Documents found
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2932.More information
Since its founding in 2000 by Athabasca University, the International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL) has emerged as a leading platform for the dissemination of scholarly work in open and distributed learning. This article revisits IRRODL’s foundational goals, the institutional support that facilitated its creation, and its evolution over 25 years. Through this retrospective, we celebrate the journal’s achievements and examine its future as a freely accessible repository of information and knowledge for practitioners and researchers in open and distributed learning.
Keywords: online journal, open access, open source, publication
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2933.More information
Background: Hypertension affects nearly 50% of adult Americans and can lead to serious cardiovascular complications, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and death. The Centers for Disease Control [CDC] (n.d.) noted that hypertension costs $131 billion a year in healthcare visits, medications to treat high blood pressure, and loss of productivity due to premature death.Methods: The project consisted of four Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles that implemented two core interventions, with tests of change for each cycle driven by study of the data.Results: Repeating blood pressure measurements improved from 14% to 69% over eight weeks, with a z-score calculated regarding the aim with a pre- and post-implementation p < 0.0001. Hypertension screening was used with 84% of eligible participants, and patient engagement was used with 39%.Conclusions: This project improved hypertension screening and increased patient engagement. The interventions can be easily implemented in similar settings.
Keywords: Hypertension, Quality Improvement, Screening, Shared Decision
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2934.More information
Open educational resources (OER) are critical tools recognized by UNESCO and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 4: Quality education. The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus (UWISTA), undertook an initiative to formulate an OER policy, aiming to align with the UWI’s mission and general OER principles of openness, accessibility, affordability, and innovation. This paper outlines the comprehensive approach adopted, including online research, document review, surveys, focus groups, and a three-day workshop, ensuring diverse staff perspectives. The policy development process commenced with a thorough review of 44 existing OER policies, facilitated by consulting relevant documents and scholarly resources and an online survey. Subsequent stages included two Delphi focus groups and an on-site workshop in which participants actively contributed to drafting a policy. The draft OER policy that emerged from this process reflects a consensus among participants and incorporates best practices gleaned from the examination of other institutional policies. Key observations from this initiative emphasize the importance of a collaborative approach, the use of existing models, transparency in policy development, continuous support, and addressing copyright issues. Generative artificial intelligence was actively employed by the workshop participants, especially for comparing policy and process items under consideration. UWISTA’s OER policy development, supported by the COL, serves as a model for other institutions aiming to embrace open education principles. The draft policy, emerging from this inclusive and transparent process, aligns with UWI’s mission and broader OER goals, offering valuable insights for the academic community and policymakers globally.
Keywords: open educational resources, OER, higher education, policy development, collaborative approach, transparency
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2935.More information
Resilience is core to improving Canadians’ mental health. It is therefore important to expand our understanding of key resilience elements – individuals assets, relational and contextual resources - as they develop throughout the life course; as they relate to Canadian heterogeneity, including Indigenous, immigrant and refugee, African-Canadian and LGBTQ2 communities; and, in the context of chronic/daily stress as well as extreme stress, trauma, violence and marginalised socioeconomic settings. Meaning-making frameworks and processes appear as essential mechanisms in the enactment of personal agency, guiding the use of resilience assets and resources to achieve and maintain positive mental health. This brief report shares findings of a comprehensive literature review, discussing their relevance to children and youth, concluding with implications for related programs and policy.
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2936.More information
Supporters of personal data collection and analysis contend that data profiles generated from AI algorithms represent a desirable pursuit for the quantified self. Proponents of the quantified self claim that AI-generated data profiles represent a more objective and truthful account of individual lives. They also argue that the quantified self fosters human flourishing by supplying individuals with data-informed accounts about their lives. First, I will trace the technological origins of the quantified self. Second, the first claim will be critiqued by demonstrating that the quantified self presents a reduced and subjectively abstracted picture of human life. Third, the second claim will be questioned, from a virtue ethics approach, to show how the quantified self’s reduced concept of self-examination is detached from self-cultivation. Fourth, a neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics framework will be applied to argue that the self-knowledge sought by the quantified self hinders agents’ practical reasoning.
Keywords: AI algorithms, algorithmes d’IA, profils de données, data profiles, éthique de la vertu, virtue ethics, IA et prospérité humaine, AI and human flourishing
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2937.More information
The measurement of wellness among Indigenous Peoples is crucial to understanding the needs of communities today and for generations to come. Here, we summarize the extant research on assessments relevant to measuring the wellness of Indigenous children in Canada through an examination of existing international best-practices. A thoughtful identification of wellness metrics aligned with Indigenous cultural contexts is important because in the past, wellness assessments that were not co-developed by Indigenous partners have perpetuated systemic harms. A scoping review of existing measures across Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand was completed consistent with the PRISMA guidelines across five databases. These guidelines provided guidance for the process of the review, as well as the structure for this paper. Search terms included "Indigenous" or "Aboriginal”, "wellness", “child-welfare”, "children”, “families" and “framework” or “measure”. In total 896 abstracts were screened. Of these, 88 articles were reviewed, 16 measures and four frameworks were identified as most relevant to our work. All efforts were led by Indigenous students in keeping with Traditional Ways of Being and Knowing as well as self-determination practices. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with four Indigenous community members in order to advise the process of developing such a project and to gauge considerations on the appropriateness of assessing wellness in our communities. Results highlight a unique set of factors to consider from an Indigenous values perspective when assessing child wellness. The most salient of these include incorporating elements of self-determination in both measure development and usage. Themes of family, community, and wholism were also emphasized. While this exemplifies an emerging assessment base for measuring wellness, minimal work to date is directly designed to be relevant for Indigenous children or youth. Moving forward, we will seek to fill this gap by supporting the development of a wellness measure with potential to multi-contextual relevance to promote the adequate and equitable dispersion of supports and resources to families and communities.
