Searching for "deep learning"

Google AI

Google Researchers Create AI That Builds Its Own Encryption

BY TOM BRANT OCTOBER 28, 2016 04:45PM EST

http://www.pcmag.com/news/349154/google-researchers-create-ai-that-builds-its-own-encryption

Alice and Bob have figured out a way to have a conversation without Eve being able to overhear, no matter how hard she tries.

They’re artificial intelligence algorithms created by Google engineers, and their ability to create an encryption protocol that Eve (also an AI algorithm) can’t hack is being hailed as an important advance in machine learning and cryptography.

Martin Abadi and David G. Andersen, explained in a paper published this week that their experiment is intended to find out if neural networks—the building blocks of AI—can learn to communicate secretly.

As the Abadi and Anderson wrote, “instead of training each of Alice and Bob separately to implement some known cryptosystem, we train Alice and Bob jointly to communicate successfully and to defeat Eve without a pre-specified notion of what cryptosystem they may discover for this purpose.”

same in German

Googles AI entwickelt eigenständig Verschlüsselung

von – 31.10.2016
http://www.com-magazin.de/news/verschluesselung/googles-ai-entwickelt-eigenstaendig-verschluesselung-1145175.html
Google-Forscher Martin Abadi und David G. Andersen des Deep-Learning-Projekts “Google Brain” eine neue Verschlüsselungsmethode entwickelt beziehungsweise entwickeln lassen. Die Forscher haben verschiedene neurale Netze damit beauftragt, eine abhörsichere Kommunikation aufzustellen.

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more on AI in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=artificial+intelligence

social media for institutions

In this Business Insider video:

https://www.facebook.com/businessinsider/videos/10154001218189071/

Shark Tank‘ investor Robert Herjavec reveals the biggest mistakes small businesses make:

  • know your numbers. If you don’t know your accounting, problem
  • branding and marketing. Most people think branding is your logo. Branding is your whole package. Everything that your customer sees, feels, touches and interacts with.
  • success is in failure. if you cannot absorb failure, you will die

the difference between small business and academic institution, being that the library or the entire university, is that small business is reliant on itself; if it does not well, it perishes. The library and the university are reliant on external funds and can fester for a long time. But eventually it dies. In that sense, learning from the lessons for small business can help:

  • Branding is not mimicking someone else (another library[s)). It is not a superficial activity. It is not slapping pictures on social media. “Interact” is the key word. “Likes” in FB does not reflect complete interaction
  • know your numbers. Analytics is not about “likes” and “visits.” it deeper datamining, which can explain behavior and predict behavior
  • if success is failure, why safeguarding the social media in particular and the entire behavior of the library from “failure.” Isolating students or staff from acting with the excuse to safeguard from failure is practically isolating innovation.

benefits of mobile technology

How Teachers Leverage Mobile Technology

https://thejournal.com/Articles/2016/10/11/How-Teachers-Leverage-Mobile-Technology.aspx

“Teachers and administrators continue to see the No. 1 benefit of any digital tool, content or resource as enhancing student engagement. While that is interesting, it has limited value. Lots of thing can engage kids — that does not necessarily point to an academic benefit or value proposition on its own. So, I always acknowledge the engagement benefit but look deeper at other benefits that can shed new insights into how the teachers are leveraging these powerful devices to transform education — or to change the trajectory of the learning process for their students.

among the more interesting or meaningful benefits were:

  • Improvement of communications between stakeholders, such as the ability for students to ask question via e-mail. “Stronger communications between students and teachers is a huge benefit
  • Extending learning beyond regular school hours: “Teachers giving that high marks as a real or perceived benefit means that they are also looking for ways to extend learning time beyond the school day but realize that kids need a device to make that a reality.”
  • Student ownership of the learning process: “Students who are using mobile devices in class are empowered/enabled to be in the driver’s seat of their own learning

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more on mobile technology in this blog
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=mobile+technology

Ethical Considerations For Using Virtual Reality

Five Ethical Considerations For Using Virtual Reality with Children and Adolescents

Five Ethical Considerations For Using Virtual Reality with Children and Adolescents

G+ link https://plus.google.com/+TessPajaron/posts/8YYgjoPrQvq

In an address to the VRX conference in San Francisco, noted game developer and tech wizard, Jesse Schell predicted that over 8 million VR gamer headsets will be sold in 2016. Facebook purchased Oculus Rift, presumably laying the groundwork for a future where friends and family will interact in rich virtual spaces. All the major players, including Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, Google and an HTC and Valve partnership are jostling for the consumer headset market.

Experimenting with VR in his classes as part of a project piloted by Seattle-based foundry10, a privately funded research organization that creates partnerships with educators to implement, research and explore the various intersections of emerging technologies and learning, including VR..

And the technology’s potential for good is vast. It has already been used to help with autism, improve personal financial management, treat PTSD and manage pain. More and more news outlets, including the New York Times, are adopting immersive journalism, where news stories can be experienced through VR.

As an educational tool, VR might prove transformative. Google Expeditions allows students to take over 100 virtual journeys from ancient Rome to the surface of Mars. It might also have a big impact on social emotional learning (SEL), as VR’s unique ability to produce empathy recently led Wired magazine to explore its potential as “the ultimate empathy machine”. Addressing a persistent anxiety, Suter used Samsung Gear’s Public Speaking Simulator to successfully prepare a few nervous students for class presentations, reporting they felt “much more calm” during the live delivery.

Ethical Considerations

In a recently published article, researchers Michael Madary and Thomas K. Metzinger from Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany review a series of ethical considerations when implementing VR. The illusion of embodiment may provide VR’s greatest value to education, but also lies at the heart of its ethical implementation. Madary and Metzinger believe that VR is not just an evolution from television and video game screens, but a revolution that will have an enormous social impact. In their paper, they claim that:

VR technology will eventually change not only our general image of humanity but also our understanding of deeply entrenched notions, such as “conscious experience,” “selfhood,” “authenticity,” or “realness.”

It’s important to remember that many current VR uses in schools, like Google Expeditions, are not interactive VR, but simply 360-degree video experiences. In these cases, students experience immersive 3D pictures or panoramas, but do not deeply interact with the content. The illusion of embodiment is a product of interactive content and motion tracking, where users can alter and affect their environment and engage with others who share their virtual space. Headsets like the Vive and Occulus Rift fall under this latter category, but it won’t be long before most, if not all, consumer oriented VR technology will be completely immersive and interactive.

1. Long-Term Effects and Prolonged Exposure

2. The Impact of Environment on Agency and Behavior

3. Aggravating Preexisting Psychological or Emotional Issues

4. (Un)Reality and Diminished Real World Interactions

5. Privacy and Data Gathering

 

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more on virtual reality in this IMS blog

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=virtual+reality

technology requirements for librarians job samples

also academic technology

Data Visualization Designer and Consultant for the Arts
Lecturer
The University Libraries of Virginia Tech seeks a specialist to join a team offering critical and sophisticated new technology development services that enhance the scholarly and creative expression of faculty and graduate students. This new position will bring relevant computational techniques to the enhance the fields of Art and Design at Virginia Tech, and will serve as a visual design consultant to project teams using data visualization methodologies.

The ideal candidates will have demonstrated web development and programming skills, knowledge of digital research methods and tools in Art and Design, experience managing and interpreting common types of digital data and assets studied in those fields.

The Data Visualization Designer & Digital Consultant for the Arts will not only help researchers in Art and Design fields develop, manage, and sustain digital creative works and digital forms of scholarly expression, but also help researchers across Virginia Tech design effective visual representations of their research. Successful candidates will work collaboratively with other Virginia Tech units, such as the School of Visual Arts; the School of Performing Arts; the Moss Center for the Arts; the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology; and the arts community development initiative VTArtWorks (made possible by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [SP-02-15-0034-15])

Responsibilities

– Investigates and applies existing and emerging technologies that help strengthen the Libraries’ mission to enhance and curate visual representations of data at Virginia Tech.

– Develops and modifies technologies and designs processes that facilitate data visualization/exploration, data and information access, data discovery, data mining, data publishing, data management, and preservation

– Serves as consultant to researchers on data visualization, visual design principles, and related computational tools and methods in the digital arts

– Keeps up with trends in digital research issues, methods, and tools in related disciplines

– Identifies data, digital scholarship, and digital library development referral opportunities; makes connections with research teams across campus

– Participates in teams and working groups and in various data-related projects and initiatives as a result of developments and changes in library services

The James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) seeks a systems librarian to contribute to the mission of the library through administration and optimization of the library’s various management systems.

This is a 12-month, tenure-track position (#401070) at the rank of assistant/associate professor. Start date for the position is July 1, 2018. All library faculty are expected to meet promotion and tenure standards.

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https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/10/10/code4lib-2018-2/

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Wake Forest University

Digital Curation Librarian

This position reports to the team director. The successful candidate will collaborate with campus faculty and library colleagues to ensure long-term preservation and accessibility of digital assets, projects, and datasets collected and created by the library, and to support metadata strategies associated with digital scholarship and special collections. The person in this position will engage in national and/or international initiatives and insure that best practice is followed for curation of digital materials.

