It’s All Online: Developing and Implementing an Asynchronous Online Two-course Graduate Sequence in Health Sciences Information Services
3:05 PM - 3:21 PM
Objective: A library and information sciences graduate school that offers a concentration in health sciences librarianship was interested in converting the traditional classroom-based in-person core sequence to an asynchronous, online offering. This paper will document the author’s experiences in transitioning both of the core courses in the health sciences librarianship concentration to the online environment.
Methods: The paper will cover all aspects of the course sequence development and delivery, from planning to evaluation, beginning with the results of literature search to inform best practices in online instruction and continuing through a complete revision of the content of one core course (and the rationale for doing so). Technologies used in both core courses will be explained, including course management and collaborative softwares, presentation and communication packages, and online resources used to enhance course content. Assessment of the courses’ successes and failures will be addressed based on student performance and evaluations. Finally, there will be a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages to offering these courses in a fully online environment.
Results and Conclusions: My results and conclusions are not complete yet.
Author: Marisa L. Conte, Clinical and Translational Science Liaison, Taubman Health Sciences Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Rethinking PubMed: How Effective Is Face-to-face Training
3:21 PM - 3:37 PM
Objective: To demonstrate how teaching PubMed in a daylong, face-to-face class results in improved knowledge of database functions and to determine which content areas of the class are best and least understood. Results will then be used to improve instructional design in areas that seem to be poorly presented or grasped.
Methods: An electronic pre- and posttest were administered to participants in PubMed training at one to two weeks before class and again at one to two weeks following class. This evaluation aimed to gauge their knowledge of the core competencies of the PubMed database and its functions and to measure any improvement in knowledge after taking the class. Pre- and posttest results for individual questions will be analyzed using ANCOVA on posttest scores, with pretest scores as covariates.
Results and Conclusions: My results and conclusions are not complete yet.
Authors: Joey Nicholson, Lead Trainer; Sharon Brown, Associate Director; National Training Center and Clearinghouse; New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY
Faculty in Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs: How do They Use Us and How Do They See Us?
3:37 PM - 3:53 PM
Objective: To determine the extent to which faculty in doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs are currently engaging with librarians to support teaching and learning in the DNP curriculum, and to measure the attitudes and perceptions of faculty about these connections. The DNP is the new terminal degree for advanced practice nurses, and the program was chosen to study because of its emerging importance and the manageable number of currently active programs. Additionally, the DNP curriculum is especially relevant for librarian involvement because of the focus on evidence-based practice, which requires strong information-finding and evaluation skills.
Methods: A cross-sectional study of faculty members who had taught a class to DNP students within the last year (since January 2009) was conducted in May 2010. A survey was developed with questions about how and if DNP faculty worked with librarians and about their perceptions of the value of collaborating with librarians. An email was sent to the program directors of the 116 DNP programs currently active at the time, describing the study and asking that they forward the request for participation (containing a link to the online survey) to faculty in their DNP programs.
Results: The survey received 118 responses. Responses from 53 different DNP programs (46%) were self-identified, and 15 respondents did not identify a school, so the percentage of programs responding is likely at least 50%. Data present a picture of instructor demographics, online course presence, interaction with librarians, attributes of instructional sessions, frequency of engagement between faculty and librarians, and perceptions of value of engagement with librarians related to usefulness, time-savings, and quality of student work.
Author: Elizabeth V. Fine, Liaison Librarian, Health Sciences Libraries, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Meaningful Impact Factors: Assessing Bibliometric Education and Services
3:53 PM - 4:09 PM
Objective: Over the last five years, interest in citation analysis has grown sharply among users at a large urban academic health sciences library. To effectively meet the rapidly changing needs of health sciences researchers and academic departments, library staff began offering various bibliometric education options and research services. This paper discusses longitudinal assessment data (2006-2010) from the library’s bibliometric education and services program.
Description: In 2006, library staff began developing and teaching a foundational course, “Tenure Metrics: Assessing Your Bibliography,” to acquaint researchers with (1) citation information sources; (2) the strengths, weaknesses, and meaning of established and novel bibliometric indicators; and (3) the presentation of bibliometric information. In concert with user education, the library offered individualized consultations to mine free and proprietary citation databases and demonstrate advantageous methods of quantifying and displaying research impact.
Methods: Surveys were administered to researchers attending bibliometric workshops or receiving bibliometric services in order to assess their individual and departmental needs pertaining to citation analysis. Efficacy of instruction, use of support resources, and user satisfaction were also evaluated. Surveys were grouped by year to illustrate the evolution of researchers’ knowledge of, attitudes about, and use of citation analysis from 2006-2010.
Results: Since 2006, 46 faculty and staff members have attended the basic (n=36) and advanced (n=10) tenure metrics workshops offered by library staff. Faculty reported high levels of satisfaction (72% highly satisfied, 21% satisfied) with the teaching and content of the workshops. However, the most illuminating data came from the respondents' free-text comments on their bibliometric needs. Frequently mentioned individual needs included the calculation of personal metrics, citation data management, presentation of citation data on personal dossiers, and individualized sessions with experts in citation searching. In assessing the needs of their departments, faculty and staff often cited the need for training faculty, especially senior faculty and administrators, and nuanced standards that take the limitations of citation analysis into account.
Conclusion: Continuous assessment has proved valuable in determining the faculty’s facility with citation analysis, the direction of future offerings, and the efficacy of the tenure metrics program.
Author: Dean Hendrix, Coordinator, Education Services, Health Sciences Library, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
Redefining Boundaries: Nursing Instruction at a Global University
4:09 PM - 4:25 PM
Objective: This paper examines collaboration between the library and the school of nursing’s newly formed office of global outreach for the provision of global health information curriculum-integrated instructional interventions. Varied interdisciplinary instructional techniques, strategies, and resources are examined.
Setting and Brief Description: As globalization in higher education and in the health sciences becomes increasingly pervasive, the role of the library in global health study and research has become increasingly relevant. Two interventions are highlighted in this paper: education of nursing students with access to the "information resource rich" environment provided by the library and librarian instruction for visiting scholars on short visits from comparatively resource poor regions. Firstly, a new elective course was introduced in fall 2010 in the nursing curriculum, “Perspectives in Global Health,” emphasizing global burden of disease, determinants of health, and the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to health care delivery. Course-integrated instruction was provided by the global health liaison, using thematic elements of the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals in instructional design. Secondly, instructional sessions of open access resources in health for rotations of visiting midwife faculty were made available, focusing on literature searching technique, statistical resources, and discipline-relevant resources.
Results and Conclusions: My results and conclusions are not complete yet.
Authors: Gurpreet K. Rana, Coordinator, Library Global Initiatives and Global Health Liaison, University
