Digital Commons Network^™

Effective Investigations, A Pivot To Efficient Criminal Justice Administration: Challenges In Nigeria, Oluwafemi Alexander Ladapo

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

This paper identifies the connection between effective criminal investigations and the efficiency of criminal justice administration in Nigeria. It further examines the challenges of criminal investigations and concludes with suggestions for improving criminal investigative activities. Eight challenges of criminal investigations were identified and examined. These challenges are: the low crime reporting culture of the public, paucity of police funding, corruption, inadequate training of police officers in criminal investigations, delayed duplication of investigation case files, missing investigation case files, lack of forensic science facilities and experts; and poor public records keeping. The suggestions proffered for improving criminal investigation activities focus on …

Who And Where To Punish In A Criminally Loaded Conflict Of Northern Uganda: A Dilemmatic Juxtaposition Of Forms Of Juxtaposition Of Forms Of Justice In The Northern Uganda Conflict, Nathan Muwereza

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

Much has been said about the conflict in northern Uganda, a civil conflict that has caused untold suffering in Uganda and the general Great Lakes region of Africa. However, little is made concrete and precisely analysed about how applicable or whether different forms of justice can be used to construct and reconstruct social order in the region. In this article, some of the varied literature is contextualized within victims’ perceptions in northern Uganda. It links such perceptions to the choice of forms and approaches to justice and the implications and/or potential for outbreak of latent conflicts. Using inferences from field …

United States Aid To Kenya: A Study On Regional Security And Counterterrorism Assistance Before And After 9/11, Samuel L. Aronson

African Journal of Criminology and Justice Studies

Following 9/11 and the beginning of the global War on Terror, it became obvious that the United States needed an ally in East Africa. Kenya, a country that has remained relatively stable while surrounded by regional insecurities, was chosen by the U.S. as an African ally to which large sums of aid and resources would be sent. United States assistance to Kenya is largely given for developmental and humanitarian purposes but millions of dollars each year are directed specifically towards regional security and anti-terrorism. This observational paper highlights the differences in U.S. aid to Kenya before and after 2001. Using …

America Hates The Westboro Baptist Church: The Battle To Preserve The Funerals Of Fallen Soldiers, Kendra L. Suesz

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) has gained national attention over the past several years with their fiery protests at the funerals of soldiers killed in action. Citizens outraged by the actions of the WBC pressured the lawmakers in 45 states to enact legislation curtailing the protesters’ access to funerals. Claiming that the laws infringe upon their First Amendment rights, the WBC has challenged these legislations in court, and will continue to do so. While the lawmakers are struggling to enact effective barriers against the WBC’s access to funerals, the American public has taken matters into their own hands. At many …

Experiential Interior Design: Branding Entertainment And Nightlife For The Postmodern Young Urban Professional, Niccole S. Skomal

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

Past study on Interior Design has been primarily looked at through the lenses of aesthetics and functionality. Only recently have scholars begun to see the influence marketing, in the form of branding, can have on the Interior Design process in targeting specific lifestyle groups. The purpose of this research is to understand the fabric of the postmodern Young Urban Professional lifestyle as a marketing tool for branding and designing services in the form of entertainment and nightlife. With an increasing lack of community and social connectedness in today’s postmodern society, Young Urban Professionals tend to consume entertainment and nightlife as …

Corporate Office Employee Analysis: Transformation From Closed Office Layout To Open Floor Plan Environment, Stephanie J. Fanger

Architecture Masters of Science Program: Theses

The office workplace within the United States has undergone monumental changes in the past century. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cited that Americans spend an average of 90 percent of their time indoors. As human beings can often spend a majority of the hours in the day at their workplace, more so than their home, it is important to understand the effects of the built environment on the American office employee. In order to stay current with modern times, General Dynamics, a corporation located in Scottsdale, Arizona implemented a renovation of interior space. This thesis examines the transformation from …

Exploratory Case Study: How The Inclusion Of Nature In The Design Of Learning Environments Affects Learning Among Children, Cheryl Knodel

Interior Design Program: Student Creative Activity

The theoretical framework of Stephen R. Kellert linking nature and the built environment was used as the basis for this research. This case study research was conducted to describe the effect nature had on learning among children 3 to 6 years of age attending two north central Florida Montessori learning environments. Methods were examined by which this phenomenon might be studied in more detail in order to: (a) provide verification of the independent and dependent variables, (b) establish the empirical measure of learning outcomes, and (c) provide the refinement of the variable learning outcomes as influenced by nature.