Responsibilities:

Coordinate management of digital repositories, working across teams, including Digital Initiatives & Scholarly Communication, Special Collections & Archives, Technology, and Resource Services, to ensure the sustainability of projects and content
Create and maintain policies and procedures guiding digital preservation practices, including establishing authenticity and integrity workflows for born digital and digitized content
In collaboration with the Digital Collections Librarian, create guidelines and procedures for metadata creation, transformation, remediation, and enhancement
Perform metadata audits of existing digital assets to ensure compliance with standards
Maintain awareness of trends in metadata and resource discovery
Participates in team and library-wide activities; serves on Library, Librarians’ Assembly, and University committees; represents the library in relevant regional, state, and national organizations
Participates in local, regional, or national professional organizations; enriches professional expertise by attending conferences and professional development opportunities, delivering presentations at professional meetings, publishing in professional publications, and serving on professional committees
Perform other duties as assigned
Required Qualifications:

Master’s degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited program or a master’s degree in a related field
Knowledge of best practices for current digital library standards for digital curation and of born digital and digitized content
Knowledge of current trends in data stewardship and data management plans
Experience with preservation workflows for born digital and digitized content
Experience with metadata standards and protocols (such as Dublin Core, Open Archives Initiative-Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH), METS, MODS, PREMIS)
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, effectively identify and leverage resources, as well as meet deadlines and budgets
Aptitude for complex, analytical work with an attention to detail
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Excellent communication skills
Strong service orientation
Desired Qualifications:

One to three years of experience with digital preservation or metadata creation in an academic library setting
Experience with developing, using, and preserving research data collections
Familiarity with GIS and data visualization tools
Demonstrated skills with scripting languages and/or tools for data manipulation (e.g. OpenRefine http://openrefine.org/, Python, XSLT, etc.)

 

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Mimi O’Malley is the learning technology translation strategist at Spalding University

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2017/10/03/embedded-librarianship-in-online-courses/

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JSON and Structured Data

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THE DIGITAL HUMANITIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR LIBRARIANS,

LIBRARIES, AND LIBRARIANSHIP

The redefinition of humanities scholarship has received major attention in higher education over the past few years. The advent of digital humanities has challenged many aspects of academic librarianship. With the acknowledgement that librarians must be a necessary part of this scholarly conversation, the challenges facing subject/liaison librarians, technical service librarians, and library administrators are many. Developing the knowledge base of digital tools, establishing best procedures and practices, understanding humanities scholarship, managing data through the research lifecycle, teaching literacies (information, data, visual) beyond the one-shot class, renegotiating the traditional librarian/faculty relationship as ‘service orientated,’ and the willingness of library and institutional administrators to allocate scarce resources to digital humanities projects while balancing the mission and priorities of their institutions are just some of the issues facing librarians as they reinvent themselves in the digital humanities sphere.

A CALL FOR PROPOSALS

College & Undergraduate Libraries, a peer-reviewed journal published by Taylor & Francis, invites proposals for articles to be published in the fall of 2017. The issue will be co-edited by Kevin Gunn (gunn@cua.edu) of the Catholic University of America and Jason Paul (pauljn@stolaf.edu) of St. Olaf College.

The issue will deal with the digital humanities in a very broad sense, with a major focus on their implications for the roles of academic librarians and libraries as well as on librarianship in general. Possible article topics include, but are not limited to, the following themes, issues, challenges, and criticism:

  • Developing the project development mindset in librarians
  • Creating new positions and/or cross-training issues for librarians
  • Librarian as: point-of-service agent, an ongoing consultant, or as an embedded project librarian
  • Developing managerial and technological competencies in librarians
  • Administration support (or not) for DH endeavors in libraries
  • Teaching DH with faculty to students (undergraduate and graduate) and faculty
  • Helping students working with data
  • Managing the DH products of the data life cycle
  • Issues surrounding humanities data collection development and management
  • Relationships of data curation and digital libraries in DH
  • Issues in curation, preservation, sustainability, and access of DH data, projects, and products
  • Linked data, open access, and libraries
  • Librarian and staff development for non-traditional roles
  • Teaching DH in academic libraries
  • Project collaboration efforts with undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty
  • Data literacy for librarians
  • The lack of diversity of librarians and how it impacts DH development
  • Advocating and supporting DH across the institution
  • Developing institutional repositories for DH
  • Creating DH scholarship from the birth of digital objects
  • Consortial collaborations on DH projects
  • Establishing best practices for dh labs, networks, and services
  • Assessing, evaluating, and peer reviewing DH projects and librarians.

Articles may be theoretical or ideological discussions, case studies, best practices, research studies, and opinion pieces or position papers.

Proposals should consist of an abstract of up to 500 words and up to six keywords describing the article, together with complete author contact information. Articles should be in the range of 20 double-spaced pages in length. Please consult the following link that contains instructions for authors: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?journalCode=wcul20&page=instructions#.V0DJWE0UUdU.

Please submit proposals to Kevin Gunn (gunn@cua.edu) by August 17, 2016; please do not use Scholar One for submitting proposals. First drafts of accepted proposals will be due by February 1, 2017 with the issue being published in the fall of 2017. Feel free to contact the editors with any questions that you may have.

Kevin Gunn, Catholic University of America

Jason Paul, St. Olaf College

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The Transformational Initiative for Graduate Education and Research (TIGER) at the General Library of the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) seeks an enthusiastic and creative Research Services Librarian to join our recently created Graduate Research and Innovation Center (GRIC).

The Research Services Librarian works to advance the goals and objectives of Center and leads the creation and successful organization of instructional activities, collaborates to envision and implement scholarly communication services and assists faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students in managing the lifecycle of data resulting from all types of projects. This initiative is funded by a five year grant awarded by the Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans Program (PPOHA), Title V, Part B, of the U.S. Department of Education.

The Research Services Librarian will build relationships and collaborate with the GRIC personnel and library liaisons as well as with project students and staff. This is a Librarian I position that will be renewed annually (based upon performance evaluation) for the duration of the project with a progressive institutionalization commitment starting on October 1st, 2016. .

The Mayaguez Campus of the University of Puerto Rico is located in the western part of the island. Our library provides a broad array of services, collections and resources for a community of approximately 12,100 students and supports more than 95 academic programs. An overview of the library and the university can be obtained through http://www.uprm.edu/library/.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Master’s degree in library or information science (MLS, MIS, MLIS) from an ALA (American Library Association)-accredited program • Fully bilingual in English and Spanish • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work well with a diverse academic community • Experience working in reference and instruction in an academic/research library and strong assessment and user-centered service orientation • Demonstrated experience working across organizational boundaries and managing complex stakeholder groups to move projects forward • Experience with training, scheduling and supervising at various settings • Ability to work creatively, collaboratively and effectively on teams and on independent assignments • Experience with website creation and design in a CMS environment and accessibility and compliance issues • Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience creating and maintaining web-based subject guides and tutorials • Demonstrated ability to deliver in-person and online reference services • Experience helping researchers with data management planning and understanding of trends and issues related to the research lifecycle, including creation, analysis, preservation, access, and reuse of research data • Demonstrated a high degree of facility with technologies and systems germane to the 21st century library, and be well versed in the issues surrounding scholarly communications and compliance issues (e.g. author identifiers, data sharing software, repositories, among others) • Demonstrate awareness of emerging trends, best practices, and applicable technologies in academic librarianship • Demonstrated experience with one or more metadata and scripting languages (e.g. Dublin Core, XSLT, Java, JavaScript, Python, or PHP) • Academic or professional experience in the sciences or other fields utilizing quantitative methodologies • Experience conducting data-driven analysis of user needs or user testing.
  • Second master’s degree, doctorate or formal courses leading to a doctorate degree from an accredited university

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

  1. Manages daily operations, coordinates activities, and services related to the GRIC and contributes to the continuing implementation of TIGER goals and objectives.
  2. Works closely with liaison and teaching librarians to apply emerging technologies in the design, delivery, and maintenance of high-quality subject guides, digital collection, learning objects, online tutorials, workshops, seminars, mobile and social media interfaces and applications.
  3. Provide support to faculty and graduate students through the integration of digital collection, resources, technologies and analytical tools with traditional resources and by offering user-centered consultation and specialized services 4. Participates in the implementation, promotion, and assessment of the institutional repository and e-science initiative related to data storage, retrieval practices, processes, and data literacy/management.
  4. Advises and educates campus community about author’s rights, Creative Commons licenses, copyrighted materials, open access, publishing trends and other scholarly communication issues.
  5. Develops new services as new needs arise following trends in scholarly communication e-humanities, and e-science.
  6. Provides and develops awareness and knowledge related to digital scholarship and research lifecycle for librarians and staff.
  7. Actively disseminates project outcomes and participates in networking and professional development activities to keep current with emerging practices, technologies and trends.
  8. Actively promote TIGER or GRIC related activities through social networks and other platforms as needed.
  9. Periodically collects, analyzes, and incorporates relevant statistical data into progress reports as needed (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Springshare, among others).
  10. Actively collaborates with the TIGER Project Assessment Coordinator and the Springshare Administrator to create reports and tools to collect data on user needs.
  11. Coordinates the transmission of online workshops through Google Hangouts Air with the Agricultural Experiment Station Library staff.
  12. Collaborates in the creation of grants and external funds proposals.
  13. Availability and flexibility to work some weeknights and weekends.

SALARY: $ 45,720.00 yearly+ (12 month year).

BENEFITS: University health insurance, 30 days of annual leave, 18 days of sick leave.

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Technology Integration and Web Services Librarian

The Ferris Library for Information, Technology and Education (FLITE) at Ferris State University (Big Rapids, Michigan) invites applications for a collaborative and service-oriented Technology Integration and Web Services Librarian.  The Technology Integration and Web Services Librarian ensures that library   systems and web services support and enhance student learning. Primary responsibilities include management and design of the library website’s  architecture, oversight of the technical and administrative aspects of the library management system and other library enterprise applications, and the seamless integration of all library web-based services. Collaborates with other library faculty and staff to provide reliable electronic access to online resources and to improve the accessibility, usability, responsiveness, and overall user experience of the library’s website. Serves as a liaison to other campus units including Information Technology Services. The Technology Integration and Web Services Librarian is a 12-month, tenure-track faculty position based in the Collections & Access Services team and reports to the Assistant Dean for Collections & Access Services.

