Inside Higher Ed: Teaching vs. Research

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/13/grad

July 13, 2010
It’s common for many at research universities to say that just because they value scholarly production doesn’t mean they don’t care about teaching. But a new study of political science departments at doctoral institutions -- published in the journal PS -- suggests that there may be a tradeoff.


The study examined 122 departments at universities that grant doctorates in political science to see which institutions offer a course for doctoral students on how to become good teachers. It turns out that only a minority of departments (41) do so -- even though the American Political Science Association and others have urged graduate programs to recognize that the odds favor their students finding jobs at institutions that place at least as much value on teaching as on research. Of the 41 programs with courses, 28 are required and the rest are optional.


The analysis then tried to determine which programs were most likely to offer these courses. The size of the department and the size of the universities -- both of which could be thought to measure the resources available for courses -- were found not to be factors.



But there was an inverse relationship between research productivity in departments and the odds of offering such a course. The relationship, while significant, had notable exceptions in the survey among public but not among private institutions. Some of the public institutions with strong research records -- such as Ohio State University, the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin at Madison -- do have such courses. But as a general rule, highly ranked private university departments do not.


Over all, public institutions were seven times more likely than private institutions to offer such courses, the study found, citing as a possible explanation “the public service component of state institutions or the fact that public institutions are consistently faced with state-mandated programs to enhance teaching generally.”


The study notes that there are innovations that go beyond just having a single course on teaching techniques. For example, Baylor University, in its relatively young doctoral program in political science, has placed an emphasis on the idea that it is training future college teachers with a “teaching apprentice” program. In this program, grad students are assigned to work with senior professors teaching an undergraduate course -- not by becoming teaching assistants, but by analyzing the course. The grad students prepare an annotated syllabus -- different from the syllabus used -- to explore various teaching issues.


During the fourth year of the program, the grad students are “instructors of record” for a course, but then in their fifth year they shift to a focus on finishing dissertations. The study suggests that this approach provides in-depth exposure to teaching issues.


The paper on these issues was written by a professor (John Ishiyama) and two doctoral students (Tom Miles and Christine Balarezo) at the University of North Texas.
— Scott Jaschik

Inside Higher Ed: Teaching vs. Research

New Resources: Library of Congress: Self-Directed Online Learning Modules (LC Background; Copyright & Fair Use; Images; Maps)

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/professionaldevelopment/selfdirected/

Module #1

Introduction to the Library of Congress
Get an overview of the digitized materials and K-12 resources from the Library of Congress. This module will explore:
* What is the Library of Congress?
* How can the Library of Congress help me in the classroom?
* What is a primary source?

Module #2

Copyright and Primary Sources
Learn how to evaluate primary sources from the Library’s collections for the best use within copyright. Listen to several teachers as they evaluate the use of primary sources for use with their students. Topics covered include:
* Rights and responsibilities
* Low-worry uses of primary source
* Checking for Fair Use

Module #3

Analyzing Primary Sources: Photographs and Prints
Learn how photographs and prints from the Library’s collections can increase student engagement in the classroom. Topics covered include:
* The power of images
* How to analyze photographs and prints
* How to find images from the Library of Congress

Module #4

Analyzing Primary Sources: Maps
Learn instructional strategies for using maps in the classroom. Topics covered include:
* The significance of maps
* How to analyze maps
* How to find maps from the Library of Congress

New Resources: Library of Congress: Self-Directed Online Learning Modules (LC Background; Copyright & Fair Use; Images; Maps)

ACRL: Reaching remote students: Athens State University's electronically embedded librarian program

C&RL News, December 2009 / Vol. 70, No. 11

http://www.acrl.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/publications/crlnews/2009/dec/reachremote.cfm
by Susan D. Herring, Robert R. Burkhardt, Jennifer L. Wolfe

How can we teach library skills and information awareness to students who don’t come to the library? This has long been a problem for academic librarians, but it has become even more troublesome with distance learning. What can we do for students who never come to campus, let alone to the library? For the librarians at Athens State University, this question has led to a successful venture into the electronic delivery of library assistance through the electronically embedded librarian program.


