Samuel R. Putnam

Bio: Samuel R. Putnam is an academic researcher from University of Florida. The author has contributed to research in topics: Higher education & Information literacy. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 6 publications receiving 6 citations.

Authority, Context and Containers: Student Perceptions and Judgments When Using Google for School Work

Abstract: What really happens when student researchers meet a Google results page? How do students determine the authority behind each result? News, blogs, journals, Wikipedia, websites, e-books--with the vast array of online content available, how do students differentiate between them? Better still, do they differentiate between them or are these format agnostic students stymied by container collapse? The Researching Students’ Information Choices (RSIC) project is answering these questions. The Association of College and Research Libraries’ (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education aims to guide educators in their work to develop today’s students into critical thinking denizens of the digital world. The work of RSIC can directly inform the first frame, “Authority Is Constructed and Contextual.” This Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funded study, examines and compares the judgments and perceptions of students (from late primary, secondary, community college/vocational school, undergraduate, to graduate school/postgraduate) as they select resources for science-related school inquiry projects. Our project team includes academic science librarians, pre-service LIS educators, school librarians, and research scientists. We enlisted K-12, community college, four-year college, and university librarians and faculty as members of our Advisory Panel. The analyses identify students’ perceptions and judgments related to the source and author/creator of three resources common to all participants included in Google search results, and the role the container plays in determining whether the resource is credible and citable for a school/academic project. Students used cues from the web search results screen in their judgements and educational stage influenced their behavior in some instances. These findings can be used by librarians to design scalable instructional models to support critical student inquiry skills. The research results also will contribute to and support evidence-based decision making for the implementation of information literacy instruction grounded in frameworks, guidelines, and standards.

Science and News: A Study of Students' Judgments of Online Scientific News Information

Abstract: This paper explores how students judge scientific news resources, as they might find through a Google search. The data were collected as part of an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) funded project. Students used a simulated search engine that ensured study participants found the same search results while seeking information for a science-related school project. The 116 students from high school, community college, undergraduate, and graduate communities evaluated three online news resources for their helpfulness, citability, credibility, and container. Analysis of quantitative data from the study indicated that students may find news resources helpful for a science project, but do not always consider them citable. Students appeared to focus on the organization that produced the news resource (i.e., source) when judging its credibility. Not all students identified the resources’ containers as news, even when the source was widely known. The researchers note differences in judgment between educational stages. Differences were especially pronounced between high school and higher education students, with high school students more likely to find news sources worthy of citing for school projects.

Board 75: Establishing a Tech Tool Library with Instructional Resources at an Academic Institution

Abstract: The Marston Science Library (MSL) at the University of Florida (UF) has compiled a diverse tool library equipped with tech tools and hand tools for check-out to any UF student and use at either the library or outside locations. The objective of this collection is to foster a sense of self sufficiency and sustainability among its primary users, science and engineering students. The intent is to cultivate an active learning environment and a new community of practice within the library through access to tools. As a trial of this new service, MSL made the following tools available for a 1-week check-out: computer repair kits, multimeters, precision screwdriver sets, soldering kits, digital calipers, laser levels, Dremel rotary tool kits, hand drills and bits, and homeowner tool kits. The tools are housed in rolling tools carts and are cataloged for check-out at the library service desk. Promotion for the new tool library included in-library displays, featuring on the library’s homepage, printed book marks, and articles in the university newspaper. LibGuides were developed to provide instructions, safety protocols, and links to how-to videos and other instructional online resources and hands-on demonstrations were offered throughout the semester. A preliminary assessment of tool check-outs was conducted, the results of which identified the strengths of the tool-library forum, as well as opportunities for improvement. This paper accompanies a poster presented at the 2019 American Society for Engineering Education conference in Tampa, Florida and provides a discussion of the onesemester trial of the tool library at UF. Background/Literature Review Tool libraries work just like regular libraries but instead of loaning books to patrons, they loan tools. Tool libraries have existed in the U.S. for over 50 years1, with the first tool lending library founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1976.2 One of the oldest and largest tool libraries is in Berkeley, California at the public library, which started in 1979 and has over 3,500 tools available for check-out.3 Some tool libraries missions are to rebuild communities struck by natural disasters. Other tool libraries were established to support community endeavors such as neighborhood redevelopment and community gardens.4 Research has shown that there is an interest in a “Library of Things” and that patrons want access to items and workshops for their use.5 As a large public university, UF has an enrollment of around 55,000 students, of which some 10,000 are associated with the 9 departments, 15 degree programs, and 20 centers and institutes within the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering. About two-thirds of the engineering students are undergraduates and all are required to have a laptop computer.6 Students’ devices, whether laptops, smartphones, wearables, or tablets, experience a significant amount of wear-and-tear and require maintenance and repair. Students often ask the MSL staff about the availability of tools that students may use to repair personal technology devices, and to create objects for class, home, or research projects. To meet this need, MSL used endowment

