Through three lenses: transfer students and the library

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 400-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sandelli
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Transfer Student ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Science And Education

Purpose The aim of this paper is to examine literature related to transfer students and students in transition through three interrelated lenses: student demographics and experiences, considerations encountered by institutions of higher education working to support these students and academic libraries’ interactions with this growing population. Design/methodology/approach Library and information science and education databases were searched for articles related to transfer student experiences and initiatives. Educational research and policy centers were also investigated for supplemental data and definitions. Findings Several key considerations for academic libraries interested in supporting transfer students emerged, including the growth and diversity of this population; academic, social and procedural experiences encountered during and after students’ transition; commonalities and differences with native first-year students; and the value of partnerships in fostering student success. Practical implications This review contextualizes conversations regarding transfer student experiences, providing a resource for librarians to understand this population from multiple perspectives and to use these perspectives to develop and enhance initiatives, resources and services. Originality/value Despite an increased emphasis on transfer students across higher education, there is little literature regarding libraries’ involvement with this population. This literature review also seeks to expand upon existing conversations by examining transfer student experiences beyond the library that could inform both their interactions with the library and the ways in which libraries connect and communicate with these students.

scholarly journals Transforming for our transfers: the creation of a transfer student services librarian

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa R. Coats ◽  
Anne E. Pemberton
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Student Services ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Transfer Student ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Creation ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to describe the unique library, research and information literacy skills that transfer students need, specifically at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, which led to the creation, recruitment and appointment of a Transfer Student Services Librarian at William Madison Randall Library (Randall Library). Design/methodology/approach Along with a brief review of the relevant literature, this paper describes the specific needs that were identified that led to the creation of the position; the unique gaps in information skills that transfer students have; how the university was addressing the needs of transfer students; how the library became focused on the needs of this population of students; how the library began collaborating with campus partners to address these needs; and, to date, how the position has impacted transfer students. Findings An increase in the number of transfer students from community colleges, four year institutions and military service combined with the institution’s information literacy curriculum requirements, led to the creation of a new position called “Transfer Student Services Librarian”. Practical implications Academic libraries wishing to explore the creation of such a position, or wanting to assess their own institution’s needs for their transfer student population, will benefit from this paper. Originality/value Few, if any, libraries have adopted a position specifically for transfer student services and this paper addresses how to assess the need and decide on practical applications for other academic libraries.

Changing behavior of academic libraries and role of library professionals

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Aslam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Ways Of Working ◽  
Library Professionals

Purpose This paper aims to discover the key challenges and identifies reasons for the changing behavior of academic libraries and the role of library professionals, and how can they manage those challenges in a time of change. The paper reveals the most important competencies in a reshaping environment of libraries and the best ways of dealing with change. Library professionals are struggling to reform their traditional ways of working and trying to boost their knowledge and skills as current demand for higher education. Organizations can play an important role to develop willingness for accepting change and reduce stress among employees and prepare them to accept new systems and reality by creating collaborative and supporting environments that provide opportunities for growth and improvement. All library professionals must have the eagerness to keep up with the emerging trends and prepare themselves to accept changes that would have a direct impact on the libraries and the role of library professionals. Academic libraries have similar issues and challenges around the world, those are outcomes of technological advancement, digital resources, innovative services and diversity in higher education; therefore, the role of library professionals is changing. Design/methodology/approach The research method is built on literature reviews from offline and online. The systematic literature review method is used to review full-text databases such as EBSCO, ProQuest, Library Literature and Information Science databases. Basic search options for keyword searching and advanced searching options have been used to retrieve the relevant papers on the right topic. A total of 113 papers were collected at the initial stage, but after their analysis in detail, they were reduced to 52 scholarly and peer-reviewed papers because the rest of the papers did not exactly express relevant content on the topic. Findings Library professionals are struggling to keep up with the new competencies and adopt the innovative system and reality because diversity is rapidly changing. The best ways of dealing with change include reform the traditional ways to new ways of working and create collaboration at all levels. Librarians are under pressure to develop new skills to deal with the current scenarios that are affecting the role of library professionals. Academic libraries have similar challenges in a rapidly reshaping environment that are needed to address by researchers and library professionals for the present and future of academic libraries. Research limitations/implications This paper is a piece of opinion, 52 appropriate papers on the topic have been reviewed from the peer-reviewed journals, not all publications were included. The existing literature described that there is a need for growth and improvement of academic libraries and workforce in financial crises because they play fundamental roles in society by offering services and information resources, so library professionals need to be very aware of these implications. Originality/value The literature on this particular topic is relatively limited. Therefore, this paper is the first to offer a systematic literature review on the changing behavior of academic libraries and the role of library professionals. This paper provides insights into the concept of adopting change and dealing with challenges in a time of change. It adds value to the library and information sciences literature and delivers outlines for the library professionals.

