University Of Zambia Research Articles

Factors Affecting Access to E-Learning during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic Among Rural-Based Pharmacy Students in Zambia: A Qualitative Study

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively affected the education sector globally. This has resulted in learning institutions adopting e-learning techniques. E-learning implementation in higher education continues to gain prominence in both developed and developing countries. Most universities are exploring different ways of using information and communications technology (ICT). However, ICT remains a challenge more especially for students who come from rural areas. Aim This study was aimed at exploring the factors that affect access to e-learning among rural-based pharmacy students in Zambia. Methods A qualitative case study was conducted among ten (10) purposively sampled pharmacy students at the University of Zambia. The study participants were from the Manying, a district of North-Western Province, the Sinda district of Eastern Province, the Nalolo district of Western Province, the Chipili district of Luapula Province and the Mbala district of Northern Province. Semistructured interviews were used to collect data from the respondents. Data were analyzed using the framework analysis. The sociodemographic characteristics indicate that ten (10) respondents were drawn from Zambia’s five (5) provinces. Six qualitative themes were generated these included devices used for e-learning; the effectiveness of the devices; student performance; internet connectivity; and electrification of the houses. Key findings suggest that the most commonly used device was a smartphone, which posed challenges to effective learner participation in e-learning. Poor internet connectivity, non-electrification of students’ houses, electricity outages, and costs-associated with internet use negatively affected students in accessing online learning and could adversely affect their academic activities and performance. Conclusion The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected access to e-learning among rural pharmacy students in Zambia. The implications of the challenges faced by the rural pharmacy students are that their academic activities and performance were negatively affected. Therefore, this posed a threat to the rights to universal access to education of the rural students who were mostly venerable.

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MULTI-LEVEL STUDENT PEER ASSISTED MENTORING (MSPAM) OF COMPUTER SCIENCE FEMALE STUDENTS AT UNDERGRADUATE

- The percentage of female students majoring in computer science is much smaller than that of male students. Computer science has one of the lowest shares of women degree recipients among the broader field of Science and Engineering, with reports of only nineteen percent of the computer science degrees in 2016 been awarded to women at University of Zambia. As such, fewer women than men enter the computing profession, leading to a gender disparity in the computing workforce. A number of factors as suggested as contributing to the current state of poor performance of female in the computing field: women lack confidence; negative stereotype; male orientated culture; lack of appropriate role models in the field, self-efficacy, the curriculum is not tailored to suit their interests and many more, that contribute to this disparity. One way to improve the current state of Female in computer science is to mentor female in the computer science at both undergraduate and in industry. The study used mixed methodology to collect data which are observation, interviews, Literature review, asking questions, gathering information and then presenting the facts. This study proposes Multi-level Student Peer Assisted Mentoring (MSPAM) computer science female at undergraduate, an approach to optimize peer mentoring by organizing mentors into levels.

Communicative Practices from the Margins: The Multilingual and Multicultural Repertoires on University Spaces

We draw from the meaning-making practices on the margins, the communicative repertoires of the multilingual and multicultural students at two Southern African universities: the University of Zambia in Lusaka, Zambia; and the University of Malawi in Zomba, Malawi. As our locus, we are interested in the unique linguistic/semiotic coinages which constitute the students’ linguistic repertoires as multilingual innovations amenable to placemaking. In an attempt to do this, we purposefully unearth lexical innovations which we analyse within the broader framework of translanguaging. Thus, we show the emergence of (new) lexical items through the (re-)invention and disinvention of communicative resources, and the deployment of material artefacts of place as a basis for the creativity and innovation through repurposing of lexical items for new uses. Thus, we privilege students as active manipulators of their communicative practices by showing the semiotic/linguistic creativity and innovation inherent in their repertoires.

Circulation Regulations and Their Effect on User Return of Books

The problem of delays in returning library books is common to all categories of library users at the University of Zambia. However, little is known about what causes the delay in returning the borrowed books. To address this gap, the authors investigated circulation policies at Zambia’s leading academic library. The objective was to establish the effect of library regulations on the return of library books. Using a survey method, the study targeted 90 full-time students who were randomly selected. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences while qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically. The results revealed that circulation policies have an effect on returning the borrowed books by users. These findings provide a useful contribution to the dearth of literature on this subject and offer valuable information to inform future planning.

