Articles

Supporting Professionalism in Educational Development in Irish Higher Education

Muireann OKeeffe — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 00:50:14 PST

Higher education, in Ireland and globally, is undergoing profound change influenced by a variety of factors. In conjunction with these changes many initiatives to improve teaching and learning and the quality of graduates in higher education have been introduced in recent years. The changes and expansions in the sector has enabled growth of new roles in higher education described as ‘third space’ professionals by Whitchurch (2008).

This paper describes the struggle of those in third space professions, such as academic development, to establish a professional identity in higher education. The benefits of these contemporary roles to higher education are discussed, while the circumstantial challenges presented to third space professionals in building collaborative relationships between academics and administration both internally and externally to the institution are acknowledged.

Finally the professional futures of academic developers are considered. This paper urges investigation into professional values of academic developers and the key strategies that might develop and sustain a community of academic developer professionals in Ireland. Also these approaches must acknowledge the dynamic and complex nature of higher education and academic development in order to survive into the future.

Exploring Supports Provided for Student ePortfolio Development in a Professional Development Context

Muireann OKeeffe — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 10:20:21 PST

This small scale study aimed to explore and establish if support strategies implemented to enhance student ePortfolios were helpful to students and to identify useful ways of supporting ePortfolio development with future cohorts of students. This action research study was informed through focus group discussion and individual interviews with students.

The importance of reflection for the development professional practice and of creative abilities is discussed. The substantial benefits of creativity within education are investigated and characteristics of creativity that might be developed with students’ ePortfolios are revealed. Specifically this paper seeks to foster Crafts (2011) four characteristics of creativity, pluralities, playfulness, possibilities and participation within ePortfolios, through student engagement with multimedia and peer-learning.

Findings describe how support strategies were perceived by students and if the activities were supportive of reflection and creativity. Recommendations for the future support of the ePortfolio will involve an increase in support for peer-learning; more support on reflective writing; workshops on developing artefacts with multimedia; exploration of meaning and characteristics of creativity with students.

Selection and Acquisition of e-books in Irish Institutes of Technology Libraries: a Study

Wanda Carin et al. — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:34:12 PDT

Purpose: To report on a study of the acquisition of e-books in libraries in Institutes of Technology (ITs) in Ireland undertaken in 2009. Methodology: Websites of the libraries of the 15 ITs were studied and this was followed by telephone interviews, using a structured set of questions, with the acquisition librarians. Details are provided of the e-book suppliers used, reasons for acquiring (and not acquiring) e-books, links with Virtual Learning Environments and methods of promotion. Findings: Librarians from 12 of the 15 ITs agreed to be interviewed giving a response rate of 80%. The ITs are using e-books from a wide variety of suppliers and teaching staff in the ITs had little, if any, involvement in the selection of e-book titles. Staff in the libraries find that business models for the acquisition of e-books cause difficulties. Most of the IT libraries were investigating a consortial arrangement for e-book acquisition. Better liaison with lecturers and improved promotion of e-books is necessary. Originality: A baseline study of acquisition of e-books in one sector of a country.

Accommodating Employees with Disabilities: Perceptions of Irish Academic Library Managers

Anne-Marie O'Neill et al. — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 07:28:18 PDT

In recent years a significant amount of the literature in the field of librarianship has focused on providing greater access to library facilities to clients with disabilities. There has been constructive debate about accessible buildings, ergonomic design of library facilities, and assistive technologies; but, what of individual people with disabilities who wish to work in libraries? Does the concern for accessibility extend to their employment in the library workplace? What is happening in Irish academic libraries to accommodate them in their employment and achieve equality of opportunities?

