Assessment of the Research Learning Needs of the University of Saskatchewan Librarians : A Case Study

As academic librarians with faculty status increasingly embrace research engagement as a core value and requirement, one of the little studied questions is the extent to which they possess the requisite knowledge and skills to conduct high quality research and scholarship, and what further learning needs they might have within the organizational setting. This paper summarizes an institutional case study of the research knowledge of academic librarians employed at the University of Saskatchewan, encompassing their current research interests, experiences, competencies, environmental context, and learning needs. The goal was to develop a framework for additional educational activities and institutional supports that would enhance their knowledge and skills

Universities, Community Engagement, and Democratic Social Science

The purpose of this dissertation is to identify and compare differences between institutional conceptualizations of community engagement with the understanding and practices of faculty engaged in community-based research (CBR), and analyze the implications of these differences. The study contrasts the model of community engagement that is being promoted by universities and the granting agencies (specifically the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada) with what community-engaged researchers experience it to be, with a view to developing an analysis of the relationship between individuals and the political economy of research in which they work. In Canada, universities are being encouraged by the federal government to assume greater responsibility for economic development and to translate knowledge into products and services for the market—while at the same time being tasked to work with communities in alleviating the social and economic excesses of the market. Drawing upon a qualitative, interview-based research design, my main line of argument is that there is a contradiction regarding the democratization of knowledge production between universities and communities that the institutionalization of community engagement promises—and the aligning of this process of knowledge production with market-driven forces and outcomes. The concern addressed in the dissertation is that the emancipatory intentions of community-based research are being co-opted by the entrepreneurial and managerial ethos influencing and structuring the "doing" of research. Such developments necessitate an interrogation of the institutional contexts in which participatory and community-engaged research are becoming positioned within the market-driven and performance-based governance of university research

Digital Towns

This open access book explores the digital transformation of small and rural towns, in particular, how to measure the evolution and development of digital towns. In addition to access to resources, competition from urban and global markets, and population trends, rural communities present lesser access and use of digital technologies and have lower digital competencies and skills than their urban counterparts. Consequently, they experience less beneficial outcomes from increased digitalisation than urban areas. This book defines what a digital town is and explores digitalisation from the perspective of the four basic economic sectors in towns - individuals and households, businesses, the public sector, and civil society - and three types of enabling infrastructure - digital connectivity, education, and governance. Particular attention is paid to how digitalisation efforts are measured by intergovernmental and international organisations for each sector and enabling infrastructure. The book concludes with a Digital Town Readiness Framework that offers local communities, policymakers, and scholars an initial set of indicators upon which to develop digital town initiatives, and measure progress. For those ready to embrace the opportunity, this book is a pathfinder on the road to a more equitable and impactful digital society and digital economy

The impact of donor and recipient government policies and practices on the effectiveness of foreign aid to a middle income developing country: case studies from Jordan

This research investigates the foreign aid policies and practices of donor countries and of Jordan, a middle-income aid recipient country, through an examination of case studies of recent aid provision to Jordan. It examines the bearing of these policies on the effectiveness and efficiency of aid projects. The research concentrated on four case studies carefully chosen by the criteria of different donor nations and policies; and the different nature of the projects that cover the four main areas of development needs for Jordan. The case studies consisted of analysis of documentation and outcomes, and significant interviews with the selected participants. The case studies were chosen to explore the different mission statements, policies and practices and included the GTZ- funded Petra Stone Preservation Project, the USAIDfunded ICT Initiative, the DFID-funded Capacity Building in the Management of Jordan’s Education Services Project, and the JICA-funded Improvement of Water Supply System to Greater Amman Project. The study examines the effectiveness of aid in poor policy environments. It shows that the role of donors in ensuring the effectiveness of the aid they present goes beyond selecting recipients based on their policies and governance. Indeed, foreign aid is not donor-neutral and its effectiveness is not only dependent on the quality of governance and institutions of the recipients. The research demonstrates that a donor’s national interests and the influence of stakeholders determine the course and benefits of aid, and that judgements of success or failure vary between the standpoints of the donor and the recipient. The study investigates the impact of a number of variables on the effectiveness of foreign aid. Those variables include aid project design and delivery mechanisms, and institutional capacity and cultural constraints of aid recipients. The research focuses on relationships between donors and recipients and the differences in interests and objectives. It also looks at the impact of conditionality and tied aid on the sustainable benefits of the aid intervention. ii Although existing literature does address some of these considerations, there is very little direct evidence which links development theory with detailed practical examples. Where such examples are available, they are invariably weighted heavily by evidence which originates with, and is interpreted through, donor perceptions. This study provides a balanced analysis of four initiatives taking account of both donor and recipient expectations, experiences and assessments