The wheel of fortune as a novel support for constructive alignment and transformative sustainability learning in higher education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Noy ◽  
Teresa Capetola ◽  
Rebecca Patrick
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Education For Sustainability ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Constructive Alignment ◽  
Common Framework ◽  
Changing Times

Purpose Education for Sustainability in Higher Education (ESHE) sits within and across disciplinary settings that share the need for a framework that provides a basis for pedagogy, assessment and learning outcomes (Kalsoom, 2019). ESHE strives to create transformative learning spaces that help students gain the knowledge and skills they need to understand and contribute to shaping a world based on communities living within the limits of earth’s resources. This paper aims to offer a novel solution to the challenge of teaching students from different disciplines struggling with the complexity of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores the development of an interdisciplinary subject designed for undergraduate students from four faculties. It presents a case study of pedagogy that moves away from three pillars/concentric circles approaches towards practices based in systems thinking and interactive transformative learning. It describes the iterative process of developing and implementing an infographic: the “Sustainability Wheel of Fortune” (Wheel), to support constructive alignment of content, assessment tasks and learning outcomes. Findings The Wheel provides a holistic, interconnected and dynamic focus for framing content and teaching. The pedagogy aligns with sustainability competencies, builds in flexibility in response to changing times and student experiences and provides teachers and students with a common framework for interrogating the possibilities for sustainable futures. Originality/value The Wheel is a novel learning tool for contemporary sustainability education. It captures key elements of approaches to and concepts about sustainability, visually reinforces the idea of a holistic interconnected approach and provides a framework that supports the constructive pedagogy of an interdisciplinary sustainability subject.

scholarly journals RANCANGAN SISTEM INFORMASI KONVERSI MATA KULIAH MAHASISWA PINDAHAN DAN LANJUTAN (STUDI KASUS DI STMIK LOMBOK)

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Musyarrofah ◽  
Maulana Ashari ◽  
sofiansyah fadli
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Transfer Student ◽  
Tertiary Institution ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Advanced Students ◽  
Conversion System

Lombok Institute of Information and Computer Management (STMIK) is one of the colleges in Central Lombok. In Higher Education there is a set of subjects given to participants in a period of education called the curriculum. Because the curriculum in each tertiary institution is different, a system that can equalize or convert courses is needed. Especially in supporting all lecture activities which in Higher Education must have a conversion system for equalizing subjects along with the number of effective semester credits takes up to two days, the head of study program is required to be able to produce or which is often referred to as a conversion term, both for advanced students and transfer students. The process of converting courses has not resulted in a decision that is a fast and appropriate decision for transfer student lectures. Based on the description above, the author intends to make a design entitled "The Design of Information Systems Conversion for Transfer and Advanced Students (Case Study of STMIK Lombok)".

Cross-institutional collaboration for transfer student success

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-268
Author(s):  
Kaela Casey ◽  
Linda Kennedy ◽  
Janet Pinkley ◽  
Laura Worden
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transfer Success ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Teaching Faculty

Purpose Each of Ventura County’s four public institutions of higher education list information literacy (IL) as either an institutional outcome or general education outcome for their students. Despite this, communication between the four campuses on this topic was limited. Librarians from these institutions applied to be part of the grant-funded Project ALAS Faculty Fellows Program to find ways to collaborate with each other and with teaching faculty to support the development of IL skills in transfer students. Design/methodology/approach Librarians from Ventura County’s four public institutions of higher education, with funding from the Project ALAS Faculty Fellows Program, held a one-day IL summit to bring librarians and teaching faculty together to unify objectives and create a seamless IL transition for transfer students. Findings Creating an opportunity for librarians and teaching faculty to discuss the definition and potential applications of IL in courses and assignments led to positive outcomes. Teaching faculty learned about library resources and took steps to begin collaborating with their campus librarian(s). Librarians also learned about different academic expectations in various disciplines, made new connections and made plans for future IL-focused collaborations. Originality/value Studies have demonstrated that IL is a key component to student transfer success. However, this is not an element in education that can be achieved by one department alone. The collaborative effort described in this paper can serve as a model for other librarians hoping to foster dialogue and cooperation amongst their regional institutions.

Exploring academic libraries’ use of Twitter: a content analysis

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1002-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sultan M. Al-Daihani ◽  
Suha A. AlAwadhi
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Library And Information Science ◽  
Science Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Patterns Of Communication ◽  
Library Marketing

Purpose – This research aims to analyze academic libraries’ Twitter content and present a categorization framework for the study of their tweets. Design/methodology/approach – The research adopted a statistical descriptive analysis in addition to a content analysis of the tweets. Consequently, many categories and subcategories were created to classify the tweets according to different aspects. A total of 17 academic library accounts were examined. Findings – The findings show that academic libraries used Twitter as a multifaceted tool. “News and announcements” received the highest score as the type of information most often posted on Twitter by libraries, followed by “library collections” and “library services”. The subcategories that received the highest scores were “library marketing and news”, “answers and referrals” and “books”. Academic libraries showed a penchant for posting links more often than other content. Other results show different patterns of communication and interaction between libraries and their Twitter followers. Practical implications – The categorization of tweets provides a framework for understanding how academic libraries use Twitter. Originality/value – As little research can be found in the library and information science literature on Twitter content analysis, this research is expected to contribute significantly. It will also support academic libraries and librarians in using Twitter more efficiently and effectively.

