Assessment on Use of Search Engines by Lecturers in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Purpose: This research investigated the Internet Search Engine use behaviour of lecturers in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopted the survey research design. The entire population of 133 academic staff members in the Faculty was adopted for the research. Descriptive survey was the research method used for the study. The instrument used for data collection was questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages were used to analyze the data. Findings: The findings revealed among others that Google was the most popular search engine amongst the lecturers. However, the academics admitted that they learned how to use the search engines through seminars and workshops organized by the University management. The findings further revealed that only few of the lecturers were aware of the Advanced and Boolean Search Options provided by the engines, the lecturers also indicated that coping with too much information hits was their major problem in using the search engines. Implication: More sensitization is needed for the lecturers. Originality/Value: The University Management through the Directorate of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Unit in association with the University Library should continue to organize workshops and seminars for the lecturers on how to use the various search engines to effectively access information in the internet.