Toward a framework on how affordances and motives can drive different uses of scaffolds: theory, evidence, and design implications

One way to help students engage in higher-order thinking is through scaffolding, which can be defined as support that allows students to participate meaningfully in and gain skill at a task that is beyond their unassisted abilities. Most research on computer-based scaffolds assesses the average impact of the tools on learning outcomes. This is problematic in that it assumes that computer-based scaffolds impact different students in the same way. In this conceptual paper, we use activity theory and the theory of affordances to build an initial theoretical framework on how and why K-12 students use computer-based scaffolds. Specifically, we argue that affordances and motives drive how and why K-12 students use computer-based scaffolds. Then we examine empirical studies to gather preliminary support for the framework. Implications for research on and the design of computer-based scaffolds are explored.     

The Choice of Response Probability in Bookmark Standard Setting: An Experimental Study

Evidence of the internal consistency of standard-setting judgments is a critical part of the validity argument for tests used to make classification decisions. The bookmark standard-setting procedure is a popular approach to establishing performance standards, but there is relatively little research that reflects on the internal consistency of the resulting judgments. This article presents the results of an experiment in which content experts were randomly assigned to one of two response probability conditions: .67 and .80. If the standard-setting judgments collected with the bookmark procedure are internally consistent, both conditions should produce highly similar cut scores. The results showed substantially different cut scores for the two conditions; this calls into question whether content experts can produce the type of internally consistent judgments that are required using the bookmark procedure.     

The Ultimate Survey: Asking One Question at a Time to Get Feedback from Library Users

ABSTRACT

Libraries use surveys and other instruments to gather feedback from their users. However, with competition from many other campus entities requesting input, how can survey fatigue be avoided? To gather this feedback, the Social Sciences Reference Desk utilized a short, fun and easy method. Each week for 10 weeks during the fall semester of 2017, the reference assistants wrote a survey question on a whiteboard and provided sticky notes for patrons to write their answers. The survey provided valuable information about patrons’ needs and expectations. It also fostered changes that were easily implemented to improve the delivery of library services.     

Meeting Challenges in the Data World: RDAP 2017

The Global Postcards column is pleased to publish two contributions from Joshua Finnell and his colleagues. The first contribution with Brian Cain documents the themes and conversations of the Research Data Access and Preservation Summit (RDAP) in April 2017. The second contribution from Joshua with Stacy Konkiel documents the creation and sustainment of the Library Pipeline, a grassroots library organization. Finally, coeditor Robin Kear provides a personal synopsis of her attendance at the IFLA World Library & Information Congress (WLIC) in Wroclaw Poland in August 2017.

We always welcome contributions. If you would like to send a submission, please contact either of the column's coeditors: Jacqueline Solis, jsolis@email.unc.edu, and Robin Kear, rlk25@pitt.edu.     

Broadening Impact for Library Exhibitions and Speakers

Libraries curate exhibitions and host speakers to promote collections and engage communities. Traditional library exhibit spaces present information gaps for visitors. To bridge these gaps, the University of Florida (UF) created and deployed innovative technologies, the Community Engagement Engine (CEE) for iPads (handheld and kiosks). The CEE facilitates visitor's registration as well as questions and comments sent directly to curators with automated email responses with relevant materials. The CEE allows libraries to aggregate visitor information for targeted outreach and assessment. This article discusses the CEE for innovative community engagement, including considerations for other institutions interested in engaged exhibitions programs.     

The Representation of Altruistic and Egoistic Motivations in Children’s TV Programming

A content analysis of children’s television examined the frequency with which behaviors were (a) driven by altruistic versus egoistic motivations, (b) performed by affable/surly characters, (c) rewarded/punished, and (d) present in content popular among different age groups (2–5, 6–11, and 12–17 years old). We found that portrayal patterns stressed the importance of egoistic motivations (particularly competence, autonomy, and relatedness) for older children. The findings are interpreted in line with logic underlying the model of intuitive morality and exemplars (MIME; Tamborini, 2013), suggesting that media representations can influence the motivations of their viewers.     

A Collaborative Process Model for Promoting Successful Referrals in College Counseling

The need to refer students to off‐campus mental health providers is common in college counseling. Such referrals can be challenging for college counselors who strive to meet students' counseling needs while adhering to ethical and center policy guidelines. In this article, the authors explore the nature and challenges of referral in college counseling settings and introduce a collaborative process model to enhance the likelihood of successful referrals. A case study is provided to illustrate the model.     

Faculty Liaisons: an embedded approach for enriching teaching and learning in higher education

This paper explores the experiences of a group of academic developers who support educational development work as Faculty Liaisons at a large, research-intensive university. These academic developers inhabit complex ‘third spaces’, providing support through an embedded partnership relationship that requires lateral movement across functional and organizational boundaries to create new professional spaces, knowledge, and relationships. The authors utilize narrative inquiry and auto-ethnographic approaches to present an interpretive qualitative analysis of their experiences supporting Faculty and University projects across complex and evolving organizational boundaries. From this analysis, they highlight key roles and responsibilities associated with their blended context and identify challenges that academic developers who occupy third spaces within academic organizations face as they negotiate competing interests, identities, and requirements associated with the diverse range of their projects and the blended experience of working in scholarly and administrative, central- and Faculty-based roles. The lessons they have learned from these experiences will be of particular interest to academic developers who are experiencing the flux of change within higher education settings that are impacting teaching and learning practices both for faculty in the classroom and for those across the institution who support them.