Keywords: Indigenous Child Wellness, Indigenous ways of knowing and Children's health, Indigenous family and youth, Indigenous wellness research
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2938.More information
Objective – The objective of the study was to investigate how first-year undergraduate students in a general education communication course engaged with government information sources in their academic research. The study examined the frequency, types, and access points of cited government information, as well as patterns in secondary citations and topic-based variation, to identify implications for library instruction, discovery systems, and collection strategies. Methods – For the study, the researchers analyzed citations from persuasive papers submitted by 136 students across 14 course sections. A total of 1,704 citations were reviewed, of which 124 were identified as government information sources. A classification scheme was developed to code citations by source type, government level, agency, and access point. Researchers also conducted a secondary citation analysis to identify where students referenced government-produced content through nongovernmental sources and categorized papers by topic to assess variation in government information use. Results – Government sources constituted 7.3% of all citations, with 45.3% of students citing at least one government source. Most cited materials came from U.S. federal agencies, particularly the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Congress. Students predominantly accessed government sources through open Web sources, with minimal use of library databases and materials. The types of government sources most commonly cited were webpages, press releases, and reports. An additional 201 secondary citations referenced government information indirectly. Citation patterns varied by topic, with higher engagement in papers on government, immigration, and environmental issues. Conclusion – The findings suggest that even without explicit instruction or assignment requirements, undergraduate students demonstrated baseline awareness and independent use of government information sources. However, their reliance on open Web access and secondary references highlights gaps in discovery, evaluation, and access. Instructional support could enhance students’ ability to locate and critically engage with more complex and authoritative government documents. Beyond instruction, the findings inform strategies for enhancing discovery, improving visibility, and promoting balanced access to government information.
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2939.
An Assessment of Information Control: Understanding Library Service Quality from Users’ Perspectives
More informationObjective – This study aims to measure library users’ perceptions of the quality of information control using LibQual, a survey instrument that measures library users’ minimum perceived and desired levels of service quality across three dimensions: Effect of Service, Library as Place, and Information Control. Numerous studies using LibQual have emphasized the service aspect, while quality of information control has received less attention. Previous studies have reported low quality of information control in academic libraries. Methods – A descriptive survey was conducted at the library of the Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara (UINSU), Medan, Indonesia, where active members of the library total 49,892. Using proportional random sampling, 100 completed surveys were obtained from a total population of 49,892. Results – This study shows that the quality of information control in the library of UINSU Medan does not meet minimum user expectations. Nevertheless, ease of navigation of information was perceived as acceptable. The study also reveals that the library has promoted information services through exhibition activities, user education activities, and social media. Conclusion – The findings suggest the need for libraries to improve the quality of information services, including content of information, access protocols, search time, ease of navigation, interface, and access from outside the campus. Further, libraries need to conduct continuous service quality evaluation on a regular basis (using tools such as LibQual) to understand the needs of users in terms of information control better. The results from the present study provide strong evidence to support a recommendation that, in general, universities should provide required resources and funding for libraries to improve information services to ensure that the libraries meet quality standards.
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2940.More information
Objective - Seeking information is a key element of evidence based practice and successful healthcare delivery. Significant literature exists on both the information seeking behaviour of professional nurses and information literacy teaching methods, but scarce evidence connects nurses’ information behaviour and environments with their education. This study sought to use data from nursing alumni to answer the following research questions: What are the current information practices of professional bachelor’s-prepared nurses? How do recently-graduated nurses suggest that their education could have better prepared them to find and evaluate information in the workplace? Methods - The researchers conducted a descriptive study using a 59-item survey instrument with a variety of question formats including short-answer, multiple choice, Likert, and open response. The researchers distributed the survey to baccalaureate nursing alumni who graduated in 2012-2017 from four universities in the state of Utah in the United States. Results - Nurses seek practical information primarily to provide informed patient care, while also clarifying medical situations and expanding their health care knowledge. They frequently consult nursing colleagues and physicians when seeking information. The majority of nurses consult electronic health records daily. Respondents described time as the biggest barrier to accessing information. They requested authentic, clinically-focused scenarios, training on freely-accessible resources, and more explicit teaching of lifelong learning skills, such as critical thinking. Conclusion - Information literacy education should prepare student nurses for the fast-paced information environment they will face in the workplace. This means incorporating more patient-focused scenarios, freely available quality resources, and time-based activities in their education. The researchers suggest areas to prepare nurses for information seeking, including problem-based clinical scenarios, building guides with databases accessible for free or little cost, and added emphasis on critical thinking and self-motivated learning.