scholarly journals A constellation to guide us

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 544-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Bombaro ◽  
Pamela Harris ◽  
Kerri Odess-Harnish

Purpose The purpose of this paper was to ask Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe, Professor/Coordinator for Information Literacy Services and Instruction in the University Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, about her views regarding the Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education. Design/methodology/approach This is an interview. Findings Hinchliffe believes that the Framework is one among many documents that academic librarians can and should use to promote information literacy. Research limitations/implications Hinchliffe contradicts the opinion that the Framework and the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education could not have co-existed. Practical implications Hinchliffe offers librarians practical advice for moving from a Standards-based to a Framework-based information literacy program. Originality/value Hinchliffe concludes that the old ways of fostering information literacy do not need to be rejected to adopt new practices.

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Hines ◽  
Alexandra Whittington

Purpose A research project exploring emerging student needs explored six aspects of student life: living, learning, working, playing, connecting and participating. Design/methodology/approach A modified version of the University of Houston’s “Framework Foresight” method was used to explore the future of six aspects of future student life. The resulting scenarios were analyzed for their implications, including the use of the World Café technique, and ultimately led to the identification of nine emerging student needs. Findings Nine specific emerging needs of future students could be used strategically by institutions of higher education to guide and inform planning and to generate innovative ideas for university offerings. Specific examples of offerings that would meet the projected future needs are recommended. Research limitations/implications In terms of research limitations, the paper is focused on the needs of students and does not purport to be an exhaustive analysis of all of the issues influencing higher education. It views the future of higher education through the lens of students and their emerging needs. Practical implications The paper is intended for educators, researchers and administrators to provide insight on how the needs of students, their key customers, are evolving. Originality/value This piece explores student life in its totality as way to more accurately identify student needs in the future.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Hines

Purpose A research project exploring emerging student needs identified two potentially disruptive shifts for the future of higher education: a shift in balance of power from institutions toward the students and a shift in the purpose of higher education away from job preparation. The research suggests that current drivers are eventually moving toward these shifts but that several “accelerators” may hasten their arrival. The paper aims to describe the process for identifying the emerging needs, the potentially disruptive shifts and key implications for higher education. Design/methodology/approach A modified version of the University of Houston’s “Framework Foresight” method was used to identify the emerging needs, the disruptive shifts and their implications. Findings Emerging student needs suggest two potential disruptive shifts for higher education: shift in balance of power from institutions toward the students and shift in the purpose of higher education away from job preparation. Practical implications Current institutions of higher education may need to reconsider their purpose, mission and value proposition in light of these disruptive shifts. Social implications Beyond just higher education, there is a need for a larger society-wide dialogue about the emerging future and how to best prepare students for it. Originality/value This extensive research carried out from the student perspective suggests disruptive shifts ahead relating to the purpose and future of higher education.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 169-172
Author(s):  
Laura Schlehuber

Purpose A research project exploring emerging student needs explored six aspects of student life: living, learning, working, playing, connecting and participating. Playing is explored here, considering changes in student approaches to leisure, recreation and having fun and investigates how playing in general is changing. The purpose of this paper summarizes two scenarios about the playing domain from the Student Needs 2025+ project and highlights implications for the future of higher education. Design/methodology/approach A modified version of the University of Houston’s “Framework Foresight” method was used to explore the future of six aspects of future student life. Findings Play has gotten serious. It is increasingly scheduled, supervised and often includes some larger objective, such as learning. This purposeful play is spreading into virtual space as well, which will increasingly be the setting for play. In the longer term, play – in the form or gamification – is likely to integrate into more and more of student life. Games and play will be used for teaching in the classroom (real and virtual), at work for training, to make exercise “fun”, and even in civic life for encouraging greater participation in governance. Research limitations/implications In terms of research limitations, the paper is focused on the needs of students and does not purport to be an exhaustive analysis of all the issues influencing higher education. It views the future of higher education through the lens of students and their emerging needs. Practical implications The paper is intended for educators, researchers and administrators to provide insight on how the needs of students, their key customers, are evolving. Originality/value This research explores student life in its totality as way to more accurately identify student needs in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-328
Author(s):  
Ian Pepper ◽  
Ruth McGrath

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the impact of an employability module, the College of Policing Certificate in Knowledge of Policing (CKP), on students’ career aspirations, their confidence and wish to join the police along with the appropriateness of the module. This will inform the implementation of employability as part of the College of Policing-managed Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF). Design/methodology/approach A three-year longitudinal research study used mixed methods across four points in time to evaluate the impact on students studying the employability module. Findings The research suggests that the employability-focussed CKP was useful as an introduction to policing, it developed interest in the police and enhanced the confidence of learners applying to join. Lessons learnt from the CKP should be considered during the implementation of the PEQF. Research limitations/implications The ability to generalise findings across different groups is limited as other influences may impact on a learner’s confidence and employability. However, the implications for the PEQF curriculum are worthy of consideration. Practical implications As the police service moves towards standardised higher educational provision and evolution of policing as a profession, lessons can be learnt from the CKP with regards to the future employability of graduates. Originality/value Enhancing the employability evidence base, focussing on policing, the research identified aspects which may impact on graduates completing a degree mapped to the PEQF. The research is therefore of value to higher education and the professional body for policing.


2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Bayart ◽  
Sandra Bertezene ◽  
David Vallat ◽  
Jacques Martin

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate if the use of “serious games” with students can improve their knowledge acquisition and their academic performance. Design/methodology/approach – The research is an exploratory investigation resorting to the use of a serious game to evaluate the evolution of the students’ competencies in project management, through questionnaires processed using a structural “learning model.” Findings – This research shows indeed that the use of “serious games” improves the knowledge acquisition and management competencies of the students with the evidencing of significant factors contributing to this improvement. Practical implications – The findings of this research show that serious games can be an effective tool to be used in teaching students particularly as traditional methods are less and less accepted by today's students. Originality/value – Although the use of games is not something new in education, it is still limited in teaching practices in higher education. This experiment can help lecturers and trainers to resort to them in their pedagogy and to conceive them according to variables that can enhance their effectiveness.