The concept of the embedded librarian is not new. College and university librarians have traditionally spent time with classes, either in instructional sessions or as team teachers. However, these outreach programs assume that students and faculty are actually on site. Library Web sites can provide a partial answer for off-site students, providing access to resources, instructional materials such as tutorials and handouts, and online assistance through a virtual reference desk. However, as Amy York writes, “Library websites are useful for helping students who know what they are looking for, but online students need an equivalent of the reference desk when they are just getting started with research.”1 So the question remains: How do we reach remote clientele?


Course management systems (CMS) such as Blackboard and WebCT can provide the answer. CMS provide a convenient, focused environment in which relevant library resources can be selected and organized for specific classes in an easily accessed interface.2 In addition, the CMS provides a structure in which a librarian can become part of the course. By including the librarian as a teaching assistant, students and faculty have immediate access to library assistance, advice, suggestions, and resources. As Shumaker and Tyler have written, “Academic embedded librarians are finding innovative approaches that employ electronic resources, moving services beyond ‘bibliographic instruction’ and ‘information literacy.’”3 Kelly, writing from the instructor’s viewpoint, reports that students are more willing to seek help when they know a librarian is an integral part of the class.4


Early examples of institutions using a CMS as a tool for library instruction include Central Missouri State University5 and the University of Rhode Island.6 Middle Tennessee State University instituted an embedded librarian program in 2004, which has proven to be very popular with both students and faculty members.7


Athens State University
Athens State University is an upper-division two-year institution, providing courses for junior- and senior-level students only, leading to the bachelor’s degree with majors in business, education, and arts and sciences. The majority of the student body has transferred from community colleges, works full-time, and has family responsibilities. Because Athens State is an upper-division institution, faculty and librarians do not have the chance to ensure that students gain a good grounding in information literacy in their first two years in college.


Athens State has been involved in distance learning since the late 1990s and currently offers courses through Web-based delivery; traditional face-to-face classes on site and at remote centers; and “blended” classes, which combine face-to-face and distance delivery methods. All classes, regardless of format, use Blackboard for either primary or supplementary content delivery.


With the increasing number of distance classes, and increasing number of students who never come to the campus, library use has changed. Although foot traffic is down, use of online resources has increased. Still, anecdotal evidence, as well as library surveys and focus groups, indicate that many students were not aware of library services. In the fall term of 2007, we decided to reach out proactively through an electronically embedded librarian program.


The electronically embedded librarian program
In the electronically embedded librarian program at Athens State, specific classes are selected for the service either at the request of the course instructor or the suggestion of the library director or college dean. Classes with a formal research component (a research paper or presentation) are preferred. As classes are identified, a reference librarian is assigned to each one and is designated as a teaching assistant (TA) in the Blackboard package for that class.


As a TA, the librarian has access to the course syllabus, the class list, all assignments and course materials, and all communication tools, and has authority to post materials to the class site. Standard activities for the embedded librarians include:
• Introductory announcements and/or e-mails to students. With the approval of the instructor, the embedded librarian posts an announcement of the service and/or sends an e-mail to all students in the class, introducing himself or herself and explaining the purpose and limitations of the embedded librarian program. At this point students are also told how to contact the librarian.
• Creation of an “Ask Your Librarian” discussion forum. Most classes have discussion forums set up at the beginning of the term where students can ask questions concerning research, library resources, proper citation style, and other library and research-related issues.
• Creation and posting of instructional documents. These may be either general handouts, such as how to access e-books or how to identify a scholarly journal, or handouts that are specific to the area of study or the class. Informational slide shows can also be posted.
• Creation and posting of video instruction sessions. Video sessions can be useful to demonstrate research methods and techniques, such as searching in online databases and evaluating Web sites. Although creation of these recordings requires training and can involve significant time for preparation and production, they can be highly effective. Athens State uses the Tegrity program, but any program that permits live screen captures and that is compatible with the institution’s instructional technology system can be used.
• Assistance through the discussion forum, phone, and e-mail queries. The most time-consuming part of the embedded librarian program is the daily involvement in each class. Students expect rapid responses to their queries, so discussion forums should be checked at least once a day. Students also phone, e-mail, and drop by the library for personal assistance.


