Personal Information Management
Personal Information Management
Personal Information Management
(2018)
Mubeen Akhtar
Comsats University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Email: mubeen.akhtar@comsats.edu.pk
INTRODUCTION
Conceptual Framework
Research Objective
Research Questions
The following research questions guided the research study. The approach for
answering each research question is given in Table 1.
1. How do university students perceive their competency on different aspects
of PIM?
2. What problems do the students encounter during PIM?
3. What strategies can be employed to improve PIM in university students?
METHODOLOGY
Sample
Data Analysis
The data from the closed-ended items are illustrated in tables showing the
students’ program and level of competency on various aspects of PIM (searching,
sharing, storing, disposal, retrieval).
The percentage of students with low and moderate searching competency
was almost equal in all the three programs (38.8% and 39.3%). So, the students’
program did not affect the level of searching competence. Moreover, the
Virus/pop ups 13
Use of filter/bookmarks 35
Do not know 55
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Percentage of Responses
The students lack of information about PIM was also reflected in their
responses on improving IM. 55% students did not give any suggestion for improving
PIM and simply reported that they do not know how to improve it. A similar finding
is that the participants do not know about PIM reported by Sedghi et al. (2015). The
students were not even familiar with the term ‘PIM’. 35% of students suggested the
use of filter/bookmarks for improving PIM. Bookmarks save the web link for fast
retrieval and helps in IM as found by Boardman & Sasse (2004). The students
expressed the opinion that the provision of fast speed internet would also help in
PIM (24%). Fast speed internet helps in googling through a greater number of
websites in the pursuit of finding relevant material and its purposeful use. Some
students complained that they cannot search and save files/documents with a large
size if the internet speed is slow because the documents would take much time to
load on the screen.
CONCLUSION
The students in all the three programs suffer from ‘weak’ competency in
searching and sharing information and ‘moderate’ competency in storing, disposing,
and retrieving information. Comparatively, science students seemed more
competent in storing information than the students in other programs. The
Architecture and Design students were weaker in sharing information than the
science and social science students. The majority of the students keep their data in
laptop/PC while the use of sky drive was very low. The major problems identified in
PIM were credibility of information, connectivity issues and the difficulty in searcing
relevant information.
LIMITATIONS
REFERENCES
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