An investigation o f the Status of Digital Media Training in Kenya; A case Of Four Selected Universities

Abstract

Journalism education and training is changing due to the rapidly evolving information communication technologies. These technological developments have transformed the media environment leading to new ways of communication. As a result, there has been concern about the impact of digital technologies and consequently, appropriateness of journalism training in Kenya. The purpose of the study was therefore to establish the status of digital media training in four selected universities in Kenya, identify challenges and recommend strategies for improving digital media training in the country. The objectives of the study were: to established the status and adequacy of digital media training; to examine the perception of students and lecturers on digital media teaching and learning in universities; to determine the digital media skills that are crucial in the labour market and essential for training of journalism students; to identify the challenges that journalism schools face in learning and teaching digital media and to propose strategies for addressing the identified challenges. The study was guided by the diffusion of innovation theory and study adopted a survey research design targeting a total population of 223. Mixed research approach was used in the study. Stratified sampling, simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were used to select a sample size of 122 respondents. To ascertain the reliability of the instruments, a pilot study was undertaken at Moi University, Department of Communication and Public Relations and a total of 15 respondents were used. The department used in the pilot study was excluded from the study. Data were collected from various categories of respondents including lecturers, undergraduate students and editors. The study used interviews and questionnaires to collect data. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively where mean, percentages was used. The analyzed data and findings were presented in charts, frequencies and graphs. The findings show that the graduates have inadequate knowledge and skills on web technologies, digital information systems, use of new digital equipment and software. It is recommended that universities should review journalism training and integrate their curricula with digital media courses required by the market. Furthermore, the study recommends that journalism departments need to identify and provide resources that enhance the quality of digital media training.