Some Class Perspectives on Magical Belief

A field survey was conducted in Cambridge, Minnesota, to study variation in Magical belief with respect to class differences, as measured by education. Groups of fifteen female noncollege graduates and 15 graduates, and fifteen male non-college graduates and 15 male graduates, constituted the survey groups. They were examined with self-administered questionnaires constructed for the survey and shown to be reliable and valid in pre-tests. Survey findings indicate there is no significant difference in degree of magical belief as measured in this questionnaire with regard lo class differences (education). Notable was the observation that college graduate males disagreed in significant percentage with a statement that everything has a natural cause, while non-college graduate males agreed with the same item. Also significant is the finding that 32 percent of the respondents indicated they believe in magic

The Power of Personal Outreach to Populate an Institutional Repository

Institutional repositories (IRs) remain a woefully underutilized resource at many universities and librarians. Although many faculty members agree that IRs are a good idea in principle, achieving actual follow-through and adoption is much more difficult. Some view depositing articles as yet another time-consuming obligation. Others, because they have access to most materials through their institutions, do not fully appreciate the value of green open access for many researchers. And perhaps for the majority, it simply isn’t on their radar. AUrora, Auburn University’s institutional repository, is a case in point. When it went live in 2013, librarians quickly reached out to campus units through departmental seminars, faculty meetings, and other outlets. Despite these efforts, the collection of librarian scholarly products included more individual contributions than all other schools and colleges combined (excluding items in digital collections). Over the past 6 months, however, the numbers have flip-flopped as we have ramped up efforts to promote the repository and taken a more varied and flexible approach. Most importantly, we have attempted to encourage usage by reducing time burdens on individual faculty members and enlisting the help of the Libraries’ graduate assistants. In this presentation, I will describe our multi-pronged approach, with a focus on the creation of a collection of university’s international climate change research center, a highly interdisciplinary group comprised of researchers in forestry, agronomy, entomology, engineering, geosciences, and more

HABITAT SELECTION OF THE CERULEAN WARBLER IN EASTERN KENTUCKY

Successful forest management requires an understanding of the habitat requirements of individual species at multiple spatial scales. The cerulean warbler (Dendroica cerulea) is a neotropical migratory songbird that has recently gained widespread attention as a species of conservation and management concern. It breeds in mature, deciduous forests of eastern North America and has experienced precipitous range-wide declines over the last 40 years. Although Kentucky likely supports one of the largest breeding populations of the species, no information exists on cerulean warbler habitat selection within the state. The overall purpose of this study was to identify important habitat features associated with cerulean warbler distribution on breeding grounds in eastern Kentucky. In 2004 and 2005, I examined cerulean warbler distribution and associated vegetative characteristics within a hierarchical framework at the stand, territory, and nest-site levels. I used the Information-Theoretic approach to develop 2 sets of a priori models. The first set of models attempted to explain cerulean warbler site occupancy through presence and absence data obtained from point counts. The second set of models attempted to explain differences between preferred song perches and available habitat. Due to small sample size, nest-site information was not used in modeling efforts. Results from presence and absence modeling were inconclusive as no habitat-related differences were identified between occupied and unoccupied locations within the study area. However, territory modeling revealed three potentially important predictors of cerulean warbler habitat: large diameter trees, east-facing aspect, and increased shrub cover. This study reinforces general patterns observed throughout the cerulean warblers breeding range. Although the mechanisms causing cerulean warbler declines are still poorly understood, conservation and management efforts directed toward protecting and establishing large tracts of mature forest with large trees on mesic, sheltered sites should be a reasonable approach to managing cerulean warbler populations on the breeding grounds

Building a Sustainable Life Science Information Literacy Program Using the Train-the-Trainer Model

The train-the-trainer model has great potential for expanding information literacy programs without placing undue burden on already overextended librarians; it is surprisingly underused in academic libraries. At the University of Kentucky, we employed this model to create a new information literacy program in an introductory biology lab. We trained biology teaching assistants (TAs), each of whom was responsible for teaching two lab sections, to teach scientific database searching and Endnote Online to undergraduates. Over the first two semesters, we taught or co-taught 78 sessions of BIO 155 (nearly 2,200 attendees), with the librarian only in attendance at TA training and a total of 14 class sessions. Here we describe the program from its inception in late 2012 through the present, covering such topics as course coordinator buy-in, class design, active learning exercises, and assessment. Of particular note is the progression of our training program, which evolved from a style encouraging imitation toward one inspiring TAs to personalize the subject matter. We believe this approach inspired TAs to reflect on the importance of information literacy in their own research and to emphasize its relevance to undergraduates

The effects of foster care residence and age of child on credibility of child sexual abuse allegations

