Tag Archives: theta2015

Curtin Library Rocking the (meta)data #theta2015

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Curtin Library Rocking the (meta)data (abstract)
Peter Green

ANDS Major Open Data Collection Project
Rocks – get tiny bit of physical sample embedded in resin boxes with QR codes on the side (instead of just writing the label on). Scanner gives you a grain-by-grain analysis of all the minerals in a pinhead-sized bit of rock. Data put onto a desk and gets taken away – while interested researchers have no access. So a goal is to make data open and discoverable – metadata is the key to discovery.

[Some lovely complex diagrams illustrating flow of data and metadata in the project.]

Metadata – both about the scan and about the original rock sample. There isn’t a single “data” vs “metadata” – there’s lots of different kinds of data.

Role of the library in this project included:

  • project management – got a compliment that had never been involved in such a tightly run project
  • communication and teamwork
  • cataloguing, complex data, discovery
  • metadata hub
  • metadata control
  • longterm view. Important to ANDS – researchers tend to look towards paper, project, contract, tenure while libraries look longterm

New library skillsets to learn:

  • data management and data publication as servers
  • linked data and RIF-CS (schema to describe data)
  • geoscientific data (up to a point)

Would probably have similar learning curve for every new project (because from different fields with different types/standards) so need to not be frightened of stuff that we don’t know how to handle.

Software solutions included:

  • ReDBox as metadata hub (linked to ANDS Research Data Australia and to ANDS Cite My Data so can produce DOIs
  • Bika as laboratory information management system (LIMS)
  • web server for data access

“Projects finish and life goes on.” If you don’t have data flowing (eg in a project) then you don’t get to develop the skills. One of the aims of the project was to develop capability.

Great Research Data Scavenger Hunt: small teams whose job it is to find Curtin datasets in the wild but not necessarily being stored longterm or discoverable in Research Data Australia. Team need to trace back to owners and “make an offer they can’t refuse” to get it into the Curtin system.

Carrot for data management plan was you have to develop it if you want to store it on central servers. [I wonder how well this would work esp for small datasets: researchers might decide easier to just buy a thumbdrive / 1TB harddrive, which exacerbates the problems of not knowing what datasets the university has. Simple storage space wouldn’t be enough, needs more features, see question below.]

Q: Any pushback from researchers?
A: No. Pushback would be if they don’t want it described/released: “It’s mine, I haven’t sucked it dry, so you can’t have it.” Started with stuff that was already/wanted to be open, but will probably have holdback if not pushback over time. Helps that funding agencies and editorial boards pushing for open.

Q: Tips for encouraging researchers to write data management plans?
A: Storage space allowed secure collaboration, mapped as a network drive. Also helped that many need to produce for funding requests and ethics approval.

Subject thesaurus for Higher Ed Learning and Teaching #theta2015

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Towards a New Library of Resources for Higher Education Learning and Teaching (abstract)
Philip Hider, Barbara Spiller, Pru Mitchell, Robert Parkes and Raylee Macaulay

OLT Resource Library – repository for higher ed learning and teaching material coming out of funded projects.

Search effectiveness issues – average recall 0.45; average precision 0.33

Came up with new schema with mandatory fields:

  • Project title
  • Project summary
  • Topic (controlled)
  • Discipline of application (controlled)
  • Identifier (ORCID)
  • (and many optional)

Evaluated various thesauri for subject search (felt this was most important search) – content factors and maintenance factors. ATED (Australian Thesaurus of Education Descriptors) did best (Schools Online Thesaurus also did well) and did well at concept matching on words and on phrases. Not perfect fit (as broad education not higher ed) but came up trumps.

Literature comes in from publishers/researchers -> ‘goes through’ ATED -> Australian Education Index -> harvested by various external databases.

Had to map OLT keywords/concepts to ATED. 27% were exact matches. 1000+ terms to look at and map manually. OLT had a lot of proper names where ATED didn’t. Most were covered by ATED but the term need to be considered as a use reference. Some were new discipline areas; some teaching and learning concepts or technology concepts hadn’t yet got into ATED.

