Education curricula need constant updates in response to job market requirements, which may be influenced by the changing technological environment. In the library and information science (LIS) job market there are dynamics brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). These dynamics call for LIS schools to reconsider their curricula in…

The last three decades have seen significant educational reform, which have influenced the transformation of assessment practices in higher education institutions (HEIs). In addition, various societal and global changes have required that higher education create adaptive graduates who acquire and develop higher-order skills which include…

Although there is no universal agreement that students should learn programming, many countries have reached a consensus on the need to expose K-12 students to Computational Thinking (CT). When, what and how to teach CT in schools are open questions and we attempt to address them by examining how well students around the world solved problems in…

In this article the authors describe how they incorporate eye tracking in a human-computer interaction (HCI) course that forms part of a postgraduate Informatics degree. The focus is on an eye tracking assignment that involves student groups performing usability evaluation studies for real world clients. Over the past three years the authors have…

The South African Spatial Data Infrastructure (SASDI) was established in 2003.Registration of geographical information science (GISc) practitioners by the South African geomatics professional body followed in 2004 and accreditation of university GISc programmes in 2012. In 2010, the Committee for Spatial Information identified inadequate knowledge…

Introduction: This study aims to gain a greater understanding of the development of open access practices amongst library and information science authors, since their role is integral to the success of the broader open access movement. Method: Data were collected from scholarly articles about open access by library and information science authors…

As library and information science (LIS) becomes an increasingly technology-driven profession, particularly in the academic library environment, questions arise as to the extent of information technology (IT) knowledge and skills that LIS professionals require. The purpose of this paper is to ascertain what IT knowledge and skills are needed by…

Introduction: This paper examines the persistent problematic issue of engaging business students in teaching computer programming. Studies continue to document challenges in teaching computer programming and various methods have been proposed with varying degrees of success. From an educator's perspective, the concern is how to engage students to…

World geo-economics of the last two decades have seriously impacted on governments' capability to finance university teaching, research and community engagement, especially in the developing world. Over the same period however, the demands and expectations exerted on universities by government and society have increased phenomenally. To meet these…

The issue of what constitutes or should constitute the "core" in library and/or information science (LIS) education and training is one that is frequently debated. This article reviews literature related to this matter and cites findings from an empirical study conducted in South Africa on library and/or information science education and…

The researcher was fortunate to be a member of an international development programme for library and information science (LIS) in South Africa (DISSAnet), and has benefited from the experience to the extent that research and development in the LIS field is ongoing. In order to promote this kind of initiative and to share the experience with those…

A major requirement for transformation contained in the new education policy in South Africa is that the graduate outputs of the higher education system should match the needs of a modernizing economy. This paper addresses the organizational aspect of university-industry relationships that is an element of the transformation. In empirical terms,…

Cognitive capitalism--sometimes referred to as "third capitalism," after mercantilism and industrial capitalism--is an increasingly significant theory, given its focus on the socio-economic changes caused by Internet and Web 2.0 technologies that have transformed the mode of production and the nature of labor. The theory of cognitive…

Literature on general education in higher education generally and in library and/or information science education and training specifically, is reviewed. Drawing from this review and from the findings of an empirical study conducted in South Africa, this article discusses curriculum development in LIS education and training in both the university…

Examines the view taken of the importance of information and information technology by the government in the new democratic South Africa. Highlights include the relationship between new principles of governance and citizenship of transparency and accountability and information provision; the Reconstruction and Development Program; and the role of…