Digital Towns

This open access book explores the digital transformation of small and rural towns, in particular, how to measure the evolution and development of digital towns. In addition to access to resources, competition from urban and global markets, and population trends, rural communities present lesser access and use of digital technologies and have lower digital competencies and skills than their urban counterparts. Consequently, they experience less beneficial outcomes from increased digitalisation than urban areas. This book defines what a digital town is and explores digitalisation from the perspective of the four basic economic sectors in towns - individuals and households, businesses, the public sector, and civil society - and three types of enabling infrastructure - digital connectivity, education, and governance. Particular attention is paid to how digitalisation efforts are measured by intergovernmental and international organisations for each sector and enabling infrastructure. The book concludes with a Digital Town Readiness Framework that offers local communities, policymakers, and scholars an initial set of indicators upon which to develop digital town initiatives, and measure progress. For those ready to embrace the opportunity, this book is a pathfinder on the road to a more equitable and impactful digital society and digital economy

Shifting the digital skills discourse for the 4th industrial revolution

Copyright ©the Authors All rights reserved. Permission to make digital or paper copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies: 1) bear this notice in full; and 2) give the full citation on the first page. It is permissible to abstract these works so long as credit is given. To copy in all other cases or to republish or to post on a server or to redistribute to lists requires specific permission and payment of a fee. Contact [email protected] to request redistribution permission.School of Computin

The impact of donor and recipient government policies and practices on the effectiveness of foreign aid to a middle income developing country : case studies from Jordan

This research investigates the foreign aid policies and practices of donor countries and of Jordan, a middle-income aid recipient country, through an examination of case studies of recent aid provision to Jordan. It examines the bearing of these policies on the effectiveness and efficiency of aid projects. The research concentrated on four case studies carefully chosen by the criteria of different donor nations and policies; and the different nature of the projects that cover the four main areas of development needs for Jordan. The case studies consisted of analysis of documentation and outcomes, and significant interviews with the selected participants. The case studies were chosen to explore the different mission statements, policies and practices and included the GTZ- funded Petra Stone Preservation Project, the USAIDfunded ICT Initiative, the DFID-funded Capacity Building in the Management of Jordan’s Education Services Project, and the JICA-funded Improvement of Water Supply System to Greater Amman Project. The study examines the effectiveness of aid in poor policy environments. It shows that the role of donors in ensuring the effectiveness of the aid they present goes beyond selecting recipients based on their policies and governance. Indeed, foreign aid is not donor-neutral and its effectiveness is not only dependent on the quality of governance and institutions of the recipients. The research demonstrates that a donor’s national interests and the influence of stakeholders determine the course and benefits of aid, and that judgements of success or failure vary between the standpoints of the donor and the recipient. The study investigates the impact of a number of variables on the effectiveness of foreign aid. Those variables include aid project design and delivery mechanisms, and institutional capacity and cultural constraints of aid recipients. The research focuses on relationships between donors and recipients and the differences in interests and objectives. It also looks at the impact of conditionality and tied aid on the sustainable benefits of the aid intervention. ii Although existing literature does address some of these considerations, there is very little direct evidence which links development theory with detailed practical examples. Where such examples are available, they are invariably weighted heavily by evidence which originates with, and is interpreted through, donor perceptions. This study provides a balanced analysis of four initiatives taking account of both donor and recipient expectations, experiences and assessments.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Social dimensions of public large-scale wi-fi networks: the cases of a municipal and a community wireless network