A qualitative …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 23, No. 6, December 2011

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Welcome

Congratulations

Grants

Meet and Off Campus Student

This N' That

Faculty News

Student News

Blast from the Past

Travel

Many Paths, One Journey: Mapping The Routes To Information Literacy, Margy Macmillan

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Students gain information literacy skills from a range of sources, not all of which involve direct librarian intervention. These skills grow and diversify over the course of their studies in ways that pre/post test research protocols cannot capture. So how can we understand how they learn what they know? This presentation describes a long-term project using the Information Skills résumé as a case study of gathering, analyzing and using qualitative data to better understand student learning and thereby improve information literacy instruction. The Information Skills résumé tool, used to gather information from journalism students over five years, showed development of …

From Candy To Clickers: Interactive Activities To Involve Students In Library Instruction, Randy Christensen, Richard Eissinger

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

This highly interactive session will demonstrate teaching strategies through the use of educational gaming, audience response systems, and interactive online tools to engage students and add interest and excitement to library instruction. Educational gaming activities will range from large group interactive games useful as ice-breakers to small group activities to encourage concept brainstorming. The presenters will discuss reasons for using gaming activities, techniques for creating games, and how to improve student engagement. Clickers, an audience response system, will be used to demonstrate how this technology can be used as an ice-breaker, to improve attentiveness, to confirm student understanding, and to …

Utilizing Students Employees As An Alternative Means Of Providing Library Instruction, Stephanie M. Mathson, Joyce Salisbury

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

In tough financial times, library administrators want to keep expenditures down while offering outstanding services to and maintaining good public relations with patrons. In order to accommodate requests for tours and library instruction from non-university groups, we have Reference Public Support student assistants provide such services. Our presentation will outline the procedures we use to prepare the student employees to do this work, as well as the skills our students gain through it. We will also discuss the benefits for high school and community college students.

Having veteran student assistants conduct tours and library instruction sessions for non-CMU students extends …

What Information Literacy Means To Me: Collaborating With Faculty To Understand Student Perceptions Of Information Literacy, Eric Resnis, Katie Gibson, Arianne Hartsell-Gundy, Masha Misco

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

This presentation will recount the experiences of Miami University’s (Oxford, OH) Faculty Learning Community for Improving Student Research Literacy, a group of professors and librarians who work together on incorporating information literacy into the curriculum.

Faculty members wondered early on how students in their classes conceive of their own information literacy skills. These conversations led to the creation of a survey for students to self-assess the information literacy skills that faculty perceived important, including:

- How and where students are searching for information.

- Student preparation to perform information research, and its applicability outside the library.

- Location(s) where students …

Technology, Teaching And Faculty : Collaborations That Work, Valla Mclean, Carolee Pollock

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

In an effort to address both the drawbacks of the one-shot library session and student apathy towards the library, a reference librarian and humanities professor developed a multi-tiered plan to enhance the information literacy learning experience of students. Through just-in-time instruction taught in the students’ classroom through a library resources module in Blackboard embedded in a humanities course this unique collaborative effort transcended space and academic departments. Hear about the benefits and challenges of teaching library skills through point-of-need instruction and innovative technologies such as Blackboard and Camtasia. Walk away with strategies for blended learning and creating collaborative environments.

Git Along Li’L Dogies: A Collaborative Approach To Library Instruction For First-Year Writing Students, Jim Kinnie, Kerry Caparco

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

This presentation outlines the collaboration between URI Libraries and the URI Department of Writing and Rhetoric that has been designed to improve library skills for first-year writing students who all come to the library for an information literacy session. In ongoing discussions, URI librarians and Writing chairs updated the goals and outcomes of the library sessions and during the spring 2008 semester piloted a concept mapping pre-activity for students to enhance their research projects & prepare them for library research. The project design and assessment are detailed as well as the overall URI library instruction program for writing students.

Ethos And Credibility : Collaborating To Develop Students’ Critical Information Literacy, Richard H. Hannon, April D. Cunningham

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Librarians and professors know that students who search online believe they can identify good sources based on surface credibility. But students make bad decisions if they apply criteria out of alignment with academic values. This presentation outlines an innovative merger of traditional Rhetoric and Information Literacy to guide students’ research decisions. The collaboration between a librarian and a Composition instructor illustrates librarians’ central role in deepening students' academic values. Participants will take away a new approach to developing students’ evaluative skills that draws on the philosophical principles of “good reasons” and ethos.

