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Monday, May 16, 2011

The University of Chicago Library - Crerar: “We’re Teaching, But How Do We Know If They’re Learning?" Assessment of Library Instruction Activities


2nd Biennial Kathleen A. Zar Symposium - Friday, June 3, 2011
The John Crerar Library at the University of Chicago

About the Symposium
-- How do we evaluate the effectiveness of our library’s instruction programs?

-- What kinds of tools and techniques may be used to provide evidence that library instruction contributes to positive learning outcomes?

-- Should I partner with faculty or other groups on campus in doing this kind of assessment?

-- How can the assessment of instruction programs be helpful in demonstrating the library’s value to your community?

Invited and contributed presentations will provide a framework for thinking about library assessment, as well as describing practical approaches for measuring learning outcomes. Successful presentation proposals may cover topics such as evidence based librarianship in library instruction, managing effective, sustainable, and practical assessment programs, examining the role of the library in learning outcomes, demonstrating the value to and impact of library instruction on institutions, describing methods and tools for assessing learning in library environment (e.g., rubrics, use of clickers or other interactive tools, pre- and post-tests, grades or other curricular performance measures).

The symposium series is made possible through the generous support of Howard Zar.

Keynote Presentor:
We are thrilled to announce the keynote speaker for the symposium will be Megan Oakleaf. Megan is an Assistant Professor in the iSchool at Syracuse University where she teaches “Reference and Information Literacy Services” and “Planning, Marketing, and Assessing Library Services.” Her research interests include outcomes assessment, evidence-based decision making, information literacy instruction, information services, and digital librarianship. She is on the faculty of the ACRL Institute for Information Literacy Immersion Program. Megan's CV and biographical information is available at http://meganoakleaf.info/

♦ Program schedule
♦ Register for the symposium (Deadline May 20, 2011)
♦ Hotel Information
♦ Parking, Maps, and Directions

If you have additional questions, please contact the symposium organizers:

Session organizers contact information:

Andrea Twiss-Brooks / 773-702-8777 / atbrooks@uchicago.edu

Barbara Kern / 773-702-8717 / bkern@uchicago.edu

Previous symposia:
For more information on the 2009 Kathleen A. Zar Symposium

Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation in order to participate in this event should contact Andrea Twiss-Brooks at 773-702-8777 or email atbrooks@uchicago.edu for assistance.
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TAA Text and Academic Authors Association First-Time Authors: An Inside Look at Journal Publishing


Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 1 p.m. ET

Members (Free)
Non-Members: $25

Presented by Dr. Dannielle Joy Davis, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Policy and Law at Alabama State University

Get an editor's perspective of the publishing process from Dr. Dannielle Joy Davis, Associate Editor for Learning for Democracy: An International Journal of Thought and Practice. Davis will share the common mistakes new authors make when submitting their first journal article and how new authors can use the peer review process as a learning tool.

About the Presenter:

Dr. Dannielle Joy Davis, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Policy and Law at Alabama State University, has studied and conducted research in Ghana, South Africa, Egypt, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Her interdisciplinary, K-20 research examines the experiences of marginalized groups in educational settings and the role of organizational policy and practice in the promotion or inhibition of egalitarian academic and occupational outcomes. She has published over 20 refereed journal articles, book chapters, academic commentaries, volumes, and reviews. Dr. Davis serves as an Associate Editor for Learning for Democracy: An International Journal of Thought and Practice which is sponsored by the AERA SIG, Democratic Citizenship in Education.
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Aventa Learning: Combining Face-to-Face and Online Instruction.pdf


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Education Week: May 16, 2011


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17th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning


Online Learning, Teaching, and Research in the New Media Ecology
November 9-11, 2011
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

Online learning is one of the most talked about and fastest growing sectors in higher education and corporate training today.
The Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning is the premier global gathering covering this field.
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USA Today: Memphis school wins graduation address from President Obama


MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — An academic turnaround at an urban high school with a rich tradition of educating African-Americans has earned graduating seniors a commencement address from President Obama.

Booker T. Washington High School found out it was the winner of a national competition in a phone call Tuesday from Vice President Joe Biden.
The school's accomplishment was announced as the city of Memphis is enduring the second-worst flood of its history. The flooding didn't threaten the school building.

Principal Alisha Kiner said she jumped up and down so much that she came out of her shoes when she heard the news.

"Out of body experience. Not real. Reeling. Those are words that come to mind right now," Kiner said.

A professionally produced video outlined the hurdles the school's 500 students have overcome to win the competition.

The school is in a gritty south Memphis neighborhood where the median annual income is less than $11,000 and the crime rate is the 14th highest in the nation. Last year 20 percent of the students lost their homes when their public housing project was closed and demolished.

Nevertheless, the school improved its graduation rate from 55 percent in 2007 to more than 80 percent in 2010. That improvement was cited as key to winning the administration's Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge, which honors schools for preparing students for college and careers.

The White House said more details would be released soon about when Obama would speak at the school.

Booker T. Washington High opened in 1873 as the first public high school for blacks in Memphis. Its alumni include Benjamin Hooks, who was executive director of the NAACP, and Willie Herenton, the city's first black mayor.

