Where did the reference desk go? Transforming staff and space to meet user needs

ABSTRACT

A sharp decline in the number of reference queries prompted the library administration at Indiana State University to begin a project to combine the circulation, reference, and IT desks to reduce staffing at a new consolidated service point. All faculty and staff in the reference/instruction and circulation units participated in the project. The new arrangement and subsequent removal of librarians from routine desk duties have expanded instructional opportunities, consistent with the university's goals. Project participants plan further assessments to better determine the impacts of the new service arrangements.     

The early school leaver count as a policy instrument in EU governance: the un/intended effects of an indicator

ABSTRACT

The EU has embraced the use of indicators as policy instruments for achieving common aims. One of the indicators, ‘early school leaver’ (ESL), depicts the proportion of young people leaving education and training prematurely. Initially defined as an education policy indicator, it has been transformed into a performance indicator measuring the targets of the current Europe 2020 strategy. In this article, we examine how the indicator works as a policy instrument at different levels of governance applying the conceptual tools provided by the policy instrumentation approach to unpack the components, pinpoint the political effects, and reveal the power relations they produce. Thus challenging the taken-for-grantedness of comparison as a way of knowing we have intended to shift the focus of discussion concerning the role of large-scale comparisons in education towards more productive directions: moving from problematisation and deconstruction of comparison to engaging with processes of measurement.     

Event-related potentials and consonant differentiation in newborns with familial risk for dyslexia

We measured event-related potentials (ERPs) to synthetic consonant-vowel syllables (/ba/, /da/, /ga/) from 26 newborns with familial risk for dyslexia and 23 control infants participating in the Jyv?skyl? Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia. The syllables were presented with equal probability and with interstimulus intervals ranging from 3,010 to 7,285 ms. Analyses of averaged ERPs from the latencies identified on the basis of principal component analysis (PCA) revealed significant group differences in stop-consonant processing in several latency ranges. At the latencies of 50-170 ms and 540-630 ms, the responses to /ga/ were larger and more positive than those to /ba/ and /da/ in the right hemisphere in the at-risk group. Between 740 and 940 ms, the responses to /ba/ and /da/ differed between anterior and posterior electrode sites in the control group. These results indicate that the cortical electric activation evoked by speech elements differs between children with and without risk for dyslexia even immediately after birth. Group-related effects at early and late latency ranges of ERPs suggest differences both in the early sound processing based on activation of afferent elements and in later phases of syllable encoding.     

“Just like us”: Increasing awareness,prompting action and combating ageism through a critical intergenerational service learning project

In the Through their Eyes Project health sciences students are partnered with older adults to explore and assess the age-friendliness of their neighborhood. Using an innovative data collection tool – ‘moving interviews’ – these intergenerational research teams learn about the community and each other by traveling, observing, and discussing these landscapes together. The research project culminates in a community forum where findings are presented to government officials, the housing association and aging organizations. In addition to completing the research project, students are required to keep a journal to reflect on their experience.

The purpose of this study was to explore students experience participating in a critical intergenerational service learning project. Two research questions guided this inquiry: What was the experience for students and, what elements of the project are important to that experience?

Student journals collected over 5 years from 191 students comprised the data for this study. Data were analyzed using a 6-phase thematic analysis process.

Two key findings related to student experience emerged from the study: increased awareness and prompted to action. Elements of the course found significant to this experience included an aging simulation activity and the specific design of the project.

The paper concludes with suggestions for developing and integrating critical service-learning pedagogy into gerontological education.     

Observing collaborative problem‐solving processes and outcomes

This study examined the problem of assessing group process in a collaborative problem‐solving situation. Students in seven collaborative groups worked on a two‐part math and logic problem—first individually, then in groups, and finally, individually again. Groups engaging in behaviors that facilitated collaboration obtained higher group and individual accuracy scores on a challenging problem set. High‐achieving students were influential in group problem‐solving outcomes. Group scores did not reflect the individual achievement of low‐achieving students. Examining collaborative group process and outcomes offers a new direction in functional and contextualized assessment for school psychologists. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Investigation of abnormal left temporal functioning in dyslexia through rCBF,auditory evoked potentials,and positron emisson tomography

The proposed left hemisphere dysfunction in dyslexia was investigated in a review of four studies using regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF; N=152) and combined auditory evoked responses (AERs) with positron emission tomography (PET) (N=20). In contrast to the positive relation that was found between temporal rCBF and orthographic task accuracy, an inverse correlation was found phonemic in normals between task accuracy and left temporal rCBF activation, near Heschl's gyrus. Dyslexics, by contrast, showed a positive correlation between Heschl's gyrus activation (by PET and rCBF) and phonemic processing accuracy. The AER's at C3 for an early positive component (P1) showed that these relationships were true both on hit trials and correct rejection trials, indicating that the perceptual rather than motoric or selective attention aspects of the task were being measured. Methodological issues were emphasized, including the difficulty of interpreting mean differences in brain activity at a given site without considering the separate multivariate structures that might exist in the two populations.     

Presenting Workshops on Supervision: A Didactic‐Experiential Format

Given the growing emphasis on supervision in the counseling field, mental health professionals need updated training on the varied and complex issues in supervision and introduction to emerging theoretical models. The authors present a didactic‐theoretical‐experiential model of supervision training to be used in a workshop format. Curriculum information is included, along with ideas for exercises and class discussion. The authors discuss common themes and potential challenges that have emerged from their experiences as well as from feedback from evaluations. Readers are provided with information to help develop and enrich their training skills in supervision.     

Corpus callosum morphology in attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder: morphometric analysis of MRI

Although behavioral evidence provides support for the notion that attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is related to central nervous system dysfunction, there is little direct evidence to reveal which neurometabolic systems or brain structures are involved. Recent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies suggest that, compared to nondisabled controls, ADHD children may have a smaller right frontal region. Morphometric analysis of MRI scans was used in this exploratory study to determine whether correlated regional variation might exist in the corpus callosum of children with ADHD. While all MRI scans were judged to be clinically normal, morphometric analysis revealed that, compared to nondisabled controls, ADHD children had a smaller corpus callosum, particularly in the region of the genu and splenium, and in the area just anterior to the splenium. Interhemispheric fibers in these regions interconnect the left and right frontal, occipital, parietal, and posterior temporal regions. These results suggest that subtle differences may exist in the brains of children with ADHD and that deviations in normal corticogenesis may underlie the behavioral manifestations of this disorder.     

Using a Multilevel Assessment Scheme in Reforming Science Methods Courses

The development of new courses is strengthened by assessment and a response to the assessment. Two new science methods courses for elementary and secondary preservice teachers were developed, fostered by the Great Salt Lake Project. The preservice teachers designed and performed research projects that they then converted into inquiry-based teaching units. The professors applied a 3-layer assessment scheme to evaluate the courses and the preservice teachers based on changes in student attitudes, student-generated curricula, and internal course evaluations. Each type of assessment effectively informed the reform process, and strengths and weaknesses of the courses were revealed. Strengths of the courses included students learning to see science as a process and comprehending inquiry as a pedagogical approach. Weaknesses observed included a lack of understanding in three areas: the role of assessment, the need to address cultural issues, and the significance of scientific literacy.