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.