarians and Technology Skill Acquisition: Issues and Perspectives.” Information Technology and Libraries 30 (3): 129–40. https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v30i3.1770. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6017/ital.v30i3.1770

Sibiya, P. T., and M. Shongwe. 2018. “A Comparison of the Cataloguing and Classification Curriculum and Job Requirements.” Library Management 39 (6–7): 474–87. https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-09-2017-0089. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/LM-09-2017-0089

Snoussi, T. 2019. “Learning Management System in Education: Opportunities and Challenges.” International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering 8 (12S): 664–7. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.L1161.10812S19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35940/ijitee.L1161.10812S19

Sutton, M. J., and C. F. B. Jorge. 2020. “Potential for Radical Change in Higher Education Learning Spaces After the Pandemic.” Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching 3 (1): 124–28. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2020.3.1.20

UFV (University of the Fraser Valley). 2023. “Teaching and Learning Centre: Digital Pedagogy.” https://www.ufv.ca/teaching-and-learning/tech-tools/digital-pedagogy/.

Yusuf, T. I. 2015. “Students’ Attitude to Cataloguing and Classification in an Academic Institution (The Case of Federal Polytechnic Offa).” Journal of Education, Arts and Humanities 3 (3): 40–48. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3652&context=libphilprac.