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1 – 10 of 12Christopher M. Bacon, Dustin Mulvaney, Tamara B. Ball, E. Melanie DuPuis, Stephen R. Gliessman, Ronnie D. Lipschutz and Ali Shakouri
The purpose of this paper is to share the content and early results from an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum that integrates theory and practice (praxis). The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to share the content and early results from an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum that integrates theory and practice (praxis). The curriculum links new topical courses concerning renewable energy, food, water, engineering and social change with specialized labs that enhance technological and social‐institutional sustainability literacy and build team‐based project collaboration skills.
Design/methodology/approach
In responses to dynamic interest emerging from university students and society, scholars from Environmental Studies, Engineering, Sociology, Education and Politics Departments united to create this curriculum. New courses and labs were designed and pre‐existing courses were “radically retrofitted” and more tightly integrated through co‐instruction and content. The co‐authors discuss the background and collaborative processes that led to the emergence of this curriculum and describe the pedagogy and results associated with the student projects.
Findings
Interdisciplinary student teams developed innovative projects with both campus and community‐based partners. However, the incentives for an integrated sustainability curriculum faced persistent obstacles including the balkanization of academic knowledge, university organizational structure, and the need for additional human and financial investments. The team is currently designing the second phase of this integration and expanding a social learning network through collaborations with five universities in the Americas and Europe.
Originality/value
This paper shows the development process, design and content of an interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum that integrates engineering with the social and ecological sciences while enlivening campus‐community relationships through student projects. Several replicable practices include the contents and integration of topical classes, the strategies to overcome the obstacles for developing interdisciplinary student teams engaged in problem‐based learning and approaches to negotiate institutional hurdles.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore how library reference departments and writing centers have extended their services to reach audiences beyond their respective locations…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how library reference departments and writing centers have extended their services to reach audiences beyond their respective locations, and to analyze the experiences of one university in collaboration between the two entities. The aim is to provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of two approaches toward collaboration: that of a reference librarian holding office hours in a writing center, and writing center consultants providing service hours within the library.
Design/methodology/approach
Reference/consultation logs and input from participating consultants and librarians are utilized to explore the usage and effectiveness of the two collaborative approaches.
Findings
Analyzing student participation in the library and writing center services indicate that, while students are not likely to seek library reference services in the writing center, they appreciate having writing consultation services available within the library at times when the writing center is not open. Observation also suggests that students use services differently at the two locations, preferring extended interactions at the writing center where hour‐long consultations are customary.
Practical implications
This work conveys first hand experiences and makes suggestions regarding scheduling, staffing, equipment, and publicity.
Originality/value
Little has been written about the feasibility and practical implications of writing center consultants working within libraries.
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Sinead Earley, Thomas Daae Stridsland, Sarah Korn and Marin Lysák
Climate change poses risks to society and the demand for carbon literacy within small and medium-sized enterprises is increasing. Skills and knowledge are required for…
Abstract
Purpose
Climate change poses risks to society and the demand for carbon literacy within small and medium-sized enterprises is increasing. Skills and knowledge are required for organizational greenhouse gas accounting and science-based decisions to help businesses reduce transitional risks. At the University of Copenhagen and the University of Northern British Columbia, two carbon management courses have been developed to respond to this growing need. Using an action-based co-learning model, students and business are paired to quantify and report emissions and develop climate plans and communication strategies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper draws on surveys of businesses that have partnered with the co-learning model, designed to provide insight on carbon reductions and the impacts of co-learning. Data collected from 12 respondents in Denmark and 19 respondents in Canada allow for cross-institutional and international comparison in a Global North context.
Findings
Results show that while co-learning for carbon literacy is welcomed, companies identify limitations: time and resources; solution feasibility; governance and reporting structures; and communication methods. Findings reveal a need for extension, both forwards and backwards in time, indicating that the collaborations need to be lengthened and/or intensified. Balancing academic requirements detracts from usability for businesses, and while municipal and national policy and emission targets help generate a general societal understanding of the issue, there is no concrete guidance on how businesses can implement operational changes based on inventory results.
Originality/value
The research brings new knowledge to the field of transitional climate risks and does so with a focus on both small businesses and universities as important co-learning actors in low-carbon transitions. The comparison across geographies and institutions contributes an international solution perspective to climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
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Follett's relational process theory illuminates key aspects of interdependence among organizations in the field of education that are essential to fostering capacities for…
Abstract
Purpose
Follett's relational process theory illuminates key aspects of interdependence among organizations in the field of education that are essential to fostering capacities for interorganizational resilience. The article argues for the necessity of developing mutualism in systems of education as essential preparation for times of instability and crisis, as demonstrated through recent experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
This article provides an introduction to the relational process theory of Mary Parker Follett, a foundational theorist of organizing and administration. This theoretical review uses worked examples drawn from a collaborative, continuous improvement partnership focused on educational leadership preparation and development.
Findings
The author identifies four aspects of Follett's theory that connect most directly to collaborative, continuous improvement partnerships. These include mutualism as circular response, coactive power, embrace of difference through constructive conflict and integrating experience through learning. The article discusses how these offer an integrated framework of foundational concepts for nurturing and sustaining educational systems capable of adaptive change in the face of complex challenges.
Originality/value
Follett's relational process theory offers a perspective on partnering as a dynamic and evolving constellation of interactions and activity. The implications of Follett's core ideas for education resonate beyond improvement partnerships and offer guidance at all levels of educational systems seeking to orient towards an evolutionary logic.
