Utilization of e-resources by undergraduate students at International Christian Medical Institute, Mukono

Abstract

This research arouse out of the need to determine the utilization of e-resources by undergraduate students at International Christian Medical Institute, Mukono. The aim of the study was to determine the factors that influence the utilization of e-resources by undergraduate students at International Christian Medical Institute. The objectives of this research were to identify the information needs of undergraduate students in the use of e-resources; to assess the ICT skills of undergraduate students on e-resources usage; to find out the e-information seeking behavior of undergraduate students and establish the challenges faced in e-resources usage and to develop strategies for the best use/ access of e-resources at International Christian Medical Institute.

A total of sixty five respondents who participated in the research were chosen by random sampling method under a survey research design. Questionnaires and document survey were used to collect data for this research. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel and was presented in form of tables and figures.

The study revealed that the most needed category of electronic information was electronic information related to the study program. It was established that undergraduate students mostly needed information related to their study program. About the e-information seeking behavior of the students, findings indicated that students were compelled to seek for e-resources due to course works and assignments and that e-resources provide current information without the restrictions of time and location. In addition, findings indicated that slow internet connectivity, little knowledge about database searching and students not being aware of most of the e-resources have inhibited the effective utilization of e-resources by the undergraduate students.

The study thus concluded that getting access to a wider variety of information and having faster access to information have benefited students a lot from the utilization of e-resources. It was therefore recommended that students’ computer skills should be improved and that there should also be an improvement in the e-resources awareness campaign thorough marketing of e-resources at International Christian Medical Institute.