The
Educause Center for Applied Research has surveyed undergraduate
students annually since 2004 about technology in higher education. In
2012, ECAR collaborated with 195 institutions to collect responses from
more than 100,000 students. The report notes that in answer to the question, “When it comes to your
success as an undergraduate, what is the one website or online resource
you couldn’t live without?” the most frequently cited sources were
Google (33%) and Blackboard (16%); both of these
significantly outranked students’ citing the college or university
library website (5%). See the 2012 report for a full list key messages, findings, and supporting data.
Blended-learning environments are the norm; students say that these environments best support how they learn.
Students want to access academic progress information and course material via their mobile devices, and institutions deliver.
Technology training and skill development for students is more important than new, more, or "better" technology.
Students use social networks for interacting with friends more than for academic communication.
Educause Center for Applied Research. (2012). ECAR study of undergraduate students and information technology, 2012. Washington, DC: Educause.
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1208/ERS1208.pdf
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Librarian diversity report
ALA has released new data to update “Diversity Counts,”
a
comprehensive study of gender, race, age, and disability in the library
profession. Using 2009–2010 American Community Survey analyses, new
data reveals a small gain—from 11% in 2000 to 12% in 2009–2010—in the
percentage of racial and ethnic minorities working
as credentialed librarians in the nation’s public, academic, and school
libraries. While credentialed librarians remain predominantly female
and white, this new data provides a fuller picture of diversity within
the profession today.
American Library Association. (2012). Diversity Counts. Chicago: ALA.
http://www.ala.org/offices/diversity/diversitycounts/divcounts
American Library Association. (2012). Diversity Counts. Chicago: ALA.
http://www.ala.org/offices/diversity/diversitycounts/divcounts
Responsive classes research
Fifth graders in schools where teachers faithfully used the Responsive Classroom
teaching approach performed better on statewide assessments of
mathematics and reading skills than their peers at schools that did not
use the social-emotional-learning program's strategies as much,
according to new research. Responsive Classroom focuses on teacher language and modeling
expectations, describing itself as an approach to learning rather than a
program.
Rimm-Kaufman, S., et al. (2012, Sept.). Efficacy of the responsive classroom approach. Presented the the SREE conference, Washington, DC.
https://www.sree.org/conferences/2012f/program/downloads/abstracts/683.pdf
Rimm-Kaufman, S., et al. (2012, Sept.). Efficacy of the responsive classroom approach. Presented the the SREE conference, Washington, DC.
https://www.sree.org/conferences/2012f/program/downloads/abstracts/683.pdf
Gender-linked vision research
Guys' eyes are more sensitive to small details and moving objects, while
women are more perceptive to color changes, according to a new vision
study that suggests men and women actually do see things differently. Research has shown women have more
sensitive ears and sniffers than men. Previous research found that men and women also focus differently. In
experiments at the University of Southern California, researchers found
that men are likely to fixate on the mouth of a person in conversation
and also are more likely to be distracted by
movement behind that person. Meanwhile, women tend to shift their gaze
between a speaker's eyes and body, and they are more likely to be
distracted by other people, the researchers found. This study could impact visual literacy education.
Abramov, I. (2012). Sex and vision. Biology of Six Differences, 3(20/21).http://www.bsd-journal.com/content
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Library priorities report
OCLC conducted a member survey to understand librarians’ top priorities,
current key initiatives, thoughts on service and top methods for
keeping current on happenings in the library field.
Libraries in the U.S.: A Snapshot of Priorities & Perspectives
| These reports detail findings from a study OCLC conducted
with libraries in mid-2011 to learn about their priorities,
initiatives, thoughts on the future of their service points and the
sources they use to keep up with developments in the library field. See other reports in the Priorities & Perspectives series for libraries in Germany | Netherlands | UK. Select Key Findings for US Academic Libraries
Select Key Findings for US Community College Libraries
Select Key Findings for US Public Libraries
|
A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives in US Public Libraries (4 Page PDF)
A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives in US Academic Libraries (4 page PDF)
A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives in US Community College Libraries (4 page PDF)
Select Key Findings for UK Academic Libraries
Most UK academic library staff:
- Consider delivering e-books and other e-resources to be their top priority
- Anticipate the top reason faculty and students are using their library will shift in five years
- Rely on listservs to keep informed about library trends.
Nearly 120 UK academic library staff including directors, managers and librarians participated in the study.
Select Key Findings for UK Public Libraries
Most UK public library staff:
- Consider demonstrating the value of their library to funders to be their top priority
- Anticipate the top reason users are using their library will change in five years
- Rely on discussions with their colleagues to keep informed about library trends.
120 UK public library staff including directors, managers and librarians participated in the study.
A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives in UK Public Libraries (4 page PDF)
A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives in UK Academic Libraries (4 page PDF)
A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives in Libraries in Germany (4 page PDF)
A Snapshot of Priorities and Perspectives in Libraries in The Netherlands (4 page PDF)
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Pleasure reading benefits study
This study found that young teenagers derive numerous benefits from
pleasure reading. From an educational perspective, pleasure reading
helps improve literacy and thinking skills, and helps young teenagers
clarify and explore career goals. From a social perspective, pleasure
reading helps young teenagers understand historical and current events,
helps them develop compassion and empathy, empowers them to develop and
act on their beliefs, and helps them to understand the consequences of
risky behaviors. From a personal perspective, pleasure reading provides
young teenagers with entertainment, relaxation, reassurance, a creative
outlet, and a means of escape.
Medaille, A. (2012).Pleasure Reading Offers Educational, Social, and Personal Benefits for Young Teenagers. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 7(2), 77-79.
http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/17440
Medaille, A. (2012).Pleasure Reading Offers Educational, Social, and Personal Benefits for Young Teenagers. Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 7(2), 77-79.
http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP/article/view/17440
College student Information literacy study
The study presents findings from 560 interviews with undergraduates on 10 campuses
distributed across the US, as part of Project Information Literacy (PIL). Overall, the findings suggest that students use a “less is more” approach to manage and control all of the IT devices and information systems available to them while they are in the library during the final weeks of the term. Over half the sample considered their laptop their most essential IT device and most had a Web browser and, to a lesser extent, a word processing application running at the time of the interviews. Most students were using one or two Web sites at the time of the interviews, but there was little overlap among the Web sites they were using. Recommendations are made for how campus-wide stakeholders—faculty, librarians, higher education administrators, and commercial publishers—can work together to improve education for 21st century undergraduates.
Head, A., & Eisenberg, M. (2011). Project Information Literacy Research Report. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.
http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_Fall2011_TechStudy_FullReport1.1.pdf
distributed across the US, as part of Project Information Literacy (PIL). Overall, the findings suggest that students use a “less is more” approach to manage and control all of the IT devices and information systems available to them while they are in the library during the final weeks of the term. Over half the sample considered their laptop their most essential IT device and most had a Web browser and, to a lesser extent, a word processing application running at the time of the interviews. Most students were using one or two Web sites at the time of the interviews, but there was little overlap among the Web sites they were using. Recommendations are made for how campus-wide stakeholders—faculty, librarians, higher education administrators, and commercial publishers—can work together to improve education for 21st century undergraduates.
Head, A., & Eisenberg, M. (2011). Project Information Literacy Research Report. Seattle, WA: University of Washington.
http://projectinfolit.org/pdfs/PIL_Fall2011_TechStudy_FullReport1.1.pdf
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