The purpose of this study is to create a course in a learning management system (LMS), Canvas, for online Ed.D. students and determine if the course can improve scores measuring…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to create a course in a learning management system (LMS), Canvas, for online Ed.D. students and determine if the course can improve scores measuring metaliteracy concepts from pretest to posttest. The course assessed knowledge of metaliteracy goals and objectives instead of using the ACRL Framework. This paper reports on the creation of the course, results of the pretest-posttest, a mapping of metaliteracy goals and objectives with the ACRL Framework and recommendations for including metacognitive practices in library instruction.
Design/methodology/approach
The researcher used a quantitative, quasi-experimental, exploratory design and developed a metaliteracy course in the Canvas LMS using a pretest-posttest design, creating video tutorials as the treatment for each module (five total) using Adobe Spark.
Findings
According to a t-test run in SPSS, there was a significant difference between the metaliteracy pretest and metaliteracy posttest. Using metaliteracy goals and objectives as a method for assessing information literacy knowledge can be useful. Using the ACRL Framework along with metaliteracy goals and objectives can be effective for presenting and assessing information literacy knowledge and skills.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this study was the use of one population of online Ed.D. students at one institution. One implication of this study is the need for metaliteracy goals and objectives to be used in connection with the ACRL Framework.
Originality/value
This research adds to the limited knowledge of how metaliteracy goals and objectives can be used to assess information literacy and other literacies using a pretest-posttest format in an online format.
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Gloria Thomas, Lahna Roche, Melissa Brocato and Saundra McGuire
The Center for Academic Success (CAS) at Louisiana State University (LSU), certified as a Center of Excellence by the National College Learning Center Association, has utilized…
Abstract
The Center for Academic Success (CAS) at Louisiana State University (LSU), certified as a Center of Excellence by the National College Learning Center Association, has utilized Supplemental Instruction© (SI) for the past 20 years to provide student support for historically difficult courses – those courses with D, F, or withdrawal rates of greater than 30%. In this model, peers called “SI leaders” facilitate study sessions outside of class time to help the enrolled students develop effective learning strategies and better understand and master course concepts. SI relies upon collaboration with faculty and is supported by cognitivism and social constructivism learning theories.
Benefits of the successful model include supporting students to become self-directed independent learners, reducing the stigma associated with using academic support and reducing the demands for tutoring. Outcomes observed at LSU include positive correlations between the course-passing rates and six-year graduation rates of women, underrepresented minorities and first-generation college students who participated in SI compared to the peers who participate less frequently and those who do not participate.
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In this chapter, I reflect on my experiences doing ethnographic inquiry to argue that a critical ethnographic onto-epistemology must be central for culturally responsive…
Abstract
In this chapter, I reflect on my experiences doing ethnographic inquiry to argue that a critical ethnographic onto-epistemology must be central for culturally responsive evaluators who work from ethnographic and social justice orientations. An onto-epistemology can be understood as the “hybridized ways of knowing and being” used to “navigate…our lived experiences” (Boveda & Bhattacharya, 2019, p. 8). A critical ethnographic onto-epistemology illuminates potential strategies for culturally responsive evaluators to more authentically, critically, and reflexively engage with the communities and actors implicated in their evaluations. This reflexivity considers different theories of culture shaping the design, implementation, analysis, and outcomes of ethnographically oriented evaluation. I chart how theories of culture in culturally responsive evaluation (CRE) have evolved from a view of cultural difference to focus on a group's behaviors, values, and shared customs. As the concept of culture is central to CRE (Hood et al., 2015), I argue that it must align itself with contemporary anthropological literature that theorizes culture as a fluid set of unevenly dispersed resources that actors construct, use, and connect as they make meaning of and organize themselves within larger societal arrangements and institutions (Levinson et al., 2015). I ground this argument in reflections around three components of my critical ethnographic onto-epistemology: criticality, politicality, and internal and relational forms of transparency. Culturally responsive evaluators may benefit from exploring how a critical ethnographic onto-epistemology can shape theories of culture in CRE, moving toward more critical theories and epistemologies that counter the residues of coloniality which shape both ethnography and evaluation.
