The Role of Social Media Platforms in Facilitating COVID-19 Pandemic Protocols

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic led to pain and panic across the globe and social media became the base for information sharing and communication. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of social media platforms in facilitating COVID-19 pandemic protocol in society. Methodology: The study looks at the role of social media facilitating COVID-19 pandemic healthcare protocols. The study deployed desktop research methodology to address the research objective. Findings: Through the study, the research established that social media assist people to understand different protocols to protect themselves, keep social or physical distance, stay at home and many more. Originality/Value: The role of social media in society is no longer new, research on the impact in observing COVID-19 pandemic protocols is missing in the literature. Social media provides a decentralized platform for bidirectional communication, information sharing, and the flow of content from different sources. The platforms allow users (individuals) and organizations to generate content and distribute it among the audience in real-time during a crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic is a global health crisis that exposed the world’s weak health systems and brought about national lockdowns in different parts of the world. The lockdown measures saw an increased dependence and application of social media platforms to distribute information, communication and content among users. This article looks at the role of social media platforms in facilitating COVID-19 pandemic protocols across the glob

Exploring the application of self-directed and cooperative learning in information systems education: a critical analysis

Learning is a continuous process of acquiring knowledge. Information systems (IS) is a sub-discipline of computing discipline with a focus on providing theory and practical teaching and learning opportunities and experience for students in the area of managing computing resources in an organization and society at large. The application of self-directed and cooperative learning in information systems (IS) education has been an area of interest for researchers and educators. Self-directed learning emphasizes the learner's autonomy, while cooperative learning emphasizes collaboration and communication among learners. This paper presents a critical analysis involving self-directed and cooperative learning in IS education through a rapid review of the application of these learning approaches in IS teaching and learning. This study used a rapid review in searching, identifying, and analyzing relevant peer-review papers in critically analyzing the application of self-directed and cooperative learning in IS teaching and learning process. The analysis was done through a systematic approach reviewing relevant literature and identifying the benefits, challenges, and implications of self-directed and cooperative learning in IS education. The data analysis followed a rapid review approach to reaching the findings. The study revealed the meaning of SDL and CL and their application in IS teaching and learning process. The study also found different models that encourage the application of SDL and CL in IS teaching and learning process. The paper concludes with recommendations for IS educators and suggestions for future studies

User Requirements in Enterprise Resource Planning Systems Adoption: A Case of Botswana’s Higher Institutions

ERP systems are the largest software applications adopted by universities, along with quite significant investments in their implementation. However, unlike other applications, limited research has been conducted regarding the application of this system in higher education in Botswana. This study aims to identify user requirements in the adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in Botswana’s higher education institutions. This study was conducted in three higher education institutions in Botswana. This study adopted the quantitative methodology of using surveys to understand ERP adoption in higher education and proposed a model that could be used to guide business information systems requirements to appropriate ERP systems in a higher educational environment. Based on the findings, the study proposed a conceptual model of ERP system adoption in higher education institutions using six success dimensions. The six success dimensions are user requirements, user satisfaction, information quality, service quality, institutional impact, system quality, and faculty/management impact. Only information quality was rejected from the model. The six success dimensions are the basis through which a higher education institution can understand user requirements in implementing an effective ERP

Student’s Perception on Culture-Oriented e-Learning System: An Empirical Study

Electronic learning (e-learning) platform is fast growing in the Africa educational system and many students are busy enrolling and accepting it as a means for educational advancement and career achievement channel. An e-learning platform handles students across different cultural settings with various perceptions, learning needs and expectations. Nonetheless, incorporating cultural differences, expectations and perceptions as well as managing them, is challenging on the side of e-learning developers. The challenging aspect of the cultural management of e-learning can be attributed to the software crisis which has lasted for decades now with little or no solution to it. This study tries to understand and determine the perception of students on the development of a culture-oriented e-learning system that can allow them to be able to customise it to suit desired features in their home language at all times. The study also determines the factors and components that necessitate the implementation of the culture-oriented e-learning system. This study was carried out using quantitative research method among the students of North-West University, South Africa with a total number of 728 questionnaires collected and analysed. The perception of the involved students was mixed in the sense that some of them preferred to use English language as a medium of learning in e-learning while others would like the e-learning system platform to be designed and developed between their home language and English language. Again, their challenges range from lack of engagement to the inflexible e-learning system leading to the discovering of factors that facilitate culture-oriented e-learning system