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Robert Detmering, Anna Marie Johnson, Claudene Sproles, Samantha McClellan and Rosalinda Hernandez Linares
This paper aims to provide an introductory overview and selected annotated bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy across all library…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide an introductory overview and selected annotated bibliography of recent resources on library instruction and information literacy across all library types.
Design/methodology/approach
It introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2014.
Findings
It provides information about each source, discusses the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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This paper seeks to determine common and unique activities, promotional methods, time management strategies, and best practices of academic librarians embedded in online courses…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to determine common and unique activities, promotional methods, time management strategies, and best practices of academic librarians embedded in online courses at six institutions.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a mixed methods study using both interviews and quantitative data to study the activities and experiences of embedded librarians at six institutions.
Findings
The librarians and faculty involved in the embedded services reported unexpected benefits to the service. However, experiences with managing the time required for embedding along with regular reference duties varied, and scaling up the service from a few courses to a regular library service caused staffing issues for a few institutions.
Research limitations/implications
This study was exploratory by nature and thus its scope was limited. Because only six institutions were studied, it is difficult to determine the true state of embedded librarianship in the USA. Future research should build on the foundation to determine outcomes for which embedded service is best suited and perform cost‐benefit analyses.
Practical implications
Because embedded services can become popular quickly, individual librarians should work with library administrators to determine whether staffing a full‐scale service will be possible and plan accordingly. If a full‐scale service is not feasible, the service scope may need to be limited (for instance, to core courses or to specific academic departments).
Originality/value
Past research on embedded librarianship has been limited to single institutions or to purposes and outcomes of the service. This paper provides a comparative study of embedded librarians at six institutions, and concentrates on the librarian's experience at each.
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Allison Earl, Robert VanWynsberghe, Pierre Walter and Timothy Straka
This paper aims to present an interpretive case study in education for sustainability (EfS) that applies VanWynsberghe and Herman’s (2015, 2016) adaptive education as pedagogy…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present an interpretive case study in education for sustainability (EfS) that applies VanWynsberghe and Herman’s (2015, 2016) adaptive education as pedagogy. Dewey’s theory of behaviour change is applied to educative experiences based on habit disruption and real-world learning, leading to creativity in the formation of new habits. The programme presented inverts dominant conceptions of knowledge to design innovative sustainability pedagogy. Instead knowledge resides alongside experience, cases, intuition, advice, experimentation and dialogue in the individual and collective effort to address daily sustainability challenges.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reports on the outcomes of an interpretive case study (Merriam, 1998) of a higher education programme in sustainability pedagogy. It presents a series of reflections by instructors and participants in discussing the programme’s relationship with the core themes of habit, disruption, creative action and dialogue framed within the five features of adaptive education: stakeholders, real-world learning, off campus, transdisciplinarity and non-traditional rewards.
Findings
Through this examination, the authors found that adaptive education offered a pedagogy that simultaneously addressed the need for increased sustainability knowledge, whilst inverting its dominance. As a long-term project, the extent of the programme’s impact will be evident beyond the programme’s completion.
Research limitations/implications
This interpretive case study is analysed through high-level conceptual and theoretical aspects of the pedagogy rather than the particularities of the case. By putting the centrality of knowledge into question, the authors are advocating for a more experimental role for higher education in its teaching and learning. These questions are broadly applicable.
Social implications
There are research, learning and social benefits to this programme. Adaptive education builds capacity for future leaders and educators of sustainability.
Originality/value
The paper concludes with a discussion for further theorizing and research on adaptive education and EfS in higher education. This research will contribute to broader discussions of the evolving role of education in sustainability.
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This article aims to look at the transformational changes occurring in Australian postsecondary education and libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to look at the transformational changes occurring in Australian postsecondary education and libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
Discusses transformational changes occurring in Australian postsecondary education and libraries.
Findings
The greatest threat to librarianship is people's own attitude towards change.
Originality/value
Provides a discussion on surviving change.
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Kirsten Kinsley, Leslie Brooke Hill and Daniel Maier-Katkin
The purpose of this article was to describe a university library instruction and research model that represents a collaborative effort between faculty, libraries, and the campus…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article was to describe a university library instruction and research model that represents a collaborative effort between faculty, libraries, and the campus reading writing center. It uses rigorous research methods to measure whether the classroom intervention impacts student perceptions and success outcomes.
Design/methodology/approach
Longitudinal, mixed-methods approach that attempts to measure the outcome of an experimental class that uses precision (exact) matching to control for extraneous variables that impact student success and a survey to measure student perceptions.
Findings
Librarians can benefit by collaborating with faculty to learn more rigorous research methods. Precision (exact) matching a control group with an experimental group is time-intensive, but easily replicated. Preliminary results are very promising for both the precision matching and the survey data. It appears that students are able to learn critical thinking, research and writing skills from the collaboration between discipline-specific faculty, librarians and reading writing center tutors.
Research limitations/implications
Precision (exact) matching a control group with an experimental group is time-intensive. Thus, the results need to be viewed cautiously due to the small sample size.
Practical implications
Combining efforts to conduct collaborative research and instruction between libraries and faculty can provide resources for applications of the model with other disciplines.
Originality/value
The library-intensive freshman writing seminar is a unique approach to student learning and an easy way for the library to be actively integrated in other disciplines. The precision matching technique is a methodologically rigorous research design that easy to replicate in other locations and with other disciplines.
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