Information Technologist (The)

Editorial

Evarest C. Madu — 2024-01-15

No Abstract

Impact of an online self-regulation clearn teaching tool on student performance in a large computer programming class. A case of Zimbabwe higher and tertiary education

Tirivashe Mafuhure — 2024-01-15

The demand for higher and tertiary education in Africa is now high, and as a result, public institutions are enrolling many students, a phenomenon now called massification (Pillay, 2020; Noui, 2020). The term massification is defined as the increase in the enrollment of students without a proportionate boost in resources (Adetiba, 2019; Mohamedbhai, 2016). Zimbabwean universities are enrolling many students to fund operations since government funding has dwindled (Garwe, 2016; Madzimure, 2016). The provision of quality education is becoming a challenge due to the high lecturer-student ratio, especially on courses that are highly practical in nature (Adetiba, 2019). There is a lack of proper management and engagement of students in very large classes, and as a result, students resort to memorizing content learned instead of engaging in critical thinking (Madzimure, 2016; Lee, 2016). Literature points out that if students develop self- regulated learning strategies, they will overcome challenges brought by massification. The purpose of this paper was to develop and evaluate the impact of a multimedia teaching tool in assisting students to develop selfregulated learning strategies so that they improve their performance while learning computer programming in a large class setup. Purposive sampling was used in this study, and the researcher adhered to design science research methodology.Students enrolled in introduction to computer programming used the multimediaClearn teaching tool that was developed hencepurposive sampling was used in this study.One class (BITH131) was the control group and students enrolled in BSIT 131 were the experimental group. Results obtained indicated that students who used the Clearn teaching tool performed better in a programming test as compared to students in the control group.

Application of ICT in teaching and learning at Government Technical College, Owerri, Imo State Nigeria

Cajethan Anumkua — 2024-01-15

This study examined theapplication of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning at Government Technical College, Owerri, Imo State – Nigeria.Survey research design method was used to conduct the study. The population of the study comprised 1259. Two hundred respondents (200) made up of 30 teachers and 170 students that were selected randomly to conduct the study. Questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data collection while data collected for the study was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Findings of the study showed that the available ICT facilities in the Technical College studied were computer systems, computer software packages, scanners and ICT teachersthat were not adequate. It was recommended that government should make adequate budgetary provisions to technical schools through their ministry of education in order to enable technical schools run and maintain their information and communication technology facilities in their technical schools as well as provide big standby generator that will ensure for steady power supply for the utilization of the ICT facilities in the technical colleges in the state as well as provide internet connection that would provide internet services to students and their teachers.

Examining the impact of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) as a gamechanger in Nigeria 2023 elections

Toba Paul Ayeni — 2024-01-15

The Smart Card Reader (SCR) deployed in Nigeria 2015 and 2019 elections by the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) for voter accreditation failed to eliminate voting by proxy. Thus, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was introduced. This revolutionary technology combines voter registration, accreditation, and results transmission in one device. INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) enrolls new voters; the BVAS accredits voters on Election Day while the same device uploads election results to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) Portal. Results show that the voter accreditation process is faster compared to SCR. BVAS has increased election participation, ensure equitable distribution of seats in the National Assembly, hence promoting inclusivity and sustenance of democracy in the country. This paper examines how BVAS works, how it protects election integrity, its drawbacks, and possible recommendation for future elections. Despite its drawbacks, technology is the answer to Nigeria electoral fraud. Its benefits exceed its drawbacks.

Examining current interventions in helping stimulate self-regulated learning strategies to programming students in a large class setup. A case of Zimbabwe higher and tertiary education

Tirivashe Mafuhure — 2024-01-15

This study explored the current interventions by institutions of higher and tertiary education in assisting students to develop Self- Regulated Learning (SRL) strategies when learning computer programming in a large class setup. This study was carried out following high academic failure by students who were learning computer programming in large numbers at Zimbabwe Open University. The findings were as follows: There is minimal assistance from instructors and e-learning platforms in assisting students to develop metacognitive SRL strategies to overcome the challenges of a high student-lecturer ratio, lack of resources, and lack of engagement. The study concluded that instructors and learning management systems that are currently in place are not fostering SRL strategies to programming students learning in a large class environment. The study recommended that there is a need for instructors to help foster SRL strategies in students while teaching computer programming concepts in a large class setup. In addition, universities should also develop tools that will track and project SRL strategies developed by each student, such as goal setting, planning, selfmotivation, self- evaluation, self-monitoring, and information seeking, among others. The tools should provide progress reports on each strategy developed so that students can improve on strategies that are poorly developed, become self-regulated, and overcome the challenges of a high student-lecturer ratio and lack of proper resources.

