Digital Content Management and Use at Moi University

Abstract

Content management poses challenges to institutions of higher learning due to inadequate infrastructure, poor content organisation and management, underutilisation of content, lack of preservation plans and poor e-content security. Consequently, interventions are necessary to mitigate the challenges and enable public universities to achieve academic excellence. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of content generated at Moi University and the strategies for their management. The specific objectives were to: examine the nature of digital content generated at Moi University; analyze the existing methods and strategies for its creation, updating, publishing, translating, archiving and retrieving; and develop a Content Management Framework that will assist Moi University to plan for content management. The study was informed by the OCLC Collections Grid and the Conway Digital Landscape Model. It adopted a mixed method research design which provided an in-depth understanding of the issues investigated. Data was collected from a sample of 4 schools of Moi University from which 40% of lecturers, administrators and ICT staff were purposively selected. Data was collected using both questionnaires and interviews. Key policy makers were interviewed while creators and users of digital content in the respective schools were given questionnaires to complete. Data collected was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The major findings revealed that majority of the respondents have access to computers and related accessories to facilitate their work. Various types of digital content are generated including lecture notes and presentations, course syllabi, theses and dissertations, and examination results. Although the university has no formal content management, it was found that an average number of respondents have personal content management strategies. It is recommended that policies should be formulated to govern creation, access to and use of digital content within Moi University. Training should be done to equip users of ICT in the management of digital content, and workshops and seminars should be carried out to create awareness on content management. The study illustrates the importance of content management and emphasises areas that policy makers should consider. The study concludes that Moi University is actively involved in building and implementation of information systems but the digital content is poorly managed. Consequently, there is need to enhance and facilitate the use of this content among users in Moi University by implementing effective content management strategies and systems.