General Chemistry I historically
had one of the highest failure
and withdrawal rates at Penn State Berks, a four-year college within
the Penn State system. The course was completely redesigned to incorporate
more group work, the use of classroom response systems, peer mentors,
and a stronger online presence via the learning management system
(ANGEL). Five years of data about the redesigned course were compared
with the previous five years. The redesigned course significantly
improved student success as measured by the average GPA and lower
withdrawal rates. Student achievement in the subsequent course, General
Chemistry II, has also improved, suggesting that not only are more
students completing the first course, but they are also completing
the course with better preparation for the next course. Student ratings
have improved for the course, showing increased satisfaction with
both the course and the instructor. The findings from 10 years of
data suggest significant improvements in student success are possible
for General Chemistry I.
This exploratory study uses job advertisements from periodicals (College and Research Libraries News, Library Journal, and The Chronicle of Higher Education), a job discussion list (libjobs), and an employment Web site (Educause) from 1999–2004 to investigate position announcements of the newly emerging position of Instructional Design Librarian. Ten unique position announcements were identified and examined to determine the positions’ qualifications and job responsibilities. The research reveals some notable similarities and differences among these positions and identifies a broad set of key characteristics.
This study seeks to fill a gap in the literature by examining the perceptions of current administrators toward four domains and their associated skill sets needed to fulfill the library's instructional role. Hundreds of Library Directors/Deans/Associate Deans/Heads in academic libraries of all sizes across the United States were surveyed to determine to what extent they value the skill sets associated with the four selected instructional skill domains: two traditional-teaching and presentation-and two more recently adopted by librarians-instructional design and educational technology. The findings of this research indicate that library administrators value the traditional skill sets more than the newer nontraditional skills. The results and possible implications, as well as directions future studies can take, are discussed.
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