Practices, policies, and problems in the management of learning data: A survey of libraries’ use of digital learning objects and the data they create

This study analyzed libraries’ management of the data generated by library digital learning objects (DLO’s) such as forms, surveys, quizzes, and tutorials. A substantial proportion of respondents reported having a policy relevant to learning data, typically a campus-level policy, but most did not. Other problems included a lack of access to library learning data, concerns about student privacy, inadequate granularity or standardization, and a lack of knowledge about colleagues’ practices. We propose more dialogue on learning data within libraries, between libraries and administrators, and across the library profession

"No" to Foreign Telecoms Equals "No" to the New Economy!

Within a few weeks, the United States will make a pivotal decision--whether to prohibit foreign telecommunications firms that are partly owned by foreign governments from competing in the US market. The decisive case is Deutsche Telecom's bid to acquire the US mobile telephone operator VoiceStream (and VoiceStream's own new acquisition, PowerTel).

Meeting users where they are: Delivering dynamic content and services through a campus portal

Campus portals are one of the most visible and frequently used online spaces for students, offering one-stop access to key services for learning and academic self-management. This case study reports how instruction librarians at the University of Vermont collaborated with portal developers in the registrar’s office to develop high-impact, point-of-need content for a dedicated “Library” page. This content was then created in LibGuides and published using the Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for LibGuides boxes. Initial usage data and analytics show that traffic to the libraries’ portal page has been substantially and consistently higher than expected. The next phase for the project will be the creation of customized library content that is responsive to the student’s user profile

SLIDES: Natural Gas: Game Changer or Runner Left on Base? Working to Get It Right in CO!

Presenter: Dr. Gary Graham, Director, Lands Program, Western Resource Advocates 21 slide

SLIDES: Natural Gas: Game Changer or Runner Left on Base? Working to Get It Right in CO!

Presenter: Dr. Gary Graham, Director, Lands Program, Western Resource Advocates 21 slide

Transforming the news value chain in the social era: a technical perspective

Purpose: This paper develops a conceptual framework to unde rstand the influence that the social era is having on the value chain of the local news industry. We theoretically advance value chain theory by firstly, considering the influence of community type and age on consumption and secondly exploring the role that consumers can play in value adding activities. Our theoretical contribution lies in moving from a transactional approach towards consumer relationships in the value chain towards managing consumers as a source of relational value (e.g. co-creation and integrated perspectives). Design: The conceptual framework is theoretically positioned in relation to community and digital community practices in the social era. A series of research questions are presented, then these questions are explored drawing on empirical data from the PEW database. We then advance the framework further to consider news firm strategy towards its consumers. 15 in-depth executive interviews were conducted with local news organizations in the Manchester area of the UK. Findings: We illustrate that different types of communities (merging cohorts and locations) are influencing levels of technological and social connectivity within the value chain. We also find that the news industry is experimenting with reconfiguring its consumer relations from a purely transactional to a co-created and participatory value added activity in the social era. In terms of its policy impact our findings show that the whole strategic value chain ideology of the news industry needs to change radically; away from its largely transactional (and lack of trust) approach in the ability of consumers to create value in the supply chain (other than to buy a product) and, move towards much greater consumer involvement and participation in value chain processes (creation, production and distribution of news products and services). Originality/value: The change associated with social media and connec tivity is changing the way that different community types and consumer groups are now consuming and participating in news content creation. Unlike previous studies we show that there is variance and complexity in the levels of consumer participation by community type/age group. Using the PEW data we contribute to knowledge on the value creation strategy of news firms in the social era, by identifying how communicative, social and communicative logics influence value and co-creation activities in the local news supply chain. Through our interviews we advance value co-creation theory from its strategic and marketing origins to operational and supply chain implementation

Trials: Questioning Jurors on Voir Dire Concerning Relationship to Insurance Companies (Avery v. City of Anaconda, 428 P.2d 465, 1967)

Recent Decision

Trials: Questioning Jurors on Voir Dire Concerning Relationship to Insurance Companies (Avery v. City of Anaconda, 428 P.2d 465, 1967)

Recent Decision

Corporations' use and misuse of evidence to influence health policy:A case study of sugar-sweetened beverage taxation

Background: Sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) are a major source of sugar in the diet. Although trends in consumption vary across regions, in many countries, particularly LMICs, their consumption continues to increase. In response, a growing number of governments have introduced a tax on SSBs. SSB manufacturers have opposed such taxes, disputing the role that SSBs play in diet-related diseases and the effectiveness of SSB taxation, and alleging major economic impacts. Given the importance of evidence to effective regulation of products harmful to human health, we scrutinised industry submissions to the South African government's consultation on a proposed SSB tax and examined their use of evidence. Results: Corporate submissions were underpinned by several strategies involving the misrepresentation of evidence. First, references were used in a misleading way, providing false support for key claims. Second, raw data, which represented a pliable, alternative evidence base to peer reviewed studies, was misused to dispute both the premise of targeting sugar for special attention and the impact of SSB taxes on SSB consumption. Third, purposively selected evidence was used in conjunction with other techniques, such as selective quoting from studies and omitting important qualifying information, to promote an alternative evidential narrative to that supported by the weight of peer-reviewed research. Fourth, a range of mutually enforcing techniques that inflated the effects of SSB taxation on jobs, public revenue generation, and gross domestic product, was used to exaggerate the economic impact of the tax. This "hyperbolic accounting" included rounding up figures in original sources, double counting, and skipping steps in economic modelling. Conclusions: Our research raises fundamental questions concerning the bona fides of industry information in the context of government efforts to combat diet-related diseases. The beverage industry's claims against SSB taxation rest on a complex interplay of techniques, that appear to be grounded in evidence, but which do not observe widely accepted approaches to the use of either scientific or economic evidence. These techniques are similar, but not identical, to those used by tobacco companies and highlight the problems of introducing evidence-based policies aimed at managing the market environment for unhealthful commodities