Other embedded librarian activities have included involvement in blogs and wikis, research for instructors, and face-to-face instruction for classes that have an on-site component and for students who travel to campus.


Success of the embedded librarian program
Involvement in the embedded librarian program has increased from three librarians handling 11 classes in fall 2007 to four librarians handling 64 classes in the spring of 2009 (see Table 1).


Although the program was originally designed as an outreach program for distance classes, it has been used in classes delivered through all methods available at Athens State. Distance and off-site classes, combined, have comprised 59.6% of the total classes involved in the program, while on-site classes have comprised 30.3%. Blended classes account for the remaining 10.1%.


The embedded librarian program at Athens State was originally spearheaded by the library director, who serves as liaison with the College of Arts and Sciences, and the reference librarian who is liaison to the College of Business. These disciplines are reflected in the use of the program during the first two semesters (see Table 2). The College of Business has a library component in the required Organizational Communication class, and the embedded librarian was quickly added to all sections of that class. The sudden expansion of the program into the College of Education in the summer of 2008 occurred when a similar library component was added to the required Foundations of Education class.


Perhaps the most obvious, and rewarding, outcome of the program is a significant increase in communication with students. Some classes use the discussion forum much more than others, but even in classes where few students post questions, numerous queries are received through e-mail and telephone, and students will come to campus specifically for research help. Many students continue their communication with the embedded librarian in subsequent semesters. They also refer other students to “their” librarian for assistance. Such continuing communication can help ease library anxiety and can build a more personal and friendly relationship between students and the library.


Lessons learned
After offering the electronically embedded librarian program for over a year, we have learned a number of lessons for making the program successful. These include:
• Use different tools to reach different types of learners. Some students are fine with printed instructions; some need the visual presentations or oral explanations that come with video recordings; others need the face-to-face learning environment of the library. The embedded librarian must be prepared to present information in whatever mode is required.
• Be ready to use different forms of communication. Some students are happy to post questions to a discussion board, but this type of public forum makes others feel exposed and embarrassed. Be prepared to be contacted in a variety of ways.
• Set limits. Make it clear that the embedded librarian is a resource person and teacher and is not there to do the student’s work. Sometimes requests for answers or materials (such as “I need three articles on this topic. Can you find them for me?”) can be dealt with simply by providing guidance in the use of resources; other times these limits must be made explicit, either by the librarian or the instructor.
• Make sure the faculty member supports and encourages student use of the program. Faculty support is a prerequisite for the success of the embedded librarian program. Each faculty member must want the librarian to be involved and must encourage students to make use of him or her.


The librarian will need to negotiate a balance between librarian and instructor regarding preparing and posting materials, contacting students, and determining the level of help to provide.


In addition to these lessons that directly concern the embedded librarian program, this close involvement in courses has made us realize that we need to augment our library Web site with additional instructional offerings, and to enhance information literacy instruction across the curriculum.

Into the future
At Athens State, we intend to continue offering the embedded librarian program. With a small professional staff, we are reaching the limit of our resources, so we plan to focus more on classes with a formal research component. To alleviate some of the stress on our librarians, we are trying to share more tools and resources.


For example, we have created some handouts and video recordings that can be used across multiple subject areas. This allows the librarians to focus more on specialized materials rather than spending time and effort re-creating general tools.


Along with some of the faculty using the embedded librarian program, we intend to explore the use of blogs and wikis, both of which can serve as useful communication and instructional tools. We also plan to help each other expand our repertoire of instructional methodologies. Not all of us are equally comfortable with the various methodologies available.


