Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Green Oa Day 2024 Toolkit, Usu Libraries, Erica Finch

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

This toolkit contains graphic assets; social media images for Facebook, Instagram, and X; and a PowerPoint template developed by Utah State University to promote green open access to faculty, staff, and students.

The Path Of Least Resistance: Optimizing Metadata Practices Through User Assessment, Andrea Payant, Liz Woolcott, Paul Daybell, Becky Skeen, Anna-Maria Arnljots

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

As part of a multi-faceted research project examining user engagement with various types of descriptive metadata to improve metadata services, Utah State University Libraries Cataloging and Metadata Services unit investigated user search behavior in library catalog (MARC) records, Encoded Archival Description (EAD) finding aids, and most recently in digital collection metadata. The authors used web log analysis to determine how users interacted with CONTENTdm, categories of search terms used, and where search terms were found in a record. Key findings included that navigation through CONTENTdm using clickable queries (links) is a prominent user search pattern, dates are an important faceting …

How Teachers Conceptualise Shared Control With An Ai Co-Orchestration Tool: A Multiyear Teacher-Centred Design Process, Luettamae Lawrence, Vanessa Echeverria, Kexin Yang, Vincent Aleven, Nikol Rummel

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance teachers' capabilities by sharing control over different parts of learning activities. This is especially true for complex learning activities, such as dynamic learning transitions where students move between individual and collaborative learning in un-planned ways, as the need arises. Yet, few initiatives have emerged considering how shared responsibility between teachers and AI can support learning and how teachers' voices might be included to inform design decisions. The goal of our article is twofold. First, we describe a secondary analysis of our co-design process comprising six design methods to understand how teachers conceptualise sharing control with …

How Co-Designing Computational Modeling Activities Helped Teachers Implement Responsive Teaching Strategies, Hillary Swanson, Luettamae Lawrence, Jared Arnell, Allisia Dawkins, Bonni Jones, Bruce Sherin, Uri Wilensky

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In recent years, science education has shifted focus, from content to practice. This is reflected in the NGSS, which advocate learning science concepts through engagement in science and engineering practices. Theory building is a central activity of science and computational modeling is a key practice through which contemporary scientists construct theory. In this paper, we discuss an 8th grade science teacher's implementation of a computational modeling lesson. The teacher had co-designed the computational modeling microworld and lesson with the research team over the preceding summers. We investigate the teacher's activity during a whole-class discussion near the end of the lesson, …

Understanding Computational Thinking In The Gameplay Of The African Songo Board Game, Rebecca Y. Bayeck

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Computational thinking is a necessary skill for the 21st century. While previously examined in computer-rich settings, researchers are increasingly studying computational thinking in unplugged environments such as board games. Focusing on the African board game Songo, this study shows that computational thinking practices are embedded in Songo board gameplay and interact with the cultural context. The study also reveals a computing practice peculiar to Songo gameplay, songoputation. This paper suggests that researchers can benefit from exploring computational thinking and computing practices beyond board games in western contexts.

Supporting And Sustaining Equitable Steam Activities In High School Classrooms: Understanding Computer Science Teachers’ Needs And Practices When Implementing An E-Textiles Curriculum To Forge Connections Across Communities, Deborah A. Fields, Yasmin B. Kafai

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

While the last two decades have seen an increased interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) in K-12 schools, few efforts have focused on the teachers and teaching practices necessary to support these interventions. Even fewer have considered the important work that teachers carry out not just inside classrooms but beyond the classroom walls to sustain such STEAM implementation efforts, from interacting with administrators to recruiting students and persuading parents about the importance of arts and computer science. In order to understand teachers’ needs and practices regarding STEAM implementation, in this paper, we focus on eight experienced computer …

Orcid Toolkit For Liaison Librarians, Erica Finch

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

This ORCID Toolkit is intended for use primarily by liaison librarians and others who may engage in outreach to researchers or answer general questions about ORCID. It includes presentation materials, handouts, email templates, and FAQs.

