Using an Interactive Online Tutorial to Expand Library Instruction

This article presents the design and assessment of an online, interactive, information literacy tutorial for first-year composition students at a community college. The objective of the tutorial was to use technology to teach basic research skills effectively, thereby extending the staff-limited reach of in-person information literacy programs. The tutorial used different types of interactivity to promote student learning in an online environment. Interface design and e-learning best practices enhanced the user experience and usability of the tutorial. Through sound pedagogical and design principles, students exhibited learning in all areas.     

Power up! Using Digital Gaming Techniques to Enhance Library Instruction

ABSTRACT

Incorporating digital gaming into education is an increasingly popular topic in academia. Educators’ views of digital gaming (e.g., computer, video, and online games) have shifted from categorizing these games as an entertaining, yet pedagogically void activity to a promising medium that engages students in the learning process. With over 70% of college students enthusiastically playing digital games, educators are tapping into digital gaming as an effective means to teach millennials problem solving and communication skills. This article investigates gamer characteristics, motivational and engaging aspects of digital games, and the parallels between gaming and the information retrieval process. The authors build on this information to present approaches to incorporate digital gaming techniques into the library classroom since it is not feasible for all libraries to create instructional digital games.     

Using Prezi to Structure Online Videos for Information Literacy Instruction: A Case Study

This case study describes how librarians at Radford University use Prezi, a free, cloud-based, online presentation software, as a platform to structure the content of short online videos focused on various research skills. By utilizing Prezi's flexible formatting, templates, and panning and zooming features, librarians are able to visually illustrate the relationships between varying concepts. This article discusses the online video creation process, best practices, and lessons learned from delivering structured information literacy instruction in the video medium.     

“I'm a Visual Learner so I like this”: Investigating Student and Faculty Tutorial Preferences

Online tutorials are useful for reinforcing information literacy concepts addressed in library instruction. A wide range of tutorial types cater to different learning styles and feature varying levels of interactivity. In this study, students and faculty reported experiences using two types of tutorials teaching basic search strategies—an interactive tutorial, and a video tutorial. Although both groups favored the video, faculty were split about which tutorial they would rather assign, a discrepancy suggesting questions about how tutorial developers should balance user preferences with learning needs. These findings provide valuable insights for librarians and instructional designers considering creating information literacy tutorials.     

数据融合中态势估计的知识基黑板模型实现

首先论述了态势估计的功能结构及其推理模式;然后提出了一种用于数据融合中态势评估部分的分级多层黑板模型;讨论了该模型的体系结构及实现方法;最后指出该模型能够满足普遍的高层数据融合的需要。     

Intelligent tutorial system based on personalized system of instruction to teach or remind mathematical concepts

The growth of the higher education population and different school paths to access an academic degree has increased the heterogeneity of students inside the classroom. Consequently, the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods has reduced. This paper describes the design, development, implementation and evaluation of a tutoring system (TS) to improve student's engagement in higher mathematics. The TS design was based on the Personalized System of Instruction of the Mastery Learning pedagogical approach and can be implemented in any higher education course with mathematics needs. The TS consists on small self‐paced modularized units of educational contents, including tutorial videos, notes and formative e‐assessment with personalized feedback. The TS ensures that the student is only allowed to proceed to the next unit after he or she achieves the required mastery criterion of the current unit. The TS was implemented in the Quantitative Methods course of an undergraduate degree and received good acceptance from students. It was also recognized that TS contributed to learning and engagement with the discipline. Through an experimental research experience, it has been shown that the imposition of restrictions on the advance to the next level by a mastery criterion leads to a significant improvement in student's engagement and performance.     