The electronically embedded librarian program reflects the current paradigm shift in the academic environment that has evolved from the combination of new technologies and a new generation of students. Libraries, and their institutions, need to be ready and able to provide support and services for this new generation of students who expect access to all resources—human and otherwise—anytime, anywhere.


By joining these students in their learning environment, we can begin to give them the tools and services they need and deserve.


Notes
1. Amy York, “The Embedded Librarian Service at MTSU,” Tennessee Libraries 56.2 (2006), www.tnla.org/displaycommoncfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=65.
2. Scott Collard and Nadaleen Tempelman-Kluit, “The Other Way In: Goal-based Library Content Through CMS,” Internet Reference Services Quarterly 11, no. 4 (October 2006): 55–68, in the Professional Development Collection database.
3. David Shumaker and Laura Ann Tyler, “Embedded Library Services: An Initial Inquiry into Practices for Their Development, Management, and Delivery,” (paper presented at the Special Libraries Association Annual Conference in Denver, June 6, 2007).
4. Rob Kelly, “Team Teaching with an Embedded Librarian,” Online Classroom (October 2008): 7–8, in the Professional Development Collection database.
5. Mollie Dinwiddie, “Looking for Ways to Provide Online Library Services Equal to On-campus.” Distance Education Report 9, no. 18 (September 15, 2005): 8–8, in the Professional Development Collection database.
6. Karen M. Ramsay and Jim Kinnie, “The Embedded Librarian: Getting Out There via Technology to Help Students Where They Learn,” Library Journal (April 1, 2006): 34–35.
7. York, 3.

ACRL: Reaching remote students: Athens State University's electronically embedded librarian program

Are We Seeing the Beginning of a Comeback for Exalead in the General Web Search Space?

http://www.resourceshelf.com/2010/05/28/quaero-inspiring-specialty-search-in-europe-impressive-multimedia-search-from-exalead/

While we were working on the post about Exalead’s video search tool (here’s the link, some very impressive multimedia search, give it a go, we also spent some time with Exalead.com/search a database and search engine that was once a frequent “go to” resource for many, especially advanced/power searchers since it has always had and continues to offer more advanced features that the searcher can control than any other large web search engine. We’re talking phonetic search, a proximity operator, spelling approximation, and many more.



Plus, with a small amount of training (an hour or two topics) it could be a wonderful tool to share in training sessions because of the ease of focusing a set of results and using taking advantage of the advanced syntax if the person does not want to commit it to memory by simply clicking the syntax they want and entering search terms.


Also note that the current right rail of an Exalead results page looks somewhat similar to what Google launched a couple of weeks ago on the left side of the page. The biggest differences are that the tools to focus/refine your search on Google automatically appear (based on search terms and other factors) or you have to click to access the refinement you want. Google also has more of these refinements but we don’t think adding more to Exalead would be an issue. Plus in terms of syntax, Exalead has more.


Now, back to our story.


One day Exalead just seemed to vanish. It never ever went offline but once we found it again the database full of content was getting old and out of date. Yes, it was a new place to find cached pages from the past year or two but that was not the prime reason to use Exalead.


Finally, the positive comments, appreciation, and promo that many info pros gave Exalead seemed to quickly disappear.


We think some of these issues on the Exalead end had to do with an extra strong push by the company into the enterprise market.


Things change and in the past few weeks we noticed that the the consumer version of Exalead seems to making some sort of comeback which is wonderful. Why? It will not be all that long until the Yahoo database is no longer available. Exalead does its own crawl as does Yandex.com which launched a couple of weeks ago and is quite impressive especially for an alpha release. So, it’s possible that once Yahoo leaves the crawling biz, Exalead and Yandex.com can provide large unique databases of content each with their own relevancy own ranking algorithms.


One thing we were quick to notice was that the crawl and database refresh time from Exalead for many sites was very fast. We used time stamps on cached pages to determine the time,


On Friday we checked around (10am EDST, the CNN page was less than 24 hours old; Search Engine Land was approx. 12 hours old, BBC News, less than 24 hours and finally Businesswire, about 7 hours old.


