higher education news

JISC survey reveals how librarians view the future

Open Education News - Sat, 10/11/2008 - 04:58

The JISC Attitudinal Survey 2008: Head and Senior Learning and Librarian Staff enlightens on what librarians think the future holds for them and libraries. Excerpt:

In a data-rich future, senior academic librarians believe that managing and promoting e-Resources and e-Content will be their main challenges. These are the conclusions of a newly published JISC survey of 300 key library and Learning Resource Centre (LRC) staff across 284 HE and FE institutions. The findings complement those of SCONUL’s recent ‘Top Concerns 2008’ research.

The shift away from print to a dependence on e-Resources raises questions such as how to manage the volume of material, how users can access it and how libraries and LRCs can provide or promote such resources. It also highlights financial issues such as potential funding sources for the increasing amounts of new technology, electronic materials and subscriptions likely to be needed by the learning institutions of the future.

JISC’s Attitudinal Survey, conducted by the JISC Monitoring Unit at the University of Kent, covered content, licensing, digitization and communication issues. Key Findings:

  • Keeping abreast of and incorporating new technologies, pressure on space, information skills and literacy and access management are key challenges facing academic libraries
  • The digitization of in-house resources is going on, but few institutions have an overall digitization strategy
  • 25% of HE libraries were involved in the inter-institution procurement of collections during the last year, with 12% digitizing collections collaboratively
  • Around one third agreed that academic libraries/LRCs could use social networking opportunities to engage students with their services but most were unsure especially in HE
      
Categories: Higher Education News

Workshop on Finding and Re-using Open Scientific Resources

Open Education News - Sat, 10/11/2008 - 04:13

Ope Knowledge Foundation announced in its blog the forthcoming workshop on “Finding and Re-using Open Scientific Resources” to be held in London on November 8, 2008. A snippet from the wiki page:

This informal, hands-on workshop will focus on finding and re-using open scientific resources - including public domain data, open access journal articles, and open educational materials. We will look at existing tools for discovering open material, metadata standards for relevant material in different domains, and how researchers go about looking for the material they need.

In addition to focused discussions about legal and technological aspects of re-use, open scientific resources will be documented and tagged on CKAN [Comprehensive Knowledge Archive Network], a registry of knowledge resources.

Details of the workshop are as follows:

      
Categories: Higher Education News

Designing OER through Knowledge Maps to enhance Meaningful Learning

Open Education News - Sat, 10/11/2008 - 03:54

The International Journal of Learning, Volume 15, Number 7, published an article entitled “Designing Open Educational Resources through Knowledge Maps to enhance Meaningful Learning.” The article is authored by Dr. Alexandra Okada, a researcher in Knowledge Mapping, and Teresa Connolly, an OER lecturer. Abstract:

This paper demonstrates some pedagogical strategies for developing Open Educational Resources (OERs) using the knowledge mapping tool Compendium. It also describes applications of Knowledge Maps to facilitate meaningful learning by focusing on specific OER examples. The study centres on the OpenLearn project, a large scale online environment that makes a selection of higher education learning resources freely available via the internet. OpenLearn, which is supported by William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, was launched in October 2006 and in the two year period of its existence has released over 8,100 learning hours of the OU’s distance learning resources for free access and modification by learners and educators under the Creative Commons license. OpenLearn also offers three knowledge media tools: Compendium (knowledge mapping software), MSG (instant messaging application with geolocation maps) and FM (web-based video-conferencing application). Compendium is a software tool for visual thinking, used to connect ideas, concepts, arguments, websites and documents. There are numerous examples of OERs that have been developed and delivered by institutions across the world, for example, MIT, Rice, Utah State, Core, Paris Tech, JOCW. They present a wide variety of learning materials in terms of styles as well as differing subject content. Many such offerings are based upon original lecture notes, hand-outs and other related papers used in face-to-face teaching. Openlearn OERs, however, are reconstructed from original self study distance learning materials developed at the Open University and from a vast academic catalogue of materials. Samples of these “units” comprise a variety of formats: text, images, audio and video. In this study, our findings illustrate the benefits of sharing some OER content through knowledge maps, the possibility of condensing high volumes of information, accessing resources in a more attractive way, visualising connections between diverse learning materials, connecting new ideas to familiar references, organising thinking and gaining new insights into subject specific content.