Problems around Accessing Information in Rural Communities

Poverty is known to be a rural phenomenon regardless of developments taking place. Rural communities of underdeveloped countries are regarded to be living in those parts of the country that lack almost all kinds of services and basic needs even worse. Information society should be maintained because information has a significant impact in ensuring development in communities but this is not the case in rural areas because of information poverty caused by lack of means to access it. The study addresses the problems to access information in rural communities. This research explores the problems to access information through ICTs such as computer and Internet in rural communities and proposes guidelines on how to ensure proper access to information for rural residents. Rural communities and the government will benefit a lot from the success of this research. Government is the one that ensures that every citizen has the means to access information in order to bridge the gap of information poverty and digital divide

Rigour versus Relevance in Information Systems Research in South Africa

Rigour and relevance division is as a result of many reasons. The gap between the two has promoted debate and argument that has lasted for years. Many believed that IS research is effective and others opposed the argument. Others within or outside the discipline are considering whether IS research output is affecting and impacting decision making in the industry. Meanwhile, the debate on rigour and relevance has lasted for decades but in reality, the debate and the gap still persist, in spite of efforts by researchers. Their efforts and hard-work seems ineffective. The study determined whether the needs of practitioners through rigour and relevance of IS/academic research and also to determine whether this lingering debate over these decades has worth from an academic viewpoint. There is also an on-going criticism that IS research lacks rigour, relevance, effective communication and acceptance in the field as noted in the literature

Toward the Development of a Revised Technology Acceptance Model

This study develops and proposes an extended technology adoption model based on the vast literature. The proposed revised technology adoption model is a five-layer evaluation model that can be used to determine the variables that influence individuals’ and organizations’ embrace of new technologies. The existing technology acceptance model (TAM) and its modifications (TAM2 and TAM3) have been applied for decades in varied disciplines, including marketing and information systems, to better predict generic human perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes toward new and existing technologies. The revised TAM is less generic and includes variables pertaining to culture-tech (indigenization) that predict user behaviors and intentions to adopt new technology. This proposed TAM offers the potential to engineer destruction in the development of culture-tech or indigenous technology by allowing local customization of technological contents and features to meet the needs of individuals and organizations, especially those in developing and emerging countries. The revised TAM, if supported empirically, will guide researchers and developers to capitalize on technology innovation rooted in users’ indigenous and personal attributes and characteristics

Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Challenges and Mitigation Mechanisms

This study deployed desktop research methodology in seeking to understand the cybersecurity challenges confronting Internet of Things (IoT) and the mitigation mechanisms. Objects are no longer independent from each other; rather, connectivity through the power of the internet has connected them. IoT is no longer a new invention or innovation in the technology industry and human lives. The concept is widely used in different industries such as healthcare, food, finance, manufacturing, government, insurance, oil and gas, transportation, postal services, defence, and many more. These industries are using the ability of IoT to function optimally in facilitating different activities. Users of technology devices use IoT devices in homes, offices, and other places to increase productivity and efficiency daily. This article analyses the cybersecurity challenges of IoT and its mitigation mechanisms. The findings identified different cybersecurity challenges confronting IoT and the ways to mitigate them

The impact of social media on social lifestyle: a case study of University female students

The impact of social media (SM) or new media (NM) in our education institutions and society today are undoubtedly overwhelming. Students in the developed and developing countries are becoming more addicted to social media and its applications for various reasons. These reasons can lead to change in social and personal lifestyle both academically and off-academic. This study aims to assess the impact of social media on female student's social lifestyle. The study deployed a quantitative research methodology involving questionnaire research instrument among 69 female students in the North-West University, South Africa. The findings include the followings; social media refines how female students think, interact, communicate, fall in love, their social lifestyle and many more

The impact of social media on social lifestyle: a case study of university female students

The impact of social media (SM) or new media (NM) in our education institutions and society today are undoubtedly overwhelming. Students in the developed and developing countries are becoming more addicted to social media and its applications for various reasons. These reasons can lead to change in social and personal lifestyle both academically and off-academic. This study aims to assess the impact of social media on female student’s social lifestyle. The study deployed a quantitative research methodology involving questionnaire research instrument among 69 female students in the North-West University, South Africa. The findings include the followings; social media refines how female students think, interact, communicate, fall in love, their social lifestyle and many more