Performance improvement/HPT model: Guiding the process

This commentary is part of an ongoing dialogue that began in the October 2011 special issue of Performance Improvement—Exploring a Universal Performance Model for HPT: Notes From the Field. The authors feel that the performance improvement/HPT model in its past, present, and potential future iterations is not the only model for our field; however, it makes a systematic and flexible contribution to the field.     

Using Blogs and New Media in Academic Practice: Potential Roles in Research, Teaching, Learning, and Extension

Compiling a referenced article for publication in a peer-reviewed journal is traditionally the most respected means of contributing to a body of knowledge. However, we argue that publication of evidence-based information via new media – especially blogging – can also be a valid form of academic scholarship. Blogs allow for rapid sharing of research methods, results, and conclusions in an open, transparent manner. With proper references, blogs and other new media can position academic research in the public sphere and provide rapid, reliable information in response to emerging issues. They can also support other traditional goals of higher education institutions, serving as tools for teaching, learning and outreach.     

Public libraries and Nigerian cultural development

This paper has identified the ingredients of culture, especially as found in an African society such as Nigeria. It has shown the cultural missions of public libraries as enunciated in the 1995 UNESCO Public Library Manifesto. It shows the role culture in the development of a society. It has discussed some of the ways the cultures of different Nigerian ethnic groups have been negatively influenced; and the problems hindering public libraries in the country from performing their cultural functions creditably. It emphasizes that this category of libraries should be adequately supported for them to uphold, and project the good image of Nigerians through their cherished cultural activities.     

First Impressions and the Reference Encounter: The Influence of Affect and Clothing on Librarian Approachability

Whether or not a librarian appears approachable in public service environments is critical to providing excellent service, conveying a welcoming space, and encouraging library users to engage with one of the key intellectual venues on our campuses. This study used an image-rating method to assess the influence of affect and attire on patron impressions of librarian approachability. Findings suggest that librarian behaviors do matter, with specific treatments resulting in increased or decreased perceptions of approachability. These findings not only support common sense assessments that an attentive and welcoming environment is essential to encouraging patrons to engage with librarians; they also provide information on specific behaviors that affect approachability, allowing librarians to distinguish between a range of presentation styles that can be readily employed in public service.     

Attitudes of academic staff towards their job and organisation: An empirical assessment

Abstract

The relationships and differences in how academic staff perceive their work and organisation are of great importance for human resource strategies in the higher education sector. The present study examines work‐related attitudes of academic staff, namely job satisfaction, self‐efficacy and organisational commitment. The purpose is to analyse how these attitudes differ among groups of individuals. Results show that there is an alternative way of classifying academic staff into distinct groups based on work‐related attitudes apart from the conventional classification based on position alone. Findings suggest that university managers should be careful in balancing between different systems of control or incentive.     

Institutional image and retention

Abstract

The image or ‘branding’ issue has become a strategic managerial decision for postsecondary institutions because it impacts upon the desire of a student to persist and complete, or to drop out. This paper examines the relationship that exists between students’ expectations and their lived experience as reported by students in an actual institutional setting. It is a case study which suggests actionable outcomes for the particular institution. More importantly, the approach used here is easily replicable and may be employed to provide useful information for image enhancement in other university settings.     

Language and the new capitalism

This paper discusses the extent to which conceptions and practices of literacy in schools are currently undergoing change in tandem with the emergence of a new capitalism. It considers the possible emergence of a new word order that parallels the evolving new work order. Some possible implications of the discussion for the theory and practice of inclusive education are raised. The argument moves from a brief sketch of capitalism in general to describe some key features of ‘the new capitalism’. It then identifies six characteristics of a language and literacy agenda for schools promulgated in contemporary educational reform policies. These characteristics are discussed in relation to the new capitalism. The argument concludes by suggesting that proponents of inclusive education must actively engage in debate about the social purposes of language and literacy education, and make this a key component of their political strategy for educational change.     

Improving Digital Publishing of Legal Scholarship

Legal scholarship's main mode of formal communication, the law journal article, is mostly stuck in the print publishing model. By adopting some tools and practices made possible by digital communications, legal scholarship can become more accessible, flexible, and interdisciplinary. Instructive examples can be found in the science, technology, engineering, and medicine (STEM) journals. These practices are publishing in HTML and e-book formats and adopting persistent identifiers for scholarly works.