scholarly journals Understanding the transfer student experience using design thinking

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Whang ◽  
Christine Tawatao ◽  
John Danneker ◽  
Jackie Belanger ◽  
Stephen Edward Weber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Students ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Transfer Student ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Time To Learn ◽  
The University

Purpose This paper aims to discuss a 2015-2016 University of Washington Libraries project focused on understanding the needs and challenges of transfer students on the Seattle campus and developing innovative ways to support transfer student success. Design/methodology/approach The study uses design thinking methods, including interviews and rapid iterative prototyping and feedback, to understand and emphasize the user experience. Findings Transfer students at the Seattle campus identify themselves as a unique group separate from other undergraduates because of their prior experience, shortened timeline at the university and their need to balance academic, work and family commitments. Because transfer students often have little time to learn about and effectively use campus resources, the authors found that working with campus partners to enrich transfer-specific student orientations and events with educational and practical content was the most effective means of supporting new students. Research limitations/implications This pilot study was conducted over an 11-month period with a small number of participants, but the iterative nature of design thinking allowed the authors to gather new feedback from a variety of students and staff at each phase. Originality/value This study showcases how design thinking methods can increase understanding of transfer student and other user needs. The design thinking approach can also enable the rapid development of library and campus services, as well as outreach efforts, to meet user needs.

scholarly journals Transfer Student Experiences and Identity Navigation in STEM: Overlapping Figured Worlds of Success

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. ar48
Author(s):  
Austin L. Zuckerman ◽  
Stanley M. Lo
Keyword(s):  
Community Colleges ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Figured Worlds ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Transfer Student ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The University ◽  
University Setting

Successful transitions from community colleges to the university setting are essential for increasing the number of transfer students who complete science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degree programs. In this study, Holland’s framework of figured worlds was used to examine how transfer students pursuing STEM negotiated their identities in their transition to the university.

Perceived advantages and disadvantages of taking a psychology professional placement year

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 456-467
Author(s):  
Helen St Clair-Thompson ◽  
Carla Chivers
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
First Year ◽  
Main Theme ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transferable Skills ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Voluntary Basis ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose It is well established that there are several benefits of taking a placement year, for example, higher academic attainment, the acquisition of transferable skills and enhanced employability. It is therefore important to understand why students choose to take or not to take a placement. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach In the current study, 159 first year students studying psychology were asked about their perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of taking a psychology professional placement year. Their responses were analysed using thematic analysis, and the number of participants who provided information relating to each main theme was also tabulated. Findings Students perceived the main benefits of placements as relating to career certainty, future prospects, experience, knowledge and skills. In contrast, they perceived the main disadvantages as practical disadvantages, social/emotional disadvantages, difficulty, and there being no guaranteed benefit of a placement. Practical implications The results are discussed in terms of their potential to inform practices for developing and enhancing psychology placements within higher education. For example, providing further empirical evidence of the benefits of placements may help staff in higher education to further promote placement years. Originality/value The study contributes to the knowledge of perceived advantages and disadvantages of taking a placement in psychology. Placements in psychology are likely to be very beneficial for employability, but are often only available on a voluntary basis.

Virtual learning: a disruptive service in academic libraries

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Ajibade ◽  
Stephen M. Mutula
Keyword(s):  
Academic Libraries ◽  
Information Science ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Virtual Learning ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Disruptive Technology ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
Virtual Library ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Disruptive Technologies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the alignment of disruptive technologies into library and information science (LIS) and libraries as virtual learning spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown as alternative trajectories to end the disruption caused by the COVID-19; however, the educational systems are still facing challenges in achieving these lofty objectives. Design/methodology/approach A living-lab methodology was adopted for this paper as an innovative approach, in which technologies that are in the development stages or full deployments are integrated with social research design to test the viability of such technologies for the intended purposes. Findings The LIS alignment of virtual learning technologies showed that disruptive technology could benefit academic libraries, with minimum training of staff. However, internet bandwidth, digital divide and lack of built-in functionality on the Zoom, compared with Moodle, for assessment and grading are huge setbacks. Nevertheless, library platforms must be mobile-response and agile software algorithm to include voice-over and voice recognition search functionality to access all the databases. Research limitations/implications For this paper, use of disruptive technology was limited to virtual online learning, Zoom and Moodle; however, the alignment of blockchain and big data and the libraries services was not covered. Practical implications This paper showed that the LIS could mitigate the COVID-19 global pandemic with disruptive IT alignment with learning management systems (LMS) and for the libraries to remain open during the coronavirus lockdown. Social implications Academic libraries can deploy disruptive technologies as virtual library spaces. Originality/value Disruptive technology alignment with LMS as virtual library space was posited for the academic librarians to mitigate the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

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