scholarly journals Measure of the Impact of Transparency Law and Information Access in Paraguay

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-330
Author(s):  
Juan Pablo Achar Rojas ◽  
Sebastián Vargas Ferreira ◽  
Pedro Joaquín Godoy Alvarenga ◽  
Natalia I Céspedes Atlasovich ◽  
Francisco Javier Agüero Duarte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Access ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals What Five Minutes in the Classroom Can Do to Uncover the Basic Information Literacy Skills of Your College Students: A Multiyear Assessment Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma Lei Hsieh ◽  
Patricia H. Dawson ◽  
Michael T. Carlin
Keyword(s):  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Honors Students ◽  
Basic Information ◽  
Research Writing ◽  
Start Time ◽  
Information Literacy Skills ◽  
Improve Instruction ◽  
The Impact

Objective – Librarians at Rider University attempted to discern the basic information literacy (IL) skills of students over a two year period (2009-2011). This study aims to explore the impact of one-session information literacy instruction on student acquisition of the information literacy skills of identifying information and accessing information using a pretest/posttest design at a single institution. The research questions include: Do different student populations (in different class years, Honors students, etc.) possess different levels of IL? Does the frequency of prior IL Instruction (ILI) make a difference? Do students improve their IL skills after the ILI? Methods – The librarians at Rider University developed the test instruments over two years and administered them to students attending the ILI sessions each semester. The test was given to students as they entered the classroom before the official start-time of the class, and the test was stopped five minutes into the class. A pretest with five questions was developed from the 1st ACRL IL Standards. A few demographic questions were added. This pretest was used in fall 2009. In spring 2010, a second pretest was developed with five questions on the 2nd ACRL IL Standards. Students of all class years who attended ILI sessions took the pretests. In 2010-2011, the pretest combining the 10 questions used in the previous year was administered to classes taking the required CMP-125 Research Writing and the BHP-150 Honors Seminar courses. An identical posttest was given to those classes that returned for a follow-up session. Only the scores from students taking both pretests and posttests were used to compare learning outcomes. Results – Participants’ basic levels of IL skills were relatively low. Their skills in identifying needed resources (ACRL IL Standards 1) were higher than those related to information access (ACRL IL Standards 2). Freshmen in the Honors Seminar outperformed all other Rider students. No differences were found in different class years or with varying frequencies of prior IL training. In 2010-2011, students improved significantly in a few IL concepts after the ILI, but overall gains were limited. Limitations – Many limitations are present in this study, including the challenge of developing ideal test questions and that the pretest was administered to a wide variety of classes. Also not all the IL concepts in the test were adequately addressed in these sessions. These factors would have affected the results. Conclusions – The results defy a common assumption that students’ levels of IL proficiency correlate with their class years and the frequency of prior ILI in college. These findings fill a gap in the literature by supporting the anecdote that students do not retain or transfer their IL skills in the long term. The results raise an important question as to what can be done to help students more effectively learn and retain IL in college. The authors offer strategies to improve instruction and assessment, including experimenting with different pedagogies and creating different posttests for spring 2012.

scholarly journals ODL and the impact of digital divide on information access in Botswana

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olugbade Oladokun ◽  
Lenrie Aina
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Distance Learners ◽  
Distance Teaching ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

<p>Open and distance learning (ODL) has created room for the emergence of virtual education. Not only are students found everywhere and anywhere undertaking their studies and earning their degrees, but geographical boundaries between nations no longer appear to have much relevance. As the new education paradigm irretrievably alters the way teaching and learning is conducted, the application of modern educational ICTs has a major role to play.</p><p>With students of transnational or cross-border education dispersed into various nooks and crannies of Botswana, many others enlist for the “home-baked” distance learning programmes from their diverse locations. Like the face-to-face conventional students, distance learners also have information needs which have to be met. But blocking the distance learners’ realization of their information needs is the digital divide, which further marginalizes the underclass of “info-poor.”</p><p>The survey method was used, and a questionnaire administered to 519 students of four tertiary level distance teaching institutions that met the criteria set for the study yielded a 70.1% response rate. The results showed that while the Government of Botswana has made considerable effort to ensure country-wide access to ICT, which now constitutes an effective instrument for meeting information needs, a number of problems still exist. The factors impeding easy access are unearthed. The findings of an empirical study portraying some learners as information-rich and others, information-poor, and the consequence of distance learners studying on both sides of the digital divide, are discussed. Suggestions on bridging the digital divide are offered.</p>

Computer-Based Assessment of Cognitive Abilities: Current Status/Future Directions

1986 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-147
Author(s):  
Ben F. Eller ◽  
Alan S. Kaufman ◽  
James E. McLean
Keyword(s):  
Computer Technology ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
School Environment ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Storage And Retrieval ◽  
Retrieval Systems ◽  
Computer Based ◽  
The Impact

Rapid advances in the computer industry and the concomitant knowledge explosion have created a revolution in the information handling electronics industry. The continued proliferation of computer technology in the educational environment appears inevitable. There seems to be little doubt that recent advances in educational technology will have important consequences for educational institutions at all levels during the coming decades. Students, teachers, and administrators alike have already come to rely on bibliographic and statistical data bases, automated dictionaries, micrographic storage and retrieval systems, and specialized interactive cable and videotext systems for information access. Despite the impact of computer technology in the school environment, guidelines for planning and developing useable software for assessing cognitive abilities has warranted little attention in educational literature. This article suggests that computer-based support systems are now available which could be instrumental in solving the problems associated with cognitive assessment.

