Evidence,argument and social responsibility: first‐year students’ experiences of information literacy when researching an essay

This paper describes a phenomenographic study of undergraduates’ experiences of information literacy when researching an essay in a first‐year environmental studies course. Three hierarchical categories were identified that represented students’ experiences: (i) seeking evidence; (ii) developing an argument; and (iii) learning as a social responsibility. The critical variation that delimited the categories included students’ focus on learning, focus on the essay task, use of information in the course, use of information in the essay, use of contrasting perspectives and development of argument. Strategies for designing curricula are suggested based on the educationally critical aspects that the study reveals, and the nature of information literacy as a ‘generic’ skill is questioned. The study has significance for students, teachers, librarians, academic skills advisers and academic developers in higher education.     

Listening to Customers: How EBSCO Plans Enhancements and Product Acquisitions Based on Customer Feedback

The importance of customer feedback and the value that it adds to product development and enhancements cannot be overstated. Customer feedback also plays a key role in the development of online resources. But how do you merge customer feedback and the development of new proposals for product design? The balance between customer feedback and strategic direction is something EBSCO strives for in every build of new product enhancements. Many of the company's most important products and interface enhancements can trace their origins back (at least in part) to customer feedback or customer‐based advisory boards. By keeping an open channel of communication between customers and developers, EBSCO has positioned itself as a global leader in matching ongoing product development to current customer need. In doing so, the company has also laid the foundation for ascertaining and responding to the future needs of customers.     

Attitude toward Christianity among secondary school pupils in Northern Ireland: shifts in denominational differences

Background Northern Ireland is a province that remains deeply divided between Protestants and Catholics and maintains a segregated system of schools.

Purpose The research builds on a series of studies conducted in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s to monitor the attitude toward Christianity of males and females educated in Protestant and Catholic schools.

Sample A sample of 2359 16- to 18-year-old pupils attending Catholic and Protestant schools in Northern Ireland.

Design and methods A random sample of seven Protestant and nine Catholic schools invited all pupils attending their lower and upper sixth-form classes to participate in the survey and to complete the Francis scale of attitude toward Christianity.

Results The data demonstrate that, while males attending Catholic schools maintained a more positive attitude towards Christianity than males attending Protestant schools, females attending Catholic schools reported a less positive attitude toward Christianity than females attending Protestant schools. These findings are compared with studies conducted during the 1970s and 1980s when both males and females attending Catholic schools recorded a more positive attitude toward Christianity than their peers attending Protestant schools.

Conclusions Repeated cross-sectional studies of this nature help to profile the changing religious climate of Northern Ireland.     

A Virtual Learning Environment for Part-Time MASW Students: An Evaluation of the WebCT

This study aims to evaluate the perception of a cohort of social workers studying for a part-time master's program in social work in using the popular Web-based learning platform-World Wide Web Course Tools (WebCT) as a complimentary method of teaching and learning. It was noted that social work profession began incorporating computer technology in its practice long after other professions. Its incorporation into social work teaching came even later. Questionnaires were used to collect views on computer-assisted learning (CAL) and the WebCT. Follow-up, individual in-depth interviews were conducted to obtain further qualitative data to understand the specific conditions under which a virtual learning environment becomes facilitative. It was found that in general students have a positive towards CAL and the WebCT, but they do not think that their education should be entirely Web-based. Teacher-student interactions were still essential to achieve the educational objectives. Nonetheless, the complementary value of the virtual learning environment, that is, a good measure of independence and productivity in their study depends on the students' level of competence and familiarity with the WebCT platform.     

A Community of Practice Approach to Delivering Research Support Services in a Post-92 Higher Education Institution: A Reflective Case Study

ABSTRACT

The need for research support in U.K. universities is growing at a fast pace and a number of different professional and academic units within universities are involved in the process. This case study takes place in a post-92 higher education institution and discusses the benefit of utilizing a cross-university Community of Practice (CoP) approach to delivering research support services. It takes a qualitative approach, using semi-structured interviews to ascertain the personal experiences of community members. The article's key findings for successful implementation include a common sense of purpose; a shared concern or passion about the research agenda; a sense of community and belonging; trust; a safe environment; and senior management support. Added benefit is demonstrated by enhanced staff knowledge, increased job satisfaction, and profile-raising of the Library and Learning Service. The findings can help libraries in similar positions to use collaborative initiatives to develop research support services.     

Sixth form religion in Northern Ireland: the Protestant profile 1968–1998

The aim of the present study was to build on John Greer’s systematic set of studies concerned with teenage beliefs and values conducted among samples of sixth form students attending County and Protestant voluntary schools in Northern Ireland in 1968, 1978 and 1988. The present study replicated the earlier surveys for a further time in 1998. The results provide a unique snapshot of the persistence of religious affiliation, belief and practice across the latter part of the twentieth century in a nation which has continued to resist the secularisation process so eroding the place of religion in the neighbouring nations of England, Wales and Scotland.     

Applying the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) Taxonomy on Student's Learning Outcomes: An empirical study

This article explores the application of different educational taxonomies in measuring students' cognitive learning outcomes. The objectives were to compare three educational taxonomies--namely, the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy, Bloom's taxonomy and reflective thinking measurement model--and to test the application value of these taxonomies. A comparative literature review was conducted to provide an underlying conceptual framework. Recommendations from this review were examined experimentally. Scripts of long essay papers and short classroom discussion responses were analyzed by the modified versions of the taxonomies. It was found that SOLO is suitable for measuring different kinds of learning outcomes. However, finer categorization of SOLO levels did not eradicate the problem of SOLO's conceptual ambiguity. It is suggested that the next step of research should be on setting up panels of judges to find out which taxonomy is suitable for measuring what learning outcomes under which contexts.