Citation patterns in the Moor Journal of Agricultural Research: Insights from a comprehensive analysis of 2006 - 2016 publications

Gbemisola Olayemi Alade — 2024-01-15

This research paper investigated the citation patterns within the Moor Journal of Agricultural Research from the year 2006 to 2016, offering a comprehensive analysis of author collaboration, institutional contributions, and preferred information resources. The study spans a significant periodand presents key findings that shed light on the journal's significance in the agricultural research community.One notable finding is the prevalence of collaborative efforts among authors, with threeauthored papers leading the pack at 32.79% of the total published articles during the study period. Two-authored papers follow closely, constituting 26.23% of the total output. In contrast, singleauthor papers occupy the fourth position, contributing 14.75% of the recorded papers. These results align with previous research, particularly the findings of Singh (2017), highlighting the collaborative nature of scientific research. Institutional analysis reveals that the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, in Ogun State, stands as the journal's most prominent contributor, accounting for 39.80% of the articles. The University of Ibadan in Oyo State follows with 19.14%, while Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife contributes 13.40%. This strong representation indicates the high recognition of the journal among agricultural scientists in the South West of Nigeria. Collectively, fifteen universities from the South West contribute 90.91% of the articles, while five universities from the northern region contribute 5.27%. The South-South region contributes 2.39%. Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, representing the South East, contributes the least at 1.43%, emphasizing the need for broader regional coverage. In terms of institutional affiliations of authors, the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) emerges as the dominant contributor, with an impressive 68.47% of the articles. This significantly surpasses other institutions, with the National Horticulture Research Institute and Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, both in Ibadan, contributing 8.11% each. The substantial difference between IAR&T and other institutions suggests a potential advantage related to its role as the journal's publisher. Further analysis reveals that the Federal College of Agriculture in Ibadan contributes the highest number of articles (41.18%), followed by the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology in Ibadan (29.41%).. In conclusion, this research offers a comprehensive overview of citation patterns in the Moor Journal of Agricultural Research, uncovering valuable insights into author collaboration, institutional contributions, and citation preferences.

A neuro-robotic prosthetic arm (Ruoko Bot)

Trymore Makombese — 2024-01-15

This paper focused on the provision of an affordable and less weight prosthetic arm for the Zimbabwean population.The research concentrated on improving the amputees’livings tandards by means of providing them with a useful artificial arm which can perform tasks as a normal human arm.Theliterature review was thoroughly done by investigating the latest prostatic arms available in the market.The V model or evolutionary prototypin gwas used in the research project to account for every component of the prosthetic limb. The V-model is a type of software development life cycle (SDLC)paradigm where processes run sequentially in a V-shape. The Ruoko bot is flexible and affordable thanthe current artificial prosthetic available. The prosthetic limb has an Arduino board which allows the useof an artificial intelligence algorithm to determine which signal of the brain's waves should be translated into bodily motion by an EEG head band.

Women librarians as transformational leaders in the society in the 21^st century: The Nigerian perspective

Ngozi Azubogu — 2024-01-15

Transformation is the ability to bring or make positive change in an organization or society. While leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to influence and guide followers or other members of an organization. These two concepts work in paripassu. Leadership involves making sound and difficult decisions, creating, articulating a clear vision, establishing goals and providing followers with knowledge and tools necessary to achieve those goals. This study examines the women librarians as transformational leaders of the society in the 21st century. Questionnaire based on modified 4 point Likert scale was used for data collection. Three hundred and twelve (312) women librarians from different libraries in the women librarian platform were used for the population of the study. The study investigates the respondents’ mode of managing and directing the affairs of their library in this 21st century information explosion opportunities and challenges. The data was analyzed using frequency tables, means scores and simple percentages and mean statistical method. The findings showed that women librarians through transformational leadership strategies impacted impressively on their clientele and the society at large; as they saw its importance, since it boosted their intellectuality, widened their horizons, improved productivity and gave satisfactory services to the library clientele. The study concluded that transformational leadership by women librarians helps to bring about new innovative and digitized way of rendering library services, build self-confidence, better ways of packaging and extending library and information services in this internet era. It equally concludes that there are some factors challenging these women librarians in their transformational ventures. Recommendations were proffered through