Required Qualifications:  ALA accredited master’s degree in library or information science by the time of hire. Minimum 2 years recent experience in administration and configuration of a major enterprise system, such as a library management system. Minimum 2 years recent experience in designing and managing a large-scale website using HTML5, Javascript, and CSS. Demonstrated commitment to the principles of accessibility, universal design, and user-centered design methodologies.  Recent experience with object-oriented programming and scripting languages used to support a website. Experience working in a Unix/ Linux environment. Experience with SQL and maintaining MySQL, PostgreSQL, and/ or Oracle databases. Knowledge of web site analytics and experience with making data-driven decisions.

For a complete posting or to apply, access the electronic applicant system by logging on to https://employment.ferris.edu/postings/25767.

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http://www.all-acad.com/Job/C1538660/Director-of-Digital-Projects/Massachusetts-Institute-of-Technology-%28MIT%29/Cambridge-Massachusetts-United-States/

DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL PROJECTS, MIT Libraries, to direct the development, maintenance, and scaling of software applications and tools designed to dramatically increase access to research collections, improve service capabilities, and expand the library platform.  Will be responsible for leading efforts on a variety of collaborative digital library projects aimed at increasing global access to MIT’s collections and facilitating innovative human and machine uses of a full range of research and teaching objects and metadata; and lead a software development program and develop partnerships with external academic and commercial collaborators to develop tools and platforms with a local and global impact on research, scholarly communications, education, and the preservation of information and ideas.

MIT Libraries seek to be leaders in the collaborative development of a truly open global network of library repositories and platforms. By employing a dynamic, project-based staffing model and drawing on staff resources from across the Libraries to deliver successful outcomes, it is poised to make immediate progress.

A full description is available at http://libraries.mit.edu/about/#jobs.

REQUIRED:  four-year college degree; at least seven years’ professional experience and increasing responsibility with library systems and digital library strategy and development; evidence of broad, in-depth technology and systems knowledge; experience with integrated library systems/library services platforms, discovery technologies, digital repositories, and/or digital preservation services and technologies and demonstrated understanding of the trends and ongoing development of such systems and of emerging technologies in these areas; and experience directly leading and managing projects (i.e., developing proposals; establishing timelines, budgets, and staffing plans; leading day-to-day project work; and delivering on commitments).  Job #13458-S

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THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA LIBRARIES  Digital Projects Librarian Position Description

General Summary of Responsibilities

The University of Alabama Libraries seeks an innovative, dynamic, and service-oriented professional for the position of Digital Projects Librarian. Reporting to the Head of Web Services, this position is primarily responsible for development, implementation, and project management of technology projects in a collaborative environment, as well as supporting the development and management of the UA Libraries various web interfaces. This position will also act as primary administrator for LibApps and similar cloud-based library application suites.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Reporting to the head of Web Services, the Digital Projects Librarian will manage and extend the University Libraries services by planning and implementing a variety of projects for internal and external audiences. The position will also integrate, manage, and extend various software platforms and web-based tools using LAMP technology skills and web programming languages such as PHP, CSS, and JavaScript.  S/he will support tools such as the University Libraries web site and intranet, will work with an institutional repository instance and digital archives website, and will work with the LibApps suite of library tools. Will modify, implement and create widgets and small applications for learning tools and other interfaces and APIs. The librarian will interact with a wide range of individuals with differing technological abilities and will be expected to successfully collaborate across departments. The librarian will maintain a knowledge of current best practices in security for web tools, and library privacy concerns. The librarian will work to identify promising new technologies that can impact services and generate a better user experience. The librarian will be expected to have some participation in usability and user experience studies.

Department Information

The Web Services Unit is part of the University Libraries Office of Library Technology and is responsible for web applications, web sites, content, and services that comprise the University Libraries web presence. Among its duties, Web Services manages the University Libraries discovery service application, multiple instances of the WordPress CMS, WordPress Blogs, the LibApp suite of library tools, and Omeka as well as other tools, along with usability and accessibility efforts.

 

Duties

  • Administrate the UA suite of the LibApps tools (LibGuides, LibCal, LibAnswers, etc.); responsible for implementation of existing guidelines and maintaining continuity of look, feel and action;
  • Works as part of team that is responsible for management and extension of the University Libraries various web-based applications and tools (such as WordPress as a CMS and other CMS frameworks, WordPress Blogs, custom apps using an Angular JS framework and Bootstrap, Omeka, Drupal);
  • General, project-based web development and UX implementation within the framework of our web site, intranet and student portal;
  • Responsible for creating, modifying and implementing learning-tool solutions, such as Blackboard Learn widgets;
  • Evaluate the use and effectiveness of web applications and other technological services using analytics, usability studies, and other methods;
  • Work to identify and assist in implementing and evaluating promising emerging technologies and social media tools;
  • Provide technical expertise for the use of social media applications and tools;
  • Other duties as assigned.

Required qualifications

  • Master’s degree in Library & Information Sciences from an ALA-accredited program or advanced degree in Instructional Technology or comparable field from an accredited institution;
  • Ability to successfully initiate, track, and manage projects;
  • Demonstrated experience working on digital library projects;
  • Experience administering CMS-type tools and an understanding of web programming work;
  • Familiarity with the Linux and/or Unix command-line;
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills and the ability to interact effectively with faculty, students, and staff.

Preferred Qualifications

  • One year of experience working in an academic library on large digital projects – either implementation or programming/developing, or both.
  • Demonstrable experience creating course and/or subject guides via LibGuides or a comparable application;
  • Experience developing for libraries using current best practices in writing and implementation of multiple scripting or programing languages;
  • Experience with automated development repository environments using Grunt, Bower, GitHub, etc.
  • Experience with an Open Source content management systems such as WordPress;
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a large and complex environment;
  • Familiarity with project management and team productivity tools such as Asana, Trello, and Slack;
  • Knowledge of XML and library metadata standards ;
  • Knowledge of scripting languages such as XSLT, JavaScript, Python, Perl, and PHP;
  • Familiarity with responsive design methodologies and best practices;
  • Familiarity with agile-design practices;
  • Knowledge of graphic design and image editing software.

Environment:

The University of Alabama, The Capstone University, is the State of Alabama’s flagship public university and the senior comprehensive doctoral level institution in Alabama. UA enrolls over 37,000 students, is ranked in the top 50 public universities in the United States, and its School of Library and Information Studies is ranked in the top 15 library schools in the country. UA has graduated 15 Rhodes Scholars, 15 Truman Scholars, has had 121 Fulbright Scholars, is one of the leading institutions for National Merit Scholars (150 in 2015), and has 5 Pulitzer Prize winners among its ranks. Under the new leadership of President Stuart Bell, UA has launched a strategic planning process that includes an aggressive research agenda and expansion of graduate education. UA is located in Tuscaloosa, a metropolitan area of 200,000, with a vibrant economy, a moderate climate, and a reputation across the South as an innovative, progressive community with an excellent quality of life. Tuscaloosa provides easy access to mountains, several large cities, and the beautiful Gulf Coast.

The University of Alabama is an equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. Applicants from a broad spectrum of people, including members of ethnic minorities and disabled persons, are especially encouraged to apply. The University Libraries homepage may be accessed at http://libraries.ua.edu

Prior to employment the successful candidate must pass a pre-employment background investigation.

SALARY/BENEFITS: This will be a non-tenure track 12-month renewable appointment for up to three year cycles at the Assistant Professor rank based on performance, funding, and the needs of the University Libraries. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience.  Excellent benefits, including professional development support and tuition fee waiver.

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Digital Humanities Developer

https://jobs.columbia.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1472763140687

Columbia University Libraries seeks a collegial, collaborative, and creative Digital Humanities Developer to join our Libraries IT staff. The Digital Humanities Developer will provide technology support for digital humanities-focused projects by evaluating, implementing and managing relevant platforms and applications; the Developer will also analyze, transform and/or convert existing humanities-related data sets for staff, engage in creative prototyping of innovative applications, and provide technology consulting and instructional support for Libraries staff.

This new position, based in the Libraries’ Digital Program Division, will work on a variety of projects, collaborating closely with the Digital Humanities Librarian, the Digital Scholarship Coordinator, other Libraries technology groups, librarians in the Humanities & History division and project stakeholders. The position will contribute to building out flexible and sustainable technology platforms for the Libraries’ DH programs and will
also explore new and innovative DH applications and tools.

Responsibilities include:
– Evaluate, implement and manage web and related software applications and platforms relevant to the digital humanities program
– Analyze, transform and/or convert existing humanities-related data sets for staff, students and faculty as needed
– Engage in creative prototyping and model innovative technology solutions in support of the goals of the Digital Humanities Center
– Provide technology consulting, guidance and instruction to CUL staff a well as students and faculty as required
– Conduct independent exploration of technology issues and opportunities in the Digital Humanities domain

The successful candidate will have great collaboration and communication skills and a strong interest in developing expertise in the evolving field of digital humanities.

Columbia University is An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and strongly encourages individuals of all backgrounds and cultures to consider this position.

-Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field, with experience in the humanities, a minimum of 3 years of related work experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience

Significant experience with UNIX, relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL), and one or more relevant software / scripting languages (e.g., JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby/Rails, Perl); experience with modern web standards (HTML5 / CSS / JavaScript); ability to manage software development using revision control software such as SVN and GIT/GITHUB; strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work as part of collaborative teams; ability to communicate effectively with faculty, students, and staff, including both technical and non-technical collaborators; commitment to supporting and working in a diverse collegial environment

Advanced degree in computer science or a related field, or an advanced degree in the humanities or related field; experience in one or more of the following areas: natural language processing, text analysis, data-mining, machine learning, spatial information / mapping, data modeling, information visualization, integrating digital media into web applications; experience with XML/XSLT, GIS, SOLR, linked data technologies; experience with platforms used for digital exhibits or archives.