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This concluding chapter provides a historical reflection of my bridging theories of ethnography and evaluation and the mentor guides who influenced this initial work from…
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This concluding chapter provides a historical reflection of my bridging theories of ethnography and evaluation and the mentor guides who influenced this initial work from Charlottesville, VA, to Baltimore, MD, to Pittsburgh, PA. In reflecting on these Sankofa reflections by looking backward and forward, just as the Adinkra bird symbol illustrates, I highlight key lessons learned in doing ethnography as a doctoral and postdoctoral student, which sparked my initial conceptual and bridging work in public health, anthropology of education, and evaluation. My nascent ideas were fostered with advisors and mentors, Dell Hymes and Michael Agar, who themselves were bridging and leveraging theories and concepts from vast (inter)disciplinary networks and experiences in the field. The featured manuscripts below were meant to illustrate the ethnography-evaluation connections that I thought were so necessary then for my own understandings and lay fodder for the coalescing transformative, intersectional, and comparative themes of the book. Fast forward 25 years and the themes that I garnered as a “fair-haired youth” in the field are now more mature as reflected by the authors of this important and timely book. The beauty of the volume of chapters that preceded this conclusion is their conceptual depth toward notions, especially positionality, criticality, authenticity, and reciprocity. As such, I take these overarching concepts that are embedded in the chapters like the Sankofa bird's feet – with an eye toward the future. The concepts illustrated in the book do not reside in only one chapter but reflect a commonality across chapters and common concepts discussed in the overall volume.
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Lillian T. Eby, Melissa M. Robertson and David B. Facteau
Interest in employee mindfulness has increased dramatically in recent years, fueled by several important conceptual articles, numerous studies documenting the benefits of…
Abstract
Interest in employee mindfulness has increased dramatically in recent years, fueled by several important conceptual articles, numerous studies documenting the benefits of mindfulness for employee outcomes, and the adoption of mindfulness-based practices in many Fortune 500 organizations. Despite this growing interest, the vast majority of research on employee mindfulness has taken an intrapersonal focus, failing to appreciate the ways in which mindfulness may enhance work-related relational processes and outcomes. The authors explore possible associations between mindfulness and relationally oriented workplace phenomena, drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship examining mindfulness in romantic relationships, child–parent relationships, patient–healthcare provider relationships, and student–teacher relationships. A framework is proposed that links mindfulness to three distinct relationally oriented processes, which are expected to have downstream effects on work-related relational outcomes. The authors then take the proposed framework and discuss possible extensions to a variety of unique workplace relationships and discuss critical next steps in advancing the relational science of mindfulness.
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Paula Caffer, Sharon Brisolara, Arthur E. Hernández and Anna Jefferson
Culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE) is a methodological paradigm that intertwines the principles of ethnography with community-centered approaches to amplify the…
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Culturally responsive and equitable evaluation (CREE) is a methodological paradigm that intertwines the principles of ethnography with community-centered approaches to amplify the authenticity and efficacy of program evaluations. This chapter explores the integration of ethnographic inquiry and methods to enhance evaluators' engagement with diverse stakeholders through a foundation of mutual respect, co-learning, and capacity building. Ethnography contributes depth to CREE by facilitating sustained participatory engagement, open-ended interviewing, and immersive observation, capturing the intricate cultural dynamics that inform context-specific recommendations. A crucial element of this integration is reflexivity concerning evaluators' privilege and positionality. By maintaining proactive transparency about their insider–outsider status and actively balancing power dynamics, evaluators can mitigate cultural blind spots and extractive biases. This approach not only foregrounds marginalized voices but also emphasizes critical self-interrogation, advancing the evaluation's potential to enact social change. However, without relentless anti-oppressive reflexivity, there is a risk of merely appropriating ethnographic methods for cosmetic purposes, thereby undermining the humanistic and authenticity aims of CREE. For program evaluators committed to adhering to the guiding principles of cultural competence, continuous professional development in ethnographic and CREE methodologies is essential. This chapter describes the meaningful integration of these methods, fostering more respectful, authentic, and equitable engagements with communities. Future directions for evaluation practice should focus on developing ethnographic, participatory, and community-based methods training, integrating critical theories to address power dynamics and promote reflexivity, and ensuring that evaluations not only meet technical standards but also achieve profound societal impact through a committed, collaborative, and authentic approach.
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To outline the critical role of the sporting context in traumatic experiences, exploring sport as a catalyst to traumatic experiences and as part of the recovery process. In doing…
Abstract
Purpose
To outline the critical role of the sporting context in traumatic experiences, exploring sport as a catalyst to traumatic experiences and as part of the recovery process. In doing this, the chapter also aims to review the qualitative literature on trauma and provide recommendations for future research directions.
