User Education in Federal University Libraries: A study of Trends and Developments in Nigeria

Abstract Purpose: The paper aims at investigating how user education is organized, coordinated and implemented in South East Nigeria Federal University Libraries. It also addresses the challenges encountered by academic librarians in the process and itemizes the strategies for enhancing user education. Methodology: Survey method was adopted and the instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. Population of the study was twenty-six and. twenty-six copies of the instrument were administered. All the copies were returned and were found usable. Descriptive statistics involving frequencies, percentages and mean scores were used for data analysis Findings: Only one university library did not have user education policy but all of them had written objectives. User education lectures were compulsory and credit bearing. Responsibility for delivering user education lectures differed among university libraries. Coordination and implementation of user education studies were centered in the university library but the university libraries differed in the manner in which coordination of library user education was handled. Course-related and course-integrated instructions were the means of delivering user education lectures and an examination taken by students before the end of the session was the only means of evaluation of library user education. Hands-on demonstration using workstations, online resources and online databases were not being used during lectures. Practical Implications: Students were not exposed to the current ICT technologies of accessing and retrieving information resources. So, their approach to library usage remained mainly traditional Originality/Value: The value of this paper lies in the identification and recommendation of available critical ICT-enabled library services which could provide students with current approaches to library use. It articulated various categories of evaluation of both the course content and course lecturers in order to improve both the quality of the content of the course and the erudition of the academic librarian

Rehabdramatics and the development of challenged children in Nigeria: A study of Select applied theatre projects

The concept of the psychosocial and physical wellbeing of children and young adults appear critical to the actualization of holistic human development. However, the problem of this paper lies in the inadequate attention paid to the wellbeing of challenged children in Nigeria by families, agencies and government institutions. Hence, the paper aims at forging more inclusive modules for the learning and  development of challenged children in Nigeria. It also includes engaging the concept of Rehab Dramatics to chart a new course in the already thriving area of theatre-driven education. The researcher’s engagement of Rehab Dramatics in the applied theatre projects  evaluated, attempted not just to utilize Drama and performance based learning to educate and motivate right creative and social impulses in children, but also to include these and more in rehabilitating at-risk children and young adults who may have been exposed to  debilitating experiences, practices andenvironmental constructs that may have in turn impaired healthy  psychosocial, emotional and creative development. The study is anchored on The Transformative Learning theory. The mixed research method was adopted for the study. The primary data for the study were sourced through two Applied Theatre projects carried out in designated locations across  Anambra. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, IPA as well as participant observations were also engaged during the course of research. The study finds that co-ordinated theatrical activities as expressed through Rehab Dramatics, possess unique qualities in fostering progressive psycho-social, attitudinal and communal change such that should promote a more qualitative life for challenged children in Nigeria.&nbsp

Ecological database development and analyses of soil variability in northern New England

The 1983 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data of the states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (the study area) contain large amounts of field-measurements of many ecologically important variables. Despite the vast potential usefulness of the FIA data for scientific research, the data were until now, literally unused except for a few administrative purposes, because of problems in the way the data were organized, summarized, and coded for storage. The primary objective of this research was to solve the problems that had thus precluded these FIA data from use in scientific applications, and present the data in a form that is readily accessible and usable for research. This objective was achieved by adapting the un-summarized data in a relational database management system (RDMS) and geographic information systems (GIS). RDMS-GIS technologies would make these data amenable to more types and multiple spatial scales of analyses than previously possible, thus providing the scientific community with an unusually large, high-quality, and spatially referenced data set. The FIA data also contain field and laboratory measurements of soil properties made at the geo-referenced FIA plot locations. These soil data also provided the basis for other studies in this dissertation. These studies included analyzing the spatial variability of selected soil attributes in the study area; evaluating the nature of the differences in specific soil properties among the ecological land classification map (ECOMAP) section and subsection units; and assessing the variability of specific soil properties in the NRCS-State Soil Geographic Database (STATSGO) of the study area. Both the ECOMAP and the STATSGO studies involved the use of GIS techniques and multivariate statistical methods for map unit analyses. This dissertation also included more theoretical investigations relating to applied statistics and soil science. One of these addressed the unanswered question of whether or not it is necessary to use non-linear transformations prior to computing variability statistics from non-normally distributed soil data, and explored the use of coefficient of variation as a semi quantitative index of nonnormality in soil variables. Another study looked at why and how error matrices and related statistics can be used as an effective, comprehensive quantitative method of evaluating soil classification and soil map quality

Enhancing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria for Sustainable Development: Competency-Based Training (CBT) Approach

This paper attempts to examine the concept of Competency-Based Training (CBT) as a veritable mode of delivery of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and at the same time highlights some of the strengths and weaknesses of implementing competency-base training. The characteristics, principles and benefits of CBT were also x-rayed. It was concluded that CBT mode of delivery is providing the kind of workers industry demands and also is preparing individuals for self-employment

Classification of Semiarid Soils of the Upper Rio Puerco Watershed, New Mexico

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Combined effects of aqueous extracts of Tetracarpidium Conophorum (Walnuts) and Vernonia Amygdalina (Bitter leaves) on the pancreas and kidney of alloxan induced diabetic wistar rats