The other finalists in the competition were High Tech High International in San Diego and Bridgeport High School in Bridgeport, Wash.
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Innovative Educators Webinar Series: Take a TRPP: Using Theory and Research in Developmental Education


FALL 2011 Webinar Series
Registration includes institutional access to the live webinar and the recording for 1 year!

Webinar Series Description
Various schools of thought have provided perspectives on how individuals learn and why they behave as they do. At certain times, we have been more influenced by one perspective than others, depending on what was currently the focus of research. It is unfortunate that as new schools of thought develop, earlier ones are often discarded entirely. For our practice to be most effective, it is imperative to be familiar with a broad range of theories and synthesize ideas from a variety of perspectives to provide an integrated approach to help students achieve.

Theories can help explain the complexities of student behavior and show that it is not just a matter of chance of random effect. Understanding theory and recognizing the many possible factors that help explain individual differences in learning are only part of the story. Translating understanding into meaningful and effective action is the challenge. Effective instruction and successful learning are not achieved by chance. We offer a framework called TRPP (theory, research, principles, and practice) as a guide for designing learning situations to maximize student potential.

In this series, you will be introduced to the TRPP (Theory, Research, Principles, Practice) framework and become aware of current research and new ways of viewing theories about learning. In addition, you will examine long-standing practices that may need to be revisited. We will focus on these four areas and use the TRPP framework to guide our learning: Self- and Identity, Motivation, Ways of Knowing, and Self-Regulation.

In a series of six webinars you will interact with others in a collaborative environment and apply theory and research to the student learning situations you face. The use of case studies will be central throughout the course. The outline for the course is as follows:

•Introduction and Overview - Why are theory and research important in our practice? What is the TRPP framework?
•Motivation - What theories and research findings about motivation are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Ways of Knowing - What theories and research findings about ways of knowing are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Self and Identity - What theories and research findings about self and identity are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Self-Regulation - What theories and research findings about self-regulation are useful to help explain student behavior and design learning environments?
•Critical Reflection - Using a process of critical reflection, we will connect the learning in this series and develop a plan for application in your practice.

Objectives
Participants will:
•Become familiar with a broad range of theories and research that help explain student behavior and how to design a successful learning environment
•Create an integrated approach to teaching based on theory and research
•Collaborate with colleagues to apply theory and research to actual case studies
•Develop an action plan for practice through a process of critical reflection

Who Should Attend?
•Vice Presidents
•Instructional and Student Services Deans
•Faculty
•Student Success/Retention Specialists
•Instructional Coordinators
•Instructors in DevEd courses
•Administrators of DevEd programs
•Non-DevEd program directors looking to retain first-year students
•Administrators and others concerned with retaining first-year students
•Skeptics of the value of DevEd programs
•Advisors and Counselors
•Student Support Professionals
•Anyone interested in improving retention rates for underprepared students

Who is the Speaker?
Sharon Silverman, Ed.D. is an independent scholar and consultant with degrees in learning disabilities and educational psychology. She works in the areas of faculty/staff development, student retention, teaching and learning excellence, student development, program evaluation, distance learning, and collaboration between academic and student affairs. She is the founder and former director of the Learning Assistance Center at Loyola University Chicago where she developed LEAP, an award winning student access and retention program. She continues to consult in student success and retention at Columbia College Chicago, and has worked with the Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago and the City Colleges of Chicago. She was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa (1999) and received a Fulbright Alumni Initiatives Award (2001) for a project, "Sharing Cultures" that involves students and teachers internationally in a virtual learning community. Rotary Foundation International awarded her a Rotary University Scholar Grant for work in South Africa in 2002. Silverman has co-authored Learning Assistance and Developmental Education (Jossey-Bass, 1996) and Learning and Development Making Connections to Enhance Teaching (Jossey-Bass, 2000), and Partners for Innovation in Teaching and Learning (iUniverse, 2005). Her international speaking and consulting engagements include Canada, Scotland, England, South Africa, Cyprus, Malaysia, and Australia.
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The Daily Camera


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EBSCOhost Mobile and New iPhone App


EBSCOhost Mobile is an excellent way to encourage your users to make the most of your online resources from EBSCO. If you haven't recently promoted it, here is an FAQ with instructions on how to facilitate its use, which includes a link to the most popular FAQs on the topic:

How do I create an EBSCOhost Mobile profile in EBSCOadmin?
http://support.ebsco.com/knowledge_base/detail.php?id=4671

Exciting News! The new iPhone app is now available!

EBSCO's new app is free, and offers the convenience and rich functionality that enables users to:

Choose which databases to search
Limit results to full text or peer reviewed
Sort by relevance or date
Retrieve full text results in HTML and/or PDF formats
Save results for offline access at a later date
Email results to self or others
View cover flow display of results
To get started, simply click on the EBSCOhost iPhone/iPod Touch Application link at the bottom of the EBSCOhost screen and follow the instructions.
Learn more about EBSCOhost Mobile and the new iPhone app here: http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/mobile-access.

Please visit EBSCO's Support Site (http://support.ebsco.com) to find a wide variety of support information on this and all of EBSCO's products, search among thousands of FAQs, download Flash tutorials, Help Sheets or User Guides, or communicate with Technical Support at any time, using the EBSCO Online Support Form.

Marcie Brown, Technical Communications Manager
EBSCO Publishing
10 Estes Street
Ipswich, MA 01938
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