This is one of the few current books on African higher education. Teferra focuses on scientific research and communication in Africa. Included are chapters on scientific journals, secondary avenues of scientific communication and funding issues. There is also a focus on the challenges and opportunities of scientific communication in African universities. The author employs an innovative methodology for data collection.
Author(s): Damtew Teferra
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 176
Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 9
CHAPTER ONE Introduction......Page 10
THE SCOPE OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION AND RESEARCH IN AFRICA......Page 11
EXTERNAL AGENCIES IN THE AFRICAN SCIENTIFIC DOMAIN......Page 14
RESEARCH PROBLEMS, RATIONALES, AND QUESTIONS......Page 15
The Major Issues......Page 17
SIGNIFICANCE-AND LIMITATIONS-OF THE STUDY......Page 18
THE FRAMEWORK......Page 19
ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY......Page 20
INTRODUCTION......Page 21
THE QUESTIONNAIRE......Page 22
Email as a Survey Tool......Page 23
Email as a Survey Tool in the African Context......Page 24
PROFILE OF SURVEY SUBJECTS......Page 26
VIRTUAL RESOURCES......Page 29
The Technology Front......Page 30
Methodological and other Issues of Concern......Page 31
CONCLUSION......Page 32
INTRODUCTION......Page 33
Quality of Training in Science......Page 36
Capacity Building and Brain Drain......Page 37
THE STATE AND NEED FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN AFRICA......Page 39
SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION IN AFRICA......Page 41
Scientific Journals......Page 42
Meetings......Page 45
“Invisible Colleges”......Page 46
EXTERNAL SUPPORT TO AFRICAN HIGHER EDUCATION......Page 47
CONCLUSION......Page 52
JOURNALS AS A MAJOR AVENUE OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION......Page 53
PERSONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS TO JOURNALS......Page 54
INSTITUTIONAL AND NATIONAL PRODUCTION OF JOURNALS......Page 55
ELECTRONIC JOURNALS: AWARENESS AND ATTITUDES OF AFRICAN SCIENTISTS......Page 56
EDITORIAL CONCERNS......Page 58
INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL JOURNALS: ACCESS AND RELEVANCE......Page 59
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLISHING AND PROMOTION......Page 61
Plight of African Scientific Journals......Page 62
Journals in African University Libraries......Page 66
Electronic Journals: Implications for Africa......Page 68
Programs to Improve Access to Journals......Page 70
Regionalism vs. Internationalism: The Scope of Journals in the Knowledge Context......Page 71
CONCLUSION......Page 74
SCHOLARLY CONVENTIONS: CONFERENCES, SEMINARS, AND OTHER MEETINGS......Page 76
Access to Computers and the Networked Scholarly Environment......Page 78
Other New Avenues of Communication: Access and Impact......Page 81
INFORMAL COMMUNICATION......Page 83
Strides in Scientific Communication......Page 85
Professional Meetings......Page 86
The Significance of and Prospects for CDROM Technology......Page 90
Informal Interactions and Networking......Page 91
CONCLUSION......Page 92
CHALLENGES AND DILEMMAS IN SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION......Page 94
Bias and Prejudice Against African Science......Page 95
Time Constraints as a Challenge to Scientific Productivity......Page 97
The Scarcity of Journals as a Constraint to Scientific Development......Page 98
Challenges Facing Electronic Media and Professional Meetings......Page 99
ICT on the African Scientific Landscape: What is their Significance?......Page 101
DlSCUSSION AND ANALYSIS......Page 104
The Chemistry of Knowledge Generation and Scientific Communication......Page 105
Scientific Communication in the Era of ICT: What it Means to Africa?......Page 106
CONCLUSION......Page 111
INTRODUCTION......Page 112
EXTERNAL AGENCIES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION......Page 114
PATTERNS OF RELIANCE ON EXTERNAL SUPPORT......Page 117
EARMARKING FUNDS FOR SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION IN A RESEARCH PROPOSAL......Page 118
Patterns and Perceptions of External Support......Page 120
Praise and Critiques of External Support......Page 122
Unsustainability and Donor Fatigue......Page 123
Mistrust of Donor Agendas......Page 124
Government and Institutional Commitment......Page 125
More Involvement of Local Counterparts......Page 127
National Commitment......Page 128
Other Suggested Actions......Page 129
AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES AND THEIR SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES: WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?......Page 130
DlSCUSSION AND ANALYSIS......Page 133
CONCLUSION......Page 137
CHAPTER EIGHT Conclusion and Recommendations......Page 139
OPPORTUNITIES IN AFRICAN SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION......Page 144
Expansion of ICT......Page 145
The Favorable Policy Environment......Page 146
Precarious Communication Infrastructure......Page 147
Financial Exigencies......Page 148
Governments......Page 149
Universities......Page 151
Donor Agencies......Page 153
Individual Scientists......Page 154
CONCLUSION......Page 155
APPENDIX The Questionnaire......Page 156
Bibliography......Page 160
Index......Page 169
