Fireworks Display of One-Shot Library Instruction

Instructing students on how to use the library and the databases in one setting, especially when there is only fifty minutes, can be overwhelming for the students and instructor. This session covers tips that can be used in the interview process with the professor, creating a flipped classroom, or blended instruction opportunities to enhance the learning process (including pre- or post-session), as well as demonstrating guides for assisting students in database searching techniques. The session ends with ways to get buy-in from professors about tutorials and guides used outside the lessons

Fireworks Display of One-Shot Library Instruction

Instructing students on how to use the library and the databases in one setting, especially when there is only fifty minutes, can be overwhelming for the students and instructor. This session covers tips that can be used in the interview process with the professor, creating a flipped classroom, or blended instruction opportunities to enhance the learning process (including pre- or post-session), as well as demonstrating guides for assisting students in database searching techniques. The session ends with ways to get buy-in from professors about tutorials and guides used outside the lessons

“The Poor Remain”: A Posthumanist Rethinking of Literary Humanitarianism in Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People

Human rights have become a dominant framework through which to narrate and read political violence. Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People questions humanitarian rhetoric that promises to rescue the poor, and it challenges the construction of a humanitarian reader. Through a reading of the novel, I argue that narrating politically situated events as humanitarian concerns dislocates suffering from its source rather than disrupting the transnational power structures that allow for slow violence and the supposed ‘dehumanization’ of individuals and groups. The narrative structure of literary humanitarianism, which the novel satirizes, suggests that readers may perform a humanitarian act by bearing witness to trauma, and it encourages privileged readers to contemplate suffering as a depoliticized crisis of the imagination. I analyze how Animal’s People challenges such a project by mixing the metaphors of seeing and hearing, unsettling ‘the human,’ and critiquing humanitarian journalism for effacing economic and political realities like those of the 1984 gas leak in Bhopal, India. As the novel’s main character deliberates on whether or not to accept humanitarian aid two decades after a gas leak in the fictional city of Khaufpur (a clear stand-in for Bhopal), it presents a posthumanist perspective that problematizes the normative assumptions of literary humanitarianism.

The Poor Remain”: A Posthumanist Rethinking of Literary Humanitarianism in Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People

Human rights have become a dominant framework through which to narrate and read political violence. Indra Sinha’s Animal’s People questions humanitarian rhetoric that promises to rescue the poor, and it challenges the construction of a humanitarian reader. Through a reading of the novel, I argue that narrating politically situated events as humanitarian concerns dislocates suffering from its source rather than disrupting the transnational power structures that allow for slow violence and the supposed ‘dehumanization’ of individuals and groups. The narrative structure of literary humanitarianism, which the novel satirizes, suggests that readers may perform a humanitarian act by bearing witness to trauma, and it encourages privileged readers to contemplate suffering as a depoliticized crisis of the imagination. I analyze how Animal’s People challenges such a project by mixing the metaphors of seeing and hearing, unsettling ‘the human,’ and critiquing humanitarian journalism for effacing economic and political realities like those of the 1984 gas leak in Bhopal, India. As the novel’s main character deliberates on whether or not to accept humanitarian aid two decades after a gas leak in the fictional city of Khaufpur (a clear stand-in for Bhopal), it presents a posthumanist perspective that problematizes the normative assumptions of literary humanitarianism.

Around the World in 18 Songs

For my research project, I will be creating a concert of 18 songs in 18 different languages. The questions I will attempt to answer through my research are What makes art and folk songs so important to their respective cultures? , How are they similar to each other? , How are they different? What is is about this kind of music that is enjoyed by many, no matter the origin of the person or piece? The motivation for this project is to shine light on some lesser-known folk pieces, build upon my two passions (Music and Languages), and to illustrate the power of music, a universal language that we all understand, and in fact rather enjoy, even if it comes from a foreign land in a foreign tongue. Upon the successful completion of this project, I will have a full concert set that I can perform for any venue, particularly in schools, where I can talk to young musicians and broaden their horizons on world music

Effectiveness and User Experience of Augmented and Mixed Reality for Procedural Task Training

Use of augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) technologies for training is increasing, due in part to opportunities for increased immersion, safer training, and reduced costs. However, AR/MR training effectiveness and user experience, particularly for head-mounted displays (HMDs), is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate user perceptions and retention of AR/MR training delivered through a HMD for a procedural task. This two-part study utilized a within-subjects experimental design with 30 participants to determine how instruction method (paper vs. AR vs. MR) and time of procedure recall (immediate vs. post-test vs. retention) influenced completion time, perceived task difficulty, perceived confidence in successfully completing the task, workload, user experience, and trainee reactions. Results indicate differences between instruction methods for user experience and preference, with significantly higher user experience ratings for MR and lower preference rankings for AR. Findings also show decreased performance, increased perceived task difficulty, and decreased confidence as time since training increased, with no significant differences in these measures between instruction methods. Completion times and workload were also found to be comparable between instruction methods. This work provides insight into objective and subjective differences between paper-, AR-, and MR-based training experiences, which can be used to determine which type of training is best suited for a particular use case. Recommendations for appropriately matching training modalities and scenarios, as well as for how to successfully design AR/MR training experiences, are discussed