Circulation Regulations and their Effect on User Return of books

The problem of delays in returning library books is common to all categories of library users at the University of Zambia. However, little is known about what causes the delay in returning the borrowed books. To address this gap, the authors investigated circulation policies at Zambia’s leading academic library. The objective was to establish the effect of library regulations on the return of library books. Using a survey method, the study targeted 90 full-time students who were randomly selected. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences while qualitative data were coded and analyzed thematically. The results revealed that circulation policies have an effect on returning the borrowed books by users. These findings provide a useful contribution to the dearth of literature on this subject and offer valuable information to inform future planning.

Factors affecting academic self-efficacy and learning experiences of pharmacy students: Insights from a qualitative study in Zambia

Background: Factors influencing how pharmacy students learn and experience pharmaceutical education have not been elucidated in Zambia. Aim: To elucidate contextual factors affecting academic self-efficacy and learning experiences among undergraduate pharmacy students at a public university in Zambia. Methods: A qualitative study utilising focus group discussions was conducted at the University of Zambia. Thirty-two undergraduate pharmacy students participated in four focus group discussions. Qualitative data were thematically analysed. Results: Four themes and eight sub-themes emerged from the data. Notional time management, learning style, and motivation; educational programme-related factors such as course load, the pace of teaching; the learning environment; and assessment practices affected undergraduate pharmacy students’ self-efficacy and learning experiences. Conclusion: Addressing the student-related, educational programme-related, and the learning environment factors identified in this study will contribute to the improvement of undergraduate pharmacy students’ learning experiences. This is premised to improve their educational outcomes and future practice of pharmaceutical care.

Faculty productivity in Zambian higher education in the face of internationalization: Unpacking research, publication and citation at the University of Zambia

This paper is based on a study that aimed at examining and interrogating the extent of faculty productivity in Zambia in terms of research, publication and citation with specific reference to the University of Zambia (UNZA). The paper invokes the Network Theory of Internationalisation of Higher Education founded by Johanson & Mattsson (1988).The research design used in this article is a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The sample size total was 254, of which 244 were academic staff and 10 were key informants from management. Qualitative data was analysed according to emerging themes, while quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of this paper seem to suggest that faculties at UNZA were highly involved in research (applied and basic) at 75%, but with poor incidences of transforming research into publication and innovation. Only 38% of respondents published articles annually (increasing to 62% within two years) in local and international journals. While respondents who had published books in the last two years was as low as 19.5%. UNZA productivity output in terms of citation was relatively poor, below the expected standard of h-index and citation index of a flagship university which has a track record of more than 40 years of operation as a fully-fledged comprehensive university. Results primarily showed that the UNZA had an average h-index of 4.50 and a citation index of 156.87 which are significantly lower than the world averages of 17.50 and 971, respectively. The paper finally argues that, UNZA like most of the flagship and comprehensive universities in Africa, are quickly transforming from a teaching university into a research university based on the influence of the global North whose research agenda is central – at the expense of teaching. In order to improve on research productivity, this paper recommends that UNZA deliberately identify relevant industries, and global and regional partners to genuinely collaborate with as a way of leveraging resources and expertise. There is also a growing desire by universities in the global South to work closely together as way of improving their own productivity capacity in terms of research, publication, citation and redefine the concept of internationalization to fit the global South.
 Key words: Faculty, Productivity, Research, Publication, Citations, University of Zambia
 How to cite this article: Masaiti, G., Mwila, K., Kulyambanino, C. & Njobvu, T. 2021. Faculty productivity in Zambian higher education in the face of internationalization: unpacking research, publication and citation at the University of Zambia. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the South. 5(1): 66-86. DOI: 10.36615/sotls.v5i1.153.
 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Faculty productivity in Zambian higher education in the face of internationalization: Unpacking research, publication and citation at the University of Zambia

