Web Usability Before And After Resource Discovery

This session will discuss performing usability studies of library websites and Resource Discovery systems. The presentation will cover how the studies were conducted with a minimal budget and with almost no equipment. The interaction between the search widget on the library home page for the Resource Discovery system, Primo will be discussed in the frame of the “one stop shop” model. An analysis of the task completion rate for specific tasks will also be shared with the attendees. A discussion of changes to the resource discovery interface to improve usability will be highlighted. Suggestions for both conducting usability studies as well as areas for further research will be shared with the participants

Use of Action Research in Nursing Education

. Purpose. The purpose of this article is to describe action research in nursing education and to propose a definition of action research for providing guidelines for research proposals and criteria for assessing potential publications for nursing higher education. Methods. The first part of this project involved a search of the literature on action research in nursing higher education from 1994 to 2013. Searches were conducted in the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Applying the criteria identified, 80 publications were reviewed. The second part of the project involved a literature review of action research methodology from several disciplines to assist in assessing articles in this review. Results. This article summarizes the nursing higher education literature reviewed and provides processes and content related to four topic areas in nursing higher education. The descriptions assist researchers in learning more about the complexity of both the action research process and the varied outcomes. The literature review of action research in many disciplines along with the review of action research in higher education provided a framework for developing a nursing-educationcentric definition of action research. Conclusions. Although guidelines for developing action research and criteria for publication are suggested, continued development of methods for synthesizing action research is recommended

Study Log

Web-based log for tracking study hours for student-members of Greek organizations (fraternities and sororities), created as a class project for Web Programming class at Indiana University, spring semester of 2009

Tending a Wild Garden: Library Web Design for Persons with Disabilities

Nearly one-fifth of Americans have some form of disability, and accessibility guidelines and standards that apply to libraries are complicated, unclear, and difficult to achieve. Understanding how persons with disabilities access Web-based content is critical to accessible design. Recent research supports the use of a database-driven model for library Web development. Existing technologies offer a variety of tools to meet disabled patrons’ needs, and resources exist to assist library professionals in obtaining and evaluating product accessibility information from vendors. Librarians in charge of technology can best serve these patrons by proactively updating and adapting services as assistive technologies improve

Study Log

Web-based log for tracking study hours for student-members of Greek organizations (fraternities and sororities), created as a class project for Web Programming class at Indiana University, spring semester of 2009

Taking Journal Clubs to the Next Level: Video Conferencing & Information Literacy

Our university recently purchased a subscription to BlueJeans, a cloud-based videoconferencing service that is compatible with all major computing platforms, including mobile devices. This new technology will allow a team of two librarians and a nursing faculty member to deliver a Nursing Journal Club as a continuing education course, thereby addressing the informatics competencies incorporated into nursing education. The course will consist of an information literacy session followed by four sessions with authors of the various articles teleconferencing in for part of the scholarly article discussion. Existing research on journal clubs has shown that they are effective in influencing individual nurses and healthcare providers’ perceptions of the value of medical research, as measured by informal questionnaires. This research project seeks to measure any increase in practicing nurses’ beliefs in the value of evidence-based practice (EBP) as measured by the EBP Beliefs Scale. This presentation will enumerate the challenges and benefits of using this software platform, as well as the initial findings of this ongoing research project

Use of Action Research in Nursing Education

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to describe action research in nursing education and to propose a definition of action research for providing guidelines for research proposals and criteria for assessing potential publications for nursing higher education. Methods. The first part of this project involved a search of the literature on action research in nursing higher education from 1994 to 2013. Searches were conducted in the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Applying the criteria identified, 80 publications were reviewed. The second part of the project involved a literature review of action research methodology from several disciplines to assist in assessing articles in this review. Results. This article summarizes the nursing higher education literature reviewed and provides processes and content related to four topic areas in nursing higher education. The descriptions assist researchers in learning more about the complexity of both the action research process and the varied outcomes. The literature review of action research in many disciplines along with the review of action research in higher education provided a framework for developing a nursing-education-centric definition of action research. Conclusions. Although guidelines for developing action research and criteria for publication are suggested, continued development of methods for synthesizing action research is recommended