Today’s web-based search engines perform well when searchers know what they are looking for, but fall short for learning, decision making, and other complex mental activities that take place over time.
In its March issue, Computer, the IEEE Computer Society’s flagship magazine, explores efforts by the research community and search engine companies to go beyond search, designing and implementing systems that meet information seekers’ broader requirements.
According to the guest editors, today’s search engines are augmenting our memories, presumably freeing us to focus more mental effort on interpreting and using information to learn and make decisions. The easier access to information becomes, the greater our expectations for ubiquitous access in all kinds of situations.
Read the March issue of Computer: http://libcat.qut.edu.au/search~S7?/tComputer/tcomputer/1%2C418%2C478%2CB/frameset&FF=tcomputer&2%2C%2C2
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/infolitscitech.cfm
Science, engineering, and technology disciplines require that students demonstrate competency not only in written assignments and research papers but also in unique areas such as experimentation, laboratory research, and mechanical drawing.
The objective is to provide a set of standards that can be used by science and engineering/technology educators, in the context of their institution’s mission, to help guide their information literacy-related instruction and to assess student progress.
The field of mathematics is not included in the standards. Based on the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education, five standards and twenty-five performance indicators were developed for information literacy in Science & Engineering/Technology. Each performance indicator is accompanied by one or more outcomes for assessing the progress toward information literacy of students of science and engineering or technology at all levels of higher education.
Academic Skills Advisors at QUT developed an online epository of tuto-rials, workshops, videos, web resources to assist your students in their study and assessment at QUT.
Access Studywell via URL :
http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=community&url=/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_56843_1
or go to the QUT Library web-page> Contact us> Academic Skills Advisors>”Studywell”
The 2008 edition of the _ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology_ that was released this week includes extensive data and analyses on the use of Social Networking Sites and Services by Higher Ed Citizens.
The ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, 2008 (ID: ERS0808)
Gail Salaway (EDUCAUSE) and Judith Borreson Caruso (University of Wisconsin-Madison) /With: Mark R. Nelson (NACS) / Introduction by: Nicole Ellison (Michigan State University)
Documents Contributed by ECAR, Research Studies (10/21/2008)
Abstract: This 2008 ECAR research study is a longitudinal extension of the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 ECAR studies of students and information technology. The study is based on quantitative data from a spring 2008 survey of 27,317 freshmen and seniors at 90 four-year institutions and eight two-year institutions; student focus groups that included input from 75 students at four institutions; and analysis of qualitative data from 5,877 written responses to open-ended questions.
Congratulations to Amanda Spink of FIT
A paper by Professor Amanda Spink (QUT) and Dr. Chery Dee (South Florida University) is Highly Commended Winner at the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2007. The paper is – Spink, A., & Dee, C. (2007). Cognitive shifts related to interactive information retrieval: A replication study. Online Information Review, 31(6), 845-860.
Read it here: www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/14684520710841801
As Semester 1 2008 draws nearer…
If you would like us to assist with any Information Literacy components in your units in Semester 1, please let us know. I am able to help by assisting with development of information literacy resources for lecturers’ own use during classes, or by delivering the information literacy components myself in collaboration with lecturers. For more information about Information Literacy at QUT and how the Library can help (including generic cross-Faculty classes and online tutorials), please see the following web page:www.library.qut.edu.au/acad
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