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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Are Ebooks For Everyone? Evaluating The Accessibility Of Academic Ebook Platforms, Ann Agee, Christina Mune, Jeanine Gonzalez Jun 2015

Are Ebooks For Everyone? Evaluating The Accessibility Of Academic Ebook Platforms, Ann Agee, Christina Mune, Jeanine Gonzalez

Ann Agee

Does ebrary work with screen readers? Can Wiley ebooks be downloaded? What ebook publishers allow printing? This poster offers a comparative evaluation of 16 major academic ebook platforms using criteria key to accessibility such as: text-to-speech options, text enlargement, full text searching, print capability and more. Results can be used to support and inform the decisions of acquisition departments and librarians when choosing what ebook packages to buy or promote to users. The poster will include a discussion of the evaluation process, a summary of the results, and information on the online guide created to make this information accessible to …


Keeping Education Affordable: Engaging Faculty In A Textbook Alternatives Program, Ann Agee, Mike Jerbic Jan 2014

Keeping Education Affordable: Engaging Faculty In A Textbook Alternatives Program, Ann Agee, Mike Jerbic

Ann Agee

The average annual cost to students for textbooks is $1,754, and a recent survey found that 49% of students were likely or very likely to not buy a required textbook because of the cost. When cost is an obstacle, learning is hampered. To combat soaring costs, we launched an Affordable Learning Solutions campaign, engaging faculty in finding textbook alternatives that lower costs and improve learning. This session will explore how we recruited faculty and walk attendees through one class that uses low-cost materials and open educational resources available online.


Renew, Reuse, Recycle: One University’S Multi-Front War On The High Cost Of Textbooks, Ann Agee, Christina Mune Jan 2013

Renew, Reuse, Recycle: One University’S Multi-Front War On The High Cost Of Textbooks, Ann Agee, Christina Mune

Ann Agee

The rising cost of textbooks threatens equity in education as seven out of ten students report not being able to afford the books they need to succeed in class. To combat this trend, San Jose State University has initiated a multi-pronged approach to lowering the cost of classroom materials. Learn how this large public university harnesses the open source movement and re-purposes existing resources to make education affordable and sustainable for its diverse student body.


Renew, Reuse, Recycle: One University’S Multi-Front War On The High Cost Of Textbooks, Ann Agee, Christina Mune Jan 2013

Renew, Reuse, Recycle: One University’S Multi-Front War On The High Cost Of Textbooks, Ann Agee, Christina Mune

Ann Agee

The rising price of tuition and books is pricing some students out of the market for college. While struggles for affordable tuition take place in state legislatures, universities are taking the movement for affordable classroom materials into their own hands. Seven out of ten students forgo required textbooks due to cost (Redden, 2011). This creates inequality in the classroom as economic privilege determines access to necessary learning materials. To counteract this trend, the California State University system began the Affordable Learning Solutions initiative, designed to encourage faculty to adopt low-cost classroom materials. San Jose State University implemented this initiative on …


Navigating The Hybrid World: Going From Paper-Based To Paper-Less Library Research Assignments, Ann Agee, Crystal Goldman Jun 2012

Navigating The Hybrid World: Going From Paper-Based To Paper-Less Library Research Assignments, Ann Agee, Crystal Goldman

Ann Agee

This presentation discussed a research module designed for lower division Communication Studies students at San Jose State University, which began as a self-guided paper-based assignment meant to introduce library research concepts. During the 2011-2012 academic year, it transitioned to an online module embedded in the course management system Desire2Learn. The move to a paperless format allowed for the introduction of interactive technologies, such as Screencast-O-Matic, SpicyNodes, Xtranormal, LibGuides, and YouTube videos, which helped to engage students’ interest and enhance learning. This presentation will provide best practices and pitfalls for librarians looking to embed information literacy into the hybrid classroom.


Collaborating Across The Campus: Librarians And Faculty Create A Course-Specific, Online Research Guide For Students, Ann Agee Apr 2012

Collaborating Across The Campus: Librarians And Faculty Create A Course-Specific, Online Research Guide For Students, Ann Agee

Ann Agee

Discover how librarians and faculty collaborated at San Jose State University to create a course-specific online tutorial and research guide designed to meet the growing demands of a popular GenEd (General Education) course, Health Science 1.Learning Outcomes*Understand the elements necessary in a successful online learning tool.*Identify courses that could be good candidates for web-based library instruction.*Recognize the steps essential to successful collaboration with campus faculty.


Implementing An Embedded Information Literacy Program At The University Level: Best Practices, Ann Agee Sep 2007

Implementing An Embedded Information Literacy Program At The University Level: Best Practices, Ann Agee

Ann Agee

Information literacy is the ability of individuals "to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information" (American Library Association, 1989, para. 3). At San Jose State University (SJSU), information literacy has been traditionally taught through one-shot, 50-minute lectures delivered by university librarians to students enrolled in a select few undergraduate courses. This method of instruction has proven to be neither sustainable nor effective. The lectures are not tailored by discipline and students might receive the same lecture several times while completing their lower-division coursework.SJSU wants to replace this format with …