A survey of information literacy, social media use and knowledge sharing practices among undergraduates at The Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria

Jacob Kehinde Opele — 2024-01-15

This study investigated information literacy, social media use, and knowledge sharing practices among Undergraduates at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria. The study employed the descriptive survey design to collect primary data from the respondents. A sample size of 396 out of 40,000 undergraduates was selected using Taro Yamene’s formula. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select respondents across twelve faculties in the university. A validated self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between information literacy, social media use, and knowledge-sharing practices of undergraduates (F= 89.375, p<0.05). The finding exposes that information literacy (β = 0. -1.074, p<0.05) and social media use (β = -0.979, p<0.05) jointly had a significant interactive effect on knowledge-sharing practices of undergraduates. This paper concluded that the university enabling environment had a significant influence on information literacy, social media use, and knowledge-sharing practices among undergraduates. It was recommended that such efforts should be retained with a view to sustaining the existing culture of knowledge sharing among university undergraduates in the university.

Leadership style and budget performance in Nigeria

Phillip Simon Ekele — 2024-01-15

The use of budget as a technique for planning and control is universal in modern organizations, especially, in the commercial (business) entities. However, for budget to succeed in its mission of enhancing the value of the business, human factor is of prime importance. The objective of paper was to ascertain the exact nature and influence of leadership style in budget implementation and performance in Nigeria. The paper investigated impact of leadership style in budget performance in Nigeria. It sampled a cross section of experienced junior and senior management staff in quoted and unquoted companies to gain in insight into the influence of leadership style in budget performance. The data were analyzed using exploratory and inferential statistics. It is recommended that managers should be wary of pseudo-participation in budgeting because of its likely negative impact. In addition, no specific leadership style should be completely discountenanced. A contingency approach is advocated in the management of budgets, particularly, during periods of crisis in Nigeria

Artificial intelligence and library practice in developing countries: A call for realistic partnership and sustainable collaboration

Oyemike Victor Benson — 2024-01-15

The paper examined artificial intelligence and library practice in developing countries: a call for realistic partnership and sustainable bcollaboration. The highlights of the paper include: current technological state of libraries in developing countries; level of readiness among librarians cum libraries in developing countries to embrace AI tools and related technologies; areas of AI applicability in library and information service delivery; rationalization for realistic partnership and sustainable collaboration; viable institutes and agencies that librarians can collaborate and partner with for all-in-one deployment of AI tools; requisite skills for full integration of AI to library service delivery in developing countries and strategies for efficient deployment of AI. Recommendations were made in view of potential factors that may limit full actualization of viable partnership and sustainable collaborative efforts. b

The potentials of artificial intelligence in improving Africa informal cross border trade. What works, what doesn’t, and what’s next to Africans?

Nasibu R. Mramba — 2024-01-15

The incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI) into businesses has become increasingly widespread in recent years, particularly in developed countries, fundamentally reshaping the landscape of entrepreneurship and innovation. AI presents numerous opportunities for small businesses, including those involved in cross-border trade. It has the potential to transform various aspects of business operations, such as customer interactions, marketing research, understanding consumer behavior, optimizing routes, and forecasting sales and marketing trends. Additionally, AI can contribute to the formalization of business processes, and assist these businesses in adapting more effectively to the ever-changing dynamics of the market. However, the successful implementation of AI necessitates a meticulous assessment of AI applications to ensure alignment with the objectives and resources of each individual small business. This research demonstrates that AI can be effectively applied by Informal Cross-Border Traders (ICBT) to enhance their businesses and enhance competitiveness. There are several AI applications accessible to ICBT within their operational context. Although the adoption and utilization of AI in Africa are still in their infancy, there is considerable promise for the future. Africans must address the challenges hindering the adoption and utilization of AI, as technology is advancing rapidly, and opportunities await those who embrace it.