Looking for the library: Using an undergraduate business syllabi analysis to inform an instruction program

This study analyzed 260 syllabi representing a year of the undergraduate curriculum from a business school. The syllabi were examined based on the mentions of the library from across three categories: spaces, resources, and services, as well as possible opportunities for engagement that librarians could target for collaboration. In this study, the library was mentioned 79 times, mostly in relation to library resources. There were also 479 opportunities for engagement coded. This study found that the majority of undergraduate syllabi do not mention the library, but that there are considerable opportunities that librarians can target for future engagement.     

Still on the Margins: Migration,English Language Learning,and Mental Health in Immigrant Psychiatric Patients

This qualitative study explores the reflexive relationships among mental illness, acculturation, and progress toward English proficiency in five adult immigrants being treated at a Canadian psychiatric hospital. The research explores the additional challenges faced by mentally ill individuals when learning a new language and the extent to which English language acquisition may be impeded by factors related to mental illness. Semistructured ethnographic interviews are conducted with the patients. Data analysis is accomplished through grounded theory methods, specifically data-driven and theory-driven coding. The English language acquisition experiences of these five individuals are contrasted with second-language acquisition theory to suggest that the effects of the theoretical language learning advantages possessed by this group may have been diminished by factors related to mental illness. Policy recommendations are made to address this additional set of challenges for immigrants with psychiatric disorders.     

Pulled in many directions: tensions and complexity for academic staff responding to international students

This article reports on an interview-based study of the academic practices of staff members in a New Zealand university in response to international students in their classes and under their supervision. International students enter academic cultures which are inevitably different from those which have provided their academic preparation. Participant academics often revealed a tension between trying to support students adjusting to new demands and meeting their own expectations of tertiary teaching. Most had implemented some changes to their practices which they identified as enhancing international students’ ability to study successfully, but recognised the need for balance between support and an expectation of student autonomy. For some, however, adjustment of practice to reflect these students’ different expectations and skills violated their understanding of what higher education should be. Using the lens of different orientations that Fanghanel 2012 Fanghanel, Joelle. 2012. Being an Academic. London: Routledge. [Google Scholar]. Being an Academic. London: Routledge] identified among academic staff the article considers possible responses to the current situation.     

Designing pedagogic strategies for dialogic learning in higher education

This article focuses on the pedagogic value of dialogue to strengthen pre-service teachers’ reflective practices and improve their knowledge about the power of talk for learning. Dialogic learning was introduced to a unit of study taken by a final-year cohort of students in an initial teacher education degree at an urban university in Australia. Various opportunities for dialogue were designed into the unit through blended learning such as face-to-face tutorials, social networks and Viva Voce contexts. In the face of mixed opinion on their efficacy, the author profiles the use of social networks as a means of incorporating more interactive discourse through Web 2.0 platforms in higher education. The mixed-methods study reports on data collected from focus group interviews run at the end of the semester. An analytical framework based on Alexander’s principles of dialogic learning is used to interrogate the data set. The results illustrate the positive impact that dialogue employed as a pedagogic tool had on the value students perceived of their learning experience. It is recommended that designs for learning in higher education incorporate iterative exchanges across a variety of blended learning contexts to encourage productive interactions between students, peers and tutors.     

Action learning as a tool for developing networks and building evidence-based practice in public health

The aim of this account of practice is to share my specific experience of action learning as an approach to effective working in a networking organisation. The context is delivery of public health at a regional level as part of a national organisation, The Health Development Agency. The action learning set took place with a consistent group over a 20-month period. The account includes my personal learning, views expressed by colleagues, and some reflections on ways the set improved my working practice with others as part of a ‘networked organisation’. The account may be of relevance to anyone involved with developing networks, and/or a networked organisation. It is particularly pertinent to public health specialists, practitioners and others involved with developing networks as a tool to enhance good public health practice.     

The Sad Demise of z.D.H.38 Ernest Collins: Suicide,Informers and the Debate on the Abolition of Flogging

In 1934, a convict was found hanged in his cell. His final words reveal the fearful state of his mind on learning his appeal against a sentence of flogging had been rejected. Historical records about his prison life offer insights into suicide and prison informers, subjects which have received little attention from historians. His activities as an informer increased the weight of imprisonment for him in the period prior to his death. He is a statistic in the Prison Commissioners’ annual report, but his death became a crucial component of rejuvenated campaigns for an enquiry into the use of corporal punishment.     

Evidence-Based Methods for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Stakeholder Issues and Perspectives

Despite variable interpretations of the meaning and nature of specific effective practice methods and research-supported strategies, such approaches are generally considered essential for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Indeed, there is general consensus that only by qualified professionals using effective methods in an approved fashion will optimal student outcomes be achieved. Related to this need, this article presents perspectives of stakeholders connected to use of effective practices with children and youth diagnosed with ASD. A parent, educational practitioner, and program administrator each share their unique perspectives on the subject of effective practice methods for learners with ASD.     

Moving across physical and online spaces: a case study in a blended primary classroom

With the introduction of digital tools and online connectivity in primary schools, the shape of teaching and learning is shifting beyond the physical classroom. Drawing on the architecture of productive learning networks framework, we examine the affordances and limitations of an upper primary learning network and focus on how the digital and physical elements involved in set design shape teachers' pedagogical approaches and students' learning processes. The findings suggest that blended spaces support teachers' distributed orchestration of classroom activities across tools and resources while also leveraging students' engagement in reciprocal teaching and collaborative learning.     

GIS and the humanities: Presenting a path to digital scholarship with the Story Map app

ABSTRACT

Working collaboratively, a scholarly resources librarian and a subject liaison librarian at a small, public liberal arts college have created a GIS story mapping workshop for fellow information professionals. Using GIS, the librarians are bridging the gap between humanities and sciences in a liberal arts environment. The librarians' experience of being introduced to GIS and creating training for others enabled them to support their library's data services and digital scholarship initiatives. By helping connect the humanities with science and technology using story maps, librarians can create a neutral environment for learners to conduct interdisciplinary research and develop spatial literacy.     

The Choice Architecture of School Choice Websites

Abstract

We conducted a randomized factorial experiment to determine how displaying school information to parents in different ways affects what schools they choose for their children in a hypothetical school district. In a sample of 3,500 low-income parents of school-aged children, a small design manipulation, such as changing the default order in which schools were presented, induced meaningful changes in the types of schools selected. Other design choices such as using icons to represent data, instead of graphs or just numbers, or presenting concise summaries instead of detailed displays, also led parents to choose schools with higher academic performance. We also examined effects on parents’ understanding of the information and their self-reported satisfaction and ease of use. In some cases, there were trade-offs. For example, representing data using only numbers maximized understanding, but adding graphs maximized satisfaction at the expense of understanding.