3 - Introducing Open Source Reference Management Software to a Rural South African Campus: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Workshops at the University of the Free State’s Qwaqwa Campus
Corresponding Author(s) : Diana Breshears
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 14 No. 2 (2016): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Abstract
Despite the increased availability of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), the adoption of such information technology remains poor in developing countries. Free reference management software such as Zotero can significantly improve academic workflow and thus its adoption by academics in peripheral nations could be a cost-effective method of supporting and boosting research output. Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model, we assessed the effectiveness of a workshop as intervention to introduce Zotero (a novel FOSS in this particular community) to staff members and students at a rural university campus in South Africa. A series of questionnaires assessed how this intervention affected attitude towards, and use of, Zotero. While participants had positive attitudes towards the software at the start of the intervention, the workshop improved the perceived usefulness and ease of use of FOSS. For all participants, the main predictor of eventual regular use was its perceived ease of use. This study suggests that brief training workshops could significantly improve usage of novel open-source software, even with a lack of prior exposure to similar technologies. For students, it becomes important to emphasise the usefulness of the software, while academic staff may benefit from an emphasis on hands-on technical training.
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- Bennett, S., Maton, K., and Kervin, L., 2008, ‘The “digital natives” debate: A critical review of the evidence’, British Journal of Educational Technology, No. 39, pp. 775–86.
- Brown, C., and Czerniewicz, L., 2010, ‘Debunking the “digital native”: beyond digital apartheid, towards digital democracy’, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, No. 26, pp. 357–69.
- Centre for Teaching and Learning, 2013, Digital Identity of UFS Academic Staff 2013, Bloemfontein, South Africa: University of the Free State.
- Davis, F. D., 1986, A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: Theory and results, PhD thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Davis, F. D., 1989, ‘Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology’, MIS quarterly, pp.319–40.
- Davis, F. D,. and Venkatesh, V., 1996, ‘A critical assessment of potential measurement biases in the technology acceptance model: three experiments’, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, No. 45, pp. 19–45.
- Duong, K., 2010, ‘Rolling out Zotero across campus as a part of a science librarian’s outreach efforts’, Science and Technology Libraries, No. 29, pp. 315–24.
- Farkas, M., 2012, ‘In practice. Tools for optimal flow: Technology-enabled research workflows’, American Libraries, No. 43, pp. 23–23.
- Ghosh, R. A., and Glott, R., 2007, Free/Libre and Open Source Software: Worldwide impact study, United Nations University.
- Hoy, G., and Koopman, M. S., 2008, ‘Are Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions a viable option for academic libraries in South Africa?’, Innovation, No. 36, pp. 55–63.
- James, J., 2003, ‘Free software and the digital divide: opportunities and constraints for developing countries’, Journal of Information Science, No. 29, pp. 25–33.
- Jones, C., Huang, R., and Spector, J. M., 2012, ‘The new shape of the student’,Reshaping Learning, Berlin: Springer.
- Krooden, E. T., 2004, ‘Teaching Information Literacy Courses in Southern Africa: Lessons Learned in Training on Constructing Personal Bibliographic Databases’,Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, No. 45, pp. 221–8.
- Mendeley Ltd, 2012, Mendeley’s global research report. Available online at http://www. mendeley.com/global-research-report/. Accessed on 16 February 2014.
- Mutula, S. M., 2005, ‘Peculiarities of the digital divide in sub-Saharan Africa’,Program: Electronic library and information systems, No.39, pp. 122–38.
- Naude, F., Rensleigh, C., and Du Toit, A. S. A., 2010, ‘Using the open Web as an information resource and scholarly Web search engines as retrieval tools for academic and research purposes’, SA Journal of Information Management, No. 12, p. 6.
- Neil, S., 2009, ‘The digital native – myth and reality’, Aslib Proceedings, No. 61,pp. 364–79.
- Park, N., Roman, R., Lee, S. and Chung, J. E., 2009, ‘User acceptance of a digital library system in developing countries: An application of the Technology Acceptance Model’, International Journal of Information Management, No. 29,pp. 196–209.
- Prensky, M., 2001, ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’, Part 1, On the Horizon, No. 9, pp. 1–6.
- Schilling, L. S., 2005, ‘Publish or Perish: Writing Under Pressure’, Pediatric Nursing, No. 31, pp. 234–6.
- Singh, A. M., 2004, ‘Bridging the digital divide: the role of universities in getting South Africa closer to the global information society’, SA Journal of Information Management, p. 6.
- Straub, D., Keil, M. and Brenner, W., 1997,‘Testing the technology acceptance model across cultures: A three country study’, Information and Management, No. 33, pp. 1–11.
