scholarly journals Users’ Awareness of Electronic Books is Limited

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Gale G. Hannigan
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Electronic Version ◽  
Electronic Book ◽  
Electronic Books ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
University Of Denver ◽  
Library Users ◽  
The University ◽  
Question Survey

A review of: Levine-Clark, Michael. “Electronic Book Usage: A Survey at the University of Denver.” Portal: Libraries and the Academy 6.3 (Jul. 2006): 285-99. Abstract Objective – To determine if university library users are aware of electronic books, and how and why electronic books are used. Design – Survey. Setting – University of Denver. Subjects – Two thousand sixty-seven graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, and staff. Methods – In Spring 2005, the University of Denver faculty, and graduate and undergraduate students were invited to participate in a survey about awareness and use of electronic books. A link to the survey was also posted on the library’s home page and on the university’s Web portal. The 19-question survey consisted of 11 questions to get feedback about electronic books in general, five questions focused on netLibrary, and the remaining were demographic questions. Eligibility to win one of two university bookstore gift certificates provided incentive to complete the survey. Main results – Surveys were completed by 2,067 respondents, including undergraduate students (30.1%), graduate students (39.1%), faculty (12.5%), and staff (11.8%). Results were reported by question, broken out by status (undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty) and/or by discipline (Business, Humanities, Nontraditional, Professional, Sciences, Social Sciences), and presented in tables or in the text. In general, most respondents (59.1%) were aware that the library provides access to electronic books. The library catalog and professors were the main ways respondents learned about electronic books. Approximately half (51.3%) indicated they had used an electronic book. Of those who indicated that they used electronic books (1,061 respondents), most (72%) had used electronic books more than once. The main reasons mentioned for choosing to use an electronic book included: no print version available, working from home makes getting to the library difficult, and searching text in an electronic book is easier. When asked about typical use of electronic books, most respondents indicated they read only a part of an electronic book; only 7.1% of 1,148 respondents indicated they read the entire electronic book. In answer to a question about choosing the print or electronic version of the same book, 60.7% responded that they would always or usually use print, and 21.5% indicated they would always or usually use electronic. The amount of material to read, the need to refer to the material at a later time, and the desire to annotate or highlight text are all factors that influence whether users read electronic books on a computer or PDA, or print out the material. U.S. government publications and netLibrary were the electronic resources used the most by survey participants. Conclusion – The results of this survey suggest the need to market availability of the library’s electronic books. Problems associated with the use of electronic books are related to reading large amounts of text on a computer screen, but a reported benefit is that searching text in an electronic book is easier. Responses to the survey suggest that the use of electronic resources may not be generic, but rather depends on the type of resource (content) being used. The author notes that this finding should lead to further investigation of which items will be preferred and used in which format.

Relationship between Utilisation of Electronic Books and Users’ Satisfaction in University Libraries in North East Zone, Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-64
Author(s):  
Zainab Mohammed Abdullahi ◽  
Abbas Lamido Gora Adamu ◽  
Abubakar Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Electronic Books ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
North East ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Library Users ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Level Of Significance ◽  
Teaching Learning ◽  
The University

Electronic books (e-books) are vital information resources in every university library as they are utilised by users in search of information for conducting research activities, teaching, learning and assignment. This study investigated the relationship between utilisation of e-books and users’ satisfaction in university libraries in North East Zone, Nigeria. Correlational research method was used. The population of the study comprised of five thousand three hundred and seventy nine (5,379) registered library users spread across the five sampled university libraries under study. Stratified random sampling technique was used in drawing the samples and the sample size for this study was one thousand three hundred and seventy two (1,372) registered library users drawn using Krejcie and Morgan (2006) table. Questionnaire was used as the research instrument. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics to answer the two research questions, while, inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) was used to test the formulated null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study revealed that users’ utilisation of e-books and users’ satisfaction with utilisation of e-books for research, learning, assignment and information in university libraries in North East Nigeria were generally moderate. The study also established that there was significant relationship between utilisation of e-books and users’ satisfaction in university libraries in North East Zone, Nigeria. The study recommended teaching of information literacy for library users, acquisition of adequate and relevant e-books in the university libraries as well as discouraging users from using information obtained from online sources such as Google and other search engines as they are mostly ineffective for their research activities, teaching, learning and assignment.

scholarly journals Testing an Academic Library Website for Usability with Faculty and Graduate Students