So, take another look at Exalead or for others take your first look.

Note:
+ Drop Down Suggestion for Search Box
+ Right Rail Easy Click to Focus Results along with Pie Charts to Show Country and Language
+ Used Advanced Search and the Search Box is Completed Using Syntax You Want (With Definitions)
+ Above Search Box the Wikipedia Option. Nice Job.
+ Ability to Quickly Bookmark Favorite Pages on Personalized Homepage
+ If All of this is More than You Want/Need try Exalead Light from Exalabs


Note: We have sent an email to the CEO of Exalead. As Soon as we receive a reply you’ll know about it.

Are We Seeing the Beginning of a Comeback for Exalead in the General Web Search Space?

The White House Blog: Making Higher Education More Affordable

Posted by Kalpen Modi on March 30, 2010 at 12:00 PM EDT

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/03/30/higher-education

The President believes that for America to compete in the 21st century, we’ll need a highly educated workforce that is second to none. But one of the things holding us back from this achievement is soaring tuition costs at colleges and universities around the country. Too many students and families struggle to make ends meet just to fulfill the dream of a college education. And when students are unable to afford access to higher education or graduate with a degree, our economy suffers.


That’s why President Obama signed today a historic piece of legislation that delivers real reforms and critical investments to our higher education system. By strengthening the Pell Grant program, investing in community colleges, extending support for Historically Black Colleges and other Minority Serving Institutions, and helping student borrowers manage their student loan debt, we will make college more affordable and enable more Americans to earn a college degree.


Lifelong educators like Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, know how important these reforms will be to our higher education system.


This legislation means $40 billion more dollars in the Pell Grant program to ensure that eligible students receive an award, and that awards increase to keep pace with rising tuition. And a $2 billion investment over four years for community colleges to develop, improve, and provide education and career training programs. Students will be able to choose to limit their student loan payments to 10% of their income, with any remaining balance forgiven after 20 years. And public service workers can have their loans forgiven after 10 years.



Because special interests have been benefiting from taxpayer subsidies for too long, we’re cutting out the middlemen by ending government subsidies currently given to banks and other financial institutions that make guaranteed federal student loans. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, ending these wasteful subsidies will free up nearly $68 billion for college affordability and deficit reduction over the next 11 years. So these investments are not only paid for, but they’ll reduce the deficit in the long run.


Because of the legislation enacted today, we’re finally undertaking meaningful reform to our education system and making college more affordable and accessible.


For more information on these federal student aid programs, please go to www.studentaid.ed.gov, or call 1-800-4FED-AID 1-800-4FED-AID.


Kalpen Modi is an Associate Director for the Office of Public Engagement.

The White House Blog: Making Higher Education More Affordable

PEW Internet: Reputation Management and Social Media

by: Mary Madden and Aaron Smith

http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Reputation-Management.aspx

From the Overview:
More than half (57%) of adult internet users say they have used a search engine to look up their name and see what information was available about them online, up from 47% who did so in 2006. Young adults, far from being indifferent about their digital footprints, are the most active online reputation managers in several dimensions. For example, more than two-thirds (71%) of social networking users ages 18-29 have changed the privacy settings on their profile to limit what they share with others online.


“Search engines and social media sites now play a central role in building one’s identity online,” said Mary Madden, Senior Research Specialist and lead author of the report, “Many users are learning and refining their approach as they go–changing privacy settings on profiles, customizing who can see certain updates and deleting unwanted information about them that appears online.”

PEW Internet: Reputation Management and Social Media

Diverse Issues in Higher Education - Opinion: How The Diversity Officer Can Help Transform Curriculum

July 12, 2010

by Hazel Rountree

www.diverseeducation.com

Increasingly, institutions of higher education are embracing the need to produce culturally competent graduates. Research demonstrates that students taught from a multicultural curriculum — one that includes new scholarship on race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, sexuality and orientation in a manner that amplifies the diverse worldviews — are enthusiastically engaged in the learning process. They are also more likely to attain their educational goals and are better equipped as global citizens. Consequently, faculty and administrators are reconceptualizing the curriculum and seeking effective ways in which to implement it.

