Speaker
Description
The study aimed to assess the status of information literacy skills (ILS) among medical undergraduate students in two Kenyan public universities and propose a framework to enhance ILS training and learning. Medical students require ILS competencies to effectively identify, locate, retrieve, evaluate, synthesise, and utilise information due to the growing complexity of library collections and the explosion of medical information in diverse formats. The study employed a pragmatic research paradigm with a mixed-method approach, using a descriptive survey design within a multiple case study. The target population included 685 students and 182 lecturers from medicine, dentistry, and nursing programs. The findings revealed that the majority of students had limited ILS competencies, struggled with search techniques (70.59%), and faced challenges in using information ethically and lawfully (77.65%). Additionally, students lacked essential fourth ICT revolution skills (83.52%) necessary for ILS learning. The study concluded that students had not acquired sufficient ILS competencies due to factors such as poor perception of ILS, low pedagogical expertise among ILS trainers, and the absence of sustainable ICT infrastructure to facilitate the acquisition and utilisation of fourth ICT revolution competencies. The study recommends an 8-step ILS Teaching Framework to enhance the delivery of information literacy programs, ILS advocacy, improvement in pedagogy, and continuous reskilling and upskilling among staff engaged in information provision and ILS delivery.