This paper is based on a study that aimed at examining and interrogating the extent of faculty productivity in Zambia in terms of research, publication and citation with specific reference to the University of Zambia (UNZA). The paper invokes the Network Theory of Internationalisation of Higher Education founded by Johanson & Mattsson (1988).The research design used in this article is a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. The sample size total was 254, of which 244 were academic staff and 10 were key informants from management. Qualitative data was analysed according to emerging themes, while quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of this paper seem to suggest that faculties at UNZA were highly involved in research (applied and basic) at 75%, but with poor incidences of transforming research into publication and innovation. Only 38% of respondents published articles annually (increasing to 62% within two years) in local and international journals. While respondents who had published books in the last two years was as low as 19.5%. UNZA productivity output in terms of citation was relatively poor, below the expected standard of h-index and citation index of a flagship university which has a track record of more than 40 years of operation as a fully-fledged comprehensive university. Results primarily showed that the UNZA had an average h-index of 4.50 and a citation index of 156.87 which are significantly lower than the world averages of 17.50 and 971, respectively. The paper finally argues that, UNZA like most of the flagship and comprehensive universities in Africa, are quickly transforming from a teaching university into a research university based on the influence of the global North whose research agenda is central – at the expense of teaching. In order to improve on research productivity, this paper recommends that UNZA deliberately identify relevant industries, and global and regional partners to genuinely collaborate with as a way of leveraging resources and expertise. There is also a growing desire by universities in the global South to work closely together as way of improving their own productivity capacity in terms of research, publication, citation and redefine the concept of internationalization to fit the global South.

Inclusive Education Status through the Lenses of Teachers in Zambia

This study was conducted to examine the status of inclusive education in Zambia, learning from teachers’ perspectives about how inclusive education is being implemented and the whether teachers receive adequate support to implement inclusive education to learners with disabilities. The study employed a concurrent mixed design approach in which both quantitative and qualitative data were generated and applied. Open and closed ended questionnaires were used to collect data from teachers that were upgrading their qualifications via distance education at Kwame Nkrumah University, University of Zambia and Chalimbana University. Findings indicated that Zambia practices partial inclusion in which only the mild and moderate learners with disabilities are included in classrooms. Inclusive education is understood by teachers in the context of disability and teachers reported that they did not receive adequate support to implement inclusive education effectively. It is recommended that the Government of the Republic of Zambia through the Ministry of General Education should focus on training teachers in inclusive education and its methodologies to meet the learning needs of learners from different circumstances

Medical students' knowledge on the use of ionising radiation during medical imaging procedures in Zambia

Purpose: This study aimed to explore and describe the medical students' knowledge on the use of ionising radiation and its harmful effects during diagnostic imaging procedures in Zambia.Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. A census survey of all final year medical students from the University of Zambia (UNZA) was conducted. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and analysed using STATA version 13 and Graph Pad Prism 5.Result: The overall results revealed that medical students had inadequate knowledge of the use of ionising radiation. Furthermore, most of the students revealed that the medical school curriculum was inadequate in equipping them with the necessary knowledge required for them to request diagnostic medical imaging procedures utilizing ionizing radiation.Discussion: The results implied that the knowledge levels of the medical students were insufficient in the use and prescription of imaging procedures. It is suggested that the UNZAmedical school curriculum is critically scrutinized and a radiation protection course is included. The inclusion would provide the medical students with the necessary knowledge about ionising radiation in order to prevent unnecessary referrals for diagnostic medical imaging procedures.

Sociocultural narratives and the anthropomorphic power of agency in a semiotic landscape

We take the conflation of space, time and the sociopolitical ideology in the newly independent Zambia as a transformative semiotic capacity predicated on notions of resemiotisation and metamorphosis of artefacts that are seen through the naming and names of hostels at the University of Zambia (UNZA). Borrowing from theories of semiotic assemblages and multilingual memory, the article seeks to show how Kaunda’s United Independence Party and the government’s ideologies permeated the linguistic landscape of the University of Zambia, in which the university becomes a copy of copies in order to engender a notion of home, school, nationhood and Pan-Africanism. By using names which represent the pride of Zambia, we show how Kaunda creatively emplaced on an institution a sense of nationhood which transcends ethnic enclaves and traditional affiliation and membership. We conclude by pointing out how, in hindsight, hostel names successfully reject fixity within a historical party ideological entrapment, and note rather, with the passage of time and admission of new actors to the space, the semiotic landscape of UNZA has continued to evolve to meet the current semiotic situation.

