Zoals zoveel beroepen is ook dat van informatiespecialisten onderhevig aan veel veranderingen. Onder invloed van alomtegenwoordige internettoegang en het gebruik van zoekmachines en sociale media op het web, neemt de informatiebalie bij hogeschool- en universiteitsbibliotheken al lang niet meer de centrale plek in die deze tien jaar geleden had. Jos van Helvoort rapporteert over de eisen die het 'reference work', naar de mening van vakreferenten en informatiespecialisten zelf, vandaag de dag en in de nabij toekomst aan hen stelt.
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Information problem solving skills are vital for academic success, yet many higher education students struggle with effective information processing. While previous research broadly addresses information literacy, little is known about the specific factors that influence students’ processing abilities. This study explores these factors by examining student performance during a complex academic task. Using a grounded theory approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine undergraduate students and analyzed via constant comparative analysis. Four key factors emerged: (1) prior domain knowledge enhances evaluation efficiency, (2) affective factors such as motivation strongly impact performance, (3) task complexity and cognitive load management strategies interact, and (4) external support structures matter—though librarians were notably absent as a perceived resource. These findings highlight the need for academic libraries to better align their services with students’ actual information processing challenges. Practical implications include promoting whole-task iterative practice, embedding just-in-time support in domain-specific contexts, and addressing affective as well as technical skill development. By focusing on these four factors, academic libraries can more effectively support students. This study contributes to both the theoretical understanding of information processing in higher education and the development of evidence-based strategies to enhance library support.
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Information problem solving skills are vital for academic success, yet many higher education students struggle with effective information processing. While previous research broadly addresses information literacy, little is known about the specific factors that influence students' processing abilities. This study explores these factors by examining student performance during a complex academic task. Using a grounded theory approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nine undergraduate students and analyzed via constant comparative analysis. Four key factors emerged: (1) prior domain knowledge enhances evaluation efficiency, (2) affective factors such as motivation strongly impact performance, (3) task complexity and cognitive load management strategies interact, and (4) external support structures matter—though librarians were notably absent as a perceived resource. These findings highlight the need for academic libraries to better align their services with students' actual information processing challenges. Practical implications include promoting whole-task iterative practice, embedding just-in-time support in domain-specific contexts, and addressing affective as well as technical skill development. By focusing on these four factors, academic libraries can more effectively support students. This study contributes to both the theoretical understanding of information processing in higher education and the development of evidence-based strategies to enhance library support.
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The transition from secondary education to the first year of higher education is a phase in which students are faced with many challenges. First-year students may lack the academic capital that is needed to understand explicit and implicit rules of higher education. We investigated students’ participation in a preacademic program and the development of their academic capital. In a mixed method study, we showed that first-year students who participated in a preacademic program perceived peer mentors and teachers to be relevant sources of information, learned how to overcome educational barriers, and became more acquainted with explicit and implicit college requirements.
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Mastering academic language (AL) by elementary school students is important for achieving school success. The extent to which teachers play a role in stimulating students’ AL development may differ. Two types of AL stimulating behavior are distinguished: aimed at students’ understanding and at triggering students’ production of AL. As mathematics requires abstract language use, AL occurs frequently. The instructional methods teachers use during mathematics instruction may offer different opportunities for AL stimulating behavior. In our first study, based on expert opinions, instructional methods were categorized according to opportunities they offer for stimulating students’ AL development. In the second study, video-observations of mathematics instruction of elementary school teachers were analyzed with respect to AL stimulating behavior and instructional methods used. Results showed that actual AL stimulating behavior of teachers corresponds to the expert opinions, except for behavior shown during task evaluation. Teachers differ in time and frequency of their use of instructional methods and therefore in opportunities for stimulating AL development. Four teaching profiles, reflecting different AL stimulating potential, were constructed: ‘teacher talking’, ‘balanced use of methods’, ‘getting students at work’ and ‘interactive teaching’. Teachers showed more types of behavior aimed at students’ AL understanding than at production.