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UMass Dartmouth, Assistant/Associate Librarian – Online Services and Digital Applications Librarian, Dartmouth, MA

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

  • Experience in the design, development and management of web interfaces, including demonstrated pro?ciency with HTML, CSS, and web authoring tools.
  • Working knowledge of relevant coding languages such as Javascript and PHP
  • Ability and willingness to develop work?ows and standards related to all aspects of the library’s web presence and services including related applications.
  • Strong problem solving skills
  • Excellent organizational skills, including the capability for managing a variety of tasks and multiple priorities
  • Demonstrated initiative and proven ability to learn new technologies and adapt to changes in the profession.
  • Understanding of library services and technologies in an academic environment.
  • Strong service orientation and awareness of end user needs as related to library online services and technologies
  • Possesses an understanding of, and a commitment to, usability testing and ongoing assessment of web interfaces
  • Demonstrated ability to thrive in a team environment, working both independently and collaboratively as appropriate.
  • Ability to learn new technical skills quickly and adapt emerging technologies to new domains.
  • Proven ability and willingness to share expertise with colleagues and to articulate technology strategy to non-technical sta? and patrons.
  • Must be available to respond to situations and systems maintenance work that will occur during weekends or evenings.
  • Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication, including the ability to develop written project documentation, process procedures, reports, etc.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Knowledge of Responsive Web Design and W3C Web Usability Guidelines.
  • Experience supporting an Integrated Library System (ILS)/Library Management Platform and/or discovery system such as Ex Libris’s Primo.
  • Experience using web development languages such as PHP, Javascript, XML, XSLT, and CSS3.
  • Experience with content management systems such as Drupal or WordPress
  • Familiarity with the technical applications and strategies used to enhance the discover ability of library and digital collections.
  • Experience with managing projects, meeting deadlines, and communicating to various stakeholders in an academic library environment.
  • Experience working in a Linux environment.
  • Experience supporting web applications utilizing the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).

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http://hrs.appstate.edu/employment/epa-jobs/1383

Electronic Resources Librarian

Category: Academic Affairs College: Library Department: Belk Library

Qualifications

The University Libraries at Appalachian State University seeks a responsive and collaborative Electronic Resources Librarian. The Electronic Resources Librarian will ensure a seamless and transparent research environment for students and faculty by managing access to electronic resources. Working collaboratively across library teams, the Electronic Resources Librarian will identify and implement improvements in online content, systems and services. The successful candidate will have strong project management, problem solving, and workflow management skills. The Electronic Resources Librarian is a member of the Resource Acquisition and Management Team.

Required

  • ALA-accredited master’s degree.
  • Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
  • Demonstrated e-resources project and workflow management skills.

Preferred

  • Experience with integrated library systems (Sierra preferred).
  • Experience with setup and maintenance of knowledge base, OpenURL, and discovery systems (EDS preferred).
  • Experience with proxy setup and maintenance (Innovative’s WAM, and/or EZ Proxy preferred).
  • Knowledge of security standards and protocols such as LDAP, Single-Sign On, and Shibboleth, and data transfer standards and protocols such as IP, FTP, COUNTER, and SUSHI.
  • Advanced skills with office productivity software including MS Office, and Google Apps for Education.
  • Evidence of establishing and maintaining excellent vendor relationships.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across library teams.
  • Demonstrated skill in technical trouble-shooting and problem-solving.
  • Demonstrated supervisory skills.
  • Second advanced degree.

———————————————————————–

—–Original Message—–
From: lita-l-request@lists.ala.org [mailto:lita-l-request@lists.ala.org] On Behalf Of Spencer Lamm
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2016 12:13 PM
To: lita-l@lists.ala.org
Subject: [lita-l] Jobs: Digital Repository Application Developer, Drexel University Libraries

Summary

Drexel University Libraries seeks a collaborative and creative professional to develop solutions for managing digital collections, research data, university records, and digital scholarship. Working primarily with our Islandora implementation, this position will play a key role as the Libraries advance preservation services and public access for a wide array of digital content including books, articles, images, journals, newspapers, audio, video, and datasets.

As a member of the Data & Digital Stewardship division, the digital repository application developer will work in a collaborative, team-based environment alongside other developers, as well as archives, metadata, and data services staff. The position’s primary responsibility will be working in a Linux environment with the Islandora digital repository stack, which includes the Fedora Commons digital asset management layer, Apache Solr, and Drupal. To support the ingestion and exposure of new collections and digital object types the position will extend the repository using tools such as: RDF, SPARQL, and triplestores; the SWORD protocol; and XSLT.

Reporting to the manager, discovery systems, the developer will collaborate with collection managers and stakeholders across campus. In addition, the successful candidate will play an active role in the Islandora and Fedora open source communities, contributing code, participating in working groups and engaging in other activities in support of current and future implementers of these technologies.

Job URL: http://www.drexeljobs.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=81621

Key Responsibilities

  • Enhance, extend, and maintain the Libraries’ Islandora-based digital

repository

  • Script metadata transformations and digital object processing using

BASH, Python, and XSLT

  • Develop workflows and integrate systems in collaboration with the

Libraries’ data infrastructure developer to support the ingestion of university records and research output, including datasets and publications

  • Work with campus collection managers and technology staff to plan and

coordinate content migrations

  • Collaborate with team members on the exposure of library and

repository data for indexing by search tools and reuse by other applications

  • Ensure adherence of systems to technical, quality assurance, data

integrity, and security standards for managing data

  • Document solutions and workflows for internal purposes and also as

part of compliance with University legal and privacy requirements

  • As part of the discovery systems team, provide support for library

applications and systems

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Information or Computer Sciences or a related

field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience

  • 3 years minimum application or systems development experience
  • Experience with scripting languages such as Python and BASH
  • Demonstrated proficiency with a major language such as Java, PHP, Ruby
  • Experience performing data transfers utilizing software library or

language APIs

  • Experience with XML, XSLT, XPath, XQuery, and data encoding languages

and standards

  • Experience with Linux
  • Commitment to continuously enhancing development skills
  • Strong analytical and problem solving ability
  • Strong oral and written communications skills
  • Demonstrated success in working effectively both independently and

within teams

  • Evidence of flexibility and initiative working within a dynamic

environment and a diverse matrix organization

 

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience in an academic, library, or archives environments
  • Experience with the Fedora Commons and Islandora digital asset

management systems

  • Working knowledge of Apache, Tomcat & other delivery servers.
  • Experience with triple stores, SPARQL, RDF
  • Experience with a version-control system such as Git or Subversion.

 

Interested, qualified applicants may apply at:

http://www.drexeljobs.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=81621

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

https://jobs.mtholyoke.edu/index.cgi?&JA_m=JASDET&JA_s=459

Librarian and Instructional Technology Liaison – Data Services (#459)

Date Posted: 10/19/2016  Type/Department: Staff in Library, Information & Technology Services
As a member of a fully blended group of librarians and instructional technologists in the Research & Instructional Support (RIS) department, the Librarian/Library and Instructional Technology Liaison (title dependent on qualifications) will work closely with fellow liaisons in RIS to provide forward-looking library research and instructional technology services to faculty and students, with a special focus on data services.The liaison collaborates broadly across LITS as well as with internal and external partners to support faculty and students participating in the College’s data science curricular initiative and in data-intensive disciplines. The liaison coordinates the development, design, and provision of responsive and flexible data services programming for faculty and students, including data analysis, data storage, data publishing, data management, data visualization, and data preservation. The liaison consults with faculty and students in a wide range of disciplines on best practices for teaching and using data/statistical software tools such as R, SPSS, Stata, and MatLab.All liaisons collaborate with faculty to support the design, implementation and assessment of meaningfully integrated library research and technology skills and tools (including Moodle, the learning management system) into teaching and learning activities; provide library research and instructional technology consultation; effectively design, develop, deliver, and assess seminars, workshops, and other learning opportunities; provide self-motivated leadership in imagining and implementing improvements in teaching and learning effectiveness; serve as liaison to one or more academic departments or programs, supporting pedagogical and content needs in the areas of collection development, library research, and instructional technology decisions; maintain high levels of quality customer service standards responding to questions and problems;  partner with colleagues across Library, Information, and Technology Services (LITS) to ensure excellence in the provision of services in support of teaching and learning;  and actively work to help the RIS team and the College to create a welcoming environment in which a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff can thrive.Evening and weekend work may be necessary. In some circumstances, it may be important to assist during adverse weather and emergency situations to ensure essential services and service points are covered. Performs related duties as assigned.Qualifications:

  • Advanced degree required, preferably in education, educational technology, instructional design, or MLS with an emphasis in instruction and assessment. Open to other combinations of education and experience such as advanced degree in quantitative academic disciplines with appropriate teaching and outreach experience.
  • 3-5 years experience in an academic setting with one or more of the following: teaching, outreach, instructional technology and design support, or research support.
  • Significant experience with statistical/quantitative data analysis using one or more of the following tools: R, SPSS, Stata, or MatLab.
  • Significant experience with one or more of the following: data storage, data publishing, data management, data visualization, or data preservation.

