Measuring the impact of higher education libraries: the LIRG/SCONUL Impact Implementation Initiative

The Library and Information Research Group (LIRG) and the Society of College, National, and University Libraries (SCONUL) are working together on a joint initiative looking at the impact of higher education libraries on learning, teaching, and research. Twenty-two libraries have been involved in assessing the impact of particular services or new innovations in their institutions. This article considers why measuring impact is important, describes the background to the Impact Initiative and what led to it being set up, identifies the institutions that are involved and their chosen topics, outlines what is involved for the participating institutions, and reviews progress to date

Library performance measurement in the digital age

Book synopsis: University libraries around the world have embraced the possibilities of the digital learning environment, facilitating its use and proactively seeking to develop the provision of electronic resources and services. The digital environment offers opportunities and challenges for librarians in all aspects of their work - in information literacy, virtual reference, institutional repositories, e-learning, managing digital resources and social media. The authors in this timely book are leading experts in the field of library and information management, and are at the forefront of change in their respective institutions. University Libraries and Digital Learning Environments will be invaluable for all those involved in managing libraries or learning services, whether acquiring electronic resources or developing and delivering services in digital environments

Improving teaching practice through education, mind, and selected brain research

Around the world, there is an unprecedented opportunity for improving educational outcomes by aligning the practice of teaching with the emerging science of learning. However, a research-to-practice gap persists, and many students, particularly low-income and minority children and youth, are failing to reach their academic potential. The texts submitted with this document (Conyers & Wilson, 2015a, 2016; Wilson & Conyers, 2013b, 2013c) were written as a means of bridging this gap by applying two original frameworks developed through transdisciplinary, practice-based research over 15 years. The first translates implications of education, mind, and selected brain research on how people learn into a conceptual framework and strategies for enhancing teaching and learning. The second focuses on a process for supporting changes in teaching practice and aligns with research and theory from implementation science. These frameworks have been incorporated into professional development programmes for some 100,000 educators and 2,500 teachers from 47 U.S. states, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia through one of the first two graduate degrees in this field. Studies suggest a positive impact on teaching practice and student learning. The four texts extend the impact of this body of work to a broader audience of teachers, researchers, faculty, and other educational stakeholders and uniquely incorporate research, theory, and examples of practical strategies being applied in real-world settings

[Review of] Harold A. McDougall, Black Baltimore: A New Theory of Community, and W. Edward Orser, Blockbusting in Baltimore: The Edmondson Village Story

This essay seeks to make a comparative review of two books: 1) Harold A. McDougall\u27s, Black Baltimore: A New Theory of Community; and 2) W. Edward Orser\u27s, Blockbusting in Baltimore: The Edmondson Village Story. The method of procedure used in this review essay will describe and evaluate the organizational structure of the books in a three-fold manner: 1) summary of the texts; 2) use of oral history in the texts; and 3) contribution of books to oral history= literature and conclusion, drawing upon common themes between the two books

ExpressionBot: An Emotive Lifelike Robotic Face for Face-to-Face Communication

This article proposes an emotive lifelike robotic face, called ExpressionBot, that is designed to support verbal and non-verbal communication between the robot and humans, with the goal of closely modeling the dynamics of natural face-to-face communication. The proposed robotic head consists of two major components: 1) a hardware component that contains a small projector, a fish-eye lens, a custom-designed mask and a neck system with 3 degrees of freedom; 2) a facial animation system, projected onto the robotic mask, that is capable of presenting facial expressions, realistic eye movement, and accurate visual speech. We present three studies that compare Human-Robot Interaction with Human-Computer Interaction with a screen-based model of the avatar. The studies indicate that the robotic face is well accepted by users, with some advantages in recognition of facial expression and mutual eye gaze contact

Economics of managing acid soils in dryland mixed cropping systems: comparing gross margins with whole-farm analysis derived using a business process model

A 12-year experiment designed to show the benefits of applying lime to acid soils when growing annual pasture, perennial pasture, and annual crops in rotations with annual or perennial pastures, provides the context for comparing methods of economic analysis. In this study enterprise gross margins are compared with whole-farm cumulative monthly cash flows derived using a business process model. The current study gave gross margins comparable with those of a recently published study based on the first 12 years of the same field experiment at Book Book near Wagga Wagga in southern NSW (Li et al., 2010). Both gross margin analyses indicated positive results for all treatments. However, because key fixed and capital cost items were not taken into account in the gross margin analysis the financial benefits of the treatments were overstated. In the whole-farm analysis, a full set of accounts (including fixed and capital costs) was developed for the experimental combinations of prime lamb and dryland cropping enterprises and used to generate a monthly cash flow sequence for each treatment over the 12-year term of the experiment. This full financial analysis, where all costs are included, showed all mixed treatments (cropping and grazing) accumulated unsustainable losses over the period of the trial. The grazing-only treatments generated positive cash lows over the 12 year period, but 2 accumulated high levels of debt in the initial years. None of these outcomes were predicted by gross margins, which were consistently positive for all treatments. This paper concludes that the analysis of trial results benefits from interpretation in the context of whole-farm analysis, verified by district experience. Relying on gross margin analysis alone would have supported loss-making outcomes in this trial. This conclusion has important ramifications for analysis of all systems trials.Agribusiness,

Aeroelastic Studies of a Rectangular Wing with a Hole: Correlation of Theory and Experiment

Two rectangular wing models with a hole have been designed and tested in the Duke University wind tunnel to better understand the effects of damage. A rectangular hole is used to simulate damage. The wing with a hole is modeled structurally as a thin elastic plate using the finite element method. The unsteady aerodynamics of the plate-like wing with a hole is modeled using the doublet lattice method. The aeroelastic equations of motion are derived using Lagrange's equation. The flutter boundary is found using the V-g method. The hole's location effects the wing's mass, stiffness, aerodynamics and therefore the aeroelastic behavior. Linear theoretical models were shown to be capable of predicting the critical flutter velocity and frequency as verified by wind tunnel tests

Rapid State Space Modeling Tool for Rectangular Wing Aeroservoelastic Studies

This paper introduces a modeling and simulation tool for aeroservoelastic analysis of rectangular wings with trailing-edge control surfaces. The inputs to the code are planform design parameters such as wing span, aspect ratio, and number of control surfaces. Using this information, the generalized forces are computed using the doublet-lattice method. Using Roger's approximation, a rational function approximation is computed. The output, computed in a few seconds, is a state space aeroservoelastic model which can be used for analysis and control design. The tool is fully parameterized with default information so there is little required interaction with the model developer. All parameters can be easily modified if desired. The focus of this paper is on tool presentation, verification, and validation. These processes are carried out in stages throughout the paper. The rational function approximation is verified against computed generalized forces for a plate model. A model composed of finite element plates is compared to a modal analysis from commercial software and an independently conducted experimental ground vibration test analysis. Aeroservoelastic analysis is the ultimate goal of this tool, therefore, the flutter speed and frequency for a clamped plate are computed using damping-versus-velocity and frequency-versus-velocity analysis. The computational results are compared to a previously published computational analysis and wind-tunnel results for the same structure. A case study of a generic wing model with a single control surface is presented. Verification of the state space model is presented in comparison to damping-versus-velocity and frequency-versus-velocity analysis, including the analysis of the model in response to a 1-cos gust