This study evaluated the effect of combined treatment of aqueous extracts of Tetracarpidium conophorum (TCE) nuts and Vernonia amygdalina (VAE) leaves on some biochemical parameters such as amylase activity, urea and creatinine in alloxan induced diabetic Wistar rats. Forty two (42) Wistar rats with weight range of 125- 275g were grouped into 6 groups of 7 rats in each group. The first group served as the normal control while the remaining five groups were induced with diabetes using alloxan at 120 mg/kg body weight. Group two served as diabetic control and the remaining groups were treated with 500 mg/kg TCE, 500 mg/kg VAE, combined extract of 500 mg/kg TCE and 500 mg/kg VAE and 7.69 mg/kg metformin respectively. The rats were treated orally once daily for 28 days. Three rats per group were sacrificed on the 14th and 28th day of treatment. The plasma levels of glucose, amylase, urea and creatinine were measured. The result showed that there was a reduction (p<0.05) in the blood glucose level of all the treated groups compared to the diabetic control. The results also showed that urea and creatinine were (p<0.05) decreased in all treated groups compared to the untreated diabetic group. The histology of the pancreas of treated groups showed that the plant extracts ameliorated the effect of alloxan on the organ. In conclusion, the combined aqueous extracts of Tetracarpidium conophorum nuts and Vernonia amygdalina leaves reduced the level of damage to the kidney and pancreas when administered to diabetic rats at the dosage used in this study.Keywords: Creatinine, Diabetes, Kidney, Pancreas, Tetracarpidium conphorum, Urea, Vernonia amygdalin

TRANSFORMATION CAPABILITY AND EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Inability of organizations to modify or reconfigure their operational capabilities in line with changing business environment constitute major problem of survival for the affected organizations. In the light of this observation, the research sought as its broad objective to explore the relationship between transformation capability and employee performance of selected manufacturing firms in Delta State. The theory adopted for this study is Dynamic Capability Theory by David Teece (1997.) Survey Research design was employed in the study. Population of the study was 322 employees of the focused companies, while Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was used in testing the hypotheses. The study found that there was a significant relationship between learning capabilities and  employee performance in the focused manufacturing organizations  in Delta State. The study concluded that transformation capability contributes immensely to employee performance and recommended that manufacturing firms should train their employees to be capable of making informed decisions for the growth of the firms

ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP STYLES AND ORGANISATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY OF FINANCIAL SECTOR IN CAMEROON

As organizations have found themselves continuously redefining their markets, restructuring their operations, and modifying their business models and learning the skills to think and act entrepreneurially, entrepreneurial leadership has become a source of competitive advantage. Microfinance Institutions in Cameroon are not exceptions for this struggle as they develop competitive strategies to secure a bigger market share within the finance sector. Mitanyen Cooperative Credit Union Limited being a microfinance institution affiliated to the Cameroon Cooperative Credit Union League has experienced different levels of growth under different leaders, probably applying different leadership styles since its creation. This growth has not been steady under the various leaders; meanwhile this union is facing so many aggressive competitors who may push her out of business in the days ahead. The main objective of this study is to investigate the impact of entrepreneurial leadership styles on the productivity of the financial sector in Cameroon. This study adopts a mix method approach to data collection. The primary data was collected by interviewing the last 3 presidents of the society through a face to face approach, while 40 employees of the organisation were surveyed through the use of semi-structured questionnaires. Secondary information was sourced via newspaper and magazine reports, journal and conferences papers and internet sources. The interview data was transcribed and analysed through content analysis and constant comparative method. The semi-structured questionnaire data were analysed with the use of Microsoft Excel and SPSS Version 17 software for data analysis. This study concludes that organisational leaders are endowed with different leadership styles but one must be dominant and the others recessive. However, no leadership style is good for all situations, organisational leaders adopt styles depending on prevailing circumstances in the organisatio

Recall and decay of consent information among parents of infants participating in a randomized controlled clinical trial using an audio-visual tool in The Gambia.

Communicating essential research information to low literacy research participants in Africa is highly challenging, since this population is vulnerable to poor comprehension of consent information. Several supportive materials have been developed to aid participant comprehension in these settings. Within the framework of a pneumococcal vaccine trial in The Gambia, we evaluated the recall and decay of consent information during the trial which used an audio-visual tool called 'Speaking Book', to foster comprehension among parents of participating infants. The Speaking Book was developed in the 2 most widely spoken local languages. Four-hundred and 9 parents of trial infants gave consent to participate in this nested study and were included in the baseline assessment of their knowledge about trial participation. An additional assessment was conducted approximately 90 d later, following completion of the clinical trial protocol. All parents received a Speaking Book at the start of the trial. Trial knowledge was already high at the baseline assessment with no differences related to socio-economic status or education. Knowledge of key trial information was retained at the completion of the study follow-up. The Speaking Book (SB) was well received by the study participants. We hypothesize that the SB may have contributed to the retention of information over the trial follow-up. Further studies evaluating the impact of this innovative tool are thus warranted