Creating a Community of Inquiry in Online Library Instruction

ABSTRACT

According to the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000 Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2/3), 87–105. doi:10.1016/S1096-7516(00)00016-6[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), an enriching educational experience online in a collaborative learning environment requires three interdependent elements: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. Social presence provides interaction in the online environment that allows students to feel like they are in a supportive and open environment. Teaching presence refers not just to teacher-student interaction during the lesson or course duration, but also to a teacher's ability to design an effective learning environment. Cognitive presence in the CoI model is knowledge generated from collaborative interaction. This model has been well-studied in the literature, and has been shown to be a meaningful framework for course development. However, more exploration of CoI in relation to library distance instruction is needed. This article describes the Community of Inquiry model and provides information about the three presences and how they can improve online educational environments.     

Creating a Role for Embedded Librarians Within an Active Learning Environment

In 2013, the librarians at a small academic health sciences library reevaluated their mission, vision, and strategic plan to expand their roles. The school was transitioning to a new pedagogical culture and a new building designed to emphasize interprofessional education and active learning methodologies. Subsequent efforts to implement the new strategic plan resulted in the librarians joining curriculum committees and other institutional initiatives, such as an Active Learning Task Force, and participating in faculty development workshops. This participation has increased visibility and led to new roles and opportunities for librarians.     

Investment in Higher Education: Do Labor Market Opportunities Differ by Age of Recent College Graduates?

This study examined the post-graduation labor market experiences of recent college graduates for evidence of age-related barriers to employment. Older graduates were considerably less likely than younger graduates to seek new jobs following graduation, but, among those who did, the two age groups showed little difference in their job-seeking behaviors or their susceptibilities to unemployment. Despite these similarities, older graduates, on average, had fewer post-graduation job interviews and fewer job offers than younger graduates. The relationship between age and number of job interviews disappeared after controlling for the effects of other variables, but the relationship between age and number of job offers remained. Nonetheless, older graduates appear to have been employed in better jobs one year after graduation. Their higher average salaries were not explained by sociodemographic, educational, or employment-related variables. Thus, findings are generally inconsistent with the view that older graduates face age-related barriers to employment.     

Heat energy and temperature concepts of adolescents,adults, and experts: Implications for curricular improvements

We conducted two studies of beliefs about laboratory and everyday thermal phenomena. The first study identified concepts of heat energy and temperature held by adolescents, adults, and scientists. We found a classic separation of “school” and “everyday” knowledge in each population. We conducted clinical interviews with 37 middle school students, 9 adults, and 8 chemists and physicists to obtain their predictions and explanations of real-world phenomena. Many students believed that metals “conduct,” “absorb,” “trap,” or “hold” cold better than other materials and that aluminum foil would be better than wool or cotton as a wrapping material to keep cold objects cold. Respondents in each group held many intuitive ideas that were well established. Although scientists made more accurate predictions than students and gave theoretical definitions of terms, they too had difficulty explaining everyday phenomena. The second study investigated the impact of a middle school science curriculum designed to help students understand everyday thermal events. We found marked improvements in posttest scores and clinical interview responses as a result of instruction that built on students' intuitions.     

Psychological issues in relocation: Response to change

Conclusion Although nearly all individuals will find relocation at least minimally stressful and will experience some stress related symptoms such as emotional reactivity, irritability, and exhaustion, those who find ways to establish security and meaning in their new situation within a reasonable time (2 to 6 months) will suffer less turmoil. The coping strategies that individuals employ will vary; people are generally fairly creative problem solvers. When the stress of a relocation continues beyond a reasonable time individuals experiencing excessive psychological discomfort should seek professional help. Help can best be provided by assisting the individual to overcome the obstacles which are a part of the naturally occurring process of adjusting to a new situation. Framing the experience as a normal reaction to a traumatic or crisis event can help individuals find ways to maintain both a sense of security and meaning, and to regain a sense of perspective.Marcia Hausman is a Counseling Psychologist who received a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in 1983. She has been on the staff of the Counseling Center for Human Development at the University of South Florida since 1984. She has moved 12 times, reluctantly.James Reed is a Counseling Psychologist with a Ph.D. from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Born in West Africa, he has moved 16 times since then.