Strengthening Your (Dublin) Core For Stronger User Discoverability (And Possibly Abs), Andrea Payant, Paul Daybell, Liz Woolcott, Becky Skeen

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Utah State University Libraries Cataloging and Metadata Services unit investigated user search behavior using web log analysis to determine how users interacted with CONTENTdm, which categories of search terms were used, and where search terms were found in a metadata record. This presentation will discuss the key findings from data analysis and how this will influence metadata practices to improve digital collection user experience.

Library After Hours: Reinventing The First-Year Experience, One Epic Party At A Time, Katie Strand, Niki Fullmer, Paul Daybell

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

What if we could transform student perceptions of the academic library in one night? Our library orientations may be the key to changing the library image from that of a stuffy and intimidating place to a hub for exploration, creativity, and fun. This presentation will highlight how one institution threw out the rule book on the traditional library orientation, trading in our tired PowerPoints and scavenger hunts for laser tag and escape rooms, to give students a night to remember. Presenters will share details about the planning, execution, and assessment of an after-hours library event attended by 1,500 first-year students.

We're Bringing Spacers Back: Secondary Processing At Utah State University Archives, Kelly Rovegno, Heather Housley, Paul Daybell, Becky Skeen

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Processing can be an iterative process but finding time and resources to re-evaluate existing collections is difficult, especially with backlogs and new acquisitions. However, secondary processing can greatly improve access, discoverability, and the physical condition of the materials. This session examines the process in which Utah State University Archives, as part of a larger cataloging project to modernize University began and carried out an evaluation of collections for secondary processing and rehousing.

It's Time For An Ead Glow Up! How To Make Finding Aids More Attractive To Users, Paul Daybell, Liz Woolcott, Kelly Rovegno, Andrea Payant, Becky Skeen, Heather Housley

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

USU Libraries investigated discoverability of local Encoded Archival Description (EAD) finding aids using different levels of description. The research team created two dueling finding aids of the same collection; one with an MPLP stripped down box level inventory, and the other with a more robust item level of description. Both finding aids were posted online simultaneously and left untouched for over a year. The data was then pulled and assessed for each collection with the more 'glowed up' item level finding aid being, on average, 61x more discoverable than the finding aids described at the file level. Presenters will discuss …

The Revised Dacs Principles In Action: Applying Modern Practice To Legacy Description, Ryan Lee, Rebecca A. Wiederhold, Becky Skeen, Paul Daybell, Heather Housley, Kelly Rovegno

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Since SAA revised DACS's archival description principles from 8 concepts into 11 reworked value statements in 2019, archivists have wondered how to incorporate the revised principles into existing description practices. Archivists from BYU and USU libraries have undertaken large projects on legacy collections informed by these principles. We invite attendees to learn from our experiences in implementing current DACS principles while grappling with less-than-ideal records. BYU will describe a project to revise the description of a significant collection of Mesoamerican materials after discovering the finding aid had serious problems introduced by previous revisions by archivists. USU will describe an undertaking …

Is Microethnography An Ethnographic Case Study? And/Or A Mini-Ethnographic Case Study? An Analysis Of The Literature, Rebecca Y. Bayeck

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Selecting the research approach that addresses the research question is often challenging for novice researchers. However, getting a better understanding of the research approaches available in the field, is likely to help novice researchers identify and choose the research approach that fits their situation. In this paper, we discuss microethnography, ethnographic case study, and mini-ethnography case study in order to show that these approaches may have similarities but are different. The author hopes that this discussion will help researchers get a better understanding of these approaches and dissipate the confusion that may exist.