Impact of the coronavirus disease on the mental health and physical activity of pharmacy students at the University of Zambia: a cross-sectional study

Background: The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious global health problem that has negatively impacted the mental health of students.Methods: We conducted an online descriptive cross-sectional study among 273 undergraduate pharmacy students at the University of Zambia from August to September 2020. A partial proportional odds regression model was used to determine the predictors of anxiety. All statistical tests were set at 95% confidence level (p<0.05).Results: A response rate of 70% was obtained with the majority of the students being female 51.6%. Of the 273 respondents, 23.8% did not experience anxiety, 34.4% experienced mild anxiety, 24.9% experienced moderate anxiety while 16.9% experienced severe anxiety about COVID-19. It was also found that 61.2% of students reported that their attention to mental health increased during the COVID-19 pandemic whereas 44.3% reported an increased resting time with a significant reduction in relaxation 51.3% and physical activity 45.4% time. Factors that affected mental health included; reduced family care (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.09-4.74), not changing attention to mental health (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.18-0.62), being in the final year of study (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.13-0.84), reduced time of resting (OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.26-3.50) and feeling helpless (OR: 0.42; 95% CI:0.23-0.75).Conclusions: COVID-19 negatively impacted the mental health and physical activity of pharmacy students at the University of Zambia. This can have negative health and academic outcomes for students going forward. Higher learning institutions and key stakeholders should implement measures to aid students to recover from the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and physical activity.

Factors Affecting Academic Performance of In-Service Students in Science Education: A Case of The University of Zambia

The study sought to determine factors that affected academic performance of in-service students in Science Education Degree Programme at the University of Zambia. The study was motivated by the knowledge gap as to why it was common in Science Education at the University of Zambia for both school leavers and in-service students to be excluded from school, repeat courses or change to non-science programmes due to poor academic performance. In order to have in-depth understanding of the phenomenon being studied, a case study design was used. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to collect data from 88 respondents. Simple random and purposive sampling procedures were used to select the study sample. 80 students were selected by simple random sampling procedure. This procedure was used in order to allow all the students to have an equal chance to be selected for the sample. Purposive sampling procedure was used in order to select the lecturers and tutors. The procedure was used to select the lecturers and tutors because they were the only ones with adequate knowledge about Science Education Degree programme at the level of lecturers which the researchers were inquiring. The study findings showed that several factors adversely affected academic performance of the in-service students who were studying Science Education Degree programme at the University of Zambia. These included; inadequate supportive lecturer-student relationship, combining Science with Mathematics in one programme, dilapidated classroom infrastructure especially the laboratories, too much content in the curriculum of which some was considered irrelevant to what was taught in schools, personal life problems and responsibilities, pace at which material were being delivered in class was too fast for them, poor attendance to lectures and laboratories by students themselves. In addition, students were stressed by their own poor academic performance and they had difficult to comprehend advanced concepts in Mathematics. Based on these findings, the study recommended that (1) the school of Education should introduce a programme in Science Education specifically for student training to be teachers of science, (2) review its current curriculum so that its content relates with what is taught in schools, (3) in order to support the students who felt the pace of delivery was too fast for them, there was need to encourage group discussion among them,(4) the school should provide a conducive learning environment by preparing classroom infrastructure and providing adequate learning materials.

Abolishment of Students’ Meal Allowances at the University of Zambia: Exploring the Alternative Sources of Income, Challenges and Opportunities for First-Year Students

Background: Access to higher education is among the national development goals for every country. However, many factors may hinder equitable access to higher education, especially among vulnerable groups. Aim: This study sought to investigate the abolishment of students’ meal allowances at the University of Zambia by exploring the alternative sources of income, challenges and opportunities for first-year students. Objectives: To ascertain the alternative sources of income for first year students at the University of Zambia; to establish the challenges faced by first-year students in raising income for meals at the University of Zambia; to unpack the perceived opportunities in scrapping off meal allowances for first-year students at the University of Zambia. Materials and methods: The study employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive case-study design among 18 first-year students. The main data collection techniques were focus group and semi-structured interviews, supplemented by documentary review.