Skills:

  • Demonstrated passion for the teaching and learning process, an understanding of a variety of pedagogical approaches, and the ability to develop effective learning experiences.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead projects that include diverse groups of people.
  • A love of learning, the ability to think critically with a dash of ingenuity, the open-mindedness to change your mind, the confidence to admit to not knowing something, and a willingness to learn and move on from mistakes.
  • Attention and care for detail without losing sight of the big picture and our users’ needs.
  • Flexibility to accept, manage, and incorporate change in a fast-paced environment.
  • Excellent oral and written communication, quantitative, organization, and problem-solving skills.
  • The ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
  • Able to maintain a professional and tactful approach in all interactions, ensuring confidentiality and an individual’s right to privacy regarding appropriate information.
  • Enthusiastic service orientation with sensitivity to the needs of users at all skill levels; the ability to convey technical information to a non-technical audience is essential.
  • Ability to travel as needed to participate in consortia and professional meetings and events.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

From: lita-l-request@lists.ala.org [mailto:lita-l-request@lists.ala.org] On Behalf Of Williams, Ginger
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2016 8:37 AM
To: ‘lita-l@lists.ala.org’ <lita-l@lists.ala.org>
Subject: [lita-l] Job: Library Specialist Data Visualization & Collection Analytics (Texas USA)

 

library Specialist: Data Visualization & Collections Analytics

 

The Albert B. Alkek Library at Texas State University is seeking a Library Specialist: Data Visualization & Collections Analytics. Under the direction of the Head of Acquisitions, this position provides library-wide support for data visualization and collection analytics projects to support data-driven decision making. This position requires a high level of technical expertise and specialized knowledge to gather, manage, and analyze collection data and access rights, then report complex data in easy-to-understand visualizations. The position will include working with print and digital collections owned or leased by the library.

 

RESPONSIBILITIES: Develop and maintain an analytics strategy for the library. Manage and report usage statistics for electronic resources. Conduct complex holdings comparison analyses utilizing data from the Integrated Library System (ILS), vendors and/or external systems. Produce reports from the ILS on holdings and circulation. Develop strategies to clean and normalize data exported from the ILS and other systems for use in further analysis. Utilize data visualization strategies to report and present analytics. Conduct benchmarking with vendors, peer institutions, and stakeholders. Coordinate record-keeping of current and perpetual access rights for electronic resources and the management of titles in preservation systems such as LOCKSS and PORTICO. Maintain awareness of developments with digital preservation systems and national and international standards for electronic resources. Serve as the primary resource person for questions related to collections analytics and data visualization. Represent department and library-wide needs by participating in various committees. Participate in formulating departmental and unit policies. Pursue professional development activities to improve knowledge, skills, and abilities. Coordinate and/or perform special projects, participate in department & other staff meetings and perform other duties as needed.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Required: Ability to read, analyze, and understand data in a variety of formats; strong written, oral, and interpersonal skills, including ability to work effectively in a team; experience using R, Tableau, BayesiaLab or other data visualization or AI applications, demonstrated by an online portfolio; advanced problem solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills; demonstrated advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including experience using VBA, macros, and formulas; intermediate familiarity with relational databases such as Microsoft Access, including creating relationships, queries, and reports; innovative thinking including the ability to utilize analytics/visualization tools in new, creative, and effective ways.

 

Preferred:  Bachelor’s degree in quantitative or data visualization field such as Applied Statistics, Data Science, or Business Analytics or certificate in data visualization; familiarity with library collection management standards and tools, such as reporting modules within integrated library systems, COUNTER, SUSHI, PIE-J, LOCKSS, PORTICO, library electronic resource usage statistics, and continuing resources; experience with SQL or other query language.

 

SALARY AND BENEFITS:  Commensurate with qualifications and experience. Benefits include monthly contribution to health insurance/benefits package and retirement program. No state or local income tax.

BACKGROUND CHECK: Employment with Texas State University is contingent upon the outcome of a criminal history background check.

Texas State’s 38,849 students choose from 98 bachelor’s, 90 master’s and 12 doctoral degree programs offered by the following colleges: Applied Arts, McCoy College of Business Administration, Education, Fine Arts and Communication, Health Professions, Liberal Arts, Science and Engineering, University College and The Graduate College. As an Emerging Research University, Texas State offers opportunities for discovery and innovation to faculty and students.

Application information:

Apply online at http://jobs.hr.txstate.edu

Texas State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Texas State, a member of the

Texas State University System, is committed to increasing the number of women and

minorities in administrative and professional positions.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Assistant Professor
Working Title Assistant Professor – Web Development Librarian #002847
Department Office of the Dean – Hunter Library
Position Summary Hunter Library seeks an enthusiastic, innovative, collaborative, and user-oriented librarian for the position of Web Development and User Experience Librarian. This librarian will research, develop, and assess enhancements to the library’s web presence. The person in this position will design new sites and applications to improve the user experience in discovering, finding, and accessing library content and services. Providing vision and leadership in designing, developing and supporting the library website content and integrating it with the larger library web presence, which includes discovery tools, digital collections, and electronic resources; supervision of one technology support analyst, as well as staff/student employees engaged in related work, as assigned. Monitors workflow and deadlines; day-to-day management, including programming and editorial recommendations, of the library’s web pages and intranet; serves as a member of the library’s web steering committee, an advisory group that includes representatives from across the library; development and implementation web applications and tools, particularly for mobile environments. The library values collaboration and broad engagement in library-wide decisions and initiatives. This position reports directly to the Head of Technology, Access, and Special Collections.
Carnegie statement WCU embraces its role as a regionally engaged university and is designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a community engaged university. Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate a commitment to public engagement through their teaching, service, and scholarship
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Required for this Position Strong leadership skills and ability to lead a web based electronic content management development team; experience in designing, developing, and supporting web sites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; familiarity with User Experience Design; basic skills in graphic design; familiarity with usability testing, WAI guidelines, and web analytics; familiarity with mobile platforms, applications, and design; familiarity with responsive design; familiarity with content management systems, intranets, relational databases, and web servers; demonstrated flexibility and initiative; strong commitment to user-centered services and service excellence; strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students; superior oral and written communication skills; ability to achieve tenure through effective job performance, service, and research.
Minimum Qualifications ALA-accredited master’s degree or international equivalent in library or information science; strong leadership skills and ability to lead a web based electronic content management development team; experience in designing, developing, and supporting web sites using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript; familiarity with User Experience Design; basic skills in graphic design; familiarity with usability testing, WAI guidelines, and web analytics; familiarity with mobile platforms, applications, and design; familiarity with responsive design; familiarity with content management systems, intranets, relational databases, and web servers. Demonstrated flexibility and initiative; strong commitment to user-centered services and service excellence; strong analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students; superior oral and written communication skills; ability to achieve tenure through effective job performance, service, and research
Preferred Qualifications Academic library experience; demonstrated skills in User Experience Design; demonstrated experience with usability testing, WAI guidelines, and web analytics; demonstrated experience with mobile platforms, applications, and design; demonstrated experience developing responsive web pages or applications; demonstrated experience with content management systems, relational databases, and web servers; skills or interest in photography; experience with graphic design software; familiarity with a programming environment that includes languages such as ASP.NET, PHP, Python, or Ruby
Position Type Permanent Full-Time

Position: Library Information Analyst

 

Position summary
The Library Information Analyst coordinates Access & Information Services (AIS) technology assessment activities, working in a 24/5 environment to support the technology needs of customers. This position will analyze and report quantitative and qualitative data gathered from various technology-related services including the iSpace (library maker space), equipment lending, and all public-facing user technology. Using this data, the incumbent will support strategic planning for improving and operationalizing technology-related services, provide analysis to support a wide variety of data to management, and makes recommendations for process improvements.

How to apply
See the full job description to learn more and apply online.

+++++++++++++++++++++

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA LIBRARIES

Web Development Librarian

The University of Alabama Libraries seeks a talented and energetic professional Web Development Librarian in the Web Technologies and Development unit. Reporting to the Manager of Web Technologies and Development, this position will be responsible for supporting and extending the Libraries’ custom web applications, tools, and web presence. The position will also engage in project work, and support new technology initiatives derived from our strategic plan. The position duties will be split among extending and supporting our custom PHP web apps framework, maintaining and enhancing our web site, maintaining and extending our custom Bento search tool, and developing for open-source digital initiatives such as EBSCO’s FOLIO library framework. The position will also support inter-departmental development and troubleshooting using your front-stack and back-end skills.

The successful candidate will maintain a knowledge of current best practices in all areas of responsibility with special attention to security. S/he will identify promising new technologies that can positively impact services or generate a better user experience and will be an innovative and entrepreneurial professional who desires to work in a creative, collaborative and respectful environment.

The Web Technologies and Applications department is responsible for the development of such nationally-recognized tools as our Bento search interface and our innovative applications of Ebsco’s EDS tool. The University Libraries emphasizes a culture of continuous learning, professional growth, and diversity through ongoing and regular training, and well-supported professional development.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • MLS/MLIS degree from an ALA accredited program, or
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively with diverse constituencies; comfortable with ambiguity; and effective oral, written and interpersonal communication
  • Experience (1 year+) developing for LAMP systems / extensive familiarity with PHP and MySQL or other back-end development Eg, must be able to write SQL queries and PHP code, and show understanding of web application usage using these tools within a Linux and Apache environment.
  • Extensive familiarity with front-stack development using Javascript and Javascript libraries, AJAX, JSON, HTML 5 and
  • Familiarity with version control usage systems in a development
  • Familiarity with basic UX, iterative design, accessibility standards and mobile first
  • Experience developing within a WordPress
  • Ability to problem solve
  • Ability to set and follow through on both individual and team priorities and
  • Aptitude for learning new technologies and working in a dynamic
  • Demonstrated comfort with an evolving technology
  • A desire to be awesome, and develop awesome projects.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • 1-3 years of programming and development experience in a web environment using LAMP
  • Experience developing for, and supporting, common open-source library applications such as Omeka, ArchiveSpace, Dspace,
  • Experience with Java, Ruby, RAML
  • Familiarity with NoSQL databases and
  • Experience interacting with and manipulating REST API data
  • Application or mobile development
  • Experience with professional workflows using IDEs, staging servers, Git, Grunt, and
  • Familiarity with js, Bootstrap, Angular.js, Roots.io.
  • Familiar with UX methodologies and
  • Experience with web security issues, HTTPS, and developing secure
  • Experience developing for and within open-source

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Web Developer/Content Strategist
0604162
University Libraries

Desired Qualifications

– Experience working with Drupal or similar CMS.