Wireless networks play an increasingly important role in today’s mobile and interconnected society. People use mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets or portable game consoles on a regular basis to interact, retrieve and share information, and to orient and entertain themselves. However, in order to be fully performant these devices need to be connected to the Internet. Thanks to very good broadband penetration in Switzerland, this is not so much an issue in private homes and offices where local Wi-Fi networks allow mobile devices to connect to the Internet. Nonetheless, in public spaces, good working wireless networks, even though increasing, are still not very frequent and generally cover only limited areas. Alternative, provider- centered mobile data (3G/4G/LTE) is still expensive especially for visitors because of high roaming rates but also for Swiss people, whose majority still did not have unlimited data contracts in 2016. Public large-scale wireless networks can thus play an important role in providing Internet connectivity to people on the go. This dissertation studies two different approaches to the provision of Wi-Fi broadband connectivity in public spaces: on the one hand, municipalities providing Wi-Fi access in some areas of the city through so-called Municipal Wireless Networks (MWN), and on the other hand, communities with members sharing part of their home broadband connection with other community members, building so-called Community Wireless Networks (CWN). Wireless communities can either be purely self-organized (pure wireless communities) or have a for-profit company managing the community (hybrid communities). While existing studies have analyzed business and ownership models, technical solutions and policy implications of public wireless networks, this research is interested in their social dimensions, focusing on the role of individuals using and contributing to these networks. To do so, two main research goals are addressed: 1) understanding what motivates people to join and actively participate in a hybrid CWN and what hinders them from doing so, and 2) understanding who the users of a MWN are and how they use the network in order to identify various user types and usage practices, which will in turn help municipalities design networks that address the needs of various users. In order to study users’ motivations and concerns for joining and actively participating in a hybrid wireless community, the Fon community (Fon, 2018b) has been analyzed, which at the time of this study was the largest worldwide hybrid CWN. A mixed research approach has been applied. First, an existing model on motivations in pure communities (Bina & Giaglis, 2006a) has been adapted with the help of semi-structured exploratory interviews of 40 Swiss Fon members and then refined through a quantitative online survey addressed to Swiss and foreign Fon members. The resulting model shows which motivations attract members to the community, and which concerns have a dissuasive function. In a second step, 268 valid survey answers have been used for structural equation modeling (SEM) in order to assess which motivations actually result in a higher level of active participation. In order to analyze usage and users of a MWN, the “WiFi Lugano” MWN of the city of Lugano has been chosen. Lugano is located in the Italian-speaking southern part of Switzerland, is a popular tourist destination and the region’s economic capital. In collaboration with the electricity company in charge of implementing the Wi-Fi network (Aziende Industriali Luganesi – AIL), technical network data (log-data) and user-provided information – users were asked to fill-in a short survey after they logged-in to the network – have been collected and analyzed in combination (the two data sets have been merged). In a first step, usage profiles of leisure tourists, business travelers and residents have been created and described applying descriptive statistics to data of three summer months (June – August 2013). In a second step, cluster analysis has been applied to one-year data (June 2013 – May 2014), in order to identify relevant groups of users. Outcomes suggest that in a hybrid CWN, members are motivated to join the community mainly by a mix of utilitarian (e.g. getting free Internet access) and idealistic motivations (reciprocity and altruism), while intrinsic and social motivations are less important. This confirms that motivations are similar to those in pure CWNs but have different weights. In fact, in pure CWNs, intrinsic and social motivations seem to be stronger while in hybrid CWNs, utilitarian motivations prevail. Two types of active participation have been identified in the Fon community, each one driven by a different mix of motivations: “participation by sharing” – putting effort into actively sharing one’s own Internet connectivity – is mainly driven by idealistic motivations related to community values and reciprocity, while “social participation” – being socially involved in the community by interacting with and helping other community members – is driven by social (communicating, learning from each other) and technical reasons (experimenting with technologies). Surprisingly, utilitarian motivations do not have a significant effect on either of the two participation types, even though they are the most relevant ones in attracting new members. With regard to the MWN “WiFi Lugano”, five different usage practices have been identified: two business-oriented ones (“E-mailer” and “Mobile-worker”), two tourism-oriented ones (“Tourism information seeker” and “Always-on traveler”), and one corresponding to the practices of locals (“Local social networker”), each one having different characteristics. The “WiFi Lugano” network thus acts as a business, tourism, and social inclusion enabler, actively favoring various eGovernment relationships: government to business (G2B), government to visitors (G2V), and government to citizens (G2C). Based on these outcomes it has been possible to define a series of suggestions to help cities take advantage of their MWNs and improving them accordingly. Cities could for example provide different landing pages to different publics in order to promote the city in a targeted way, ensure a high quality service of their MWNs, use the Wi-Fi networks to promote tourist attractions and vice-versa (e.g. mark Wi-Fi areas on city maps, build Wi-Fi areas near to tourist attractions, and provide a description of the attraction on the Wi-Fi network’s landing page), share the network with small businesses in the area and extend the reach of the network to relevant areas

Current Thinking and Liberal Arts Education in China

Thesis advisor: Philip G. AltbachLiberal arts education is an emerging phenomenon in China. However, under the pressure of exam-oriented education, memorization, and lecture pedagogy, faculty, university administrators and policy makers have not embraced it whole-heartedly. Through qualitative methodology, this study explores the current thinking of Chinese policy makers, university administrators, and faculty members on liberal arts education and its challenges. A study of the perceptions of 96 Chinese government and university administrators and faculty members regarding liberal arts education through document analysis and interviews at three universities helps in comprehending the process of an initiative in educational policy in contemporary Chinese universities. This research analyzes Chinese policy making at the institutional and national levels on curriculum reform with particular emphasis on the role of education in shaping well-rounded global citizens, and it examines how the revival of liberal arts education in China would produce college graduates with the creativity, critical thinking, moral reasoning, innovation and cognitive complexity needed for social advancement and personal integration in a global context. This research also found that the revival of interest in liberal arts education in China demonstrated that government and universities have begun to realize that the current curricula, professional training, and narrowly specialized education fail to help students to be competent in a globalized economy, and liberal arts is valued in China, and will be more effective as politics, economy and society more developed.Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education