2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 10-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Q. Yang

Purpose – This study aims to ascertain the trends and changes of how academic libraries market and deliver information literacy (IL) on the web. Design/methodology/approach – The author compares the findings from two separate studies that scanned the Web sites for IL-related activities in 2009 and 2012, respectively. Findings – Academic libraries intensified their efforts to promote and deliver IL on the web between 2009 and 2012. There was a significant increase in IL-related activities on the web in the three-year period. Practical implications – The findings describe the status quo and changes in IL-related activities on the libraries’ Web sites. This information may help librarians to know what they have been doing and if there is space for improvement. Originality/value – This is the only study that spans three years in measuring the progress librarians made in marketing and delivering IL on the Web.


2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Sonley ◽  
Denise Turner ◽  
Sue Myer ◽  
Yvonne Cotton

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the results of a case study evaluating the revision of the assessment methods of an information literacy module. The revised assessment method took the form of a portfolio.Design/methodology/approachDuring 2004, all six credit modules at the University of Teesside had to be reviewed and restructured into ten credit modules. Following Biggs' principles of constructive alignment, the tutors looked at the existing module aims and learning outcomes. A review of the literature and previous experience informed the selection of the new assessment method by portfolio. An evaluation of the assessment method was undertaken after the module had run.FindingsThe paper finds that the assessment method had real strengths especially in terms of validity. It was also economical and efficient. Students knew what they were expected to do and where they needed to put in effort.Research limitations/implicationsThe assessment by a portfolio method has been carried out once with a relatively small cohort of students, so the findings can only be regarded as interim.Practical implicationsThe tutors believe that they have created a very useful module with an aligned assessment method which would be of benefit to a much greater number of studentsOriginality/valueThere is a shortage of publications that report the results of the use of portfolios for the assessment of information literacy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 410-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Mølbjerg Jørgensen

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to provide a framework for reflecting on how different ways of configuring spaces in higher education (HE) condition the possibilities of learning. Second, the purpose is to construct a storytelling approach for the configuration of such spaces. Design/methodology/approach The paper’s conceptual purpose is achieved through a theoretical discussion of three concepts: performance, politics and storytelling. Findings Learning in HE needs reconsideration in terms of what kinds of learning are made possible through the discursive and material configuration of the spaces of research and teaching. In particular, the focus to some extent should move away from the management and control of learning toward what enables learning. Practical implications The literature on organizational learning and the learning organization comprise concepts, methods and tools that play different roles with regard to controlling, shaping and enabling learning. When the focus is on learning in HE, it is important to be aware of the tracks of learning these technologies enable. Social implications The interest in managing and controlling learning is often problematic in relation to the potential of HE to produce new and innovative forms of learning. Originality/value This paper introduces the term “spaces of performance,” which directs attention toward the material, discursive and relational conditions for learning. It also introduces a space of storytelling as a new principle for learning in HE.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerry Shephard ◽  
Qudsia Kalsoom ◽  
Ritika Gupta ◽  
Lorenz Probst ◽  
Paul Gannon ◽  
...  

Purpose Higher education is uncertain which sustainability-related education targets should be sought and monitored. Accepting that something needs to be measurable to be systematically improved, the authors explored how measures relate to potential targets. This paper aims to focus on dispositions to think critically (active open-minded thinking and fair-minded thinking in appraising reasoning) as measures and explored how they related to sustainability concern as an indicative educational target. Design/methodology/approach This research included the development and testing of research instruments (scales) that explored dispositions to critical thinking and sustainability concern. Authors researched these instruments within their own correspondence groups and tested them with university students and staff in Pakistan, the USA, Austria, India and New Zealand. The authors also asked a range of contextualising questions. Findings Respondents’ disposition to aspects of active, open-minded thinking and fair-minded thinking do predict their concern about facets of sustainability but their strength of religious belief was an important factor in these relationships and in their measurement. Practical implications This research demonstrates the complexity of monitoring dispositions to think critically and sustainability concern in educational systems, particularly in circumstances where the roles of religious beliefs are of interest; and suggests ways to address this complexity. Originality/value This research integrates and expands discourses on ESD and on critical thinking in diverse disciplines and cultures. It investigates measurement approaches and targets that could help higher education institutions to educate for sustainable development and to monitor their progress, in ways that are compatible with their culture and values.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Elíseo Fernandes Sanches ◽  
Matheus Leite Campos ◽  
Luiz Eduardo Gaio ◽  
Marcio Marcelo Belli

Purpose Higher education institutions (HEIs) should assume their role as leaders in the search for a sustainable future. Consequently, such institutions need to incorporate sustainability into their activities. However, this needs to be done holistically and not with isolated and independent actions. Therefore, this study aims to develop a structure of sustainability action archetypes to help HEIs holistically incorporate sustainability in their strategies. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of the literature was conducted focusing on the subject of sustainability in HEIs. Findings A structure of sustainability action archetypes for HEIs was proposed. Further, based on scientific literature, examples of actions were presented within each archetype. Practical implications This study provides HEI administrators and other organizations with a practical structure to enable the systemic incorporation of sustainability objectives and actions into institutional activities. Originality/value This study adapts the tool “sustainable business model archetypes” for a new purpose. This tool was initially developed to classify innovations of sustainable business models.


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