Exploring and Deconstructing the Chimbuya Phenomenon at the University of Zambia in the School of Education: Lecturer's and Learner's Perspective

Exploring and Deconstructing the Chimbuya Phenomenon at the University of Zambia in the School of Education: Lecturer's and Learner's Perspective

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF NEWLY INTRODUCED EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION PROGRAMMES IN THE SCHOOL OF EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

This paper reports the findings of a study whose purpose was to assess student perceptions of the programmes of study they were pursuing. To do this the study profiled 87 students. A mixed methods approach was adopted and data were collected using questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative data were analysed by use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 16 to obtain frequencies, percentages and differences between the two programmes in terms of student perceptions of their programmes of study. Qualitative data were analysed thematically with use of verbatim responses that indicated the respondents’ perceptions. Results indicated that although students were satisfied with the study of the two programmes, they had different career prospects. Respondents expressed desire to be trained for other jobs other than teaching. Students recommended that the school programmes’ content should also focus on preparing them for other jobs other than teaching. The study recommended reorientation of students about the main aim of the two newly introduced programmes. Article visualizations:

Multilingual Realities of Language Contact at the University of Zambia

In this article, we examine the multilingual realities of language contact at the University of Zambia. Using an ethnographic research design, we observe the dynamics of the students’ language practices both in the physical and on the online landscape. As our locus, we use a physical conversation and Facebook narratives in which students drew on English and Bemba to illustrate instances of blending and mixing as multilingual practices arising from translanguaging. We show that the mixing of words and the blending of morphemes from the two different languages gives evidence of how students (re)create, (re)produce, and (re)shape their meaning-making instances.

Factors Associated With Alcohol Use Among Medical Students at Ridgeway Campus, University of Zambia

Background: Alcohol use among students has been found to be significantly associated with suicide ideation, physical fighting, and poor academic performance. Consequently, the regular use of alcohol during the adolescence and early adulthood stage can be seen as a risk factor or an indicator of possible future health and social problems. The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with alcohol use among medical students at Ridgeway campus.Methodology: The study enrolled259 medical students at Ridgeway campus who completed an anonymous, self-applied questionnaire. SPSS version 20 was used to verify the correlation between alcohol use and variables. The significance level was set at 95% (p>0.05) interval.Results: Alcohol consumption was 60%. Year of the study was related to alcohol use. Additionally, other related factors were boredom (p<0.001), forget problems (p=0.001) and improvement of academic performance (p=0.018). Conclusion:The results obtained are useful for developing strategies for alcohol prevention among this population. Training with tips on how to deal with stress, early detection of alcohol use, provision of scientific information, programs for professors/tutors and others and an increase in the time dedicated to disciplines that discuss alcohol use. Keywords:Alcohol use, Medical students, ridgeway campus, university of Zambia

Assessing the biodegradability of common pharmaceutical products (PPs) on the Zambian market

Biodegradation is the breakdown of complex organic compounds into simpler molecules like carbon dioxide and water by microorganisms like bacteria and fungi. Biodegradation studies of pharmaceuticals are initially done to assess which pharmaceuticals are persistent in the environment. Whole pharmaceuticals or their metabolites are excreted from the human body via urine or fecal matter after administration. These go into the Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP) and are later released into the environment with the treated wastewater. Recent studies have reported a number of pharmaceuticals in the ecosystem and the effects of these on non-target species has become an issue of environmental concern. The biodegradation studies of eight pharmaceuticals were carried out in this research. The choice of pharmaceuticals was based on the most commonly prescribed medications at the University of Zambia (UNZA) Clinic in seven therapeutic groups: anti-hypertensives, antibiotic, antimalarial drugs, anti-tuberculosis, antihelminthics, antifungals and antiretroviral drugs. The biodegradability tests were carried out using a modified carbon dioxide evolution method (modified Sturm test). The inoculum was derived from the secondary effluent of the UNZA WWTP plant and Dextrose monohydrate was used as a system control. Using this guideline, the system control, dextrose monohydrate biodegraded 77 ± 0.270% in seven days. All the pharmaceuticals except ciprofloxacin were found to be non-biodegradable: Atenolol degraded 6.8 ± 0.026%, ketoconazole degraded 1.0 ± 0.003%, isoniazid/rifampicin degraded 0.8 ± 0.003%, mebendazole degraded 13.0 ± 0.050%, nevirapine degraded 1.3 ± 0.005%, pen-v degraded 1.0 ± 0.004% and quinine sulfate degraded 1.8 ± 0.008%. Ciprofloxacin showed a negative carbon dioxide evolution and it was noted that bacteria were not viable as the drug proved to be very potent against bacterial strains in the inoculum used.