Expertise and Service: A Call to Action

Although theological librarianship occurs most often at seminaries or graduate level theology programs, there are also librarians working with theology on an undergraduate level. In many cases, these librarians are responsible for additional subject areas and may or may not have any theological expertise or training. While the two groups do the same types of work, they are doing so in different ways. To explore these commonalities and differences, a study was conducted among undergraduate theology liaisons and those results were compared with the literature and data regarding graduate level theological librarianship. One hundred ten undergraduate librarians responded to a survey regarding theological liaison activities, and the results indicate both the need for more research and the need for further emphasis on undergraduate subject-area liaison duties in theology and adjacent areas

Using Teacher Induction and 360-Reviews to Build Confidence and Evaluate Teaching Performance

Teaching is an increasingly important aspect of librarianship, both in terms of job requirements and as an integral part of our professional values. But many librarians do not feel prepared by their master’s programs for the level of teaching required in academic libraries (Julien & Genuis, 2011). While many of us turn to professional development and informal learning opportunities to help us develop our craft, on-the-job training must also play a role in filling this perceived gap. Just as we hope to train our students to be information literate – and understand that, without guidance, many of them will find it challenging to learn these skills on their own – many library administrators and information literacy coordinators hope to provide support and training for staff. This paper outlines our library’s approach to helping instruction librarians develop their teaching craft while simultaneously serving broader program needs. The goal of this project was to create a peer-mentorship training tool rooted in evidence-based practice that is able to measure our departmental goal of having trained, skilled instructors. It was important that this tool be flexible to suit the needs of individual librarians and the dynamic nature of university libraries but, most importantly, its development and implementation could not be too time-intensive. While we wanted to help our instruction librarians develop their teaching confidence we also wanted a tool that could be used in conjunction with our existing assessment projects

Keeping Up To Date with IP News Services and Blogs: Drowning in a Sea Of Sameness?

It seems like so many IP related Websites you visit invite you to join their free email list to keep you up to date. Sources span a wide spectrum including governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, consulting services, law firms, commercial publishers and more. These sources span the spectrum from free, to low fee to premium pricing. With all of this information overload and choices, how do you differentiate and choose news sources? The goals of this article are twofold. Goal one is to present a survey of types and categories of IP news tools available to IP researchers. Since these tools change with time, goal two is to present strategies and approaches to consider when assembling your portfolio of news sources. I use the term researcher to include anyone looking for news, including lawyers, paraprofessionals, academics, students, corporate searchers and more. Some of this material may be yesterday\u27s news for some and breaking news for others. My hope is that you will find value added in some tools and strategies. Before I present the survey of tools, I want to propose some initial general strategies that might be helpful to apply as the detail of the tools unfold

Educational Perspectives and Teaching Styles of Faculty Who Lead International Service-Learning Experiences

Background and Purpose: Many physical therapy educational programs are adding international service-learning (ISL) opportunities to their curricula as a way to address the increasingly global nature of the profession. There is a paucity of physical therapy literature addressing ISL, with a particular deficiency related to ISL faculty. The purpose of this study was to describe faculty demographics, teaching styles, and educational perspectives, and to compare faculty who did and did not lead ISL experiences with physical therapy students. Subjects: Two hundred five physical therapy faculty; 23% of whom led ISL. Methods: Subjects were recruited through two professional listservs and data were gathered via a commercial web-based service. Faculty with and without ISL experience were compared on demographic variables, Teaching Style, and Educational Perspective. Measurement tools included standard demographic inquires, the Grasha and Riechmann-Hruska Teaching Style Survey, and a researcher-developed Educational Perspective questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to explore characteristics predictive of participation in ISL. Results: Subjects’ most common teaching style was Personal Model / Formal Authority / Delegator and a Professional focus was the most commonly identified educational perspective. Familiarity with key educational authors was limited. There was no relationship between ISL involvement and teaching style, but a relationship was identified between ISL involvement and the Critical perspective. The factors in this study were not predictive of ISL participation. Discussion and Conclusion: In general, ISL faculty did not differ from their colleagues who did not have ISL experience. Study findings, however, can inform, and provide rationale and support for existing and future ISL programs. This study also provides a context for encouraging the discussion and exploration of faculty teaching styles and educational perspectives

Developing an Online Learning Pedagogy for Conflict Resolution Training

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Effective use of the internet: Keeping professionals working in rural Australia

Disparities between rural and metropolitan areas in the provision of essential services to Australian citizens, in health, education, employment and technology, have the potential to undermine national cohesion. Professionals working in rural and remote areas of Australia often feel isolated and unsupported, and little research attention has been given to determining effective ways to retain their professional services in rural Australia. The innovative use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to deliver online support, professional development and resources could help to remove a sense of professional isolation, and have a positive effect on professionals’ morale, reduce attrition, and decrease government costs in the provision of services. Retaining able and experienced professionals in rural areas should help provide long term benefits to the rural economy. This study considers the extent and nature of professional isolation in rural and remote regions of Australia (specifically Queensland and Western Australia) and examines professionals’ use of the internet to support their professional development needs. It draws upon survey and interview data from 10 professions, and makes conclusions and recommendations based on the views and experiences of over 1200 respondents. This project was funded from RIRDC Core Funds which are provided by the Australian Government

Teaching Hispanic restaurant workers: Translanguaging as culturally sustaining pedagogy

In this article, we make a case for incorporating translanguaging pedagogy into the framework of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP). Drawing on data from a one-year ethnographic study of an adult ESL program, we show how teachers believed in and attempted to create spaces for translanguaging and CSP, but in practice fell short. We conclude that translanguaging is most powerful when understood as a component of CSP but call for more research in this area.Accepted manuscrip

LRW Program Design: A Manifesto for the Future

All of us have, at one time or another, had occasion to consider, or reconsider, our program model. The trigger may have been a new dean; the prospect of a sabbatical inspection; a budget crisis or financial windfall; a faculty champion or saboteur; some-thing we learned at a Legal Writing Institute (LWI) or Association of Legal Writing Directors conference; or merely the cycle of bureaucratic reorganization. Those reconsiderations have led to a great diversity of Legal Research and Writing (LRW) program models: two-, three-, four-, and all-semester programs; adjunct-, contract-, and tenure-track staffing; and directors, co-directors, and no directors. Reconsiderations have also lead to discussions about how to use writing specialists, teaching assistants, teaching librarians, and post-graduate fellows in LRW programs. My purpose today is to step back from the detail and take a long look at where we are headed. My central thesis is simply this — the time for reconceptualizing and reinventing LRW pro-grams is ending; the time to destroy them is coming. And we must take the lead in that enterprise. I know that sounds subversive. I hope, when I have finished, you find it realistic enough to be merely provocative