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The purpose of this literature study was to obtain an overview of previous civic literacy projects and their characteristics as primarily described in educational science literature. Eighteen academic articles on civic literacy projects in higher education were studied in detail and coded using the qualitative data analysis instrument, Atlas.ti. The codes and quotations compiled were then divided in various categories and represented in a two-axis model. The definitions of ‘civic literacy’ found in the literature varied from an interest in social issues and a critical attitude to a more activist attitude (axis number 1). The analysis of the literature showed that, especially in more recent years, more students than citizens have benefited from civic literacy projects in higher education (axis number 2). The visualization of the findings in the two-axis model helps to place civic literacy projects in a broader frame. The final authenticated version is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13472-3_9
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Between 1 March 2021 and 30 April 2023, a consortium (consisting of in the Netherlands: the National Library of the Netherlands (Koninklijke Bibliotheek -KB), The Hague University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision in Hilversum; in Belgium: Media & Learning Association in Leuven and Public Libraries 2030 in Brussels; and in Spain: Fundación Platoniq in Barcelona) carried out an Erasmus+-funded research project on news media literacy among young people. It involved Dutch, Belgian and Spanish young people aged 12-15. The acronym SMILES, which stands for 'innovative methodS for Media & Information Literacy Education involving schools and librarieS', was chosen for the project title. The main goals of the SMILES project are: • Forming pairs between librarians and secondary school teachers in the three European countries, who were empowered through train-the-trainer workshops to teach secondary school students about news media literacy in relation to disinformation; • Helping students use digital technologies more safely and responsibly with a focus on recognising reliable and authentic information versus becoming more resilient to disinformation; • Developing five building blocks serving as teaching materials for Dutch, Belgian and Spanish pupils aged 12-15 with the aim of making them recognise disinformation and making them more resilient against it; • A scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of the implemented lessons through impact measurement using 'pre-knowledge tests' and 'post-knowledge tests'; • A strengthening of existing collaborations and creation of new collaborations between schools and libraries in the three partner countries. The SMILES project was implemented through three work packages. In the first work package, five so-called 'Baseline studies', or literature reviews, were conducted. The focus was on what the different educational approaches in Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands are with regard to disinformation and how these approaches can be linked. Based on these studies, the five building blocks were developed in the second work package. In addition, the teaching pairs were offered the training programme developed by SMILES through a 'train-the-trainer methodology' to safely and responsibly deploy the use of digital media tools during lessons with students. Also, based on the disinformation literature, the knowledge tests were designed to conduct an impact measurement of the train-the-trainer workshops and lessons among the trainers (teaching pairs) and students, respectively. These knowledge tests contained statements on disinformation that were answered correctly or incorrectly by respondents. The number of correctly answered statements prior to the lessons was compared with the number of correctly answered statements after the lessons. In this way, an attempt was made to prove a positive learning effect of the deployed lessons. In the third work package, the results from the pre-knowledge tests and the post-knowledge tests were analysed. In addition to these quantitative analyses, qualitative results were also used to analyse and look at the extent to which the training provided to trainers (teaching pairs) and the lessons with the five building blocks for students proved effective in teaching, recognising and becoming more resilient to disinformation, respectively. In doing so, we also reflect on whether the methodology tested has been effective in the three countries: what are the best practices and where do we see areas for improvement?
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The purpose of the research was to provide academic staff with insights into their own information behavior and to motivate them to refer to relevant, accurate and reliable resources in their own course materials. To achieve this we used a participative research approach. Six participants assessed course materials created by themselves or by colleagues from their own department. It was found that in the course materials for the undergraduate ICT program of a university of applied sciences, in-text citations are often missing. If references are made, they are mainly references to general information sources like handbooks and popular or semi-scholarly websites. We discussed these findings in a focus group. An important additional benefit was the experience acquired with the participative research approach for improving the staff’s own information behavior.
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This open access book is a valuable resource for students in health and other professions and practicing professionals interested in supporting effective change in self-management behaviors in chronic disease, such as medication taking, physical activity and healthy eating. Developed under the auspices of the Train4Health project, funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, the book contains six chapters written by international contributors from different disciplines. This chapter presents open-access educational products that supplement this book: case studies and a web application to simulate behaviour change support in persons with chronic disease. The former is of particular interest for academic educators, while the latter may interest students independently pursuing training outside the classroom. These products can also be useful for professionals aiming to enhance behaviour change competencies in practice. First, it addresses key aspects of product development, including hallmarks such as the incorporation of behaviour change science and transnational co-production with users. Then, the main features of case studies and the web application with 2D virtual humans are described.
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This exploratory study investigates the rationale behind categorizing algorithmic controls, or algorithmic affordances, in the graphical user interfaces (GUIs) of recommender systems. Seven professionals from industry and academia took part in an open card sorting activity to analyze 45 cards with examples of algorithmic affordances in recommender systems’ GUIs. Their objective was to identify potential design patterns including features on which to base these patterns. Analyzing the group discussions revealed distinct thought processes and defining factors for design patterns that were shared by academic and industry partners. While the discussions were promising, they also demonstrated a varying degree of alignment between industry and academia when it came to labelling the identified categories. Since this workshop is part of the preparation for creating a design pattern library of algorithmic affordances, and since the library aims to be useful for both industry and research partners, further research into design patterns of algorithmic affordances, particularly in terms of labelling and description, is required in order to establish categories that resonate with all relevant parties
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