– Experience working with LibGuides.

– Familiarity with academic libraries.

General Summary: Designs, develops and maintains websites and related applications for the University Libraries. The position also leads a team to develop holistic communication strategies including the creation and maintenance of an intuitive online experience.

– Develops web content strategy for all University Libraries departments. Serves as Manager for CMS website. Leads effort to coordinate website messaging across multiple platforms including Libraries CMS, LibGuides, social media, and other electronic outlets. Leads research, organization, and public relations efforts concerning the development and release of new websites.

– Designs, tests, debugs and deploys websites. Maintains and updates website architecture and content. Ensures website architecture and content meets University standards.

– Collaborates with University staff to define and document website requirements. Gathers and reports usage statistics, errors or other performance statistics to improve information access and further the goals of the University Libraries.

– Works with Libraries Resource Management to incorporate web-related materials and resources from the Integrated Library System into other web platforms. Works with Libraries IT Services to coordinate maintenance of the architecture, functionality, and integrity of University Libraries websites.

Minimum Qualifications

– Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field from an accredited institution.

– Three years’ relevant experience.

– Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills.

– Experience documenting technical and content standards.

– Skills involving strong attention to detail.

– Supervisory or lead experience.

+++++++++++++++++++++
Academic Technology Specialist

https://www.rfcuny.org/careers/postings?pvnID=HO-1710-002124

General Description

Under supervision of the Director of Educational Technology, the Academic Technology Specialist will implement complex technical programs and/or projects; perform a range of work in development/programming, communications, technical support, instructional design, and other similar functions to support faculty, staff and students depending on the needs of the Office of Educational Technology; and provide input to educational technology policy-making decisions.Key Responsibilities and Activities:

  • Support in the implementation of 21st Century technologies, such as ePortfolios, blended/asynchronous courses, mobile learning, Web 2.0 tools for education;
  • Develop and implement innovative pedagogical applications using the latest computer, mobile and digital media;
  • Develop educational and interactive websites, including interactive learning modules, multimedia presentations, and rich media;
  • Provide one-to-one guidance to faculty in Blackboard, ePortfolios, blended/online learning, mobile learning, and digital media use in the classroom across all disciplines in a professional setting;
  • Support and enhance existing homegrown applications as required;
  • Develop and administer short-term training courses for faculty and students. Provide support for Blackboard, Digication, and WordPress users.
  • Keep abreast of the latest hardware and software developments and adapt them for pedagogical uses across disciplines.

 

Other Duties

  • Manage multiple projects in a dynamic team-oriented environment;
  • Serve as a liaison between Academic Departments and the Office of Educational Technology, and as a technical resource in all aspects of instructional design, as well as technologies used in the classroom.
 Qualifications
  • Bachelor Degree in Computer Science or related field, and three years of related work experience. Master Degree preferred.
  • In-depth experience of programming in ASP.NET MVC, PHP and C#;
  • In-depth experience with lecture capturing solutions (e.g. Tegrity, Panopto), TurnItIn, Camtasia, Adobe CS Suite,
  • Strong understanding of database design (MySQL, MS SQL);
  • Strong understanding of HTML5, CSS3, HTML, XHTML, XML, JavaScript, AJAX, JQUERY, and Internet standards and protocols;
  • Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills;
  • Knowledge of project development life cycle is a plus;
  • Strong understanding of WordPress Multisites, Kaltura, WikiMedia, and other CMS platforms is a plus;
  • Experience with Windows Mobile, iOS, and other mobile environments / languages is a plus.

_______________________________

Digital Literacies Librarian

Instruction Services Division – Library
University of California, Berkeley Library
Hiring range: Associate Librarian
$65,942 – $81,606 per annum, based on qualifications
This is a full time appointment available starting March 2019.

The University of California, Berkeley seeks a creative, collaborative, and user-oriented colleague as the Digital Literacies Librarian. The person in this role will join a team committed to teaching emerging scholars to approach research with confidence, creativity, and critical insight, empowering them to access, critically evaluate, and use information to create and distribute their own research in a technologically evolving environment. This position also has a liaison role with the School of Information, building collections and supporting research methodologies such as computational text analysis, data visualization, and machine learning.

The Environment

The UC Berkeley Library is an internationally renowned research and teaching facility at one of the nation’s premier public universities. A highly diverse and intellectually rich environment, Berkeley serves a campus community of 30,000 undergraduate students, over 11,000 graduate students, and 1,500 faculty. With a collection of more than 12 million volumes and a collections budget of over $15 million, the Library offers extensive collections in all formats and robust services to connect users with those collections and build their related research skills.

The Instruction Services Division (ISD) is a team of seven librarians and professional staff who provide leadership for all issues related to the Library’s educational role such as student learning, information literacy, first-year and transfer student experience, reference and research services, assessment of teaching and learning, instructor development, and the design of physical and virtual learning environments. We support course-integrated instruction, drop-in workshops, online guides, and individual research. Our work furthers the Library’s involvement in teaching and learning initiatives and emphasizes the opportunities associated with undergraduate education. We cultivate liaison relationships with campus partners and academic programs.

The School of Information (I School) offers: professional masters degrees in information management, data science, and cybersecurity; a doctoral program in Information Management & Systems; and a Graduate Certificate in Information and Communication Technologies and Development. Research areas include: natural language processing, computer-mediated communication, data science, human-computer interaction, information policy, information visualization, privacy, technology for developing regions, and user experience and design.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of the Instruction Services Division, the Digital Literacies Librarian will further the Library’s digital literacy initiative (Level Up) by working with colleagues in the Library and engaging with campus partners. This librarian will play a key role in supporting information literacy and emerging research methods across the disciplines, partnering with colleagues who have expertise in these areas (e.g. Data Initiatives Expertise Group, Data and GIS Librarians, Digital Humanities Librarian) and campus partners (e.g. D-Lab, Academic Innovation Studio, Research IT, Research Data Management). Collaborations will be leveraged to identify, implement, and promote entry-level research support services for undergraduate users. This librarian will actively participate in the Library’s reference and instructional services—providing in-person reference, virtual reference, individual research consultations, in-person classes, and the development of online instructional content. This librarian will provide consultation and training to students, faculty, and librarians on using digital tools and techniques to enhance their research and to improve teaching and learning. Serving as a liaison to the I School, this position will establish strong relationships with faculty and graduate students and gain insights into trends in information studies that can be incorporated into the library’s instructional portfolio, with a special focus on undergraduates.

Working with colleagues in ISD and across the Library, the Digital Literacies Librarian will develop innovative programs and services. A key pedagogical tactic is promoting peer-to-peer learning for undergraduates, including administering the Library Undergraduate Fellows program. The Fellows program provides students with training and networking opportunities while helping the Library experiment and pilot service models to best support emerging scholars. New service models are piloted in the Center for Connected Learning (CCL) beta site in Moffitt Library. Currently in the design phase, the CCL is a hub for undergraduates to engage in multidisciplinary, multimodal inquiry and creation. Students learn from peers and experts as they ask, seek, and find answers to their questions in an environment unbound by disciplines or domain expertise. Students discover possibilities for learning and research by experimenting directly with new methods and tools. The space is run in partnership with students, and they are empowered to influence service and space design, structure, and policies. The Digital Literacies Librarian will contribute to this ethos by ensuring that emerging scholars are supported to experiment and be connected to the Library’s wealth of scholarly resources and programs.

Qualifications

Minimum Basic Qualification required at the time of application:

● Bachelor’s degree

Additional Required Qualifications required by start date of position:

● Master’s degree from an ALA accredited institution or equivalent international degree.
● Two or more years experience providing reference and/or instruction services in an academic or research library.
● Two or more years experience using digital scholarship methodologies.

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

● Experience applying current developments in information literacy, instructional design, digital initiatives, and assessment.
● Demonstrated understanding of methods and tools related to text mining, web scraping, text and data analysis, and visualization.
● Experience with data visualization principles and tools.
● Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and implement effective programs, complex projects, and services.
● Demonstrated analytical, organizational, problem solving, interpersonal, and communication skills.
● Demonstrated initiative, flexibility, creativity, and ability to work effectively both independently and as a team member.
● Knowledge of the role of the library in supporting the research lifecycle.
● Participation in Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI), ARL Digital Scholarship Institute, Library Carpentry, or other intensive program.

● Experience with or coursework in collection development in an academic or research library.
● Knowledge of licensing issues related to text and data mining.
● Familiarity with data science principles and programming languages such as Python or R.

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Making and Innovation Specialist, UNLV University Libraries [R0113536]

https://www.higheredjobs.com/admin/details.cfm?JobCode=176885111

ROLE of the POSITION

The Making and Innovation Specialist collaborates with library and campus colleagues to connect the Lied Library Makerspace with learning and research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. This position leads the instructional initiatives of the Makerspace, coordinates curricular and co-curricular outreach, and facilitates individual and group instruction. The incumbent coordinates daily Makerspace operations and supervises a team of student employees who maintain safety standards and provide assistance to users. As a member of the Department of Knowledge Production, this position works jointly with all disciplines to explore the application of technology in learning and research, and prioritizes creating inclusive spaces and experiences for the UNLV community.

QUALIFICATIONS

This position requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and professionals at all stages of their career are encouraged to apply.

Required

Technology

  • Ability to use technology in creative ways to facilitate research and learning.
  • Ability to maintain and troubleshoot digital fabrication technology.
  • Experience with 3D modeling and printing principles including equipment, software, and basic CAD skills.
  • Working knowledge of vector graphic editors and laser cutting or vinyl cutting equipment.
  • Experience with circuitry, Arduino microcontrollers, and Raspberry Pi single-board computers.
  • Coding skills as they apply to circuitry preferred.

