Community engagement by Higher Education Institutions – a practical model and guidelines

Abstract

This article analyses the definition and understanding of the concept community engagement as one of the focal areas of Higher Education Institutions in South Africa. It captures the importance of a proper approach towards community engagement and contributes towards a practical method to guide the reader through the complex interaction between academic societies and communities. The article included recent anthropological and management research results to construct the working environment in which community engagement take place. It also describes the detail processes and practical methods to direct academic role players who act as community engagement facilitators. The reader will establish a better understanding of the community, its traditions and its culture as a holistic platform for understanding African communities. The proposed guidelines should enable community engagement facilitators to plan and execute community engagement initiatives effectively.     

Procedures to Follow if a Law Enforcement Official Asks for Patron Information: A Checklist for Access Services Student Employees

ABSTRACT

Since the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act was signed into law in October, 2001, library administrators have become increasingly concerned that staff–especially student employees–continue to protect the confidentiality of patron records. Administrators have also become increasingly concerned that when law enforcement officials provide paperwork giving them legal access to patron records, staff take steps both to divulge no more information than is necessary and to protect the institution from liability. In response to these concerns, the University of Colorado, Boulder, created an easy-to-understand and easy-to-use document for its public services student employees. This article describes the process by which that document was created, how it was introduced to staff and student employees, and what additional steps are planned for the future. Finally, the document itself is included as a possible model for other institutions that may wish to create procedural guidelines for student employees.     

Lessons Learned from EIAH Metadata Application Profile (EMAP)

The EIAH Metadata Application Profile (EMAP) has been designed to meet Encyclopedia of Iranian Architectural History (EIAH) needs regarding the organization of architectural resources. The application profile should satisfy community needs and should respect existing conventions; architects may think differently from archivists or museum curators. The key issues in the design process have been addressed here; namely, compliance with the special needs of EIAH data architecture, interoperability, compliance with Persian language and localization, as well as simplicity, critical because of the wide range of non-cataloger users of the system. The EMAP has been designed based on Dublin Core; six element refinements have been defined for the Dublin Core element “subject” to facilitate the interconnection of resources to entities in the EIAH ontology. In particular, human readable documentation guidelines have been emphasized as an important factor in metadata quality. Metadata crosswalks have also been defined with major standards of the domain to improve interoperability.     

Academic Library Websites

Abstract

This article considers two components identified as essential to effective academic library Websites-satisfaction of user needs and adherence to university Website guidelines-and how they sometimes contradict one another. A literature review is provided, followed by results of a survey the author created and distributed that measures a librarian's perception of his/her school's Web-administration scenario. The author concludes with suggestions for balancing university Web guidelines and user satisfaction.     

The “None of the Above” Option in Multiple-Choice Testing: An Experimental Study

The authors assessed the effects of using “none of the above” as an option in a 40-item, general-knowledge multiple-choice test administered to undergraduate students. Examinees who selected “none of the above” were given an incentive to write the correct answer to the question posed. Using “none of the above” as the keyed option made items much more difficult (d = ?1.11). Furthermore, 45% of the time that examinees correctly selected “none of the above,” they wrote either a wrong answer (19%) or no answer (26%), and rescoring items to deny credit in these cases caused item discrimination to fall (d = ?0.35). Thus, when “none of the above” is the keyed option, credit earned by examinees with knowledge deficiencies can make items appear to have more discriminatory power than is actually the case. The authors recommend that “none of the above” should not be used as an option in multiple-choice items.     

Chinese whispers? Investigating the consistency of the language of assessment between a distance education institution,its tutors and students

Ensuring the fairness of assessment is important in all areas of higher education. It is particularly so in distance education, where the communication around assessment and feedback is a principal method of supporting learning, and even more so when the students are at the entry point into higher education. This research explores the nature of the language used in explaining the purpose and process of assessment on an access programme at The Open University, UK, from the perspective of the module team, the tutors and the students. It takes a qualitative approach to examine the clarity and consistency of assessment tasks, assessment guidance and TMGs. Analysis revealed inconsistencies in the language used in relation to assessment, which has led to a revision of how assessment tasks and guidance are communicated to students and tutors.     

大学生就业趋势分析及其指导思想的研究

目前,没有一所高校能对大学生就业问题掉以轻心。无论是从学生本身,还是学校和家长方面,都对大学生就业问题十分重视。之所以会形成当前的局面,一方面意味着我国教育水平的提高,大学生扩招迅速,大学生人数急速上升;另一方面也反映出我国目前大学生就业环境的严峻性。本文分析了当前大学生的就业趋势,并且提出加强大学生就业指导思想的研究,有助于解决大学生就业难的问题。     

科技期刊审稿指南要素分析

同行评议是科技期刊编辑出版流程中的重要环节之一,是期刊学术质量控制的重要手段。审稿人高质量的审稿报告对作者完善稿件内容、提升稿件质量有重要促进作用。为了帮助审稿人高效、高质量地完成评审工作,科技期刊应有详尽的审稿指南,说明评审标准、审稿方法及注意事项等。本文探讨了科技期刊审稿指南的含义、作用、包含的要素,并列举了部分国内外知名高水平期刊的实例,以期为科技期刊完善审稿指南、提升审稿质量和效率提供思路。