Building and integrating a usability lab for teaching

Deeply concerned about the effects of UC-systemwide and campus budget cuts since 2008, in winter 2014, the Santa Cruz Faculty Association sponsored a program of Small Grants for Creative Response to the Crisis in Education. One of the awards was granted to conduct a Budget Cut Impact Survey to assess and evaluate the particular impacts of those cuts on faculty teaching and morale at UCSC. This report contains the results of that survey. These results seem particularly timely given current discussions about budget cuts we may be facing again in the near future, and the impacts those would likely have. The survey addresses UCSC faculty experiences of the budget cuts that began in Fall 2008. This is the first study of the budget cuts’ impact on faculty, i.e. on our teaching, service, research, and morale. The study offers information about those impacts generally, as well as addresses how these impacts affected faculty differently across divisions. This study is especially timely, given warning that further budget reductions will be imposed for the coming academic year. At this point, there is little left to cut but bone, and the negative consequences for undergraduate education at UCSC and for staff and faculty work lives will be marked.

Innovative Solutions for Building Community in Academic Libraries, 2015

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Library's inaugural Learning Spaces (LSP) Program was formally established on July 1, 2013 through a library-wide reorganization process spanning 2012-2014. As a new program whose offerings remained in development, 2013-2014 presented the opportunity organizationally to initiate new library services and amenities and to adopt a new path based on the program's initial strategic objectives. This chapter details several of the ways in which the program began during its first year to accomplish its goals of engaging library users, building a sense of community and patron ownership within the library's learning spaces, establishing a culture of assessment among program staff, and developing library spaces where students feel welcomed and supported in their academic life. Activities detailed in the chapter are provided as examples for other libraries working toward similar outcomes. Additionally, a limited literature review of lib...

Journal of the Medical Library Association

The twenty-first century library at a newly opened medical school often differs from those at traditional medical schools. One obvious difference is that the new medical school library tends to be a born-digital library, meaning that the library collection is almost exclusively digital. However, the unique issues related to building a library at a new medical school are not limited to online collections. A unique start-up culture is prevalent, of which newly appointed directors and other library and medical school leaders need to be aware. This special paper provides an overview of best practices experienced in building new medical school libraries from the ground up. The focus is on the key areas faced in a start-up environment, such as budgeting for online collections, space planning, staffing, medical informatics instruction, and library-specific accreditation issues for both allopathic and osteopathic institutions.

Australian Health Review

Objective Meeting the demand for clinical placements in an environment of increasing university cohort growth and changes in health service delivery models is challenging. This paper describes the outcomes of a quality review activity designed to gain key stakeholder perspectives on the enablers and barriers to sustaining effort to placement provision and reports on: (1) measures used to determine the effect of a jurisdiction-wide initiative in clinical education for five allied health professions; (2) outcomes of data related to key factors affecting placement supply and demand; and (3) qualitative perspectives from management, workforce and university stakeholders on placement sustainability. Methods This study reviewed clinical placement, staff full-time equivalent numbers, university program and student cohort data for five allied health professions from 2013 to 2016. In addition, qualitative response data from key stakeholder surveys was analysed thematically. Results In the st...