Approach
The chapter begins by asking two key questions: what silences some stories of trauma in sport and what stories are valued above others? In answering these questions, the qualitative literature is discussed with particular reference to how voice is given to stories of trauma.
Findings
Trauma may be silenced by the particular norms and values that exist within sport, creating a culture in which athletes and coaches alike fear to speak out. As a consequence, trauma stories are not voiced but avoided, a strategy that is not conducive to good mental health. The difficulties in coping with trauma may then become ameliorated by the dominance and expectation of stories of growth through adversity.
Research Limitations
Creative strategies for allowing athletes to voice stories of trauma are discussed, including the use of visual and written methods.
William N. Thomas IV and Amaarah DeCuir
This chapter discusses how the authors, both faculty members who primarily instruct doctoral students, participated in a two-year faculty fellowship to build the internal capacity…
Abstract
This chapter discusses how the authors, both faculty members who primarily instruct doctoral students, participated in a two-year faculty fellowship to build the internal capacity of university instructors to use anti-racist pedagogy within a unique undergraduate program at their university. The fellowship was organized as an action research study and evaluated using critical ethnographic methods. We explore and analyze the various ways that ethnographic methods allowed for inductive processing and contextualized sense-making by leveraging our insider perspectives. We were able to reveal hidden university dynamics through our critical reflections related to responses and processing of campus incidents of antisemitism, union protests, sexual assaults, and racism. We, the faculty fellows, facilitated professional development sessions anchored in an anti-racist pedagogical framework that would guide our pedagogical approach and introduced consultancy protocols and feedback surveys for instructors to receive additional support. These tools offered insights on how many instructors in the AUx program initiated pedagogical support and thought partnership from the fellows. In addition, the survey collected key information regarding the type of support that participants preferred to guide the facilitation of subsequent professional development sessions. Integrating ethnographic and action research strategies revealed a sobering understanding of the complex bureaucratic nature of university programs, particularly how they facilitate instructor recruitment, professional development, curriculum development, and affinity spaces.
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Heini Utunen, Ranil Appuhamy, Melissa Attias, Ngouille Ndiaye, Richelle George, Elham Arabi and Anna Tokar
OpenWHO is the World Health Organization's online learning platform that was launched in 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic led to massive growth in the number of courses, enrolments and…
Abstract
Purpose
OpenWHO is the World Health Organization's online learning platform that was launched in 2017. The COVID-19 pandemic led to massive growth in the number of courses, enrolments and reach of the platform. The platform is built on a stable and scalable basis that can host a large volume of learners. The authors aim to identify key factors that led to this growth.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research paper, the authors examined OpenWHO metadata, end-of-course surveys and internal processes using a quantitative approach.
Findings
OpenWHO metadata showed that the platform has hosted over 190 health courses in 65 languages and over seven million course enrolments. Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been more women, older people and people from middle income countries accessing courses than before. Following data analysis of the platform metadata and course production process, it was found that several key factors contributed to the growth of the platform. First, OpenWHO has a standardised course production pathway that ensures efficiency, consistency and quality. Further, providing courses in different languages increased its reach to a variety of populations throughout the world. For this, multi-language translation is achieved through a network of translators and an automated system to ensure the efficient translation of learning products. Lastly, it was found that access was promoted for learners with disabilities by optimising accessibility in course production. Data analysis of learner feedback surveys for selected courses showed that the courses were well received in that learners found it useful to complete courses that were self-paced and flexible. In addition, results indicated that preferred learning methods included videos, downloadable documents, slides, quizzes and learning exercises.
Originality/value
Lessons learnt from the WHO's learning response will help prepare researchers for the next health emergency to ensure timely, equitable access to quality health knowledge for everyone. Findings of this study will provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers and researchers in the field who intend to use online learning to optimise knowledge acquisition and performance.
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Using data from 37 interviews carried out with female architects in Britain, this paper examines how they have constructed their careers in a male‐dominated profession. The…
Abstract
Using data from 37 interviews carried out with female architects in Britain, this paper examines how they have constructed their careers in a male‐dominated profession. The findings indicate that there is a significant rejection of the “traditional” career within an organisation; instead there is diversity in the forms of work organisation adopted especially with regard to the desire for control over career and working life.