Research demonstrates that children who have been sexually abused are at increased risk for further abuse. Children placed into foster care are also at heightened risk for abuse in their foster homes. While much research has been conducted concerning the credibility of children’s sexual abuse allegations, none has examined the believability of allegations of abuse within the foster care system. In the present study, 223 undergraduate psychology students were randomly assigned to read one of six scenarios. Each scenario described a girl (age 6, 11, or 15 years of age) who either resided with her mother and stepfather or foster parents. The girl was described as a past sex abuse victim with behavioral and emotional difficulties who is currently alleging sexual abuse by the stepfather or foster father. In a multivariate analysis of variance controlling for participant gender, there was a significant main effect for foster care residence but not for child age or the interaction between foster care condition and age. Children in foster care were less believable. For example, foster children were rated as more likely to be making up the allegation due either to anger at their caregivers, to get out of trouble at school, or to get out of their current living situations. Future research should investigate reasons for these negative views towards allegations by foster children

Adjunct Faculty Perceptions of Participation in Online Collaborative Research Teams

Career professionals who serve as adjunct faculty at the university level are expected to engage in continual research and publishing to maintain their status as adjunct (part-time) faculty, to be considered for potential advancement, and to qualify for additional compensation. One way of meeting this objective is to participate in online collaborative research projects benefiting from a set of multiple lenses, multiple insights, and a multitude of considerations in regard to design, methodology, data interpretations, and broader reaching implications. A narrative inquiry approach was applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of adjunct faculty working in online collaborative research teams. Data was gathered through phone interviews where adjunct faculty shared their personal experiences and reflections about working as collaborative researchers in an online environment. Using an inductive process, themes were drawn from the responses of the participants to address the research question. The dominant themes found were organizational skills, interpersonal skills, and personal growth and development. The results of the study led to recommendations for supporting adjunct faculty in online collaborative research for building a sense of scholarly community and expanding opportunities for personal professional growth

Using a “Train the Trainer” Model and Active Learning to Reach Biology Freshmen

In Spring 2013, we collaborated with the UK Biology Department to create, teach, and assess course-integrated information literacy sessions for 17 BIO 155 sections, reaching 462 students once a week for two weeks (thus 34 sessions reaching 934 attendees). We experimented with a “train-the-trainer” model, providing an introductory session to TAs, then alternating librarian-led sections and TA-led sections. We taught in a Macbook lab, using mini presentations mixed with active instruction and tools such as PollEverywhere and Course Guides. We assessed the information literacy concepts learned using a Google Docs survey. We will share our challenges and successes initiating this program

Adjunct Faculty Perceptions of Participation in Online Collaborative Research Teams

Career professionals who serve as adjunct faculty at the university level are expected to engage in continual research and publishing to maintain their status as adjunct (part-time) faculty, to be considered for potential advancement, and to qualify for additional compensation.  One way of meeting this objective is to participate in online collaborative research projects benefiting from a set of multiple lenses, multiple insights, and a multitude of considerations in regard to design, methodology, data interpretations, and broader reaching implications.  A narrative inquiry approach was applied to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of adjunct faculty working in online collaborative research teams. Data was gathered through phone interviews where adjunct faculty shared their personal experiences and reflections about working as collaborative researchers in an online environment. Using an inductive process, themes were drawn from the responses of the participants to address the research question. The dominant themes found were organizational skills, interpersonal skills, and personal growth and development. The results of the study led to recommendations for supporting adjunct faculty in online collaborative research for building a sense of scholarly community and expanding opportunities for personal professional growth

Saint Vincent de Paul and the Mission of the Institute for Business and Professional Ethics: Why Companies Should Care About Poverty

The mission of DePaul University’s Institute for Business and Professional Ethics (IBPE) is “to encourage ethical deliberation among decision makers by stirring the moral conscience, encouraging moral imagination, and developing models for moral decision-making in business.” In 2006, it added an element: “to inspire companies to address poverty reduction both globally and locally through for-profit initiatives.” The authors make the following assertions: “(1) the poor do not lack resources; (2) poverty alleviation is an evolving, dynamic process; (3) poverty often results from patterns of exclusion; and (4) many feasible approaches to poverty reduction have been and can be created through commerce.” The thinking behind this is explained and illustrated with specific cases. Connections between these propositions and Vincent de Paul’s legacy are made explicit

Teaching Information Literacy Using a Train-the-Trainer Model with Biology Lab Instructors

In Spring 2013, we collaborated with the Biology Department course coordinator at University of Kentucky to create, teach, and assess course-integrated information literacy sessions for 17 Biology Lab sections, reaching 462 students once a week for two weeks (thus 34 sessions reaching 934 attendees). We also experimented with the “train-the-trainer” model by providing an introductory session to TAs, then alternating one librarian-led section with one TA-led section. We taught in a Macbook lab, using Powerpoint presentations mixed with active instruction and tools such as PollEverywhere and Course Guides. We assessed the information literacy concepts learned using a simple Google Docs survey