Wikipedia, Ipods, And Chickens: An Active Learning Exercise To Teach Evaluation Of Information, Latisha Reynolds, Anna Marie Johnson

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Librarians at the University of Louisville developed an evaluation of information exercise that is completely interactive. Students learn evaluation skills by participating in a small-group exercise, after which, the groups teach their classmates what they have learned.

Each small-group is assigned a different publication to evaluate such as a book, a website, a scholarly article, magazine or newspaper. They also have questions to answer in order to evaluate each source. After they evaluate the sources, each group chooses a student to present the information in front of the class.

The librarian acts as a facilitator to guide the students and …

To The Instruction Cave, Librarian! Graphic Novels And Information Literacy, Steven Hoover

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Graphic novels emerged as highly visible additions to many academic library collections over the last few years. Much has been written about the pedagogical value of graphic novels in K-12 settings, but their potential applications in relation to information literacy in higher education have not been seriously addressed. Graphic novels provide an ideal backdrop for teaching students a variety of skills, especially with regard to the ACRL’s Information Literacy Competency Standard Three and visual literacy. In addition, graphic novels are excellent source material for projects that require students to conduct research, evaluate source quality, engage in reflective writing, compare versions …

Instruction 2.0: Engaging Students And Faculty Through Course Wikis, Kristine Esch Kasbohm, Hazel A. Mcclure

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Merriam-Webster online defines a "wiki" as "a Web site that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections". Librarians at Canisius College have used a variety of web-based collaborative resources such as wikis, Google applications, and Angel course management software to improve student engagement and faculty interest in information literacy instruction. These collaborative resources offer instructional support beyond the one-shot session in the library. They also provide an avenue for librarians to interact with students and faculty.

We have used wikis in several different ways. When students do not completely understand something discussed in the library session, or when they …

Reduce > Reuse > Recycle: Teaching Acrl’S 5th Information Literacy Competency Standard, Catherine Cardwell, Amy F. Fyn, Carol Singer

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

For an online credit-bearing course, a team at Bowling Green State University Libraries designed a module around ACRL's Standard Five in order to help students navigate the complexities of using information ethically and legally. Module contents, including readings, discussion questions, assessments and quizzes, may be used as a whole or in pieces as needed. Module readings and activities work equally well online or in the classroom setting and can be easily modified for one-shot library sessions or as part of a larger conversation on academic honesty and correct citing of sources.

Lighting The Path To Collections Through Collaboration, Brena Smith, Alison Armstrong

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

No abstract provided.

Letting The Inmates Run The Asylum: Student Engagement In The Progressive Classroom, Tracey Mayfield, Katy Farrell French

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

One of the biggest challenges in library instruction today is engaging students in the one-shot library instruction setting. Students are bored, incommunicative and motivating them to participate proves difficult. These challenges with students beg the question: how do we initiate and maintain student engagement in the one-shot library instruction?

Our approach is a simple one: let the students set the learning agenda.

This presentation will address how librarians can partner with students during the library instruction session to chart a unique and customized path towards learning. The presenters will demonstrate their method of letting students set the agenda that identifies …

Training The Conductor: Providing Professional Development For Duke University Instruction Librarians, Courtney Mack

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Duke University Instruction & Outreach department has created a programmatic module to provide instruction librarians continuous opportunities to strengthen and enhance their teaching and information literacy skills. Initially began as monthly meetings that were attended by few, has blossomed into a year-long of engaging programs that are attended by anyone within the library system interested in instruction. With pedagogy, teaching strategies, active learning, faculty collaboration and assessment serving as the overall themes of this module, these opportunities contributed to the quality of library instruction provided at Duke. This presentation session will detail the planning and collaborative efforts of the Instruction …

The Path To Assessing Library Instruction: Using Project Management Techniques To Guarantee Results, Lesley Brown

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

As librarians begin to search for methods of assessing library instruction, they may feel overwhelmed and unsure of which path to take. A common problem is finding a sustainable method of assessment that can be easily realized. This presentation will detail one librarian’s experience using project management techniques to successfully propose and implement the use of an audience response system (clickers) to assess library instruction at Michigan State University. Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives. The primary challenge of project management is to …

Problem-Based Learning Meets Web 2.0: Using A Youtube Video To Teach Information Literacy In A Problem-Based Learning Format, Frances A. May, Annie Downey

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

We are often taught to analyze verbal and written communication, but the analysis of visual communication, (for example, in advertising, art, media, and film,) is often neglected or ignored. This presentation is intended to show attendees the ways in which pictures and videos affect them, and how to analyze and decode images in order to construct meaning from the visuals. They can then pass this information on to their students.

