Here at the d'Alzon Library, we try to keep up with the latest news related to student learning, information or digital literacy, and resource evaluation.

On the first of each month, we'd like to share with you some of our favorite recent reads. Enjoy!

Wakefulness and Digitally Engaged Publics. By Ian O'Byrne. Hybrid Pedagogy: A Digital Journal of Learning, Teaching, and Technology. April 12, 2017.

This article argues that academics must be conscious and vigilant as they move within public digital spaces and that they have a responsibility to serve as "public intellectuals" that educate, empower, and advocate for others. The author declares that the boundaries of scholarship must expand into the rest of the world, stating "we must make intellectual work accessible, and accessible work intellectual."

Open: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science. Edited by Rajiv Jhangiani and Robert Biswas-Diener. Ubiquity Press. 2017.

"Affordable education. Transparent Science. Accessible scholarship.  These ideals are slowly becoming a reality thanks to the open education, open science, and open access movements.  Running separate - if parallel - courses, they all share a philosophy of equity, progress, and justice.  This book shares the stories, motives, insights, and practical tips from global leaders in the open movement."

'Let Me Learn' or 'Just the Answer'? Research Consultations and Dweck's Theories of Intelligence. By Amanda L. Folk, Kelly Bradish Safin, and Anna Mary Williford. Paper presented at the Association of College and Research Libraries Conference, Baltimore MD. March 2017.

The literature review in this paper is a good introduction to the theory of fixed and growth mindsets proposed by Carol Dweck and others. For more details about this theory see: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by C.S. Dweck (2006).

Sci-Hub and the Researcher. By William Badke. Online Searcher (Vol.41 No. 2). March/April 2017.

This article focuses on Sci-Hub, a free download site that offers easy and free access to scholarly resources.  Topics included the description and overview of Sci-Hub, its ethical context, its content of copyrighted articles, its association with information literacy, and its significance in academic publication.

Families, Lawmakers Want to Know More about what Becomes of College Students; Efforts to Offer a Fuller Picture are Under Way, but Fixes so Far have been Piecemeal. By Melissa Korn. Wall Street Journal. April 8, 2017.

"As tuition costs continue to rise and states rethink their investments in higher education, colleges are under increasing pressure from prospective students and lawmakers to disclose outcomes like on-time graduation rates and earnings potential for particular majors.  The information now available is often incomplete - or even outright wrong.  But efforts are under way to change that, even if progress has been piecemeal."

Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers. By Thomas A. Angelo and Kathryn Patricia Cross. Jossey-Bass Publishers. 1993.

Although this is an older book, many of these quick assessment techniques are still worth exploring.  There are numerous examples of how to use each technique as well as problems teachers may encounter in using them.