National library websites: how do they market the library?

National library websites: how do they market the library

Information Science student IT experience and attitude toward computers: results of a five-year longitudinal study

Information Science student IT experience and attitude toward computers: results of a five-year longitudinal stud

Constructing a Test Bank for Information Science based upon Bloom's principles

This paper outlines an approach to creating questions for a subject-based question bank for use in UK library schools. The authors outline a concept map for information science and describe how Bloom’s taxonomy can be adapted to the creation of higher level questions than the commonly used and simple recall type. Sample questions were created using the International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science (IEILS) and subjects defined by staff at the Department of Information Science at Loughborough University. A role is suggested for the Learning and Teaching Support Network for Information and Computer Science (LTSN-ICS)

Origins of competitive intelligence : a fundamental extension of CI education

Origins of competitive intelligence : a fundamental extension of CI educatio

Complexity in decision making: Determining university library opening hours.

Making decisions on academic library opening hours is complex with many pressures on managers. This research surveys senior academic library managers from the UK, using a questionnaire to reveal views on library opening hours, the decision making process, and the pressures which influenced their decisions. A variety of factors were found, in particular satisfying undergraduate demands. The research also revealed the sources of information important in making decisions on opening hours and the influence of ‘political’ issues in the decision making process. Some institutions remove complexity by utilising 24/7 opening, though this is not an option for many

Computer‐assisted assessment: suggested guidelines for an institutional strategy

Online Learning examines the influence of new technologies on online pedagogy and provides an authoritative synthesis of existing research in the field. It also investigates the direction of e-Learning in the digital age

A survey of information technology in departments of library and information studies/sciences in the UK and Eire

A survey of information technology in departments of library and information studies/sciences in the UK and Eir

Comparison of assessed work marking software: implications for the ideal Integrated Marking Tool (IMT)

The authors devised an experimental marking tool using Microsoft Access. Its features were assessed together with those of commonly available marking software and systems that had been identified by a survey of web and other sources. The marking tools identified, consisting mostly of software designed for the needs of US High Schools, could be categorised by their features. The categories included the ability to calculate and record marks; provide statistical feedback to staff; provide standard written comments to students; and receive work and/or transmit feedback over a computer network. None of these products had the intuitive feel the authors were seeking, and so we propose a model of an ideal Integrated Marking Tool (IMT). The IMT would allow lecturers to mark work using an electronic pen, replicating their current paper-based approach. It would also provide scores for named assessment categories; calculate marks; provide statistical analysis and provide written feedback to students (collated from an editable bank of comments that would build as the number of similar pieces of work passed through assessment). A full report of the above would be printed or transmitted over a computer network for the student and for the central university system. Issues of plagiarism in written work would also be addressed. The model is extended to cover wider networking potential and appropriateness, including the possible network delivery of elements of the IMT, especially the comments database, and the linkage of recorded results to the student records, where they might be shared with other authorised staff. This paper sets out these criteria, and includes comparisons with commercial examples such as Mindtrail, presenting an opportunity for the delegates to discuss the merits of the IMT model and comment on their own experiences with such products

Methodology for evaluating CI software packages

Competitive intelligence (CI) is important for businesses to remain competitive. Software technologies have been developed to make the CI process simpler. These software technologies need to be able to carry out CI effectively by performing all the stages in the CI Cycle, conforming to the British Standard software quality characteristics, extract information from large data sets by having certain Additional Features and be cost effective. Three evaluation frameworks were developed based on the CI Cycle, British Standard and Additional Features. This methodology and the marketing literature of the software were used to evaluate four CI software packages. Information on cost and availability of a free trial version was also taken from the marketing literature. From the evaluation results, the software were able to support at least one CI Cycle stage and at least one British Standard characteristics but none of them fully had any of the Additional Features. One of them has a free trial version, while two of them had information about the cost of their commercial version. It is recommended that before choosing CI software, CI practitioners determine and prioritize their intelligence needs and then test which CI software can meet them. Also, CI software vendors need to provide more information in their marketing literature on the cost and availability of a free trial version of their software and features pertaining to the CI Cycle, British Standard and Additional Features. The British Standard and Additional Features have not been used in the previous CI software evaluation studies