Loughborough University Library: Open Journals
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Conducting Educational Research: A primer for teachers and administrators
Get PDFIn their ways, teaching and learning to research and to
design have their similarities. There is no single approach
nor are there ‘right ways’ to research or design so there is
the challenge, for teacher and learner alike, of striking a
balance between, on the one hand, too little structure and
guidance and, on the other, too much
When Two Conferences Meet…Perspectives on Learning in Design and Technology Education
Get PDFThere is always so much to be gained from a conference
that I’m rather puzzled by those who are quick to write
them off. Perhaps they have expectations that can’t be
realised or they don’t do their homework. Some folk write
off conferences wholesale – seeing them as so much hot
air, or perks, or irrelevant. It seems to me that, at least in
education where our game must be one of continuous
reflection and improvement, they are invaluable. In the
case of Design and Technology Education, I would go
further and say that they are a necessity
Evidence-based practice: a mind-altering substance. A blended learning course teaching information literacy for substance use prevention work.
Get PDFPurpose: This paper describes the rationale and philosophy behind the development of a blended learning course for allied health professionals working in the field of substance use prevention and the results of an evaluation of the pilot course.
The course teaches a range of information literacy skills in order to increase the participants’ knowledge of evidence-based practice and enable them to pursue an evidence-based approach in their professional work. The course Evidence-based Substance Use Prevention and Education Practice was developed and delivered by the National Documentation Centre on Drug Use (NDC), a special substance-use research library in Ireland, where the author works. The NDC is part of a drug and alcohol research unit, comprising epidemiologists, social researchers and statisticians. This unit is based in an Irish Government agency called the Health Research Board (HRB).
Method: Data required for the evaluation of the pilot course were obtained from responses by participants to pre- and post-course questionnaires and from a focus group of some of those who completed the course.
Findings: The course was established on the premise that the effective transfer of scientific knowledge in the field of problem drug use requires that practitioners develop information literacy skills to enable them to understand the principles of evidence-based practice. The findings of the course evaluation suggest that blended learning course in evidence-based practice is an effective way to teach these skills and promote an evidence-based approach to practice in this area.
Originality: Developing information literacy skills is a key part of the inculcation of evidence-based principles in medical education and in the education of allied health professionals. The teaching of information literacy skills to students involved in health-related education has been studied extensively. The course described in this paper builds on the evidence provided by the literature and applies the principles of information literacy teaching in a setting of continuing professional development. In terms of its scope, target audience and objectives, the course is unique and the insights obtained from the delivery of the course and its evaluation form a useful and original contribution to research in this area
The search for the Skunk Ape: studying the impact of an online information literacy tutorial on student writing
Get PDFThis paper examines the impact of an online information literacy tutorial on source selection, evaluation, and use in essays written by English Composition students. More than 250 students participated in this research, and the essays written by a sample of 60 students are examined. Citation analysis is used first to determine the average number of citations per paper, frequency of source/format type, currency and authority of sources, frequency and length of in-text citations, and frequency of correctly formatted in-text and end-of text documentation. Textual analysis is used second to determine which essays have more frequent, correctly-formatted intext citations, more paraphrases and summaries of their sources, fewer long quotes, and more source variety, among others. The results of this analysis suggest that online information literacy instruction may increase the number of sources that students locate and use. The textual analysis in this study also highlighted some deficiencies in students’ citation practices, such as discrepancies between in-text citations and sources listed in bibliographies, and these problems were present despite information literacy instruction. These results point out areas of instruction, such as integrating sources into writing, to be improved upon in future versions of the online tutorial. The findings offered here should help information literacy professionals planning to develop online tutorials hone the content of the programmes
Book Review of Ruthven, I. and Kelly, D. (eds). (2011). Interactive information seeking, behaviour and retrieval. London: Facet
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Connecting Domains in Concept-Context Learning: A model to analyse education situations
Get PDFThe use of context-concept education alongside existing
approaches is valuable. In this article we introduce a threedomain
model for concept-context learning that supports
both the design process as well as the idea of concept
learning. The model shows how practical and abstract
knowledge should be combined to improve contextconcept
learning. The model acknowledges the dual nature
of products and the need to relate practical, concrete
experiences to causal explanations. It distinguishes three
domains: the social context, the concrete product and the
abstract knowledge domain. Here, the model is used to
analyze, explain and suggest improvements for training
primary school teachers in the Netherlands. The research
data from the in-service teacher training show how
continuous movement between the three domains is
needed to develop creative, socially relevant solutions. The
training would be better aimed towards the needs of the
learner if the connection between the theory, concrete
experiences with products and the social context is made
more visible and inviting
Book Review of Blanchett, H., Powis, C., and Webb, J. (2011). A guide to teaching information literacy: 101 practical tips. London: Facet.
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