- Ursavaş, Ö. F., 2013, ‘Reconsidering the role of attitude in the TAM: An answer to Teo (2009) and Nistor and Heymann (2010), and Lopez-Bonilla and Lopez-Bonilla (2011)’, British Journal of Educational Technology, No. 44, pp. E22–E25.
- Walton, M., and Donner, J., 2012, ‘Public access, private mobile: The interplay of shared access and the mobile Internet for teenagers in Cape Town’, Global Impact Study Research Report Series, Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
- Zhang, Y., 2012, ‘Comparison of select reference management tools’, Medical Reference Services Quarterly, No. 31, pp. 45–60.
References
Bennett, S., Maton, K., and Kervin, L., 2008, ‘The “digital natives” debate: A critical review of the evidence’, British Journal of Educational Technology, No. 39, pp. 775–86.
Brown, C., and Czerniewicz, L., 2010, ‘Debunking the “digital native”: beyond digital apartheid, towards digital democracy’, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, No. 26, pp. 357–69.
Centre for Teaching and Learning, 2013, Digital Identity of UFS Academic Staff 2013, Bloemfontein, South Africa: University of the Free State.
Davis, F. D., 1986, A technology acceptance model for empirically testing new end-user information systems: Theory and results, PhD thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Davis, F. D., 1989, ‘Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology’, MIS quarterly, pp.319–40.
Davis, F. D,. and Venkatesh, V., 1996, ‘A critical assessment of potential measurement biases in the technology acceptance model: three experiments’, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, No. 45, pp. 19–45.
Duong, K., 2010, ‘Rolling out Zotero across campus as a part of a science librarian’s outreach efforts’, Science and Technology Libraries, No. 29, pp. 315–24.
Farkas, M., 2012, ‘In practice. Tools for optimal flow: Technology-enabled research workflows’, American Libraries, No. 43, pp. 23–23.
Ghosh, R. A., and Glott, R., 2007, Free/Libre and Open Source Software: Worldwide impact study, United Nations University.
Hoy, G., and Koopman, M. S., 2008, ‘Are Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) solutions a viable option for academic libraries in South Africa?’, Innovation, No. 36, pp. 55–63.
James, J., 2003, ‘Free software and the digital divide: opportunities and constraints for developing countries’, Journal of Information Science, No. 29, pp. 25–33.
Jones, C., Huang, R., and Spector, J. M., 2012, ‘The new shape of the student’,Reshaping Learning, Berlin: Springer.
Krooden, E. T., 2004, ‘Teaching Information Literacy Courses in Southern Africa: Lessons Learned in Training on Constructing Personal Bibliographic Databases’,Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, No. 45, pp. 221–8.
Mendeley Ltd, 2012, Mendeley’s global research report. Available online at http://www. mendeley.com/global-research-report/. Accessed on 16 February 2014.
Mutula, S. M., 2005, ‘Peculiarities of the digital divide in sub-Saharan Africa’,Program: Electronic library and information systems, No.39, pp. 122–38.
Naude, F., Rensleigh, C., and Du Toit, A. S. A., 2010, ‘Using the open Web as an information resource and scholarly Web search engines as retrieval tools for academic and research purposes’, SA Journal of Information Management, No. 12, p. 6.
Neil, S., 2009, ‘The digital native – myth and reality’, Aslib Proceedings, No. 61,pp. 364–79.
Park, N., Roman, R., Lee, S. and Chung, J. E., 2009, ‘User acceptance of a digital library system in developing countries: An application of the Technology Acceptance Model’, International Journal of Information Management, No. 29,pp. 196–209.
Prensky, M., 2001, ‘Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants’, Part 1, On the Horizon, No. 9, pp. 1–6.
Schilling, L. S., 2005, ‘Publish or Perish: Writing Under Pressure’, Pediatric Nursing, No. 31, pp. 234–6.
Singh, A. M., 2004, ‘Bridging the digital divide: the role of universities in getting South Africa closer to the global information society’, SA Journal of Information Management, p. 6.
Straub, D., Keil, M. and Brenner, W., 1997,‘Testing the technology acceptance model across cultures: A three country study’, Information and Management, No. 33, pp. 1–11.
Ursavaş, Ö. F., 2013, ‘Reconsidering the role of attitude in the TAM: An answer to Teo (2009) and Nistor and Heymann (2010), and Lopez-Bonilla and Lopez-Bonilla (2011)’, British Journal of Educational Technology, No. 44, pp. E22–E25.
Walton, M., and Donner, J., 2012, ‘Public access, private mobile: The interplay of shared access and the mobile Internet for teenagers in Cape Town’, Global Impact Study Research Report Series, Cape Town: University of Cape Town.
Zhang, Y., 2012, ‘Comparison of select reference management tools’, Medical Reference Services Quarterly, No. 31, pp. 45–60.