Lessons in making the unique ubiquitous: diversifying the role of the special collections and archives department to enhance teaching and learning at the University of Limerick

Blackboard is a learning management system (LMS) that provides students with an opportunity to access the course at their convenience. Blackboard makes it possible for students to do online activities, interact with other students and their teachers, review instructional materials, and listen to the recorded classes. Students can also attend live lectures and discussion via virtual classes (collaborative blackboard) from homes, cafés, or from anywhere they choose. All of these features can be accessed by students anytime and anywhere. This facility might motivate English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students to study effectively and efficiently. The purpose of this research is to investigate the use of Blackboard system in teaching and learning and evaluate its influence on motivating Saudi English students. It looks at the role of Blackboard on English students’ motivation from their own point of view and tries to determine whether or not students encounter issues that affect their motivation. El-Seoud et al. (2014, p. 2) believe that “the success or failure of online instruction is perhaps related to student motivation”. This study is conducted at the University of Bisha in Saudi Arabia. The sample consisted of 80 students from the English Department. This is a mixed method study of the students who use Blackboard for online learning. The study found that using Blackboard motivated students to work harder and learn better than traditional methods of learning. It also found that students believe that Blackboard is a motivating factor. Some demotivating factors have also been identified in this study.

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Building an Innovative and Entrepreneurial Dimension in an Institution of Higher Education

Higher Education for the Future ◽

10.1177/2347631120930559 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 200-214

Author(s):

Ron Corso

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Working Environment ◽

First Century ◽

Disruptive Effect ◽

Institutions Of Higher Education ◽

End User ◽

New Research ◽

The University

Institutions of higher education in the twenty-first century are undergoing a transformation locally and globally from traditional pillars of learning to being more entrepreneurial in their core business. There is increasing pressure on universities to becoming more flexible and adaptable as organizations and in the graduate attributes, they imbed in their students. There is a need to build deeper links with business, to both maximize innovation and promote growth, to ensure students are equipped to excel in the workforce. This change is having a disruptive effect on the role of universities, from classical research institutions to entrepreneurial universities mimicking more of the modern workplace working environment, requiring autonomy in their decision-making and in the way new research is developed, implemented and transferred in the relationships formed within their respective regions. This article outlines work in progress on the University of South Australia’s attempts to rebrand itself as a University of Innovation and Enterprise (Australia’s University of Enterprise) in both its end-user inspired research outcomes and industry-informed teaching and learning.

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Teaching Grenfell: The Role of Emotions in Teaching and Learning for Social Change

Sociology ◽

10.1177/0038038519841826 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (6) ◽

pp. 1026-1042

Author(s):

Laura Connelly ◽

Remi Joseph-Salisbury

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Social Change ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Online Survey ◽

Sociological Perspective ◽

Transformative Potential ◽

Survey Responses ◽

The University ◽

Limit Capacity

Although literature on the role of emotions in teaching and learning is growing, little consideration has been given to the university context, particularly from a sociological perspective. This article draws upon the online survey responses of 24 students who attended sociological classes on the Grenfell Tower fire, to explore the role emotions play in teaching that seeks to politicise learners and agitate for social change. Contributing to understandings of pedagogies of ‘discomfort’ and ‘hope’, we argue that discomforting emotions, when channelled in directions that challenge inequality, have socially transformative potential. Introducing the concept of bounded social change, however, we demonstrate how the neoliberalisation of Higher Education threatens to limit capacity for social change. In so doing, we cast teaching as central to the discipline of sociology and suggest that the creation of positive social change should be the fundamental task of sociological teaching.

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E-learning and information literacy at the University of Jos

Library Management ◽

10.1108/lm-07-2013-0062 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (8/9) ◽

pp. 607-628 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Vicki Lawal ◽

Stephen Akintunde

Keyword(s):

Information Literacy ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Case Study Research ◽

Content Type ◽

E Learning ◽

Learning Platforms ◽

Information Skills ◽

The University

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the potential role of information literacy (IL) within the changing context of the e-learning environment at the University of Jos in recent years. It focuses and emphasises the role of the University library in facilitating teaching and learning through the use of e-learning platforms in teaching information retrieval skills. The paper aims to identify gaps in students’ information skills that could be addressed through IL instruction. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a case study research design while the methodology involved the administration of structured questionnaires to the two groups of respondents. Findings – Findings from the study provide useful insights to the skills challenges experienced by students and point to a need for effective collaboration between the library, faculty and management in order to promote a better approach to learning at the institution. Originality/value – By emphasising the role of the library, the paper contributes to previous studies on e-learning at the University and provides a basis for further research in this regard.

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Explorations of Beliefs about EFL Teachers’ Roles from Both Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives through Metaphor Analysis

European Scientific Journal ESJ ◽

10.19044/esj.2020.v16n29p205 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (29) ◽

Author(s):

Sharihan Shawkat Azeez

Keyword(s):

