ICONic training: use of a course management system to provide continual reference student education

In an effort to provide continuing education to the students working at the Hardin Library reference desk, staff members have created an online training course using the University of Iowa's course management system called ICON(Iowa Courses Online). The course has four main components-a content page, an article discussion forum, quizzes, and a challenging questions module. ICON has quickly become an essential training resource and has also provided an electronic professional community for students who primarily work in isolation. Additionally, the experience with the software has positioned the library to provide training support for the health campus and to take advantage of new technology based collaborations.     

Evaluation of outreach services for primary care and mental health; assessing the impact

Objectives: This paper reports an evaluation, carried out for London Health Libraries, of the impact of outreach services to primary care and mental health workers in 13 different settings. The main aims of the project were to identify the impact being made by the service, and to produce best‐practice guidelines for outreach services in this kind of community setting. Methods: Analysis of documents, analysis of any evaluation already carried out, interviews with outreach librarians, survey of a representative sample of users (eight services). The services evaluated were very diverse in terms of setting, structure, functions and activities. The evaluation was therefore largely qualitative. Emphasis was placed on trying to identify critical incidents, where it could be shown unambiguously that the outreach services made a difference to practice. Findings: Service recipients felt better informed, more up to date, more aware of resources, more confident and supported in their work, and saved time. Direct impacts, such as improved patient care, cost savings, etc., were more difficult to establish. Conclusions: The study identified the main areas of impact, and the main factors which affected this. Recommendations for good practice in such outreach services are made. Lessons of this evaluation for impact studies in general are presented, in particular the difficulty of assessing ‘direct’ impacts.     

Emotional and motivational relationship of elementary students to mathematical problem-solving: a person-centered approach

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Recent literature has shown that achievement emotions, their regulation, and perceived competence play a compelling role in mathematics learning and...     

Using evidence and implementation experience for advocacy and policy influence: the Rwanda Emergent Literacy and Maths Initiative (ELMI) case study

This paper discusses applied research initiatives led by Save the Children in Rwanda that were used to inform advocacy and policy efforts surrounding the expansion of high quality early childhood education (ECE) services in Rwanda. Qualitative and quantitative studies were carried out around a new program focused on improving early literacy and math competencies (the Emergent Literacy and Maths Initiative (ELMI)) from 2013–2017. They include a Political Economy Analysis in 2013–2014 and longitudinal impact evaluations in 2014–2015 and 2015–2016. Together, the mixed-methods data helped to identify strengths and gaps in the Rwandan education system, potential solutions to improving ECE for all children in the country, and insights into best practices for taking successful pilot programs to scale in a low-income country. Changes in national policy and ECE service provision are discussed.     

Developing cyber peacekeeping: Observation,monitoring and reporting

Cyberphysical societies are becoming reliant upon the cyber domain for everyday life. With cyber warfare increasingly becoming part of future conflicts, new and novel solutions are needed to assist governments in securing their national infrastructure. Cyber peacekeeping is one such solution: an emerging and multi-disciplinary field of research, touching upon technical, political, governmental and societal domains of thought. In this article we build upon previous works by developing the cyber peacekeeping activity of observation, monitoring and reporting. We take a practical approach: describing a scenario in which two cyberphysical societies experience the negative effects of cyber warfare and require cyber expertise to restore services their citizens depend upon. We explore how a cyber peacekeeping operation could start up and discuss the challenges it will face. The article makes a number of proposals, including the use of a virtual collaborative environment to bring multiple benefits. We conclude by summarising our findings, and describing where further work lies.     

美国幼儿保育与教育中的政府职能

美国实行联邦、州、县学区三级的按年龄分段的二元式幼儿保育与教育管理体制。概括而言,联邦宏观调控,各州全面负责,县学区具体督导。三级政府之间和政府各部门之间的幼儿保教职能分工明晰。     

Internet Galaxy Meets Postnational Constellation: Prospects for Political Solidarity After the Internet

Might online social relations play a role in the rise of political solidarities sufficient to support a democratic postnationalist project? As things currently stand, it does not appear that the Internet supports either the commitment or cohesiveness needed to underpin a demanding new mode of social and political relations. Looking at factors such as conceptions of community and social interaction, systems of meaning, political engagement, and social inclusivity can help us assess the question. The exercise suggests that while the Internet may be a factor in change, it may not yield the kind of change many are anticipating. This finding raises doubts concerning the postnationalist hope that new social and political bonds will help ground transnational projects such as the European Union.     

Evaluation of machine-aided indexing2

The Defense Documentation Center (DDC), a field activity of the Defense Supply Agency, implemented an automated indexing procedure in October 1973. This Machine-Aided Indexing (MAI) System [1] had been under development since 1969. The following is a report of several comparisons designed to measure the retrieval effectiveness of MAI and manual indexing procedures under normal operational conditions.Several definitions are required in order to clarify the MAI process as it pertains to these investigations. The MAI routines scan unedited text in the form of titles and abstracts. The output of these routines is called Candidate Index Terms. These word strings are matched by computer against an internal file of manually screened and cross-referenced terms called a Natural Language Data Base (NLDB). The NLDB differs from a standard thesaurus in that there is no related term category. Word strings which match the NLDB are accepted as valid MAI output. The mismatches are manually screened for suitability. Those accepted are added to the NLDB. If now, the original set of Candidate Index Terms is matched against the updated NLDB, the matched output is unedited MAI. If both the unedited matches and mismatches are further structured in accession order and sent to technical analysts for review, the output of that process is called edited MAI.The tests were designed to (a) compare unedited MAI with manual indexing, holding the indexing language and the retrieval technique constant; (b) compare edited MAI with unedited MAI, holding both the indexing and the retrieval technique constant; and (c) compare two different retrieval techniques, called simple and complex, while holding the indexing constant.     

Assessing the success of a discipline-based communication skills development and enhancement program in a graduate accounting course

In this paper we present results of the impact diagnostic testing and associated context-specific workshops have on students' written communication skills in a graduate-level accounting course. We find that students who undertook diagnostic testing performed better in their first semester accounting subject. This improvement is positively associated with student attendance at context-specific writing skills-based workshops. When we extend the analysis to examine the long-term benefits of participation in the academic development program, there is evidence that diagnostic testing has led to sustained improvement in students' writing ability within their final semester accounting subject.     

Engaging Students in Science Courses: Lessons of Change from the Arctic

Where you live should have something to do with what you teach. In the Arctic, the idea of place-based education – teaching and sharing knowledge that is needed to live well – is central to the UARCTIC consortium and the 4^th International Polar Year educational reform effort. A place-based issue oriented context can engage students in chemistry concepts when it intersects with their experience and lives. This article examines the rationale and means of integrating local concerns such as world view, culture, traditional knowledge, and policy into both general and specialized chemistry courses. More broadly, capacious placebased issues should be widely adapted by all curriculum reform efforts to demonstrate the connectivity between science and societal understanding of technological options. A case in point is the inclusion of indigenous perspectives in a non-majors general chemistry course when the concepts of scientific method, ice and water resources, genetic engineering, and so forth are discussed. In a specialized course on radioactivity in the north, topics connected nuclear chemistry and radioactivity to people and energy. The local landscape should be central to science courses and involve issues relevant to stewardship, a component of the indigenous world view. The historical issues can be connected to current nuclear energy and uranium mining as they relate to the risks and benefits for the local community. This article will make the case that curriculum reform that focuses on real-world topics will not only engage students so that they perform well in class but also spark their interest so that they continue learning after the course is over.