This section will present conclusions drawn from the research questions of the study. Each question will draw conclusions from the relevant themes and subthemes analysed in chapter four.
5.2.1 Research Question One
The following are conclusions that can be drawn form the question “how do faculty and students in Moi University – Nairobi Campus access and share teaching, learning and research information resources?”
5.2.1.1 Sources of Information Resources Used
From the study, it can be concluded that both students and faculty use a variety of sources to access information resources. Nevertheless, students use the institution library more to access information resources, either as print or electronic from the subscribed databases. Faculty on the other hand, uses their personal libraries and OA journals more than the library or any other source.
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5.2.1.2 Formats of Information Resources Accessed
It is clear from the results of the study that, print (in the form of books) is the most popular format of accessing resources to both students and faculty. Electronic resources such as journal articles are accessed and often printed out for distribution or further reference. Video and audio are not popular formats accessed and used for teaching and learning.
5.2.1.3 Technology Availability
Unlike the faculty staff, most students are accessible to computers when they require them. If not from the institution, they can easily access them at their work places. The same case applies for Internet access. Nevertheless, printers are not always accessible while scanners are rarely accessible.
5.2.1.4 Sharing Teaching and Research Resources
The study results have shown that, about half of the staff has published academic works either in commercial or OA journals. Further, faculty staff informally shares teaching material with each other and with faculty of Moi University main campus.
5.2.1.5 Challenges of Accessing Information Resources
Among the main challenges that came out in the study from both groups are: lack of time to search for resources, unavailability of required resources and restriction of access (unpaid subscriptions or/and restrictions for access outside campus).
5.2.1.6 Views of Improving Access to Resources
The most common views gathered from both groups in the study on improving information access include: increasing library subscriptions/holdings ensure stabilized internet connection and increase the number of computers. From the faculty data, it can also be concluded that,
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there is a need to work more collaboratively at departmental levels to ascertain information needs and ways of meeting them.
5.2.2 Research Question Two
The following conclusions can be drawn to answer the questions: “how are OER useful in Moi University and how can they be adopted to enhance access to teaching, learning and research information resources?”
5.2.2.1 Usefulness of OER at Moi University
It is evident that both faculty and students are not quite familiar with the concept of OER. Nevertheless, from their challenges and suggestions of how to enhance their experiences of information access and also from the experts’ opinions, OER are useful for Moi University, Nairobi campus. They provide an opportunity to increase the institutions’ available sources of information at minimal or no costs. The open nature of these resources allows them to be used and adapted to suit the needs and contexts of the users. Nevertheless, “even given its potential advantages, OER is not likely to completely displace traditional materials…… it will coexist with traditional materials, just as totally online educational institutions will coexist with more traditional ones as well as with blended ones using both face-to-face and online education — just as online stores compete with physical ones as well as those that have evolved to use both bricks and clicks” (CED, 2009, p. 20).
5.2.2.2 OER Adoption
From the faculty interview data in chapter four, it can be concluded that if any OER uptake is to succeed, the value of it must be realized by management and faculty staff. “OER that is not demand driven is unlikely to have a substantial impact or to be sustainable over time” (CED, 2009, p. 23). The librarian is an important anchor in facilitating the finding of appropriate OER resources that already exist freely on the internet. The librarian together with faculty staff can be used to ensure quality in terms of the OER materials selected for use at the institution. OER adoption in this institution does not necessarily require everybody to be
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accessible to computers or internet. OERs can be accessed in print formats and remotely on the intranet as mirror cites of other institutions’ OER like MIT CourseWare upon such an agreement.
5.2.3 Research Question Three
The following conclusions can be made to answer to the research question “how can faculty intra and inter university collaboration be enhanced through OER adoption in Moi University?”
5.2.3.1 OER and Collaboration
It is difficult to draw a concrete conclusion from this question since it did not come out clearly in the study. Nevertheless, the responses from the experts indicate that participants in OER projects are more inclined to collaborate with colleagues within their institutions. It was also clear that other benefits like costs and time of creating materials are saved over time when this is done collaboratively. Moreover, it is possible to bring out variety when faculty staff teaching the same course collaborates to create courseware, whereby different dimensions of the course concepts can be brought in by the different faculty collaborating hence avoiding duplication and enhancing diversity. Nevertheless, more empirical research in this area should be conducted to ascertain how collaboration of faculty in the same institutions works, does it work better when done formally or informally, barriers and benefits of such collaboration and how this happens beyond the institution.