Good example of using conferences and trend reports to generate vocabulary terms that should be added to a thesaurus, rather than waiting for them to reach journals.

Gamification to improve awareness of library services #theta2015

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Evolving customer engagement: Using mobile technology and gamification to improve awareness of and access to library services (abstract)
David Honeyman and Daniel Walker

[I’m reflexively sceptical of gamification. Maybe because it’s a buzzword and sometimes implemented as such without much thought about whether people want to play these games, and/or whether these games will actually help solve the problem? But certainly I’ve also seen cases where it’s been done really well.]

Acknowledge that it takes time to build a game.

Session includes a game: http://thetachallenge.blogspot.com.au

Idea is adding game elements to less engaging activities to increase fun/engagement. Can increase motivation and improve learning outcomes. Many businesses even involving it – especially to get customers more involved. In libraries: orientation, infolit, fighting plagiarism, using library resources/services

Mobile technologies makes this more possible. “Opportunities that arise when everyone’s carrying around a computer in their pocket”.

Gamifying orientation to move away from guided tour. Started with self-guided orientation to blend paper-based with SurveyMonkey. Prizes offered. Worked okay but limitations – no embedded videos/images/links and not mobile friendly.

“The Research Game”
Needed to be cheap, easy to make, desktop- and mobile-friendly, look good, let people save and resume, gather responses (ie a form tool).
Considered TextAdventures, Twitter, Blackboard, Facebook, Blogger. Went with Blogger because it was customisable – many other tools come with one look-and-feel. Embedded Google Forms. [Looks different on desktop than mobile but both work.]

Points were displayed on a leaderboard using Infogram – either compared to whole uni or to own faculty. Development took 200 hours, and a couple of hours each day to collate results and post updates. Second year they changed questions and tasks (so people who’d done it last year could do again) which took an extra 70 staff-hours.

“The Bond Med Student Challenge” – students descend on library, get the URL, and go off to do the challenge. One staff to supervise and answer questions, but doesn’t need to do much. 100 staff hours to create tasks and questions but will be able to reuse this in future years.

“The Law Library Challenge – could embed videos and image which improved look and performance. Being on Google Docs means it doesn’t look as good as Blogger but easier to create and quick to collate results.

Tried to blend tricky/serious with fun/lighthearted questions. 2-3 hours to update each semester for next students as just tweak questions.

Donated textbooks as prizes.

What worked:

  • Completion rates: paper-based system had some drop off from question to question; gamified system has more even response rate
  • 85% of players said they’d use a resource they weren’t previously aware of.
  • Reduced environmental impact – less printing!
  • Students can use own devices – most have their own. [What about the few who don’t?] Don’t need to download software with webapp.

Limitations:

  • Google Forms limits layout options so not as game-like as desirable.
  • Blogger more tailorable, but had its own downsides: required multiple Google Forms and takes time to collate these. [Seems solvable using some kind of data munging software.] Every time they complete a task they have to enter their ID to enable scoring, which isn’t ideal! Suggest looking for something with a good login system.

Q: Are you looking at orientation differently?
A: No, same content but more fun.

Q: Was there any resistance to this?
A: No. Supported by management.

Q: Any thoughts of integrating with LMS?
A: Hadn’t thought about it – too clunky and doesn’t look like a game. (Blackboard)
Q: Ours also very restrictive.

Q: Can people come back and refresh?
A: Done over 2 days. But can’t come back later as requires setup in the library.

Q: Percentage uptake?
A: 50% uptake for Law last semester, out of 100 students (helped because draw for iPad)

Library design, education pedagogy and service delivery #theta2015

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‘Let’s be brief(ed)’: Library design, education pedagogy and service delivery (abstract)
Blair Gardiner, Sarah Charing, Karen Kealy, and Naomi Mullumby

Library basement flanked by lecture theatres. Trend at uni is for consolidation – more than one discipline in one building. Faculty were emphatic about keeping the library in the building.