The Predictive Validity Of The Gre Across Graduate Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis Of Trends Over Time, David F. Feldon, Kaylee Litson, Brinleigh Cahoon, Zhang Feng, Andrew Walker, Colby Tofel-Grehl

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This meta-analysis assesses the predictive validity of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) across outcome variables, including grade point average, for graduate students. In addition to aggregate effects, this paper also assessed changes in observed effects over time as related to increasing diversity in the graduate student population and as a function of gender and racial/ethnic composition of study samples. Framed using a lens of critical whiteness, this analysis examined n = 1,744 individual effects across k = 208 studies. Overall, 61.6% of reported effects were nonsignificant (i.e. no predictive value of GRE scores on student outcomes). Further, the magnitude of …

To Be Or Not To Be A Publisher: Supporting Open Educational Resource (Oer) Development, Stephanie Western

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

This is a handout from ACRL 2023. It contains roundtable discussion questions regarding the trending landscape of open publishing and lists of resources to help participants make intentional choices about their role in OER development.

None Of Our Business: Critically Examining Power Dynamics And The Role Of Libraries In The Information Industry, Alex Sundt, Stephanie Western, Erica Finch, Becky Thoms

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Talk of the prestige economy is cheap, while open access and APCs are big business. Librarians dream of bolder action but are fearful of institutional backlash. How do we find a new path forward?

Green Oa Day Media Toolkit, Erica Finch, Kellianne Gammill

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

This media toolkit contains materials used by Utah State University to promote faculty and student involvement in green open access by encouraging them to submit their accepted papers to the institutional repository. The graphics in the toolkit are designed to attract attention and generate interest in the repository. The toolkit features graphics for different social media platforms, all of which incorporate the #GreenOADay hashtag.

Apcs And 123s: Estimating How Much Your Faculty Are Spending On Article Processing Charges., Erica Finch, Lindsay Ozburn, Becky L. Thoms

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Library Instructional E-Resources As Oer: Finding The Right Home, Erica Finch, Niki Fullmer, Stephanie Western

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

No abstract provided.

Designing Hybrid Human-Ai Orchestration Tools For Individual And Collaborative Activities: A Technology Probe Study, Vanessa Echeverria, Kexin Yang, Luettamae Lawrence, Nikol Rummel, Vincent Aleven

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Combining individual and collaborative learning is common, but dynamic combinations (which happen as-the-need arises, rather than in pre-planned ways, and may happen on an individual basis) are rare. This work reports findings from a technology probe study exploring alternative designs for classroom co-orchestration support for dynamically transitioning between individual and collaborative learning. The study involved 1) a technology-probe classroom study in an authentic, AI-supported classroom to understand teachers' and students' needs for co-orchestration support over dynamic transitions; and 2) workshops and interviews with students and teachers to get informed feedback about their lived experiences. 118 students and three teachers from …

"The Village That Learns": A Learning Journey Across Intraventions And Domains Over Two Decades In A Rural Thai Community, Deborah A. Fields, Luis Morales-Navarro, Paulo Blikstein

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

What does it mean to become a village that learns? In this paper we document the transformative learning journey of a small Thai village over 24 years, becoming a community that identified, tackled, and iterated on problems, altering their everyday practices and lives. In that process the village shifted from a subsistence agricultural community staggeringly in debt to one known for its sustainable environmental, agricultural, and financial initiatives. To understand the village’s learning journey, we consider the village itself as the primary unit of analysis, applying an iterative case study approach, with chronological sequencing, thematic, and biographical narrative analysis …

Optimizing A Library Website For Student Research: Comparing User Metrics Between Encore And Google Scholar, Lindsay Ozburn, Ryan Bushman, Kade Stevenson, Margaret Winward, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

The paper addresses the methods and general conclusions portion of an experiment that evaluated user preference and search experience using Google Scholar and Utah State University (USU) Libraries' Encore discovery layer as a starting point for research. USU's 2019 Ithaka S+R Faculty survey highlighted that our faculty utilize Google Scholar more as a starting point for their research. To triangulate these findings, the experiment attempts to identify which search methods undergraduates prefer.

Analyzing Discoverability In An Mplp World: How Levels Of Description Impact Findability, Anna-Maria Arnljots, Paul Daybell, Kurt Alan Meyer, Andrea Payant, Becky Skeen, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Libraries and archives have differing opinions on how much effort to put into content description. Yet, descriptive practices meant to reduce processing time and increase exposure to collections can have unintended impacts on long-term user discovery. This project tests minimal and full description to determine the effects on discoverability.