Guide on the Side: Testing the Tool and the Tutorials

Guide-on-the-Side (GOTS) open source software is emerging as a popular new platform for library tutorials. Unlike video tutorials, GOTS tutorials provide an active learning experience for students. This research sought to determine student preference for passive video screencast tutorials versus interactive GOTS tutorials. In addition, the study compared creation time for GOTS versus video screencast tutorials, an important consideration in the adoption of this technology. Findings suggest that students are evenly split on tutorial preference, largely based on their individual learning styles. Furthermore, results showed that GOTS tutorials take significantly longer to create than simple screencasts, but may save time in the long-run because they are easily edited.     

移动信息技术与物理实验教学整合的研究和实践

为了解决物理实验课程教学中存在的诸多问题,利用移动信息技术和网络手段,制作物理实验预习视频,编写实验数据诊断软件,整合现有的教学资源,实现利用移动终端随时随地的在线学习。学生实验学习的兴趣明显提高,教学效果显著提升。     

From Cameras to Camtasia

SUMMARY

Librarians are always looking for new and innovative ways of delivering content to their users. Camtasia Studio, a screen capture program, offers a simple, low-cost alternative to live video when it comes to creating streaming audio and video content. Following up on a 2001 article in Computers in Libraries, the author compares his experiences using Camtasia Studio to his original experience using live video. He determines that Camtasia offers similar functionality with less equipment and lower cost than the traditional method.     

Using U‐Pace instruction to improve the academic performance of economically disadvantaged undergraduates

This study was undertaken to evaluate whether the student success associated with the U‐Pace instructional approach, which integrates mastery‐based learning with proactive instructor support in an online learning environment, would replicate for both economically disadvantaged students and students who are not economically disadvantaged. Undergraduates were enrolled in U‐Pace (intervention) or comparison sections of a gateway course at two universities with different learning management systems. Course content was held constant. At both universities, intervention students earned a significantly greater percentage of objectively determined final grades of A or B. This academic success was found for both economically disadvantaged intervention students and intervention students who were not economically disadvantaged. Improvement from the beginning to the end of the semester in intervention students' rate of mastering concepts was found at University 1, but not at University 2. The assessment of learning conducted at University 1, independent of final course grades, showed that intervention students scored significantly higher on the proctored cumulative exam than comparison students. Findings suggest that the U‐Pace instructional intervention holds promise for increasing the success of undergraduates regardless of economic status.     

Creating a Library Resources Tool for WebCT

ABSTRACT

The distinct lack of a designated place for library resources to plug into some of the most popular course-management system packages available is a problem that many academic libraries currently face. This article provides an example for academic librarians and other educational service providers to create simple portable learning modules of resources for implementation in WebCT, a popular course management system.     

Exorcising the Ghost from the Machine: Confronting Obstacles to Critical Thinking Through Library Instruction

ABSTRACT

Challenges to the process of thinking critically about information resources abound in the electronic environment. As the proliferation of sites on the World Wide Web increases, more and more librarians and educators are faced with the daunting task of instructing users in the scholarly applications of the Web. These obstacles to critical thinking include the mystery of computing technologies, the seduction of the user by various aspects of the technology, and the perplexity or confusion caused by the sensation of being overwhelmed by information. Through the examination of these obstacles in the instruction setting and using tool analysis to demystify these obstacles, the student will receive a clearer view of the information landscape that he/she has begun to explore.     

Using a Murder Mystery to Teach Evaluation Skills: A Case Study

Evaluation of sources and information is an important part of information literacy and the research process. Evaluation skills and their application to daily life might be reduced to a checklist in a one-shot lesson or a semester-long information literacy class. To demonstrate the transferability of evaluation skills, one teaching librarian created an active-learning, online murder mystery to engage students. Instructors have established using games as an active-learning lesson in the face-to-face classroom. A murder mystery game challenges students to evaluate information from the course, verify the information using online searches, and demonstrate critical thinking skills in the context of a game. This case study explains the rationale of using such a game in an online, semester-long class, the process of creating the mystery, and its benefits in the virtual classroom.     

