Information literacy content for first year law students at a rural-based university in South Africa

Abstract

Information literacy (IL) has been adopted in higher education institutions in Africa.  However, the lack of local IL standards led African universities to align the IL content with international standards. This study evaluated the efficacy of the IL content offered to first year law students at a rural-based university in South Africa to establish whether the IL content offered aligns with international IL standards. The study adopted a quantitative research approach using a survey design for pragmatic examination. Data were collected and analysed from the Blackboard Learning Management System. A census sampling approach was used to select a sample from 201 first year law students who attempted and completed the set IL test in the Introduction to the Theory of Law  (INT 1141) module at the University of Venda (UNIVEN). Additionally, Law Student Information Literacy (LSIL) standards were adopted to assess the content of IL offered to first year law students at UNIVEN.  The compliments from the academics at the School of Law were used to validate the findings of this study. The findings revealed that the IL content offered for first year-level law students efficiently provides law students with the necessary skills to search for law-related information using library resources and other Internet-based information sources. The study recommends the integration of IL into all first-year academic programmes at UNIVEN.