Instructional & Organizational

  • Ability to create and maintain policies and instructional materials/guides for Makerspace equipment and services.
  • Managerial skills to hire, train, supervise, and inspire a team of student employees.
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills including the ability to describe relatively complex technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
  • Aptitude for developing and supporting learner-centered instruction for a variety of audiences.
  • Demonstrated capacity and skill to engage students and contribute to student success.
  • Ability to work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively to promote teamwork, diversity, equality, and inclusiveness within the Libraries and the campus.
  • Experience in a relevant academic or public setting preferred.

digital literacy and the workplace

Digital Literacy and Preparing Students for the Workforce

Posted by Catie Peiper on May 16, 2016

Digital Technology Is Changing the Career Landscape

  1. People are living longer.
  2. Technology can now augment and extend our own abilities.
  3. Daily life is now computational as innovations in sensors and processing make our world a programmable system.
  4. Our new media ecology and advances in communications systems require media literacies beyond text.
  5. Social technologies are driving new forms of production and value creation.
  6. Our world is now globally connected, highlighting diversity and adaptability.

Digital Literacy Is a Professional Competency

media-rich education, including interactive approaches such as digital storytelling or remix education, ensures that students are familiar with modern tools and “natural language” modes of expression. We are increasingly moving into what many scholars consider a post-literate world, one in which images, video, and the written or spoken word are used fluidly together, symbiotically, to communicate increasingly complex concepts. Modern rhetoric now includes TED talks, animated lectures, visual essays, and a plethora of other interactive and dynamic multimedia.

Smart Classrooms = Smart Workers

ten, technology-oriented strengths as “must haves” for future employers:

  1. An ability to determine deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed via all mediums.
  2. An ability to connect with others in a meaningful and direct way via modern technologies and our global networks.
  3. A proficiency in problem-solving and critical analysis, especially when working with digital relationships or data.
  4. An ability to adapt to different cultural settings and modalities, necessitated by our global media ecosystem.
  5. An ability to translate specific information and data into abstracts while understanding the underlying reasoning.
  6. An ability to critically assess and develop content that uses evolving digital media, leveraging these tools for direct and persuasive communication.
  7. A transdisciplinary, multimedia mindset that eschews specialized or localized intelligences.
  8. A design or goal-oriented mindset that employs systems thinking and that develops tasks and work processes towards a desired outcome.
  9. An ability to discriminate and filter both digital and analog information for importance, while maximizing cognitive and productivity efficiencies.
  10. An ability to work productively and innovatively via virtual collaboration.

Digital Backpack, is certainly one of the first steps, as is developing an educational framework within which students can meanfully and productively interrogate our technologically driven world.

To learn more about incorporating media in the classroom, download Digital Literacy On-Demand: Visualizing Best Practices in Higher Education, our guide to best practices for multimodal learning and digital media on campus.

 

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More on digital literacy in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=digital+literacy

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more on digital storytelling in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims?s=digital+storytelling

quizzes for practice and training

Five Types of Quizzes That Deepen Engagement with Course Content

By:

Tropman, E., (2014). In defense of reading quizzes. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 26 (1), 140-146.

Brame, C. J. and Biel, R., (2015). Test-enhanced learning: The potential for testing to promote greater learning in undergraduate science courses. Cell Biology Education—Life Sciences Education, 14 (Summer), 1-12.

Collaborative quizzing
Quizzing with resources
Quizzing after questioning
Online quizzes completed before class

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Top Five Tips for Creating Training Quizzes

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More on the use of quizzes as a conversation starter and/or training tool (versus assessment tool) in this IMS blog

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2012/11/28/quizzes-and-fun-games-gamification/

digital humanities for librarians

Introduction to Digital Humanities for Librarians

Instructor: John Russell

Dates: April 4-29, 2016

Credits: 1.5 CEUs

Price: $175

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/112-digital-humanities.php

Digital humanities (DH) has been heralded as the next big thing in humanities scholarship and universities have been creating initiatives and new positions in this field. Libraries, too, have moved to create a presence in the digital humanities community, setting up centers and hiring librarians to staff them. This course is designed as an introduction for librarians or library school students who have little or no exposure to DH and wish to be better positioned to offer DH support or services in a library setting. Participants will read and discuss DH scholarship, learn about frequently-used software, and think about why and how libraries and librarians engage DH. While I will encourage participants to explore more complex computing approaches (and I will support those who do as best I can), this course does not presuppose computing skills such as programming or use of the command line and will not ask participants to do much more than upload files to websites or install and use simple programs. Participants should have an interest and background in humanities scholarship and humanities librarianship and while the readings will focus on activities in the United States, our discussions can be more geographically wide-ranging.

Objectives:

– A basic knowledge of what digital humanities is and how it effects scholarship in the humanities disciplines.

– Exposure to core tools and approaches used by digital humanists.

– An understanding of how libraries and librarians have been involved with digital humanities.

– Critical engagement with the role of librarians and libraries in digital humanities.

This class has a follow-up, Introduction to Text Encoding

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/133-text-encoding.php

John Russell is the Associate Director of the Center for Humanities and Information at Pennsylvania State University. He has been actively involved in digital humanities projects, primarily related to text encoding, and has taught courses and workshops on digital humanities methods, including “Introduction to Digital Humanities for Librarians.”

Read an interview with John Russell about this class:

http://libraryjuiceacademy.com/news/?p=769

You can register in this course through the first week of instruction (as long as it is not full). The “Register” button on the website goes to our credit card payment gateway, which may be used with personal or institutional credit cards. (Be sure to use the appropriate billing address). If your institution wants us to send a billing statement or wants to pay using a purchase order, please contact us by email to make arrangements: inquiries@libraryjuiceacademy.com

Introduction to Text Encoding

Instructor: John Russell

Dates: May 2-27, 2016

Credits: 1.5 CEUs

Price: $175

This course will introduce students to text encoding according to the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) Guidelines. Why should you care about text encoding or the TEI Guidelines? The creation of digital scholarly texts is a core part of the digital humanities and many digital humanities grants and publications require encoding texts in accordance with the TEI Guidelines. Students in this course will learn about the use-cases for text encoding and get a basic introduction to the principles of scholarly editing before moving on to learning some XML basics and creating a small-scale TEI project using the XML editor oXygen. We will not cover (beyond the very basics) processing TEI, and students interested in learning about XSLT and/or XQuery should turn to the LJA courses offered on those subjects. Participants should have some experience with digital humanities, as this course is intended as a follow up to the Introduction to Digital Humanities for Librarians course.

Objectives:

  • A basic understanding of digital scholarly editing as an academic activity.
  • Knowledge of standard TEI elements for encoding poetry and prose.
  • Some engagement with more complex encoding practices, such as working with manuscripts.
  • An understanding of how librarians have participated in text encoding.
  • Deeper engagement with digital humanities practices.

John Russell is the Associate Director of the Center for Humanities and Information at Pennsylvania State University. He has been actively involved in digital humanities projects, primarily related to text encoding, and has taught courses and workshops on digital humanities methods, including “Introduction to Digital Humanities for Librarians.” Interview with John Russell

Course Structure

This is an online class that is taught asynchronously, meaning that participants do the work on their own time as their schedules allow. The class does not meet together at any particular times, although the instructor may set up optional synchronous chat sessions. Instruction includes readings and assignments in one-week segments. Class participation is in an online forum environment.

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Spatial Data Analyst & Curator

University Libraries / U-Spatial

University of Minnesota

 

Overview

The University of Minnesota Libraries and U-Spatial (https://uspatial.umn.edu/) seek a knowledgeable and proactive Spatial Data Analyst & Curator to advance the Libraries’ efforts in the areas of geospatial projects, geospatial data curation and management, and digital spatial humanities. Residing in the John R. Borchert Map Library, the Spatial Data Analyst & Curator works under the management and direction of the University Libraries, which holds institutional responsibility for supporting the products and processes of scholarship through the collection, provisioning, and preservation of information resources in all formats and media. As such, the work of the Spatial Data Analyst & Curator uses a life-cycle data management approach to serve the specific needs of the spatial data creator/user community while ensuring that processes and methods employed are strongly aligned with enterprise strategies and systems.

Required Qualifications include a Master’s degree in library/information science from an American Library Association accredited library school, GIS-related field, or equivalent combination of advanced degree and relevant experience, as well as experience with geographical information systems, including/especially Esri’s ArcGIS software, experience with scripting languages, such as Python or JavaScript, and experience with metadata creation, schema, and management.

 

For complete description, qualifications and to apply, go to: http://z.umn.edu/ulib362

 

The University of Minnesota is an Equal Opportunity Educator and Employer.

 

 

Ryan Mattke

Head, John R. Borchert Map Library

University of Minnesota
S-76 Wilson Library

309 19th Ave South

Minneapolis, MN 55455

Email: matt0089@umn.edu

Web: http://www.lib.umn.edu/borchert

Phone: 612.624.5757
ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8816-9289

instruction without LMS

Free Webinar: Create and Deploy Training in 10 Minutes…Without an LMS!

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/138953/138953-6110069177630932993

Join us on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST for another great E-Learning 2.0 webinar.
Register here: http://bit.ly/1Scfhdi

In this webinar, you’ll learn about how some businesses are turning to a new breed of training product called LearnBolt to meet their in the moment training needs. LearnBolt is a Learning Development and Delivery System(LDDS) that makes it quick and easy to collect and curate content, organize it, and then immediately push it to the learners all through mobile devices. There will be a live demonstration of the application and discussion on how to make your training development and delivery a more dynamic and fluid process to meet the needs of todays evolving learners.

