Teaching Information Literacy Skills to Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Collaborative Approach

Background An expectation of baccalaureate nursing education is to prepare nurses to implement evidenced-based practice (EBP). This expectation extends far beyond a basic understanding of the research process. BSN prepared nurses must be able to effectively and efficiently identify, analyze, and synthesize evidence (AACN, 2008). The acquisition of information literacy skills is foundational to the development of EBP. Implementation The study took place at a College of Nursing within a mid-sized, faith-based university located in the Midwest. Historically, students enrolled in their senior level undergraduate nursing research/EBP course underwent one library instruction session with the nursing librarian to reinforce search strategies for accessing single studies and higher levels of evidence. As part of the course, students conducted EBP group projects which required searching for the best evidence to address a clinical problem. Evaluation of EBP projects revealed that students were not effectively performing systematic searches. This deficit was interpreted as critical since the EBP process is built upon accessing the best evidence. To facilitate development of these skills, a collaboration between the College of Nursing and Library Services emerged. Literature regarding teaching nursing research/EBP and information literacy was reviewed. Specific EBP skills and methods to effectively teach those skills were explored. A collaborative approach to teaching was instituted by embedding a librarian in the nursing research course and integrating information literacy content throughout the semester. Research logs and evidence summary grids for 39 student groups, as well as, individual student final exam and course scores across four semesters were evaluated. Conclusions Collaborative teaching/learning activities significantly improved students’ abilities to perform systematic searches and identify, analyze and synthesize evidence as measured by research log and evidence summary scores. Although course scores for those exposed to collaborative teaching/learning activities were not significantly improved, comprehensive final exam scores, a focused measure of students’ EBP knowledge, were significantly improved. Recommendations Collaboration between nursing faculty and librarians is recommended to promote development of students’ information literacy skills. Information literacy is foundational to the EBP process; time must be dedicated to establishing these skills. Information literacy skills should be introduced early in the nursing curriculum and reinforced in multiple courses

Using a Research Log and Reflective Writing to Improve EBP and Information Literacy Skills of BSN Students

Background Baccalaureate nursing educators must prepare nurses to implement evidence-based practice (EBP). BSN nurses must be able to effectively identify, analyze, and synthesize evidence (AACN, 2008). In a nursing research course, students conducted group projects which required searching for the best evidence. Project evaluations revealed that students were not searching systematically. To facilitate EBP and information literacy skill development, a collaboration between the College of Nursing and Library Services emerged. Targeted Learning Outcomes 1. Formulate a strategic search using databases and Internet resources 2. Evaluate and select the ‘best available’ evidence 3. Document systematic search (keywords, subject headings, limiters, and results) 4. Describe why evidence was selected 5. Reflect on search process, difficulties, and potential revisions for next search. Teaching Learning Activities In spring of 2012, research logs were added to an EBP group project requiring students to identify the best evidence. Groups documented their search using a research log worksheet and narrative which included reflection of the search process, evidence appraisal, and strengths and weakness. Although the research log worksheet provided structure, specific problems including uncoordinated group searches, inadequate articulation of evidence selection, and limited reflection about strengths and weaknesses were still identified. Additional sessions reinforcing information literacy skills were integrated in the course. The information literacy skills sessions and research logs were implemented for two subsequent semesters. Evaluation of Approach Student research log and EBP group project scores will be compared over three semesters using ANOVA to determine differences in group performance. During initial data analysis, an independent t test reflected a significant difference between scores for Spring 2012 and Fall 2012 groups. The Fall 2012 groups who used research logs and experienced additional information literacy skills sessions scored significantly higher on their assignments than Spring 2012 groups. Data collection for Spring 2013 is in progress. Final study results as well as implications for nursing education will be articulated