An appropriate question for diversity officers, then, is how might they best collaborate with faculty to align curricular development with institutional cultural competence initiatives? With multicultural competencies being adopted into the general education core curriculum at many institutions of higher learning, I decided to re-examine my role as diversity officer in fostering institutional multicultural education. I have learned several key lessons that better prepared me to contribute to the multiculturalism discourse.


First, I quickly learned that it is imperative to possess a solid understanding of the culture of academe from a faculty member’s perspective. Several faculty I interviewed discussed the “ownership” issue related to the curriculum. As the gatekeepers of the educational canons, faculty may initially be reluctant to engage in discussions with diversity officers that appear to encroach upon their professional autonomy regarding course content, pedagogical styles and teaching methodologies. Once the respective roles are clarified, there is greater likelihood for meaningful, transparent conversations about how faculty and diversity officers might partner in curriculum transformation initiatives. As described by Dr. Sandra Mayo and Dr. Patricia J. Larke in “Multicultural Education Transformation in Higher Education: Getting Faculty to ‘Buy In,’” well-supported faculty often exceed an institution’s expectation for transforming its curriculum to be more inclusive and reflective of a global and interconnected world.


While most faculty will value the anticipated contributions of experienced diversity officers, it may be wise for diversity officers to underscore that, in their consultant role, they possess critical interdisciplinary knowledge about diversity issues. In addition, it is reasonable for faculty to expect that diversity officers possess a thorough understanding of the historical origins of prejudice, discrimination, privilege and oppression of women and people from diverse backgrounds in the United States and beyond. Further, most diversity officers capably articulate diversity from multiple perspectives and therefore can engage in intellectual discourse with faculty about esoteric multicultural issues from a global perspective.


Continuing on this journey, I was reminded that faculty often approaches its disciplines from a compartmentalized perspective. This academic isolation separates people and resources from each other and creates barriers so that faculty rarely communicate with other faculty outside their departments. Fortunately, the cornerstone of a diversity officer’s training is intercultural communication. Diversity officers can engage faculty from various departments to achieve a shared vision of multicultural curriculum transformation. Moreover, these interdepartmental discussions can become the basis for aligning multicultural programming more closely with existing and future diversity courses and programs.


This journey taught me a third and powerful lesson: diversity officers must identify all the institutional divisions engaged in multicultural education. Along with reviewing organizational charts, I sought first-hand knowledge about academic and administrative groups that are currently engaged in this work. On many campuses, multicultural curriculum transformation is in an embryonic, decentralized state. As a result, diversity officers will need to “connect the dots” and find answers to a plethora of questions, such as: What academic courses address diversity? What academic programs provide certificates or majors in diversity? Are there courses that address diversity but do not lead to a certificate or major or minor? Who is dealing with campus climate issues? What is the role of multicultural centers in multicultural education? Who funds diversity initiatives? Are institutional diversity councils informed when faculty senates approve diversity courses or programs?


Since the 1970s, fueled by the civil rights’ and women’s movement’s demands for recognition by academia, faculty has committed to examine and substantially revitalize its curriculum to reflect real-world perspectives. Diversity officers possess the skills, educational background and disposition to collaborate with faculty on multicultural curriculum transformation. The educational benefits that students receive from diverse learning experiences are well recognized throughout the Academy. With the requisite qualifications and the appropriate information, emerging diversity officers can play a vital role on an interdisciplinary committee charged with fostering institutional multicultural curriculum transformation.


— Hazel Rountree is assistant director of affirmative action at Wright State University and founding president of the Ohio Diversity Officers Collaboration.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education - Opinion: How The Diversity Officer Can Help Transform Curriculum