2009 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Z. Emde ◽  
Sara E. Morris ◽  
Monica Claassen-Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Academic Library ◽  
Front Page ◽  
Federated Search ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Search Tool ◽  
The University ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
New Discovery

Objectives - This usability study was developed to observe faculty and graduate students’ reactions to a recent redesign of the University of Kansas (KU) Libraries’ website. The redesign included new navigational features, introduction of a federated search tool, a quick search box on the front page, and research subject pages. The study also provided the opportunity to observe the practices of faculty and graduate students in locating and retrieving information on the Libraries’ website. Methods - Ten participants (five faculty and five graduate students) representing diverse disciplines were solicited for the study. Participants were required to access the Libraries’ website to answer a series of questions regarding new and updated features of the website. Observational analysis using Morae™ software was conducted and interviews with each participant provided details of their opinions on how these new features would influence their research and teaching activities. Results - Most of the participants either did not notice or ignored the major website changes. Links to and locations of commonly used resources (e.g. catalogue; databases; e-journals) had been changed minimally, and the faculty and graduate student participants gravitated to those familiar features to complete tasks. Prior to the study, participants had not accessed the new discovery tools; however, once previewed, responses to the tools’ utility were generally favourable. After using the federated search tool on a familiar topic, several participants noted that, when directed to databases they had not previously considered, they were able to locate citations they had missed in the past. Observers noted pitfalls in navigating the site such as inconsistent underscoring of links, ambiguous terminology, and unclear icons meant to expand subject heading lists. Unexpected searching behaviours were observed, including inconsistent and lack of conceptual understanding in searching for e-journal content. Conclusions - This study provides evidence regarding the usability of a library website with a population already familiar with library resources. It demonstrated that faculty and graduate students are not interested in experimenting with new discovery tools but are amenable to their potential value to undergraduate students. The recent trend toward minimizing content and links on websites satisfies this population, one which is already comfortable with the basic attributes of a library’s website.

scholarly journals Assessing Collection Usefulness: An Investigation of Library Ownership of the Resources Graduate Students Use

2003 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 344-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin T. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Citation Analysis ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
University Of Georgia ◽  
Materials Used ◽  
The University ◽  
Theses And Dissertations

A two-phase assessment tool was developed for evaluating the “fit” of the University of Georgia Libraries’ collections with the needs of their patrons. First, a citation analysis of a sample of 2001 theses and dissertations revealed the specific titles and materials used by a disciplinary cross section of graduate students. Second, searches were conducted in the OPAC and in electronic resources to determine library ownership of those cited works. The process then was repeated with a sample of graduate works completed in 1991 in order to investigate whether the further stretching of library budgets due to the influx of electronic resources has had an impact on the usefulness of the overall collection.

scholarly journals TRAINING PROGRAM IN ENGINEERING DESIGN FOR GRADUATE TEACHING ASSITANTS

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavio Firmani ◽  
Michael McWilliam ◽  
Peter Wild ◽  
Michael McGuire ◽  
Nikolai Dechev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Engineering Design ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Design Engineering ◽  
Highly Qualified ◽  
Support Design ◽  
Student Teams ◽  
Qualified Personnel ◽  
The University

This program is an initiative of the Chair in Design Engineering of the University of Victoria Faculty of Engineering to an NSERC mandate to improve engineering design instruction. To date, there are not enough qualified personnel to support design projects and help students. This problem will be more evident in the upcoming years when the number of undergraduate students will increase and professors will not have the time to guide all the student teams. Therefore, it is imperative the support of highly qualified personnel specialized in design engineering. To this end, a totally new and unique program that trains graduate students to be “Design Teaching Assistants” (DTAs) has been recently launched. In this training program, graduate students learn about engineering design, teaching and mentoring. The program includes a series of workshops, discussion panels and seminars.

Usage of Science Electronic Resources in the Affiliated Institutions of Madras University

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
R. K. S. Hemalatha ◽  
T. K. Thiruvengada Mani
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Post Graduate ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
Research Institutes ◽  
Questionnaire Method ◽  
The University ◽  
Study Questionnaire

This study is aimed to analyze the use of electronic resources and services in the Library System of the Affiliated institutions of University of Madras. Under graduate students, Post graduate students, Research scholars, faculties were selected for this study. Questionnaire method was adopted to collect the data. Out of 1030 questionnaires 935 (90.77%) were received from respondents. There are about 161 Educational Institution affiliated to University of Madras, of which 15 are Government Colleges, 2 University Constituent Colleges, 24 Aided Colleges, 68 Self Finance Colleges and 52 Research Institutes. Out of these 161 Educational Institutions 136 offer Science courses. Apart from this the university itself has 31 departments catering to Science subjects spread over 3 different campuses. Altogether 167 Institutions affiliated to University of Madras are offering courses in science subjects. Out of these, 45 (8 Govt. Colleges, 12 Aided Colleges, and 25 Self Finance Colleges), Institutions Affiliated to University of Madras have been selected for the study.