Participatory design. Designers looked at evolution of libraries and at what was going on on-campus – designing building in context. Asked students what they’d want in a new library (power outlets, big tables, task lighting). Got collaboratively space, and compact shelving near study space. Lots of workshops – consistent communication was important. Was good to get facilities recognising librarians know what they’re talking about so involving them heavily.

“Built pedagogy”. Students can learn [architecture] with reference to the library itself.
Windows into lecture theatres. Connectivity between student space and staff space – people can see how each other works.

Audio from architect: research traditionally seen as rarefied part of scholarship, inaccessible. But knowledge increasingly democratised. If accessible to everyone, needs to be curated. Role of library as place of critical debate is becoming central especially in context of design. In architecture there’s no one-to-one relationship between signifier and signified so these ideas in constant flux.

Pedagogical approaches:
Spaces for learning and spaces for research
“Library is a studio space”. Driven by social interactions. Need for collaborative space as well as quiet individual spaces. Student-centred approach. About how students learn within space. [Cf idea from Phil Long that people learn better if learning in different environments: what if we made every study carrell different? Somehow reward people for ‘collecting’ study environments?]

Took some work to put service desk at best place in library – not front-and-centre but off to side. Seeing a staff member is one of many options.

Exhibition spaces to display student work; hope to have student exhibitions too.

Need to do a post-occupancy survey. So far know the partnerships, having librarian engagement with process, etc, were successful.

Q: If you had to change one thing right now what would it be?
A: High-use room is obstructed by a book-case when you walk into library – would take that away so people could see it.

Q: Did you change the lecture space at all?
A: Still traditional lecture theatres. Decided was still needed for large undergrad cohorts. Solidly booked.

Q: Extended hours / 24/7?
A: Some area designed for 24hour access, however campus security restricts access.

A: Decreased collection space, doubled seating.

B(uild)YO skilled Data Librarian #theta2015

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B(uild)YO skilled Data Librarian (abstract)
Karen Visser, Natasha Simons and Kathryn Unsworth

[Flipped classroom approach: 1) looked at recent data librarian job ads to work out what skills we/librarians would need to develop; 2) shared ideas previously generated of how to upskill (eg reading D-Lib articles; attending iassist conferences; data ‘bootcamp’ workshop); 3) discussed topics in teams – eg what skills does a data librarian need (we came up with subject ontology expertise, ethical/cultural understanding, knowledge of legal issues, then unfortunately time was up).

[Pretty chaotic but got through a lot especially since multiple ‘streamed’ discussions went on at once – organisers aim to distribute notes to attendees post-conference.]

Digital humanities’ use of cultural data #theta2015

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How will digital humanities in the future use cultural data?
Ingrid Mason @1n9r1d

[Presentation basically takes the approach of giving an overview of digital humanities and cultural data by throwing lots of examples at us – fascinating but not conducive to notes.]

Cultural data is generated through all research – seems to be more through humanities, but many others too.
RDS building national collection pulling together statistical adata, manuscripts, documents, artefacts, av recordings from an array of unconnected repositories.

New challenge: people wanting access to collections in bulk, not just borrowing a couple of items. Need to look at developing a wholesale interface on top of our existing retail interface.

Close reading vs distant reading. Computation + arrangement + distance. Researchers interested in immersion; in moving images (eg change over time); pattern analysis; opening up the archive (eg @TroveNewsBot). Text mining/linguistic computing methods to look at World Trade Centre first-responder inteviews. Digital paleography – recognising writing of medieval scripts. Linked Jazz.

A dream: when an undergrad would have loved to have been in the Matrix. Have a novel surrounding you and then turn it immediately into a concordance.

Things digital humanities researchers need: Visualisation hours. Digitisation and OCR. Project managers. Multimedia from various institutions. High-performance computing experts.

~”Undigitised data is like dark matter” (Maltby)

What we can do:

  • Talk to researchers about materials they need
  • Learn about APIs
  • Provide training

Q: Indigenous cultural data
A: Some material is very sensitive and challenges to get it to appropriate researchers/communities so could be opportunities to work together.

