Teaching English Language Learners to Vet Their Sources in the Post-Truth Paradigm

According to the Institute of International Education\u27s Open Doors report, the number of international students studying in the United States exceeded one million for the first time in 2016. Many of these students have insufficient command of the English language to pass the TOEFL or IELTS examinations required for enrollment at U.S. institutions of higher education, and as a result, programs designed to teach proficiency in the English language have been developed at some of these universities. In addition to English grammar and vocabulary, some programs also seek to acculturate students to Western academic norms such as critical thinking, academic integrity, and the paper-writing process to help students be prepared culturally as well as linguistically for American university life. Source evaluation has become an increasingly fraught topic for domestic and international students alike. Within the context of a lesson plan on this topic, this chapter will discuss the development of learning outcomes; an engaging anticipatory set which connects students’ background knowledge to the topic at hand; choosing readings appropriate for the topic and students’ comprehension level; the constructivist rationale for the main activity; and the logistics (timing, technology, etc.) of planning activities for ELLs versus domestic students

The Missing Piece: Assessing Implementation Fidelity

Two years ago, our library merged three desks as well as people from three different departments to staff that desk. As part of this consolidation, we developed a new model for answering patron questions that incorporated chat/text, an on-call system, and referrals. Before assessing whether this new service model was an improvement for our patrons, we first assessed whether we had implemented the model as it was originally envisioned in order to determine whether any failures were a result of the model itself or how the library had implemented the concept of the model. This recipe will introduce the concept of implementation fidelity, explain our methods for assessing the new service model, and share implications and recommendations for how other libraries can incorporate assessment of implementation fidelity into their evaluations of new services. While libraries are increasingly places of change and innovation, many of these changes are not assessed for their effectiveness, or for how they’re perceived and valued by staff and patrons. Additionally, few libraries attempt to determine whether their implementation of new services and programs is as how library administration envisioned them—and, by extension, how any differences between theory and practice affect staff and patron perceptions of those changes and new services. Libraries should therefore consider assessing the implementation fidelity of future proposed changes in order to avoid abandoning innovations that have failed only in execution

Session 3: Natural Selection as a Causal Theory

Proceedings of the Pittsburgh Workshop in History and Philosophy of Biology, Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, March 23-24 2001 Session 3: Natural Selection as a Causal Theor

Prince or Plebe?: Success at All Levels of the Library Hierarchy

When one is a middle manager—someone who is not entirely on the front lines, but supervising without the authority to make changes at a system or institutional level—especially as a new professional with lots of enthusiasm and ideas, one can feel frustrated and stuck in a state of stasis. By learning how to effectively leverage the power one does have, as Niccolo Machiavelli did, one can lead from the middle to inspire subordinates, excel as an employee, and create change at the system/institutional level

The Memeing Instructor: Increased Attention = Increased Retention

This brief explains the learning theories that make memes effective vehicles for instruction, discusses where to find popular memes and GIFs which resonate with students and methods of how they can be employed inside and outside the classroom to enhance instruction, and offers tips regarding best practices

The Constant Innovator: A New Organizational Mode of Experimentation

Libraries should function more like Google, institutionalizing and rewarding time spent experimenting with and inventing new programs or products that could improve library services and replace what our vendors currently offer. This chapter envisions concrete ways that libraries might embrace the 20% rule and become more proactive

Online Learning Through LibGuides for English Language Learners: A Case Study and Best Practices

Many of the international students in the U.S. first experience American education through English language programs, so the cultural norms taught by these programs are vital to the academic success of these students: without them, students struggle to recognize plagiarism in their writing, find reliable sources, and more, resulting in lower grades and honor code sanctions including expulsion. Librarians are uniquely equipped to meet this instructional need. This chapter introduces best practices for making the most of these opportunities for significant impact via Springshare\u27s LibGuides platform