A Dashboard To Support Teachers During Students’ Self-Paced Ai-Supported Problem-Solving Practice, Vincent Aleven, Jori Blankestijn, Luettamae Lawrence, Tomohiro Nagashima, Niels Taatgen

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Past research has yielded ample knowledge regarding the design of analytics-based tools for teachers and has found beneficial effects of several tools on teaching and learning. Yet there is relatively little knowledge regarding the design of tools that support teachers when a class of students uses AI-based tutoring software for self-paced learning. To address this challenge, we conducted design-based research with 20 middle school teachers to create a novel real-time dashboard, Tutti, that helps a teacher monitor a class and decide which individual students to help, based on analytics from students’ tutoring software. Tutti is fully implemented and has been …

Positionality: The Interplay Of Space, Context And Identity, Rebecca Y. Bayeck

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article considers the way in which positionality shifts and is formed during a cross-cultural study to reveal the complexity of the insider-outsider status. As a researcher in a male-dominated game setting, I reflect on the research process and my interactions with participants to show the interplay of space, context, and identity in shaping a researcher’s status. I discuss the process of gaining access to the research site and participants, and data collection in relation to space, context, and identity. The interaction of my identities with space, and context informed my status at various moments. This interplay constructs a complex …

Level Down To Level Up: The Impact Of Item-Level Description On Finding Aid Discoverability, Paul Daybell, Andrea Payant, Becky Skeen, Liz Woolcott

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Utah State University Libraries Cataloging and Metadata Services unit investigated the discoverability of local Encoded Archival Description (EAD) finding aids using different levels of description. The research team created two nearly identical versions of the same finding aid for five collections and posted them online. The only difference in the finding aids was the level to which the collection contents were described. For each collection, one version of the finding aid was described at the file (box or folder) level and the other version was described at the item level. Over a year later the team pulled the analytics for …

Collective And Creative Learning To Enhance Interlibrary Loan, Lars Leon, Carol A. Kochan

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

The resource sharing community has a proud history of sharing knowledge through conferences, workshops, and online resources in support of training and development. People have enjoyed these opportunities and received various levels of benefit depending on access and whether instruction aligns with the methods they learn best. However, it is clear there aren't enough collective actions to meet the needs. We hosted a series of focus groups on training and development to find out from participants what has worked for them, what is still needed, how they learn best, and the types of training and information that will help them …

Media Moguls: Finding And Using Creative Commons Media In The Classroom, Erica Finch

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

Pictures, videos, music, and other types of media can help engage your class, but how do we find and use media in a way that sets a good example for students? As students navigate the confusing landscapes of copyright, citation, and media use in their course work, can we help them chart a path to success by engaging in practices they can emulate?

Creative Commons licenses make it easy to use media with confidence and avoid copyright pitfalls. This session will explore what Creative Commons licenses are, how they work, and how to find Creative Commons media. Come ready to …

Open Educational Resources: Wherever, Whenever, Forever, Stephanie Western

Library Faculty & Staff Presentations

"OER are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge." (William and Flora Hewlett Foundation)

A Tale Of Two Levels: Analyzing The Discoverability And Impact Of Item-Level Description In Ead Finding Aids, Paul Daybell, Andrea Payant, Liz Woolcott, Becky Skeen, Anna-Maria Arnljots, Kurt Alan Meyer

Library Faculty & Staff Publications

As part of a multi-faceted research project examining user engagement with various types of descriptive metadata, Utah State University Libraries Cataloging and Metadata Services unit (CMS) investigated the discoverability of local Encoded Archival Description (EAD) finding aids. The research team put two versions of the same finding aid online with one described at the file (box or folder) level and the other at the item level. Over a year later, the team pulled the analytics for each guide and assessed which descriptive level was most frequently accessed. The research team also looked at the type of search terms patrons utilized …