Forming Wh-Questions in Shona: A Comparative Bantu Perspective

Bantu languages, which are spoken throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa, permit wh- questions to be constructed in multiple ways, including wh-in-situ, full wh-movement, and partial wh-movement. Shona, a Bantu language spoken by about 13 million people in Zimbabwe and Mozambique, allows all three of these types. In this dissertation, I conduct the first in-depth examination of Shona wh-questions, drawing on fifty hours of elicitation with a native speaker consultant to explore the derivational relationships among these strategies. Wh-in-situ questions have received a wide variety of treatments in the syntactic lit- erature, ranging from covert or disguised movement to postsyntactic binding of the wh- phrase by a silent question operator. In Bantu languages, wh-in-situ questions are often taken to be derived via a non-movement relation (e.g., Carstens 2005 for Kilega, Diercks 2010 for Lubukusu, Muriungi 2003 for Kîîtharaka, Sabel 2000 for Kikuyu and Duala, Sabel & Zeller 2006 for Zulu, Schneider-Zioga 2007 for Kinande), but alternatives have rarely been considered. I demonstrate how movement-based analyses that have been proposed for wh-in-situ in non-Bantu languages make the wrong predictions for Shona wh-in-situ, which lacks word order permutation, extraction marking, island effects, and intervention effects. These properties provide support for the traditional Bantuist view that the rela- tion between the pronunciation site of an in-situ wh-phrase and its scopal position in the left periphery is not movement; I claim that in Shona it is unselective binding. Many Bantu languages, including Shona, prohibit wh-phrases from appearing in the canonical preverbal subject position. Wasike (2007) demonstrates that this restriction applies to topicalized non-subjects as well as preverbal subjects. I replicate these results for Shona and argue that they cast doubt on Sabel & Zeller’s (2006) attempt to characterize the ban with an appeal to improper movement. I argue instead that restrictions on the distribution of wh-in-situ in Bantu are tied to restrictions on the domain for focus licens- ing. This claim is further bolstered by an examination of crosslinguistic variation within Bantu with respect to whether the ban on in-situ preverbal wh-subjects applies in embed- ded clauses. I observe a previously unnoticed generalization: languages that universally ban in-situ preverbal wh-subjects (like Zulu) have immediately after the verb (IAV) focus effects; languages that do allow in-situ preverbal wh-subjects in embedded clauses (like Shona, Lubukusu, and Kîîtharaka) also lack IAV effects. Full wh-movement in Shona gives rise to questions that bear a certain similarity to En- glish wh-questions. However, using a range of diagnostics including extraction marking, island effects, reconstruction effects, and the distribution of temporal modifiers, I argue that what appears to be full wh-movement in Shona actually has a cleft structure: the wh-phrase moves to become the head of a relative clause, which is selected by a copula in the matrix clause. Just as in wh-in-situ, an ex-situ wh-phrase is pronounced lower than its scopal position, and the relation between these two positions is established via unselec- tive binding. Additional evidence for this proposal comes from the sensitivity of partial wh-movement to island boundaries below but not above the pronunciation site of the wh- phrase, a pattern that has been predicted by previous analyses (e.g., Abels 2012a, Sabel 2000, Sabel & Zeller 2006) but for which empirical support has been lacking until now. I therefore unify full and partial wh-movement under a single analysis for cleft-based wh- ex-situ that involves a step of relativization (independently needed for relative clauses) and a step of unselective binding (independently needed for wh-in-situ)

Friendship

I am standing in front of the Toddle House one evening when who should drive up in a bright yellow sedan but Georgie Roberts, with whom I am very chummy of late. Georgie is by no means an exemplary character, but it so happens that his old man in recent years develops to a new high the art of separating well-to-do citizens from their potatoes and as a result does not worry much these days concerning the necessities of life. Since Georgie is an only child, Roberts the elder is more than liberal with such material things as automobiles and potatoes, and I am broadminded enough to overlook certain minor defects in Georgie\u27s character in order to assist him in distributing said potatoes in the most judicious manner possible

God With/In: Heal the World. Sing the Good News

Historical methods of evangelism are no longer working in North America. As religion declines among younger generations, Christians look at our methods and venture into a new way of living God’s good news in the world. Section One looks at the decline of evangelism’s effectiveness in North America. With an eye towards the healing of Jesus, the roots of evangelism are explored. Contrasted with these roots are the techniques that evolved after the legalization of Christianity under Constantine’s Empire. A domineering evangelism arrived in North America alongside of Christopher Columbus as a form of “power over” instead of as healing good news. Evangelism had become a bad news tool instead of a good news song. Section Two discusses two contemporary evangelism strategies; presentational evangelism and conversational evangelism. Each of these utilizes specific techniques to tell the story of Jesus to non-believers in order to elicit a conversion. This section outlines the techniques and recognizes the limitations of these strategies. Section Three offers the solution for a different evangelism; Nudge Evangelism. The solution lifts up the centrality of healing as a measurement and motivator for new believers. Compared to modern denominational Christianity, flat track roller derby is then highlighted as a group that shows healing and is growing within the same years as the church’s decline. Derby growth is especially evident with those under the age of 40, the group that has had the largest decrease in participation in religious life throughout the same years. To return to participating in the good news song, the Christian method of engagement needs to shift. To facilitate the church in making this shift a new curriculum, xii “God With/In: Heal the World. Sing the Good News.” has been created to help believers practice singing the good news exactly where they are among people they love

ShelfScan: Streamlining library shelving, expanding quality control

ShelfScan, a web-based application developed in house at Sterling Memorial Library, has streamlined the shelving process at SML and Bass and expanded quality control at multiple libraries by verifying materials scanned with a Bluetooth scanner against the library database. Prior to ShelfScan, when a book was shelved in the library stacks, it was first opened in order to insert a paper “recently shelved” flag; later it was revisited and reopened to check call number order. This manual accuracy checking did not reveal other anomalies such as incorrect collection, incorrect availability status, or catalog discrepancies. With ShelfScan, books are shelved in a more efficient fashion, and accuracy checking is provided by scanning sections of stacks. Scanning is scheduled at more convenient times because it is now dissociated from the shelving process. Scanned barcodes are transmitted to a text file, which is uploaded to ShelfScan along with user-input parameters, including the location/collection of the material scanned. ShelfScan builds two virtual files of barcodes: a File Order Table, which holds the records in the order they were scanned, and a Sorted Records Table, which sorts by call number. By comparing these tables and mining data from the library catalog database, the application produces an exception report that identifies incorrectly shelved items and many other types of errors. All history is maintained in an SQL Server database, which allows for the creation of dynamic statistical reports with SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). These reports in turn inform decisions about which areas need ongoing scanning