Patricia Senn Breivik argues that information literacy should incorporate multiple types of literacy, including computer, library, media, network, and visual literacy (2005). In an era of massive exposure to visual …

Using Web 2.0 Tools Such As Google Apps In Library Instruction Sessions With Non-Traditional Students, Alyssa Martin, Jana Slay, Kent Snowden

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Much has been written about traditional undergraduate students and their familiarity with Web 2.0 tools. But how “tech savvy” are non-traditional students? How can tools such as Google Apps be used in library instruction with these students?

Troy University Montgomery Campus serves an especially diverse student body; roughly two-thirds are adult, non-traditional students (average age of 28). Librarians on this campus surveyed students in library instruction classes to find out their knowledge and use of Web 2.0 technologies such as social networking, image and video sharing, collaborative authoring tools, communication tools, social games/spaces and blogs. Survey results show that many …

Trail Mix: Buffet Style Offerings Using Delicious Bookmarking, E. Anne Kelly

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

This "recipe based and food themed" presentation will focus on the effective use of freely available web 2.0 technology on the web (delicious), and how it has transformed student access, engagement, and library use of the education materials available at Laurier’s library.

Because traditional cataloguing is limited in how in-depth subject headings can realistically be and practice has proven that subject description decided upon by non-practitioners can serve to obscure rather than clarify access to great materials. Finding curriculum related materials has proven very difficult for teacher education students given their needs (grade 2 math, about fractions), so a "delicious" …

The Embedded Librarian: Integrating Library Resources Into Course Management Systems, Emily Daly

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Duke University librarians have collaborated with Instructional Technology staff to integrate subject-specific library resources into Blackboard, the university’s course management system. What began as a manual process on a small scale has grown to an automated process in which every course offered at Duke is linked to a subject-specific LibGuide developed by a subject specialist or instruction librarian. Guides may include instructional tutorials on using Duke’s databases, tips for conducting subject-specific searches and librarians’ contact information. Success of the project has been assessed through student surveys, faculty interviews and focus groups; feedback from students, faculty and librarians alike has been …

Developing An Online Credit-Bearing Information Fluency Course: Lessons Learned, Rebecca Blakiston, Yvonne Mery, Leslie Sult

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

This presentation will focus on the University of Arizona Libraries’ development and implementation of its first online one-credit information fluency course, the Skillful Researcher. This course is taught entirely online and has allowed the Library to reach new students who have little experience with the Library and its resources. The presentation will be aimed at librarians who are currently planning their own online or credit-bearing courses. Attendees will learn how we developed the course from its inception to its evaluation and how they can avoid the same mistakes and pitfalls in their own development.

Using Student Feedback To Improve Course Specific Libguides Content, Karen W. Brown

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

Librarians feel that LibGuides provide the opportunity to create user centered and intuitive research guides for students. However, relatively little feedback has been gathered from LibGuides’ intended audience. A LibGuides evaluation was conducted for upper level History courses during Fall 2008. The evaluation is an initial attempt to determine whether students found their course LibGuide useful, how many times during the semester a student accessed the LibGuide for his/her course, and ways in which course specific LibGuides content can be improved. Results of the evaluation will be shared along with a discussion and examples of how the results have impacted …

Using A Pre- And Post-Survey Method To Assess The Effectiveness And Usability Of An Online Information Literacy Tutorial, Lesley M. Moyo

LOEX Conference Proceedings 2009

The presentation is a case study reporting on the assessment of Virginia Tech’s online Information Skills Modules (ISM): http://info-skills.lib.vt.edu/. The ISM is an information literacy tutorial developed for use either as a teaching tool or independently. The evaluators used a pre and post survey method to determine the ISM impact on research skills of agricultural economics students who used the tutorial as a textbook for a component of their course. The session will cover methods and instruments employed in collecting both quantitative and qualitative data, and how the data was analyzed. Discussion will include detailed findings and recommendations.