Key Topics discussed:

• Rapid training development and delivery
• SME Knowledge Mining
• Cloud-based Content Management Systems
• Bite-sized training chunks
• Mobile push learning

Presenter: Steve Albanese

Steve is Founder and CEO of LearnBolt. With over 20 years of building EdTech products and service based businesses, Steve brings valuable experience in training/learning methodologies, production processes, and a deep knowledge of the latest technology and transition trends.

Register Here: http://bit.ly/1Scfhdi

Classroom Discussion and Students Participation

Classroom Discussion and Students Participation: how to Secure Student Engagement to Increase Learning and Improve Teaching

  • How to increase the number of students who take part in classroom discussions
  • How to avoid the problem of dominant talkers
  • How to encourage introverted students to increase their participation in classroom discussions
  • Strategies to help your students recognize what they learned in any discussion
  • How to use the first day of the semester to engage your students—and techniques for getting them to participate right from the start
  • What common classroom practices can decrease the likelihood of a student participating in discussion?
  • What strategies can you use to overcome established classroom practices and increase student participation?
  • And how can you structure classroom discussions to better facilitate student learning?

What does Research Tell Us about Classroom Discussion? Jay Howard
http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1163&context=facsch_papers

Do College Students Participate More in Discussion in Traditional Delivery Courses or in Interactive Telecourses?
https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_higher_education/v073/73.6howard.html

facts from sociological research:

  • Gender yields mixed results
    • Males participate more frequently than females.
    • Males participate more frequently in courses taught by female instructors
    • Other studies show the opposite
  • Non traditional students participate more frequently
  • Instructors’ gender also returns mixed results
  • Class size as variable is important, smaller classes, more participation
  • Class participation – grading
    • Make the students grade themselves at the end of each class period. By making them grade themselves, they reflect and makes them more aware of their contribution.
      0 – absent
      1 – present but did not verbally participate
      2 – verbally participated one time
      3 – verbally participated more than once
      4 – made an equitable contribution to discussion in terms of both quantity and quality

 

  • The well-known and established belief that smaller classes spur more participation.
    Jay Howard maintain his sociological research in 20th centuries constants: physical classroom, no technology surrounding.
    In the 21st century, clickers changed the opportunity for immediate feedback. They changed also the discourse of the traditional student participation and classroom discussion:
    https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=clickers&submit=Search

Traditional forms and techniques for discussion and participation

Weih, T. G. (2015). Discussion Strategies for the Inclusion of ALL Students. Online Submission,
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED561060

  • Don’ts:
    call on student
    instructor’s personality issues:

Does the instructor really care of what students have to say
lecturing does not predispose to discussion

  • The 10 second rule: students discuss in pairs the concept/question
  • Think-Pair-Share: discussion strategy before or after lesson, similar to 10 second but longer
  • Quick writes: write their thoughts and then share. Loose paper, names on top,
  • Recorder-reporter. Post-lecture. The person reps the group, who is working on a specific question. Each group different question.
  • K-W-L. what we know, what we want to learn, what we learned. Teacher instructs students that K = what they know, W = what they want to learn and L = what they learned. . work in small groups, but each student works on h/er chart, thus if student disagrees with rest of the group, has record. L is left blank for after the discussion.

Simich-Dudgeon, C., & National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, W. D. (1998). Classroom Strategies for Encouraging Collaborative Discussion. Directions in Language and Education. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED435188

  • Using storytelling

Chen, W., & Looi, C. (2007). Incorporating Online Discussion in Face to Face Classroom Learning: A New Blended Learning Approach. Australasian Journal Of Educational Technology, 23(3), 307-326.
Discussions and participation in hybrid environment

Jinhong, J., & Gilson, T. A. (2014). Online Threaded Discussion: Benefits, Issues, and Strategies. Kinesiology Review, 3(4), 241-246.
http://login.libproxy.stcloudstate.edu/login?qurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ebscohost.com%2flogin.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26db%3ds3h%26AN%3d100248254%26site%3dehost-live%26scope%3dsite

For each OTD topic, the instructor randomly assigns two to four student discussion leaders who are in charge of organizing OTD for the assigned week. Each of the discussion leaders is asked to generate one or two discussion questions related to the topic based on reading assignments. The use of student discussion leaders is a strategy to encourage active participation and help develop ownership of learning. Once student discussion leaders post their questions, other students are encouraged to contribute to the discussion by answering each question, commenting on the ideas of others, or asking questions of peers or the instructor for the next two days. When the week’s discussion is complete, the student leaders and instructor work together to summarize the discussion and evaluate each student’s participation and contribution to the discussion using a scoring rubric. (p.242)

Implementation (p. 243):

  • preparation : On the first day of the course, the instructor introduces topics, how-tos, expectations, grading procedures, and required reading assignments for OTD, and organizes discussion leaders for each online discussion (2–4 leaders for each)
  • Opening and Responding: Posted discussion questions become open at the time of the class and students who are not the leaders are required to post at least one response per question within 48 hrs. During this time, the leaders facilitate discussion by responding to comments, raising questions, or redirecting discussion to encourage active participation and ensure the discussion is on track
  • Summary and Assessment: The job of the leader is to moderate, summarize discussion threads, and assess them at the end of the discussion. When the week’s discussion is complete, the leaders meet with the instructor to debrief and evaluate each student’s participation and contribution to the discussion using a scoring rubric given by the instructor. After the meeting, each leader posts his or her summary of the discussion to BBCMS and reports at the next in-person class.

 

  • D2L
  • Beyond CMS (D2L)

Discussions and participation in online environment

Darabi, A., Liang, X., Suryavanshi, R., & Yurekli, H. (2013). Effectiveness of Online Discussion Strategies: A Meta-Analysis. American Journal Of Distance Education, 27(4), 228-241. doi:10.1080/08923647.2013.837651

  • Beyond CMS (D2L)

Lin, P., Hou, H., Wang, S., & Chang, K. (2013). Analyzing knowledge dimensions and cognitive process of a project-based online discussion instructional activity using Facebook in an adult and continuing education course. Computers & Education, 60(1), 110-121. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.07.017
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360131512001819

  1. 111 results suggest that using Facebook is not necessarily harmful to a student’s learning performance. Adequate learning activity design and pedagogical goal setting could, in fact, exploit the social and information-sharing function of Facebook, thereby supporting academic learning (Gray et al., 2010). this study seeks to advance the understanding of adult learners’ behaviors in online project discussions using Facebook.

In the process of project-based learning, learners must utilize different kinds of knowledge (e.g., discrete declarative knowledge and dynamic procedural knowledge) (Lou, 2004). Meanwhile, students can develop higher level of cognitive skills for a specific domain as well as the ability to apply adequate knowledge to a specific domain or context during PBL (Barron et al., 1998; Blumenfeld et al., 1991).

  1. 118
    Select driving questions or controversial issues as project topics: Blumenfeld et al. (1991) noted that driving questions could facilitate students to explore the project topic. In the exploration process, students must first collect information and propose diverse viewpoints on the project topics. They could subsequently filter out and reach consensus during online discussions. This process involves diverse and converging phases that can move students toward higher-order thinking (Jorczak & Bart, 2009).
  2. Allow ample time for online discussion: Results of this study indicated that student online discussions lacked diversity in both knowledge and cognitive process dimensions. One possible reason could be that the allotted time for online discussions was not sufficient. Considering the multiple roles that adult learners play in family and/or work, they may not be able to respond to the discussions in a timely manner. Therefore, allowing more time for students to discuss may provide opportunities for students to demonstrate more diverse and deeper thinking (Scherling, 2011).
  3. Provide a structured rubric for online discussions: Well-designed discussion guidelines and evaluation criteria, i.e., posting protocols or rubric for grading, could serve as scaffolds for student online discussions, which may, subsequently, lead to more meaningful learning (Gilbert & Dabbagh, 2005). Following that, more diverse type of knowledge and levels of cognitive process could be expected to be shown.
  4. Pay attention to the effects that individual differences may exert on the learner’s interactions: Our results showed that, in the context of online discussions, females and older learners are more likely to have off-topic discussions than their male and/or younger counterparts. These findings are in accord with previous research that suggested effects of individual differences on learning as well as on the use of SNSs (Glynn et al., 2012; Muscanell & Guadagno, 2012; Price, 2006; Yukselturk & Bulut, 2009). Therefore, considering the potential effects that gender and age may exert on online discussions, instructors are advised to consider individual differences when grouping students for online discussions, as a balanced group composition of evenly distributed age and gender could be a better approach than a skewed distribution of individuals.

 

social interaction, which was considered as irrelevant discussion, may also leading to meaningful thinking and echoes the viewpoints from previous studies, which suggest social interaction can be a critical element in the CSCL environment (Abedin et al., 2011a, 2011b).

Incorporating online discussion in face to face classroom learning: A new blended learning approach

Wenli Chen, Chee-Kit Looi

Abstract

This paper discusses an innovative blended learning strategy which incorporates online discussion in both in-class face to face, and off-classroom settings. Online discussion in a face to face class is compared with its two counterparts, off-class online discussion as well as in-class, face to face oral discussion, to examine the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed strategy. By integrating online discussion into the flow of the classroom, learners are given dedicated time to foster a habit of critical thinking, reflection and articulating these online, which can subsequently seed further in-class oral discussions, and off-class online discussions. It is found that in-class, online discussion can provide a wider spectrum of discussion perspectives, equalise participation in discussion, and promote cognitive thinking skills and in depth information processing. However, the lack of face to face interactions and the need for sufficient time to do online postings pose challenges in implementing online discussion for face to face classroom learning.

PDF file available

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More on classroom discussions in this IMS blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=discussions&submit=Search

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