Q: Any work on standardisation of cultural data?
A: At a high level (collection description) we can but between fields harder.

Learning Sciences & the Impact on Learning Technologies #theta2015

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Learning Sciences & the Impact on Learning Technologies and Learning Activities (abstract)
Phil Long @radhertz

Learning = acquisition of knowledge (dictionary); reflects permanent change in behaviour (psychologists). Tied up with context; it’s about retrieving knowledge to suit present needs.

Summary: We’ve known a lot about learning processes for 50-100 years – just starting to get out of academic circles with advent of learning technology.

    Overlearning – learning beyond mastery – extremely powerful way to impact long-term retention
  • Variable/interleaved vs consistent practice – studying in different environments outperformed studying in same environment. Studying artists mixed up outperformed studying artists sequentially.
  • Mixing questions vs blocking questions: during practice blocking wins; on testing mixing wins. (However cramming for the test will often outperform – for that one exam, but not a week later.)
  • Giving a series of tests outperforms giving study time (but annoys students and is a lot of work!

We should build tools that make better learning practices part of the design.

Metacognition – awareness/understanding one’s own thought process.
Refers the Dunning-Kruger issue of people over-estimating their competence. Cleese sums up as “people who are so stupid they don’t know how stupid they are”. Conversely top performers underestimate how well they’re doing.

Digital tools building in these findings:

Learning Tools Interoperability – allowing multiple tools associated with courses to interact and link between each other. LTI apps on dedicated app store. But also and open source a federated store behing developed: Casa.

Hoot.me tries to integrate learning into Facebook – people can sign up as a tutor. Can submit a drawing/voiceover as a question. Maybe-creepy part is allows people to charge for tutoring. Probably-creepy part is this can show up in LMS for professor to read and respond, which will show up on Facebook.

How are we connecting where students are hanging out with where we’re teaching? [Should we? Don’t people sometimes need downtime?]

Where do we stand on spectrum between adaptive tools and personalised learning tools.
Why aren’t we proactively developing our own learning app store that represents good learning theory?

Innovations in publishing; giving control back to authors #theta2015

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Innovations in publishing; giving control back to authors
Virginia Barbour, Executive Officer, Australian Open Access Support Group (ORCID)

Lovely slide comparing a title page for the 1665 Phil.Trans of the Royal Society vs a 2014 Royal Society Open Science article on the web including a YouTube movie of the subject seadragon.

What’s worked well and not-so-well? Online > free > data > attribution > authorship > open
(Difference between ‘free’ and ‘open’ is important!)

We’ve changed the philosophy. We’ve begun to understand what we can do with the web. We’ve seen an explosion of models – not just for open, but also for toll. We’ve begun to ‘harness collective intelligence’. We’ve got the technology and processes to do open access, so with Creative Commons we can clearly label what people can/can’t do with something.

So have we fixed publishing? Hmm.

We need new thinking in peer review. Example of CERN paper appearing to find faster-than-light results and putting it up on arXiv for peer review so that someone could figure out what they’d done wrong. But also post-publication peer review – ~”the terrifying thing of publishing OA is that if you’re wrong someone will tell you about it on Twitter five minutes later”. PubMed Commons

Claiming contributions and identity. Disambiguating multiple authors with same name. Technology catching up with this. Hugely empowering for especially women whose names may change pre/post marriage/divorce.

What’s the right version of an article? Can provide “CrossMark” telling you if there’s an update – even works on downloaded PDFs on your computer.

But most of the debate around open access is driven by publishers. How do authors get control? Knowledge.

Areas where wants authors to have knowledge:

  • where to publish
  • understanding peer review and the black box of publishing
  • understanding how open something is and what can be done with it (eg data mining)

Susan L Janson “research is not finished until it’s published”
Authors need to care as much about publishing as about researching.

