Descriptive Analytical Study on the Causes and Impact of Students’ Indisposed Use of University Library on the Educational Process (Published)
The university library is an essential knowledge provider that supports educational process. Nevertheless, it is noted that the university library use rate is low. This research examines the most corresponding causes of this indisposed use, explores the necessary ways to enhance the contribution of academic libraries in the educational process and proposes recommendations that enable the library to achieve its educational aims. Focused on a sample of 800 students of King Abdulaziz University, this paper adopts a descriptive survey-based approach using questionnaires & focus group discussions. The results revealed a clear decrease in the number of library users, and an image of the library as an unimportant accessory.
Keywords: Academic, English, Learning, Libraries, Research, resources
Evaluating Teachers’ Professional Development for ICT Use: Towards Innovative Classroom Practices (Published)
This paper describes an evaluation study designed to investigate the impact of an ICT-Instructional digital innovation in teaching Mathematics, English and Integrated Science subjects from the teacher capacity building professional development programme to classroom implementation at senior high school levels in Ghana. Interviews and survey data were used for data collection following a week professional development programme on the instructional digital learning training. The study demonstrated that the teachers increased in ICT proficiencies but this was limited to their own professional development and not so much of classroom implementation of ICT which results when transfer of learning takes place from training to practice. The study reported that teachers faced a complex mix of factors that when combined, contributed to challenges in transferring the ideas gained in the training programme to the classroom situation. It was evident from the findings that more systematic efforts are needed at the school levels and at the level of stakeholders who implement in-service teachers’ professional development programmes to move the goal of transforming teaching and learning through ICT-based innovations. Based on the outcomes, the study discussed recommendations to help smoothen the transition from teacher professional development programmes to actual classroom implementations in Ghanaian senior high schools and such similar contexts.
Keywords: Classroom, Developmenr ICT, Digital Innovation, English, Ghana, Integrated Science, Mathematics, Teacher