scholarly journals Exploring the Relationship Between Internet Use and Mental Health Among Older Adults in England: Longitudinal Observational Study

10.2196/15683 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e15683
Author(s):  
Sabrina Sze Man Lam ◽  
Stephen Jivraj ◽  
Shaun Scholes
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Moderating Effect ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Occupational Class ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Background There is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use. Objective This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use. Methods Longitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms. Results Infrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=−0.512; P=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (P=.09) and life satisfaction (P=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (P=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=−0.24; P=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; P<.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=−0.86; P<.001) compared with those who did not. Conclusions Policies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.

scholarly journals Abortion is an Information Issue

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hope E Reilly
Keyword(s):  
Information Access ◽  
Supreme Court Decision ◽  
Intellectual Freedom ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Planned Parenthood ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Information Studies ◽  
Abortion Provider ◽  
Legal Restrictions ◽  
The Impact

In the years following the 1992 Supreme Court decision, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, abortion has been subjected to a wide range of legal restrictions, and the impact of these restrictions has not been adequately studied. While this process of increasingly restrictive regulation may be considered a public health issue, the natures of these laws also make them relevant to information studies. Biased counseling laws mandate that an abortion provider disseminate information specifically designed to discourage a woman from obtaining an abortion. This paper examines the impact of these laws on both the abortion patient and provider. Biased counseling information has a demonstrable effect on the health information access of abortion patients and on the intellectual freedom of abortion providers. However, there are also chilling effects on the intellectual freedom of the abortion patients themselves. This paper establishes abortion as an information issue and calls for future study into its effects on information access and intellectual freedom.

The doctor in my pocket: examining mobile approaches to personal wellbeing

2019 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
pp. 93-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura H Crosswell
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Health Communication ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Patient Privacy ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Personal Wellbeing ◽  
The Impact

Aims: Today’s democratized media access, online engagement, and digital clout offer global opportunities for individual influence and customized messaging strategies. As such, public health initiatives are dramatically changing as target audiences decide where to place their time and attention regarding health information. This article reports on ways in which health professionals and mobile techies are teaming up to create pocket platforms for personal wellbeing. The following work also considers how healthcare digitization and mobilization operate in relation to public wellbeing. Methods: Using a double round Delphi survey, nine industry experts were asked about the impact of new media tools on health initiatives and subsequent healthcare behaviors. The panel also addressed the impact and efficacy of the mobile health movement. Results: Expert testimony identified ways in which millennial media can encourage (and sometimes prevent) improved patient, community, and population health outcomes. Industry leaders further addressed strategic moves healthcare professionals are making to ensure personal healthcare communication remains relevant, accessible, and attainable for the general public. Clear themes emerged throughout the iterative Delphi process, resulting in the overarching categories of information access, information literacy, patient privacy, patient accountability, physician engagement, and healthcare quality. Conclusions: This work connects theory with practice by examining developing health communication strategies through compliance-gaining choice models and modern marketing research. Findings delineate best practices for health communication and administration in the digital age, providing both a critical account of and practical approach to healthcare messaging within the millennial context. Results call attention to the impact of media platforms on information distribution, adaptive communication strategies, and overall health communication processes. The study invites further discussion regarding digital shifts in healthcare messaging and subsequent influences on patient/consumer compliance.

scholarly journals Impact of “Nepal Tourism Year 2011” on Tourist Arrival in Pokhara

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 22-50
Author(s):  
Biswo Kallyan Parajuli ◽  
Yog Raj Paudel
Keyword(s):  
Information Access ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
International Tourist ◽  
The Impact

Tourism is a growing industry in Nepal. Pokhara is one of the major tourist destinations in Nepal. To foster the tourism industry in Nepal then government of Nepal decided on 2008 to launch a national tourism campaign “Nepal Tourism Year 2011” targeting to bring one million international tourists into Nepal in the year 2011. This paper focuses on analyzing the impact of Nepal Tourism Year 2011’s advertisement campaign on tourist arrival in Pokhara city. Also it attempts to highlight the impact of network and information access on tourism arrival. A sincere attempt has also been made to investigate the impact of NTY in bringing international tourist in Nepal particularly in Pokhara. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hjsa.v6i0.10687   Himalayan Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol.6 2014: 22-50

E-Government and Social Media: The Impact on Accessibility

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-191
Author(s):  
Christian Sonnenberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Access ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Section 508 ◽  
Usable Information ◽  
Current State ◽  
Accessibility Issues ◽  
The Government ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
The Impact

Social media is a valuable tool, providing a means of instruction, communication, and collaboration to many organizations including the government institutions that citizens rely upon. However, while important for distributing information, social media has not historically prioritized accessibility. The federal government has a duty to provide fair and usable information access for those with disabilities, but the delineation between where this responsibility lies becomes blurred when third-party platforms like social media are utilized. The extent to which social media pervades government sites and causes accessibility issues is one that is not well understood. This article presents an overview of the current state of affairs for Section 508, the implications it has for social media, and a study to evaluate the potential impact it has on all users.

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