Engaging Communities, NC State University, 2019

This is the 3rd and final report of the Southeast Equine Research and Education Partnership: The Southeast Equine Research and Education Partnership (SEREP) and eponymous research study arose from a grant received by Isothermal Community College (ICC) from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC). ICC engaged North Carolina State University (NC State) to conduct the study because of its expertise in equine education and because of the “Ultimate Community Partnership” between the two institutions that was ongoing at the time, an intentional community-university partnership between the office of Outreach and Engagement at NC State and the Isothermal community. An interdisciplinary research team from NC State was formed to pursue the scope of work outlined in the contract for the study. Over a period of two years our team engaged with a number of individual, community, and organizational stakeholders in Rutherford and Polk counties and collected a variety of quantitative and qualitative data to determine the feasibility of developing an equine research and education center in the Isothermal region of Western North Carolina. The primary goal was to determine how to take advantage of the long-standing but burgeoning equestrian culture and economy in the region in a way that would serve the needs of existing communities, attract investment, create new businesses and jobs, and stimulate university-level research opportunities. This third and final report builds on findings in the previous two reports and provides a conceptual framework for a comprehensive research and community center focused on horse, human, and environmental health. The proposed Southeast Equine Community and Research Center would accommodate the equine-related education and research needs of local horse owners and farms, small businesses, and private and non-profit industries. We have provided conceptual and business models, as well as physical design scenarios, that outline a community-oriented, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable center for research and education in the area. The center would increase local capacity and provide synergy to the ongoing initiatives by ICC to provide training and other educational opportunities aimed at building the equine workforce. And finally, in the areas of equine-related research, the center would provide an opportunity to leverage the strengths of NC State University in the agricultural, animal, natural, social, and veterinary sciences. Our research determined that one of the more promising areas of equine-related research, and one for which there are few other centers in the United States, is in equine-assisted activities (e.g. riding, learning, psychotherapy). In addition, the agricultural and technology needs of the local areas as well as the state of North Carolina would be well-served by research in the production of premium horse hay and other forages, manure and pasture management, and the development of a variety of agribusiness opportunities. Finally, a center would build on the increased equestrian-related visitors to the region and provide spaces for incubating small businesses and educating local communities and tourists on all aspects of the historical and present-day relationship between horses and humans. Doi: 10.5281/zenodo.3261814 Publication Date: 2019 Publication Name: Engaging Communities Lab, NC State University

2012

2010

The contribution of all who participated in the many workshops was much appreciated. LE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This master plan study was undertaken at an important point in the history of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries, which is on the edge of significant change moving into a new era serving scholars, researchers and learners in the 21st Century. Over the last decade the Library has been a leader in many initiatives: increasing development of digital resources; collaborating with the Five Colleges Consortium, which was one of the first in the country to develop a shared book depository; developing a highly successful Learning Commons that engages partners in providing a broad range of services and settings for learners; providing services through partners welcomed into library facilities, such the peer learning activities of the Learning Resources Center; and converting space to nontraditional library uses that are compatible with the mission of the library with facil...

BMC Health Services Research, 2015

Background: Administrative evidence based practices (A-EBPs) are agency level structures and activities positively associated with performance measures (e.g., achieving core public health functions, carrying out evidence-based interventions). The objectives of this study were to examine the contextual conditions and explore differences in local health department (LHD) characteristics that influence the implementation of A-EBPs. Methods: Qualitative case studies were conducted based on data from 35 practitioners in six LHDs across the United States. The sample was chosen using an A-EBP score from our 2012 national survey and was linked to secondary data from the National Public Health Performance Standards Program. Three LHDs that scored high and three LHDs that scored low on both measures were selected as case study sites. The 37-question interview guide explored LHD use of an evidence based decision making process, including A-EBPs and evidence-based programs and policies. Each interview took 30-60 min. Standard qualitative methodology was used for data coding and analysis using NVivo software. Results: As might be expected, high-capacity LHDs were more likely to have strong leadership, partnerships, financial flexibility, workforce development activities, and an organizational culture supportive of evidence based decision making and implementation of A-EBPs. They were also more likely to describe having strong or important relationships with universities and other educational resources, increasing their access to resources and allowing them to more easily share knowledge and expertise. Conclusions: Differences between high-and low-capacity LHDs in A-EBP domains highlight the importance of investments in these areas and the potential those investments have to contribute to overall efficiency and performance. Further research may identify avenues to enhance resources in these domains to create an organizational culture supportive of A-EBPs.

2000

Preface ers who must plan, design, operate, and fund these changes; and facilities planners who are challenged by the rapidly changing technology requirements in physical spaces, this volume offers both theoretical and practical advice from a host of experts. The book should be helpful to many planners in the way it sets a context for embracing change, prepares institutions to implement change, and describes the process of change with examples in strategic, curriculum, resource, and facilities planning venues. The chapters Technology-Driven Planning: Principles to Practice and planning practices included in this book represent public and private, large and small, two-year and four-year institutions. The editors have no expectation that this volume will provide all the answers to dealing with the changes we are experiencing. We have, however, identified many of the most relevant questions and issues that our audience should examine. We sincerely believe there is something for every institutional planner and leader between these covers.

