Browsing by Author "Omarsaib, Mousin"

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Development of a training model on digital pedagogies for academic librarians at Universities of Technology in South Africa
(2023-03-21) Omarsaib, Mousin; Rajkoomar, Mogiveny; Naicker, Nalindren
Globally, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has disrupted teaching philosophies at higher education institutions. This disruption beyond physical walls into virtual spaces has allowed academic librarians to explore teaching roles as online mediators and facilitators in the digital environment. However, historically, literature has challenged the pedagogical competencies of academic librarians when teaching in a face-to-face environment. In recent years, the ability to integrate suitable technologies with teaching methods in a digital environment has further questioned the competencies of academic librarians. Therefore, worldwide, the online teaching role of academic librarians is under the microscope. Thus, the objectives of this study were to ascertain, explore and establish the emerging role of academic librarians in relation to digital pedagogy and the online environment at UoTs in South Africa. Digital pedagogy can be defined as a process to effectively connect relevant pedagogical and technological knowledge to enhance teaching in multimodal environments. The Community of Inquiry (COI) and Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) frameworks was used to probe the pedagogical and technological knowledge of academic librarians as teachers in the digital environment. A sequential explanatory mixed method design framed the research approach. During the quantitative first phase, a webbased exploratory survey was administered to academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa. The emerging themes from the web-based exploratory survey was used to design the interview schedule for the second qualitative phase. The results from both phases were analysed and interpreted to present the findings. The results from data collected were then triangulated with the theoretical frameworks and reviewed literature. The overall findings revealed academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa lacked in digital pedagogies juxtapose digital environment. Consequently, academic librarians need to acquire pedagogical and digital skills when teaching in a digital environment. The study recommends system, methods, and processes that the Library and Information Science sector can implement to ensure academic librarians gain the necessary expertise to teach in a digital environment. Ultimately, the study proposes a design of an online training model on digital pedagogies for academic librarians at UoTs in South Africa.
Digital pedagogies for librarians in higher education : a systematic review of the literature
(Emerald, 2022-01) Omarsaib, Mousin; Rajkoomar, Mogiveny; Naicker, Nalindren; Olugbara, Cecilia Temilola
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and present a global perspective of digital pedagogies in relation to technology and academic librarians. Design/methodology/approach – The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology was used in this study. Findings – Based on the data, academic librarians must develop a foundational understanding of 21st century pedagogies and digital skills to teach in an online environment. Originality/value – This review paper considers the emergent teaching role of the academic librarian within the digital environment. The themes in the findings highlight the importance of digital pedagogical knowledge and digital fluency of academic librarians as a teacher within the digital environment in higher education.
Exploring first-year engineering student perceptions of the engineering librarian as an IL instructor in multimodal teaching and learning environments
(Emerald, 2023-12-08) Omarsaib, Mousin
This study aims to explore first-year engineering students’ perceptions of the engineering librarian as an instructor in multimodal environments related to Information Literacy (IL) topics, teaching strategy, content evaluation, organising, planning and support. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was used through a survey instrument based on an online questionnaire. Questions were adopted and modified from a lecturer evaluation survey. A simple random sampling technique was used to collect data from first-year cohorts of engineering students in 2020 and 2022. Findings Respondents perception of the engineering librarian as an instructor in multimodal learning environment was good. Findings revealed students’ learning experiences were aligned with IL instruction even though the environment changed from blended to online. However, an emerging theme that continuously appeared was a lack of access to technology. Practical implications These findings may help in developing and strengthening the teaching identity of academic librarians as instructors in multimodal learning environments. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is novel in that it evaluates the teaching abilities of an academic librarian in multimodal environments through the lens of students.