Profiling information-seeking behaviour of distance learning students in Wawasan Open University

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.*Related content and download information correct at time of download. (1999), to profile information-seeking behaviour of their distance students in using library resources in their research and learning activities. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach -Using random sampling method, samples were selected to ensure proper representation of the population across four schools of studies and five regional centres. A total of 550 questionnaires were sent to undergraduate and postgraduate students, and 435 completed questionnaires were returned with a success response rate of 79 per cent. Findings -Findings indicated significant differences between undergraduate and postgraduate students in using the university's MyDigital Library and physical library for their information needs. Findings also indicated significant difference between first-year and post-first-year students in using internet search engines as part of their information-seeking process. Practical implications -Students improving on their information-seeking behaviour in the learning and research work paved way for them to better experience university vivacity and not isolate themselves from distance learning. Originality/value -This paper acknowledges the importance of promoting good informationseeking behaviour among distance learners in the scholarship of learning and research work. The paper also amplifies the important role library plays in minimizing students' sense of isolation in university learning experience. IntroductionThe emergence and development of technology-aided distance education is a relatively new approach in the Malaysian educational landscape. With the recent exponential technological development in educational practices, a growing number of institutions have attempted to service distance education programmes via various modes, some favouring more face-to-face contact hours while others take a liking for engagement in the online learning environment. Regardless on these modes of delivery, what is certain is the need for students to be technologically literate for them to successfully savour the university learning experience.Wawasan Open University offered the first suite ...

Information Seeking Behavior of the Humanities and Social Science Undergraduates: A Case of University of Colombo

“…Majority of the respondents confirmed that they had not received any training in using Internet or library resources, This situation is not uncommon in other libraries as many Sri Lankan researchers (Gunasekera 2010, Jezeel and Dehigama 2016, Karunarathne 2015, Premarathne 2017, Ranawella and Rajapaksha 2017 as well as international researchers (Head and Eisenberg 2010, Kumar 2013and Vighnarajah 2016 have identified that the students are not aware of the available library resources and services. Head and Eisenberg (2010) comments that there is a gaping hole in the understanding of the students on how the vast range of resources provided by the libraries could meet their need for trusted information.…”

Integration of EBSCO Discovery Service widget into the learning spaces of LMS

“…In the context of WOU distance learners, Vighnarajah and Santhiram (2014)'s qualitative study has also found that there is a poor engagement between distance learners with library services which can potentially lead to learners experiencing a sense of isolation in the overall university learning experience. This is supported by one of Vighnarajah et al (2015) survey study findings which highlighted that 19 percent of the sample size (distance learners) were not able to locate information, while 12 percent of them were not aware that relevant information (printed or digital copies) were available in the library. They further recommended for the library to provide proper guidance to distance learners in searching for information.…”

Relación entre las destrezas de información con la ansiedad bibliotecaria experimentada por estudiantes subgraduados en la modalidad a distancia

“…Sin embargo, los criterios que utilizan para seleccionar las fuentes de información en sus trabajos académicos no son los adecuados (Tury et al, 2015). También, la literatura plantea que los estudiantes presentan poco dominio en el proceso de búsqueda de información y el uso de ésta (Ali Hassan et al, 2016). Esta falta de destrezas en la búsqueda de información se asocia con HETS Online Journal, Volume 13(2), Spring 2023 la ansiedad bibliotecaria experimentada por los estudiantes universitarios (Latham y Gross, 2007;Van Kampen-Breit & Cooke, 2015).…”

“…Según lo antes expuesto, las destrezas de información jugarían un papel esencial en el rol del estudiante en los entornos de educación a distancia. Ali Hassan et al (2016), por ejemplo, encontraron que los estudiantes a distancia que demostraron poco dominio en la búsqueda efectiva de información académica presentaron sentimientos de aislamiento. Budiman (2016) identificó que uno de los principales factores para darse de baja en entornos de educación a distancia es precisamente que el estudiante experimente aislamiento en su proceso de aprendizaje.…”