Research and Development

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    An Assessment of Digital Literacy Skills Among Secondary School Teachers Using the Digcomp Tool
    (POTRAZ/RCZ, 2024) Dabengwa, I.M.; Moyo, Sibonile; Gashirai, T.B.; Makaza, D.; Makoni, P.; Pasipamire, N.; Chademana, G.K.; Mufudzi, M.; Mandaza, D.; Mapfumo, S.
    The International elecommunications Union’s (ITU) Digital Skills Assessment Guidebook and the Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp) were used to conduct the national assessment. The study used a mixed methods approach.The latest version of DigComp (2.2) was selected for assessing secondary school teachers. Data was collected from 2,263 conveniently selected secondary school teachers from 150 purposively selected secondary schools spread over 10 provinces in Zimbabwe. The selection included private, public, boarding, day, night, urban, peri-urban, rural schools, boys only and girls only and mixed sex schools. An ICT facility assessment was conducted at each school, 30 in-depth interviews ere held with teachers, and 15 focus group discussions with secondary school learners from each province. Qualitative data was analysed in MaxQDA 24 for themes, while quantitative data was analysed in SPSS 27 for statistical inferences. It was found that the Zimbabwean secondary school teachers have Intermediate digital literacy. Most of the digital skills were on Information and Data Literacy, Communication and Collaboration, Digital Content Creation, Problem Solving and Safety. There were differences in the way that males and females ompleted the questionnaire, especially on the Communication and Collaboration dimension. The absence of school learning management systems had led teachers to rely heavily on social media to conduct flipped classroom teaching and learning. However, learners saw the shortage of devices and restrictive school device policies as a challenge to integrate ICTs tools in classroom and when learning is flipped. Policymakers are encouraged to support teachers with adequate ICTs devices, supportive infrastructure and supportive policies that encourage the development of digital competences within this sector.
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    Exploring digital competences in Zimbabwean secondary schools using a multimodal view: a hermeneutical phenomenography study
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024) Dabengwa, I.M.; Moyo, Sibonile; Ncube, Smart; Gashirai, T.B.; Makaza, D.; Makoni, P.; Pasipamire, N.; Chademana, G.K.; Mafoti, M.; Mapfumo, S.; Mandaza, D.
    This paper presents a study that investigates digital competencies within the Zimbabwean secondary education system. Limited research has focused on Zimbabwe’s secondary schoolteachers’ digital literacy in online learning. The study uti lised DigComp 2.2 as the framework, and employed a multi-method participative approach to collect data from secondary schools across the 10 provinces of the coun try. Thrirty nine interviews were conducted across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces, including 15 FGDs with learners, 21 in-depth interviews with teachers, and three key informant interviews with education directors, resulting in 215 participants. The results of a 3- dimensional modal analysis revealed a multifaceted situation in five key areas: prob lem-solving, safety and security, digital content creation, communication and collabor ation, and information and data literacy. The study found that both teachers and learners were proficient in using applications such as WhatsApp, MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Computer Science students demonstrated specialised skills, particularly in programming. Although teachers aim to improve digital literacy by teaching critical evaluations of online content, challenges persist in rural regions because of limited access to ICT tools and infrastructure. Collaboration is facilitated through platforms such as WhatsApp; however, ensuring inclusive participation remains a challenge. Digital safety and security have been identified as the major concerns. While progress has been made in areas such as Communication and Collaboration and Information Literacy, challenges still exist in digital content creation, problem-solving, and safety and security. These findings offer policymakers insights into maximising the impact of integrating ICTs in education.
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    Leveraging microgrants to support capacity-building workshops in low- and middle-income countries for meeting the Sustainable Development Goals
    (2022-01) Saric, K.J.; Muziringa, M.; Eldermire, E.R.B.; Young, S.; Dabengwa, I.M.
    Twenty fifteen marked the year of assessment for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs that achieved the greatest success were those where evidence-based practice (EBP) interventions were implemented. The ability to practice evidence-based medicine is grounded in the creation of and access to medical literature that synthesizes research findings. The role that global health literature played in the success of the MDGs demonstrates that medical libraries and librarians have a role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Librarians can hold capacity-building workshops that provide instruction on how to access evidence-based literature and also train health professionals to conduct synthesis research. Research findings conducted by in-country health professionals are more likely to address issues being faced by local communities and will afford the possibility of obtaining the necessary evidence-based answers that can then be used to implement policies to resolve public health issues identified in the SDGs. This paper discusses how an international team of librarians leveraged funding from a Medical Library Association/Librarians without Borders/Elsevier Foundation/Research4Life grant to hold a capacity-building workshop in Zimbabwe and follow-up online trainings. The workshop focused on accessing evidence-based resources and conducting synthesis research. Outcomes included the creation and policy implementation of evidence-based knowledge products in alignment with local needs and galvanizing a multisectoral group of key individuals who have gone on to collaborate toward the vision of creating a Zimbabwe innovation hub. Looking ahead, such grants can be leveraged to conduct capacity-building to support knowledge translation and other local training needs.
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    Research and Innovation Office Newsletter August, 2013
    (RIO, 2013-08) Research and Innovation Office
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    Research and Innovation Office Newsletter December, 2013
    (RIO, 2013-12) Research and Innovation Office
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    Research and Innovation Office Newsletter January, 2014
    (RIO, 2014-01) Research and Innovation Office
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    Research and Innovation Office Newsletter January, 2015
    (RIO, 2015-01) Research and Innovation Office
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    Research and Innovation Office Newsletter November, 2013
    (RIO, 2013-11) Research and Innovation Office
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    Research and Innovation Office Newsletter October, 2013
    (RIO, 2013-10) Research and Innovation Office
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    Research and Innovation Office Newsletter September, 2013
    (RIO, 2013-09) Research and Innovation Office