SPEC Kit, 2016

Not every research library has a digital scholarship or digital humanities center, but more and more library staff within ARL institutions are becoming involved in providing DS services and support. Many librarians and professional staff are being recognized as not only active contributors, but also key collaborators on DS research projects. The survey asked for details on participation by a broad range of staff, from librarians and archivists, to other professional and support staff, to interns, graduate student assistants, and undergraduate workers (Q4). All of the survey respondents reported that librarians support all DS activities, most frequently by making digital collections, creating metadata, and offering data curation and management support (90-95%), creating exhibits and project planning (85%), GIS and digital mapping (81%), digitization (79%), digital publishing (76%), and even project management (72%). In fact, the category least often reported-developing DS software-is still supported by librarians at 38% of the responding libraries. Sixty-one respondents (85%) reported that archivists, other professionals, and support staff also provide substantial support to several DS activities. Unsurprisingly, archivists most frequently tend to contribute to digital collections and exhibits, digitization, digital preservation, and metadata creation (61-50%). Other professionals contribute along similar lines, but with a few marked differences such as technical upkeep (67%), interface design and usability (66%), database development (61%), and developing DS software (57%); this tends to strengthen the argument that information technology

2014

Executive Summary: The leadership of the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL) has decided to explore the concept of a makerspace. The recent growth and rapid adoption of makerspaces and 3D printing technology in health sciences wi...

Collegian, 2015

Nurses and Midwives perceptions of missed nursing care-a South Australian study.

Clinical laboratory science: journal of the American Society for Medical Technology

The shortage of clinical laboratory scientists (CLS) has been well-documented in the healthcare environment. This growing concern only becomes more critical as we enter the retiring baby boomer era in our society. Concomitantly, the problem of addressing how university CLS programs recruit and retain faculty to teach and satisfy research agendas is not being studied. These two problems, if allowed to collide, will provide a "perfect storm" with serious implications for an ongoing shortage of personnel and overall quality for the profession. CLS faculty, in the university setting, must typically satisfy the three tenets for tenure and promotion - teaching, scholarship, and service. While teaching and service will always be critical, scholarship (research) is an area of expertise that must be "taught" and mentored for future CLS faculty to be successful in the very real arena of "publish or perish". This article provides a commentary with specific details...

2009

Core faculty person, leader of theme 2 Name: Neivandt, David Worked for more than 160 Hours: Yes Contribution to Project: Core faculty of FBRI part of original project, theme 2, from UMaine Orono Name: Bousfield, Douglas Worked for more than 160 Hours: Yes Contribution to Project: Focus area: Our current work is looking at how to produce nano-scale fibers from wood using enzyme treatments and shear fields. These fibers may have unique properties in terms of reinforcing polymers or other materials. Professor of Chemical Engineering, UMaine Orono Name: Rubin, Jonathan Worked for more than 160 Hours: Yes Contribution to Project: professor of research economics, works at UMaine, Orono Focus: Research into the transition pathways to a forest bioproducts industry by evaluating the feasibility of commercial production of cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel along with other cellulose based bio-products.

Information Technology and Libraries

Virtual reality (VR) is a rich visualization and analytic platform that furthers the library’s mission of providing access to all forms of information and supporting pedagogy and scholarship across disciplines. Academic libraries are increasingly adopting VR technology for a variety of research and teaching purposes, which include providing enhanced access to digital collections, offering new research tools, and constructing new immersive learning environments for students. This trend suggests that positive technological innovation is flourishing in libraries, but there remains a lack of clear guidance in the library community on how to introduce these technologies in effective ways and make them sustainable within different types of institutions. In June 2018, the University of Oklahoma hosted the second of three forums on the use of 3D and VR for visualization and analysis in academic libraries, as part of the project Developing Library Strategy for 3D and Virtual Reality Collecti...