A PROFILE OF THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE LITERATURE INSTRUCTOR

Data from a national survey sponsored by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges formed the basis for this study of the course aims and instructional practices of the two‐year college literature instructor. Lecture and discussion are the two most used teaching strategies, and nontraditional teaching strategies are nearly nonexistent. Approximately 60% of the literature teachers have between 3 and 10 years of classroom experience, but nearly 31% have taught more than 10 years. A majority of respondents indicated that aesthetic appreciation is their primary course aim. Type of degree held by respondents affected their answers on four items: (1) those with doctorates and 3 to 10 years of teaching experience lecture more than their nondoctorate‐holding counterparts, p = .0125; (2) nondoctorate holders with more than 10 years of experience use audiovisual aids more often than their doctorate‐holding colleagues, p = .0005; (3) nondoctorate holders with more than 10 years of experience use student oral presentations more often than their doctorate‐holding colleagues, p = .0008; and (4) doctorate holders with more than 10 years of experience think that critical thinking ability is more important than do their nondoctorate holding counterparts, p = .002.     

University Library Strategy Development: A Conceptual Model of Researcher Performance to Inform Service Delivery

ABSTRACT

This case study presents a conceptual model of researcher performance developed by Deakin University Library, Australia. The model aims to organize research performance data into meaningful researcher profiles, referred to as researcher typologies, which support the demonstration of research impact and value. Three dimensions shaping researcher performance are identified: researcher practices, career stage, and activity space. We argue this model serves two practical functions for Deakin Library and librarians: (a) to develop a holistic understanding of what constitutes researcher performance in the contemporary higher education environment in Australia; and (b) to translate this understanding into a service needs diagnostic tool for the development of the Research Metrics and Advisory Service (ReMAS), a strategic library service providing systematic research metrics support to Deakin researchers, schools, and faculties. We argue that both the model and its practical applications may be adapted by other academic libraries within their national and higher education contexts.     

Observing response processes with eye tracking in international large-scale assessments: evidence from the OECD PIAAC assessment

This paper reports on a pilot study that used eye tracking techniques to make detailed observations of item response processes in the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC). The lab-based study also recorded physiological responses using measures of pupil diameter and electrodermal activity. The study tested 14 adult respondents as they individually completed the PIAAC computer-based assessment. The eye tracking observations help to fill an ‘explanatory gap’ by providing data on variation in item response processes that are not captured by other sources of process data such as think aloud protocols or computer-generated log files. The data on fixations and saccades provided detailed information on test item response strategies, enabling profiling of respondent engagement and response processes associated with successful performance. Much of that activity does not include the use of the keyboard and mouse, and involves ‘off-screen’ use of pen and paper (and calculator) that are not captured by assessment log-files. In conclusion, this paper points toward an important application of eye tracking in large-scale assessments. This includes insights into response processes in new domains such as adaptive problem-solving that aim to identify individuals’ ability to select and combine resources from the digital and physical environment.     

Registered nurses' constructed meaning of concepts of solution and their use in clinical practice

Since the introduction of nursing into tertiary institutions in Australia in 1975, there has been increasing interest in the teaching of physical science to nurses. Various courses in physical science for nurse students have been developed. They vary in length and content but there is agreement that concepts taught should be closely related to nursing applications. The choice of relevant concepts tends to be made by individual curriculum developers. This paper reports an examination of the use of physical science concepts and their relevance from the perspective of registered nurses practising in general ward areas. Inherent in this study is the premise that for registered nurses to have ideas of the physical science underlying their practice they must have constructed meaning first for these concepts. Specific chemical concepts related to solutions are discussed in these terms. Specializations: phenomenology, thinking, caring, euthanasia and palliative care, curriculum development for nurses. Specializations: thinking, science curricula for nurses, isotope geochemistry, mass spectrometry.     

Film Biography

Kenneth L. Geist's Pictures will Talk: The Life and Films of Joseph L. Mankiewicz (New York: Scribner's, 1978---$12.95)

Two new books, one a revision, deal with another important director, Alfred Hitchcock

Donald Spoto's Stanley Kramer: Filmmaker (New York: Putnam, 1978---$12.95)

James Robert Parish, et al., Hollywood Character Actors (New Rochelle, N.Y.: Arlington House, 1978--- $30.00)

Jesse L. Lasky Jr. with Pat Silver, Love Scene: The Story of Lawrence Olivier and Vivien Leigh (New York: Crowell, 1978---$10.95)

Hollywood actress and actor biographies, a round up of recent titles

Danny Peary, ed. Close-Ups: The Movie Star Book--Intimate Profiles of Movie Stars by their Co-Stars, Directors, Screenwriters and Friends (New York: Workman Press, 1978---$8.95 in paper with a hardback also available)     

A Foundation for Change: Using Challenges and Opportunities as Building Blocks for Collection Management

Abstract

Large-scale collection management represents not just opportunities in terms of space, budgets, and personnel but also an important responsibility for the library’s ability to provide quality service and access to knowledge in the future. Libraries must address many challenges when managing collections, but by taking advantage of opportunities when presented, libraries can improve access for today and tomorrow. Using the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as an example, this article will explore how opportunities like high-density storage, shared print initiatives, digitization efforts, and mass deduplication can address challenges facing libraries and improve current and future access to collections.     

PRINTED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS USED IN TWO‐YEAR COLLEGES

The data for this report came from nationwide surveys sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation. The questionnaires dealt with the instructional materials used by full‐ and part‐time instructors on the two‐year college level. First, cross‐tabulations of highest degree of full‐ and part‐time instructors and their amount of participation in the selection of textbooks revealed five correlations. In all three categories of humanities instructors, more full‐ than part‐time faculty selected texts, p < .05. In the category of science instructors holding a master's degree or a doctorate, the same correlation occurred. Second, humanities teachers with either a bachelor's degree or a doctorate assigned significantly more reading,p < .05, than did their part‐time counterparts in three different types of instructional materials. Science teachers with doctorates were also found to assign a greater number of pages of reading than did their part‐time counterparts but in two additional types of instructional materials. Last, data analysis indicated that overall, with increased years of experience, full‐time humanities instructors assign more extensive reading than do their part‐time counterparts.     

So Many Projects,So Few Resources: Using Effective Project Management in Technical Services

Successful project management can lead to improved effectiveness and efficiency in technical services and large-scale collection management. Using project management as a tool helps academic research libraries find overlapping objectives, maximize staffing resources, and accomplish large goals that would otherwise not be possible given ongoing financial constraints. By thinking creatively about the intersection of short-term projects and long-term needs, librarians will be better able to enhance access to collections in meaningful and timely ways.     

Exploring the Associations Between Delayed School Entry and Achievement in Primary and Secondary School

This research investigated whether delayed school entry was associated with higher achievement in national tests of reading and numeracy in Grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 (n = 2,823). Delayed entry was related to advantages in reading (0.14 SD) and numeracy (0.08 SD) at Grade 3, although little variance was explained (1%–2%). This slight advantage persisted for both domains in Grades 5 and 7, albeit with smaller effects. In Grade 9 there was no association between delayed entry and either reading or numeracy. Exploratory analyses with subsamples in each grade (n = 424–667) revealed no associations between delayed entry and achievement after controlling for inattention and hyperactivity, and negative associations between inattention and achievement in all grades in both domains (−0.33, −0.49 SD).