Connecting data to actions for improved learning #theta2015

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Connecting data to actions for improved learning
Cathy Cavanaugh, Director of Teaching and Learning, Microsoft Corporation

How are we learning from learning? Educators learn by teaching and by feedback (explicit or body language) as well as by sharing expertise with each other. But still limits on dissemination of knowledge about teaching and learning.

Everything in a student’s life has an impact on their learning. What has the greatest impact? Pre-2010 we got data from:

  • observations, checklists
  • assessments
  • LMS logs
  • SIS -> demographic data

Found students at a novice level did better if they logged into the LMS less often but for longer. At the advance level the opposite was true. But when talking to other educators in other programs found that the factors are different. Context is vital.

Factors we can use in 2015:

  • observations, checklists
  • predictive analytics
  • voice, gesture, ink input
  • making
  • games
  • badges
  • social network analysis
  • LMS logs
  • self-reports
  • assessments
  • adaptive systems
  • device usage
  • effort

Using machine-learning they were able to predict with high accuracy which students are likely to pass the class.

At one high school found that one policy (re dressing for PE) was causing students to fail. Could quickly change the policy.

Doesn’t need to be institutional data – student wearing a wearable tracking health data, could also be tracking their ability to learn.
Augmented reality -> lots of opportunity to get a lot more data.
Internet of things

(Azure) Machine-learning service can ingest data from variety of sources, run analytics/predictions, and output to data dashboards. Drag-and-drop interface.

Q: Security and privacy when processing on the cloud?
A: Each institution will need to grapple with it. Accounts are secure. Some aspects accessible to institution, others to student only.

Q: When do analytics become creepy rather than helpful?
A: When something is too detailed it doesn’t feel helpful. Need to move deliberately, pilot projects, maybe with grad students who are thinking about their learning.

Video-conferencing and teaching #theta2015

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Video-conferencing and teaching – From outback Queensland to Ireland and back again (abstract)
David Wilson and Tim Gentile

One challenge is finding technology that works as well in regional areas as in cities. [Very relevant to Lincoln Uni context too. Unfortunately session doesn’t go on to discuss broadband issues at all, though an audience question later prompts them to mention they use Cisco systems, Jabber fallback.]

Biggest challenge is with student engagement – NZ study found higher attrition rate with video-conferencing than face-to-face. Many self-conscious on camera so might be more hesitant. Some feel disadvantaged. Reliability of technology is another issue, especially combined with lack of tech support. People have to speak one at a time.

Three models at Griffith:

  • multi-campus engagement (delivered on one campus and video-conference to another campus) – causes discussion about disadvantage, one solution can be to alternate which is the face-to-face campus
  • industry engagement (eg Lord David Puttnam giving lectures on film) “Overcomes the tyranny of distance”.
  • flipped teaching methods – haven’t used much yet

Need to educate academics about techniques, and students about etiquette, for video conferencing. [Hmm, I think vice versa as well.]

Challenges:

  • with student interaction when there’s a large cohort. With about 20 students it’s not too bad, can pass a mic around; with 200 becomes harder.
  • practical demonstrations need a special setup, lighting, etc, not just standard solution

Tech potential:

  • For lecturers who walk around a lot there are auto-tracking cameras. Effective range usually 10m so not appropriate to larger lecture theatres.
  • Twitter feed to bring up students’ questions. Currently in idea stage, untested – needs time to get right. Tech exists but need to adapt to teaching environment. Eg if 20 questions at once need to make usable for lecturers.

    • Q: “Shotgun microphones”
    A: Used in seminar rooms and lecture theatres. Setup with film school has more intricate setup basically like a full production with camera switching and someone carrying mic around. Similar effective range as auto-tracking cameras.

    Q: Can you record and make video conferences available?
    A: Yes, opt-in, becoming more popular. Have two content servers (so failover) – captures camera and audio.
    Q: Any copyright issues if including video?
    A: Yes, similar issues as lecture capture. For film school all copyright handled beforehand [helped that producer was lecturer!] For others, send all video to lecturer and leave it up to them to deal with copyright [which they won’t be good at so this is basically a “wash your hands” kind of solution].