Open Education Resources: Decreasing Costs And Increasing Freedom

Students, parents, faculty, and administrators are painfully aware of the high cost of traditional textbooks. Faculty are also aware that commercial teaching resources may be unnecessarily restrictive from a teaching point of view. As educators, there are many compelling reasons to participate in the use and development of open education resources (OER). Open education resources provide a cost-free alternative to traditional textbooks and facilitate important pedagogical opportunities. Faculty using OER in their teaching may select, combine, and even adapt the content to develop the most effective course materials. While OER can offer increased freedom for faculty and cost savings for students, there are challenges in using or developing open educational resources. This talk will discuss some of the benefits of OER to faculty and students, examples of how OER is being used, and suggest strategies for overcoming challenges

Interdisciplinary Studio Pavilion [ISP] 2019

The Interdisciplinary Studio Pavilion 2019 was designed for students within architecture, architectural engineering, and construction management to be placed into eight interdisciplinary teams and design a pavilion that reflected the narrative for the Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo (the “WHP). Its curricula emphasized aesthetics; fabrication methods and techniques; ease of assembly, reassembly and transportability; and function. Deliverables for each team\u27s structure focused on these curricula that required numerous design refinements and construction feasibility studies. This required each team member to contribute their respective knowledge about architecture, structural engineering, and construction to create a pavilion that fulfilled WHP’s goals. Final deliverables for the project included a fabrication plan, operating manual, and full scale model. Effective communication, construction feasibility studies, design software, and mock-up experimentation led our team to create a “succulent” inspired design that ultimately fulfilled WHP\u27s requirements

Surrogate Histories: (De)Mythifying the Franco-female in transitionary Spain

Within the context of Franco Spain, academic scholarship has proven that the regime manipulated collective history via both active remembering and active forgetting in order to construct legitimacy and a national identity. Moreover, much of the regime’s mythology was based on predetermined concepts of gender difference that was exacerbated by the influence of the Catholic church. In this way, what it meant to be female during the Franco dictatorship was a large part of what came to be the nationalized-gender-mythology of the regime, or rather – myths that constructed the Franco-female. On the one hand, the regime constructed mythology that actively forget Red female heritage through brutal sociological as well as physical repression that was targeted specifically towards women. On the other hand, the regime enacted mythology of active remembering that canonized popular imagery and history in order to reconstruct a type of womanhood that lay between the crossroads of the golden age of the Spanish empire and Catholicism. Although my analysis does not in any way suggest that the female experience is ever singular, it is clear that regardless of whether or not ones actions were inherently in defiance of or in accordance with the myths of femininity propagated by the regime, it cannot be discounted that the dichotomy between what was acceptable or unacceptable behavior defined female existence, or at the very least the performance of femininity. Surrogate histories are cultural products, authored by women, that implement narratorial and performative strategies of surrogacy in order to define and recognize gender-specific traumas incurred during the Franco dictatorship in Spain. These traumas are constructed via the use of site-specific histories that deal directly with the nationalized-gender-mythology of the Franco regime. By appropriating and textually deconstructing the same myths that were used during the dictatorship to both define and limit femininity in the service of nationhood, these cultural products succeed in (de)mythifying what I have called the Franco-female.Through the (de)mythification process, surrogate histories create a path that highlights the ways in which much of the nationalized-gender-mythology has outlasted the dictatorship as well as the Transition, and thus problematizes the systemic gender violence that plagues contemporary Spanish society

‘Tips’ to Affirming Cultural Identity through Communication

This study examines how cultural identity is affirmed through communication. It draws on experiences of communication with those who come to Brother André Café in Portland, Oregon. The study analyzes what is currently known about affirming identity through the lenses of identity, face, language, avowal and ascription, silence, cultural values, and themes of cultural identity. Through these different constructs, a ‘TIPS Sheet’ is developed which gives first time volunteers to Brother André some guideposts to help them in their interactions with those who partake in conversation. This TIPS Sheet causes minimal changes in the current routine of Brother André, and can be easily and cheaply implemented. It is expected to help volunteers come away with a better experience, as it guides them in their interactions, and can be applied to interactions beyond those that take place at Brother André

Addressing Faculty Publishing Concerns with Open Access Journal Quality Indicators

BACKGROUND The scholarly publishing paradigm is evolving to embrace innovative open access publication models. While this environment fosters the creation of high-quality, peer-reviewed open access publications, it also provides opportunities for journals or publishers to engage in unprofessional or unethical practices.LITERATURE REVIEW Faculty take into account a number of factors in deciding where to publish, including whether or not a journal engages in ethical publishing practices. Librarians and scholars have attempted to address this issue in a number of ways, such as generating lists of ethical/unethical publishers and general guides.DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT In response to growing faculty concern in this area, the Grand Valley State University Libraries developed and evaluated a set of Open Access Journal Quality Indicators that support faculty in their effort to identify the characteristics of ethical and unethical open access publications. NEXT STEPS Liaison librarians have already begun using the Indicators as a catalyst in sparking conversation around open access publishing and scholarship. Going forward, the Libraries will continue to evaluate and gather feedback on the Indicators, taking into account emerging trends and practices

C.A.R.E.: Practical Tools for Sustaining Care, Accountability, and Radical Empathy in Difficult Times

Engage in an online dialogue and explore ways to continue to meet the needs of users in difficult times while also setting and upholding healthy boundaries. Together we will explore care, generous accountability, and radical empathy for one another and for our users in public libraries. The presenters will share some self-reflective pre-work ahead of the session as well as a discussion guide to use locally after the session. Prepare to dig into practical tools that will enhance effective communications and sustain user-focused practices while meeting our own needs