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Quality of the Library and Information Science curriculum in Nigerian universities
International Islamic University Malaysia
Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology
Kulliyyah of Information and Communication Technology, International Islamic University Malaysia
This research investigated the Quality of the Undergraduate Curriculum of Library and Information Science Departments in Nigerian Universities. The curriculum is considered as a backbone to the training of LIS professionals in the country, particularly, in this rapidly changing LIS environment. The main objectives of the research were to determine whether the contents of the undergraduate programmes offered by library schools in Nigeria were of international standards; to determine the extent of commitment by the library schools in conducting curriculum review; and to propose a model curriculum for undergraduate programmes for library schools in Nigeria. As a result, the rate of compliance of the curricula with the requirements of the international standards, the views of the faculty members, the views of the employers/stakeholders, as well the curricular documents of the LIS schools were all investigated. In addition, the factors that hindered the quality of the curriculum were also investigated. To accomplish the research objectives, mixed methods research were employed. The respondents to the study were the heads of the nine (9) LIS schools, the faculty members in those schools, and the employers of the LIS graduates. Their views were sought through qualitative and quantitative techniques that included: 68 self-administered questionnaires to the academic staff; another 9 self-administered questionnaires to the heads of the LIS schools; and 30 face-to-face in-depth-interviews with the employers of the LIS graduates in different types of libraries. These were further complemented by content analysis of the curricular documents of the LIS schools involved in the study with the aim of gaining further insights into the curricular issues in the LIS schools. The results of the study indicate that there were more core than elective courses in the curricula of the LIS schools studied. Undergraduate curricula remained strong in traditional areas of the field, like cataloguing, classification, indexing and abstracting services, as well as reference and information services. The study found that nearly all the LIS schools studied have a curriculum review committee with academic staff as members. As well, the undergraduate curricula were found to be in compliance with the local standards: the NUC MAS, and at the same time had closely complied with the IFLA, ALA, and ALIA standards/guidelines, although with deficiencies in certain areas. The research equally found that all the LIS schools surveyed were lacking in ICT subjects in their undergraduate curricula; while resources and facilities for curricular implementation were also inadequate. Furthermore, many departments changed their names from Library Science to Library and Information Sciences; and the curricula of some of the LIS schools contained some new and modern courses such as, Financial Management Skills, Economics/Politics of Information, Change Management, Internet Search Skills, as well as Entrepreneurship in LIS, but were not adequate. Additionally, the research found that whilst the faculty expressed satisfaction with their school's undergraduate curricula; the employers' of LIS graduates expressed dissatisfaction with the undergraduate curricula used in training the students. With regard to the participation of employers in curriculum development and review exercises in the LIS schools, the study found that the employers were neither involved nor consulted during such exercises. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the study. Additionally, a new curricular content for undergraduate LIS education was proposed.
"A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Library and Information Sciences)."--On t.p.
Thesis (Ph.D)--International Islamic University Malaysia, 2012.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 272-293).