Introducing Electronic Information Services to First-Year Composition Students: Pedagogical and Practical Concerns

More and more of the college and university library\u27s resources are becoming computerized. As first year students enter the library, they are often confronted with an overwhelming array of computer terminals and workstations. While some students are avid computer users, others are fearful or intimidated. Regardless of one\u27s proclivity towards electronic resources and services, the first year student must learn how to evaluate the relevancy of each of the various systems to their own research needs and make a selection that is best suited to their particular tasks. This presentation will review general considerations and guidelines for including electronic library resources into the research component of first year composition classes. Introducing computerized databases into the research process presents numerous challenges to the composition instructor. Parting from the traditional research strategies often presented in the published research guides may lead the instructor into uncharted territories. Yet, the availability of electronic sources has become so prolific that ignoring them or minimizing their use would be an extreme disservice to the students. CD-ROM technology and locally mounted databases have brought sophisticated searching capabilities into the hands of the entire university community, including first year undergraduates. A strong research component in the first year writing course can provide a firm foundation on which advanced thinking and writing skills can develop. While the vast array of electronic resources may present exciting or intriguing possibilities, instructors must be careful not to overwhelm the students with too much or to present online systems as the best answer for every research need. Putting these electronic resources into an appropriate context for the beginning researcher is paramount to teaching their effective utilization. A thorough presentation of the research process, with its conceptual underpinnings and strategies, provides the broad framework within which these resources may be most effectively utilized. In this presentation I will discuss selecting databases and using electronic resources in the introductory level composition course. A close working relationship with the instruction librarian will help to ensure adequate coverage of electronic services for the novice researcher and maintain an appropriate balance with print sources as well. While taking advantage of the improved access to information through electronic means, educators must integrate critical thinking and evaluative skills throughout the students\u27 research and writing processes. The many options available in our information-rich society force us to make choices, and we must help the first year students realize that computer, though it may provide opportunity, does not always mean best

Design approaches in technology enhanced learning

Design is a critical to the successful development of any interactive learning environment (ILE). Moreover, in technology enhanced learning (TEL), the design process requires input from many diverse areas of expertise. As such, anyone undertaking tool development is required to directly address the design challenge from multiple perspectives. We provide a motivation and rationale for design approaches for learning technologies that draws upon Simon's seminal proposition of Design Science (Simon, 1969). We then review the application of Design Experiments (Brown, 1992) and Design Patterns (Alexander et al., 1977) and argue that a patterns approach has the potential to address many of the critical challenges faced by learning technologists

The Mathematics of Information Science

This paper describes a course, The Mathematics of Information Science, which was taught at Towson University in Spring 1998, 1999, and 2000. This course is the junior level interdisciplinary course of the Maryland Collaborative for Teacher Preparation program. The effectiveness of the course in teaching problem solving techniques and abstract mathematical ideas is documented. The students constructed their own knowledge from laboratory experiences involving digital logic circuits. They were subsequently challenged to abstract this knowledge and to find ways to solve progressively more difficult problems using these digital logic circuits. The mathematics of encoding and decoding information constituted the major mathematical content of the course. This course is shown to be effective in introducing prospective elementary and middle school teachers to abstract mathematical ideas and problem solving techniques

How do particle physicists learn the programming concepts they need?

The ability to read, use and develop code efficiently and successfully is a key ingredient in modern particle physics. We report the experience of a training program, identified as "Advanced Programming Concepts", that introduces software concepts, methods and techniques to work effectively on a daily basis in a HEP experiment or other programming intensive fields. This paper illustrates the principles, motivations and methods that shape the "Advanced Computing Concepts" training program, the knowledge base that it conveys, an analysis of the feedback received so far, and the integration of these concepts in the software development process of the experiments as well as its applicability to a wider audience.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, CHEP2015 proceeding

The Faculty Notebook, December 2006

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost

Exploring Current Practice of Using Technology to Support Collaborative Argumentation in Science Classrooms

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how middle school science teachers enact the practice of using technology to support collaborative argumentation in their science classroom. This study employed qualitative case study and drew on data sources of interviews and observations. This study identified two themes. Six teachers regarded scientific argumentation as an important science practice, but five of them integrated this practice into their science class without formally introducing it. All teachers integrated different forms of technology to engage students in scientific argumentation. In this study, the findings suggested there is a need to provide professional development for teachers to learn about scientific argumentation. The findings can be used as a basis for the design and development of professional development training experiences for in-servic

Creating Reusable Educational Components: Lessons from DLESE

Reuse of educational materials is integral to many educator tasks, from designing a course to preparing for a lab or class. This article describes a study on the reuse of educational materials in the context of the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE), a community-owned and governed facility offering high-quality teaching and learning resources for Earth system education. The study noted that educational resource designers often do not develop components with reuse in mind, making it more difficult or impossible for other educators to find and use their material, and that the 'findability' and reusability of community-created digital educational resources is highly dependent on the presentational and structural design of the resources themselves. The authors recommend that all resources clearly state the creator's name and contact information, relevant copyright restrictions, the most significant date for the resource (specifying creation or revision), and the intended grade level. Educational levels: Graduate or professional, Graduate or professional, Graduate or professional