The Evolution of an Embedded Information Literacy Module: using Student Feedback and the Research Literature to Improve Student Performance

Allison Kavanagh — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 05:19:53 PDT

The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and evolution of the embedded information literacy (IL) module for first year BSc in Marketing students in Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) over a three year period between 2007-8 and 2009-10. It describes the pedagogical theories underlining the teaching and assessment of the course in its original format, the reflective practice in which the library team engaged, and the subsequent changes made to the teaching and assessment of the course, informed by the research literature. The study uses performance in the assessment task, student feedback drawn from survey questionnaires and a focus group as the methods of data collection, although the analysis also takes into account anecdotal evidence. The paper provides details of the correlation each year between student performance in the information literacy and marketing components of the assessment task. It outlines the students’ evaluations of the course and, for the latter two years, it examines their perception of their information literacy skills before and after the embedded module. The issues raised in the feedback from students, the library team, and academic staff members were addressed using techniques drawn from the research literature. This involved underpinning the feedback and formative assessment for the programme with a student centred approach by introducing discussion board assignments to the course, and drawing on students’ existing knowledge and experience by using worksheets at the start of class. The timing of the IL classes was also changed in 2008-9 to align them more closely with the assessment deadline. In addition, instructions in relation to the assessment task were rewritten and clarified in 2008-9 and 2009-10. The modifications made resulted in an improvement in student performance (as measured by the mean mark) in the IL assessment task, and in an increase in the correlation between the marks for the IL and marketing components of the assignment. The study has some limitations, while student feedback indicated a significant increase in students’ confidence in their IL skills, the study did not examine at any stage whether this increase in confidence resulted in a change in their IL practice. Furthermore, while most students in the 2007-8 cohort indicated that they would apply what they had learned in the IL component to other courses, there is only anecdotal evidence that this actually happened. Nevertheless, the discussion on the issues and challenges experienced in relation to the teaching and assessment of an embedded information literacy module, and the analysis of the impact of the solutions introduced to address these issues should make this paper relevant to practitioners engaged in the delivery and assessment of similar IL modules.

Changing Times: the Changing Role of Assistant Librarians in DIT's Aungier St. Library

Allison Kavanagh — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:12:15 PDT

An examination of the changing role of subject librarians at Dublin Institute of Technology's Aungier St library.

Indexing Change in LIS Work: Implications for Recruiting Managers

John Cullen et al. — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:38:59 PDT

Purpose: This paper reports on three periods of library and information service (LIS) recruitment data collected over a six-year timeframe with the aim of developing a tool for indexing change in the recruitment and labour market for workers in the field. Methodology / Approach: The recruitment data was collected in an Irish context over three distinct 12-month timeframes (1999, 2001-2002 and 2005). The two earlier annual sets of data have already been reported and discussed (the latter in Library Management in 2004a), and the most recent set (2005) is presented here. The data over the three timeframes is compared here, and a practical approach for collecting this data in an ongoing fashion is suggested. Findings: The article finds that although LIS positions have become less available in 2005 than in previous periods, that remuneration has increased at a rate of 16%. A number of related findings are discussed throughout the paper. Implications: The value of this approach and the data unearthed is discussed in the context of its value to senior managers and individuals with responsibility for recruitment and strategic human resource management in library and information service context.

ArtLog: Archiving the Artistic Process

Yvonne Desmond et al. — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:08:53 PDT

Currently there is little or no formal attempt to document the processes an Irish artist undergoes when producing a piece of art. With Artlog we aim to provide the artistic community at the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Annaghmakerring, Co. Monaghan with a forum to not only develop their profile as an artist but also to document their work practices. In this paper we describe how Artlog came about, the relationship between the aesthetics and the importance of heritage, the approach of the project team in organising the archive and finally how interdisplinary collaboration has impacted the project.

Information Literacy Programmes and Course Curricula: the Case for Integration

Anne Ambrose et al. — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:53:21 PDT

The advent of the Internet and the profusion, complexity and haphazard nature of the information available through electronic and digital resources has highlighted the issue of information literacy in third level institutions worldwide. How do we deal with the information explosion to which we are subjected on a daily basis? In particular how do our students learn to exploit the range of resources available to advance their studies and research? Can these students become fully independent learners as proposed by the new teaching and learning methodologies without the necessary foundation skills? The authors argue, based on international standards and benchmarking comparison, that information literacy must become an accepted goal in the teaching and learning development strategies of third level institutions and that information programmes should be an integral part of all course design. They look at some current initiatives in Irish academic institutions, including DIT, and consider ideas for future direction.