      
Categories: Higher Education News

Debating the Merits of Merit Pay

Inside HigherEd - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 04:00
After faculty dispute, Towson compromises on how to distribute raises, while Temple attempts to shift entirely to "pay per performance."
Categories: Higher Education News

Turnarounds at Traditional Underdogs

Inside HigherEd - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 04:00
Vanderbilt and Northwestern football teams are undefeated and nationally ranked. What explains the unexpected success at these academically competitive universities?
Categories: Higher Education News

Poster Policy Unites Obama and McCain Supporters

Inside HigherEd - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 04:00
Following uproar, UT Austin suspends rule barring window decorations one day after students displaying signs faced punishment.
Categories: Higher Education News

A Snapshot of IT Trends

Inside HigherEd - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 04:00
Educause releases its annual survey, with notable gains for course management systems and open source software.
Categories: Higher Education News

'Symbiotic' Approach to Veterans' Needs

Inside HigherEd - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 04:00
Mount Wachusett Community College will be home to on-site services for rehabilitation -- in addition to offering more traditional education and training.
Categories: Higher Education News

Should I Put My Students on a Melting Iceberg?

Inside HigherEd - Fri, 10/10/2008 - 04:00
And four other questions about the community college puzzle that Wick Sloane, after 18 months in the trenches, still can’t answer.
Categories: Higher Education News

Open Access Day- 100 organizations taking part

Open Education News - Thu, 10/09/2008 - 14:43

Public Library of Science (PLoS) notes that 100 organizations from over 20 countries have joined to commemorate Open Access Day for the first time on October 14, 2008.

Open Access Day will help to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access, including recent mandates and emerging policies, within the international higher education community and the general public.

History: Open Access Day was inspired by the National Day of Action on February 15th, 2007, led by Students for FreeCulture with support from the Alliance for Taxpayer Access. This year, the same partners have joined forces with the Public Library of Science, the open-access scientific and medical online publisher.

      
Categories: Higher Education News

Falling Behind

Inside HigherEd - Thu, 10/09/2008 - 04:00
Compilation of data on minority participation in higher education suggests a first in American history: one generation failing to keep up with the previous one.
Categories: Higher Education News

Schooling Faculty in Catholic Higher Ed

Inside HigherEd - Thu, 10/09/2008 - 04:00
In Marquette U. seminar, pre-tenure professors study the content and context of their institution's Jesuit mission.
Categories: Higher Education News

Détente on Nursing Education

Inside HigherEd - Thu, 10/09/2008 - 04:00
Two-year and four-year programs, long at loggerheads, show increased signs of a willingness to collaborate.
Categories: Higher Education News

Is Affirmative Action in Decline or Out of Control?

Inside HigherEd - Thu, 10/09/2008 - 04:00
Dueling studies arrive -- one seeing colleges moving away from consideration of race and one drawing attention to the use of race.
Categories: Higher Education News

Engaging Students as Volunteers and Voters

Inside HigherEd - Thu, 10/09/2008 - 04:00
Colleges need to take specific steps to help students -- and society -- benefit from the interest in this year's elections, write Paul Loeb, Maureen F. Curley and Sherry Morreale.
Categories: Higher Education News

From Blue Books to Secure Laptops

Inside HigherEd - Wed, 10/08/2008 - 04:00
Some colleges are experimenting with software that turns laptops into digital blue books, which could spell the end of the dreaded exam scribble.
Categories: Higher Education News

Do-It-Yourself Transcripts

Inside HigherEd - Wed, 10/08/2008 - 04:00
Rutgers, following lead of U. of California, will have applicants submit their own grades and the university will check them only after decision to enroll. Is this the wave of the future?
Categories: Higher Education News
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