使用取指策略控制同时多线程处理器中个体线程的性能

当前,对同时多线程(Si multaneous Multithreading,SMT)处理器取指策略的研究大都集中在总体性能的优化上.文中提出一种新颖的SMT处理器取指策略(Controlling Performance of Individual Thread,CPIT),用于控制个体线程的执行.结果表明,对于模拟的所有负载,CPIT在94%以上的情况下都能保证受控线程获得期望性能.而对于失败的情况,受控线程的平均性能偏差不超过1.25%.此外,CPIT策略对处理器总体性能的影响并不大.与ICOUNT这种以优化性能为目标的取指策略相比,总体性能的平均降低不超过3%,而除受控线程外的其他线程的性能平均只降低了1.75%.     

利用学习向量化样本分类的在线学习成绩预测

对网络在线学习者产生的数据进行记录和分析,并为其提供精准化的个性化服务是在线教育发展的重要方面.本文以学习者在平台上产生的日常学习数据为样本,综合其最具代表性的五种影响因子,通过学习向量化神经网络对样本进行分类,得到基于BP神经网络的在线学习成绩预测数据.在模型中采用遗传算法有效优化BP神经网络的权重和阈值,在提高预测精度的同时加快模型的收敛速度.最后与其他两种模型进行对比分析,结果表明：该模型进行预测的结果与真实的成绩分布基本一致,具有很高的可信度,能够为有效的预测学习状态提供决策依据,具有一定的工程应用价值.     

等级考试与医疗信息管理系统结合提高计算机基础教学的针对性

为了使医学院校计算机教学适应当前的发展形势，结合学生就业后的任职需要，把等级考试、医疗信息管理系统的应用加入到计算机基础教学的内容中，使学生掌握自主学习软件的能力，以及职称晋升时计算机考试的需要，提高了计算机教学的针对性。     

The Design and Assessment of a Proposed Library Training Unit for Education Graduate Students

This article presents the design and assessment of a proposed library training unit for education graduate students. A literature review of graduate students’ information-seeking behavior and training initiatives supports the selection of the course content as well as the assessment of student learning. In addition, research on behaviorist and constructivist learning theories and related instructional design strategies directed the development of the learning environment. The proposal represents a collaborative effort between an institution's librarian and a department faculty member in a required Ethics and Laws in Education class for beginning students. The objectives for the pilot project were to teach students how to use scholarly resources, to mirror the Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Information Literacy Competencies, and to include hands-on database demonstrations as well as inquiry-based learning exercises. The learning environment supports students’ diverse learning styles and offers opportunities to utilize technology, underscoring its importance to information use and especially to libraries in the digital era.     

基于SCORM的学习行为采集模型的设计与实现

文章分析了现有网络教学管理系统在学习者信息描述尤其是学习行为采集、评估方面的不足,并以国家“网络教学关键技术及示范工程”——网络教学管理系统为背景,基于SCORM规范犤1犦,提出了网络教学管理平台上的学习者模型及其学习行为采集、分析、质量评估方案,并阐述了如何利用SOAP、XML等技术设计和实现该方案。     

在线学习视频索引与检索方法

针对交互式的多媒体学习系统的特点,提出了一种基于自然语言的方法来实现基于内容的视频检索,用户可以用自然语言和系统进行交互,从而方便快捷地找到自己想要的视频片段.该方法集成了自然语言处理、实体名提取,基于帧的索引以及信息检索等技术,从而使系统能够处理用户提出的自然语言问题,根据问题构建简洁明了的问题模板,用问题模板与系统中已建的描述视频的模板进行匹配,从而降低了视频检索问题的复杂度,提高了系统的易用性.     

基于专业体系的网络教学资源模型SLRM

教学资源建设是教育信息化的基础.为描述网络教学资源的通用框架和层次结构并实现自然语义查询,在借鉴SCORM模型的基础上,提出了基于专业体系的网络教学资源模型SLRM.该模型对实现网络教学资源的数据共事、提高网络教学资源检索的效率、方便用户的使用等方面都有一定的促进作用.