The Perceived Benefits of Participating in Campus Recreation Programs and Facilities: A Comparison between Undergraduate and Graduate Students

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Henchy
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Campus Recreation ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Impact Study ◽  
Recreation Facilities ◽  
The University ◽  
Recreation Impact

Both researchers and administrators are interested in factors that influence student success. The purpose of this study was to compare undergraduate and graduate students on the perceived benefits they received from participating in campus recreation facilities and programs. Students were randomly selected to complete the campus recreation survey, which was based upon the NIRSA/Student Voice Campus Recreation Impact Study survey. Of the students who answered the demographic questions, 35% were graduate students and 65% were undergraduate students; 43% were male and 57% were female; and the majority of the sample was White (68%). The results showed that participation in campus recreation had an influence on undergraduate and graduate students' decisions to attend and continue to attend the university. Participating in campus recreation facilities and programs had a positive influence on a variety of aspects of both undergraduate and graduate students' lives; students reported academic, health, and social benefits.

Assessing Efficacy of a New Research-Oriented Peer Mentoring Program: YOU’RE@CU

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Y. Tsai ◽  
Daria Kotys-Schwartz ◽  
Virginia Ferguson ◽  
Beverly Louie
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
Student Interest ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
University Of Colorado ◽  
New Research ◽  
The University

At the University of Colorado, Boulder, a new program designed to link graduate students with 1st and 2nd year undergraduate students through engineering research projects and mentoring relationships was initiated in Spring 2011. Your Own Undergraduate Research Experience at the University of Colorado (YOU’RE@CU) has three main goals: (1) increase retention of undergraduate students in engineering, particularly women and underrepresented minorities (URMs); (2) excite undergraduate student interest in research projects and future careers in academia or industry; (3) provide graduate students with training and hands-on mentoring experience with the expectation that this will positively influence graduate student choices to seek a career in academia. This paper illustrates the details of the YOU’RE@CU program during its pilot implementation in Spring 2011. The assessment strategy and methods are also explained, with presentation of qualitative data and discussion of the overall data analysis process.

A Study of Chinese International Students Enrolled in the Master of Education Program at a Canadian University

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Zhou ◽  
Tian Liu ◽  
Glenn Rideout
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
International Graduate Students ◽  
Cultural Challenges ◽  
Curriculum And Pedagogy ◽  
International Graduate ◽  
The University ◽  
Master Of Education

Abstract Even though more and more studies have been reported in the literature about international undergraduate students’ learning experiences in North America, little research has been done to study international graduate students on North American campuses. The university where this study took place has recently established a cohort-based Master of Education (M. Ed.) program for international students. This study was designed to investigate the adaptation of the international graduate students (all Chinese) who were enrolled in the M.Ed. program with a focus on their learning experiences, the challenges they encountered, and the suggestion they had for improvement of the program. Data analysis reveals that while Chinese international graduate students shared some common challenges with international undergraduate students such as language and cultural challenges, they had unique perspectives and expectations on curriculum and pedagogy. Suggestions for curriculum development for Chinese international graduate students are highlighted.

The University Student's Preference for Learning by Computer-Assisted Instruction

2000 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiko Inoue
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Computer Assisted Instruction ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Academic Status ◽  
Traditional Lectures ◽  
Assisted Instruction ◽  
The University

This study focused on the specific questions: Do significant differences exist in the preference for CAI between male and female students? Do significant differences exist in the preference for CAI between undergraduate and graduate students (academic status)? And does an interaction exist between gender and academic status? Seventy-six students ( N = 76) were randomly selected to answer the questionnaire. Analyses of variance (at the .05 level) showed graduate students favor CAI more than do undergraduate students, probably because they have jobs and need to study using CAI at a more convenient time and place. This result confirms the assumption that graduate students have more computer experiences. Since computer literacy increases as time passes, the chance of “give CAI a try” becomes higher. In technologically sophisticated societies of today, the option of mixing CAI and traditional lectures must be the key to the success of any institution of higher education.

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