Teaching And Learning ◽

English Teachers ◽

Sentence Completion ◽

Teachers Perceptions ◽

Teachers Experiences ◽

Teachers Beliefs ◽

Efl Teachers ◽

Teachers And Students ◽

The University

Metaphor acts as a window into comprehending teachers’ experiences through providing insights into complex concepts of teaching and learning. As a result, it plays a crucial role in exploring beliefs about teachers’ roles in the teaching and learning process. To elicit ideas and beliefs which both teachers and students held about the role of English teachers, questionnaires were given to 30 teachers and 85 students in the University of Duhok, English Department. The questionnaire asked the subjects to provide their beliefs about English teachers’ roles by using a sentence completion task “An English teacher is…. because….”. Eight conceptual categories are introduced from the linguistic metaphors and example metaphors for each category are given in the results tables. The eight conceptual categories include: teacher as devotee, teacher as nurturer, teachers as provider / source of knowledge, teacher as cultural transmitter, teacher as authority, teacher as guider, teacher as a friend, and teacher as a nice beautiful soul. All participants expressed the same conceptual categories, but still they use different metaphors to express their views. An interesting feature of these results is that there are some parallel and overlaps of metaphors among different subjects. The findings of this study suggested subtle differences between students’ and teachers’ beliefs. This study will benefit teachers, curriculum designers, and researchers. Researchers may carry out comprehensive studies using metaphor as an investigating tool to better understand both students and teachers’ perceptions of the teachers’ roles. The results will help develop comprehensive and inclusive methods of teaching. Larger samples with variables such as gender, age, different locations, and proficiency of participants should be taken into consideration during future studies.

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Tour Through Scotland: A Finding Aid of Scottish Travel Photography at the Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph

10.32920/ryerson.14664204 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Danielle McAllister

Keyword(s):

Tourism Industry ◽

Specific Group ◽

Photographic Material ◽

Special Collections ◽

Integral Role ◽

Biographical Sketches ◽

Finding Aids ◽

Travel Photography ◽

The University

Among the various collections housed in the Archival & Special Collections CASC) at the University of Guelph is a group of photographic material that exhibits the integral role photography played in Scotland's tourism industry from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Photographic publishing firms such as G.W. Wilson & Co. and Valentine & Sons, Ltd. incorporated photography into their commercial repertoires and both helped to create and capitalize on Scotland's vibrant tourism industry during this period. This thesis focuses on this specific group of material that includes four bound albums, five opalines, seven travel view books, and over four hundred stereographs, and additionally looks at how institutions such as the ASC use descriptive tools like finding aids to provide access to and information about their collections. This thesis project reevaluates the structure and role of the finding aid as applied to photographic material in archival collections. Additional components such as a biographical sketches, a glossary of photographic terms, a geographic index, and a historical overview, have been incorporated to further demonstrate how a finding aid can build a greater web of connections and narratives for such collections.

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A Tour Through Scotland: A Finding Aid of Scottish Tavel Photography at the Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph

10.32920/ryerson.14649597.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Danielle McAllister

Keyword(s):

Tourism Industry ◽

Historical Overview ◽

Specific Group ◽

Photographic Material ◽

Special Collections ◽

Integral Role ◽

Biographical Sketches ◽

Finding Aids ◽

The University

Among the various collections housed in the Archival & Special Collections (ASC) at the University of Guelph is a group of photographic material that exhibits the integral role photography played in Scotland’s tourism industry from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Photographic publishing firms such as G.W. Wilson & Co. and Valentine & Sons, Ltd. incorporated photography into their commercial repertoires and both helped to create and capitalize on Scotland’s vibrant tourism industry during this period. This thesis focuses on this specific group of material that includes four bound albums, five opalines, seven travel view books, and over four hundred stereographs, and additionally looks at how institutions such as the ASC use descriptive tools like finding aids to provide access to and information about their collections. This thesis project reevaluates the structure and role of the finding aid as applied to photographic material in archival collections. Additional components such as a biographical sketches, a glossary of photographic terms, a geographic index, and a historical overview, have been incorporated to further demonstrate how a finding aid can build a greater web of connections and narratives for such collections.

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Partners in Storytelling

Higher Education, Emerging Technologies, and Community Partnerships ◽

10.4018/978-1-60960-623-7.ch028 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 314-318

Author(s):

William Shewbridge

Keyword(s):

New Media ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

Baltimore County ◽

Media Technology ◽

University Of Maryland ◽

Broadcast Network ◽

Technology In Teaching ◽

The University ◽

The Relationship

In 2006, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) entered into a unique partnership with Retirement Living Television (RLTV). Initially driven by the practicalities of bringing a new broadcast network to air, the relationship came to influence the role of new media technology in teaching and learning on the UMBC campus. The Charlestown Project brought university students and senior citizens together to create short digital movies. The project also became a catalyst for creating human connections beyond the campus and across generations. Along the way, students formed new attitudes towards aging and community, and the campus attained an increased awareness of the power of digital storytelling.

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The University in Transition

Social Software and the Evolution of User Expertise ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-2178-7.ch006 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 93-111

Author(s):

Laurie Craig Phipps ◽

Alyssa Wise ◽

Cheryl Amundsen

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Teaching And Learning ◽

New Technologies ◽

Educational Experiences ◽

Social Connectivity ◽

Learning Practices ◽

Educational Paradigm ◽

The University ◽

Constructivist Approaches

Discussion of changing notions of faculty expertise and the role of technology within the educational enterprise is nothing new. However, the current demand for change in teaching and learning practices is particularly strong, in part due to the pressures arising from emerging technologies and the shifting nature of faculty expertise. Web 2.0 technologies enable social connectivity, academic interactivity, and content co-creation. Thus, they change the ways of interacting with information and can support collaborative and constructivist approaches in higher education. This both inspires and requires a corresponding expansion in faculty’s role: from imparter of knowledge to orchestrator of learning experiences. Within the general metaphor of orchestration, other specific roles and functions will also be required; for example, scripting, translating, introducing, and co-exploring. As educators attempt to reimagine an educational paradigm in this context, the integration of new technologies must be grounded in how they can support educational experiences and outcomes that are focused on learning.

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