Mixed methods data collection using simulated Google results: reflections on the methods of a point-of-selection behaviour study

Abstract: Introduction. A multi-institutional, grant-funded project employed mixed methods to study 175 fourth-grade through graduate school students’ point-of-selection behaviour. The method features the use of simulated search engine results pages to facilitate data collection. Method. Student participants used simulated Google results pages to select resources for a hypothetical school project. Quantitative data on participants’ selection behaviour and qualitative data from their think-aloud protocols were collected. A questionnaire and interviews were used to collect data on participants’ backgrounds and online research experiences. Analysis. This paper reflects on the data collection methods and highlights opportunities for data analysis. The ability to analyse data both qualitatively and quantitatively increases the rigor and depth of findings. Results. The simulation created a realistic yet controlled environment that ensures the comparability of data within and across a wide range of educational stages. Combining data on participants’ behaviour, thoughts and characteristics provides a more complete picture of factors influencing online resource selection. Conclusions. Using simulated results pages in combination with multiple data collection methods enables analyses that create deeper knowledge of participants' information behaviour. Such a complicated research design requires extensive time, expertise and coordination to execute.

Girls Tech Camp: Librarians Inspire Adolescents to Consider STEM Careers.

Abstract: Motivated by a desire to encourage girls to pursue science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies, librarians at the Marston Science Library (Marston) at the University of Florida (UF) developed Girls Tech Camp (GTC), a summer camp designed to introduce middle-school girls to creative technologies used in these fields. This week-long summer day camp launched in 2016, and continued in the summers of 2017 and 2018. Each year, the camp brought twenty-two 6th-8th grade girls into an academic science library to build experience with emerging technologies and increase interest in pursuing further studies or a career in STEM. The camp introduced the girls to a range of technology including 3D modelling, 3D printing, augmented reality, Arduino microcontrollers, light sensors, digital video production, computer coding, and conductive crafts. Through hands-on activities, guest lectures, and campus field trips youth interest and confidence in using technology expanded and participants experienced student and research life at a university.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Abstract: On behalf of Mr. Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this international scientific conference. Drylands are often considered fragile ecosystems, yet they have a remarkable resilience to stress. They are home to unique and well-adapted plant and animal species that we need to conserve. Some of the world’s greatest cultures and belief systems have originated in drylands. On the other hand, desertification and land degradation in drylands often result in poverty and cause environmental refugees to abandon their homes. These problems can only be addressed in a holistic manner, based on sound scientific research and findings. Solutions to the problems of dryland degradation need to be communicated as widely as possible through education at all levels. These are many reasons why UNESCO – within its mandate of science, education, culture and communication – took the intiative to organize this conference. And we are glad that so many partners have responded to our call. UNESCO considers this conference as its main contribution to the observance of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification in 2006. We have deliberately chosen the title ‘The Future of Drylands’ as we feel it is time to redefine our priorities for science, education and governance in the drylands based on 50 years of scientific research in arid and semi-arid zones. In fact UNESCO has one of the longest traditions, within the UN system, of addressing dryland problems from an interdisciplinary, scientific point of view. In 1955, the ‘International Arid Land Meetings’ were held in Socorro, New Mexico (USA). They were organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), sponsored by UNESCO and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation. One important output of the International Arid Land Meetings was a book entitled The Future of Drylands, edited by Gilbert F. White and published in

A learning path recommendation model based on a multidimensional knowledge graph framework for e-learning

Abstract: E-learners face a large amount of fragmented learning content during e-learning. How to extract and organize this learning content is the key to achieving the established learning target, especially for non-experts. Reasonably arranging the order of the learning objects to generate a well-defined learning path can help the e-learner complete the learning target efficiently and systematically. Currently, knowledge-graph-based learning path recommendation algorithms are attracting the attention of researchers in this field. However, these methods only connect learning objects using single relationships, which cannot generate diverse learning paths to satisfy different learning needs in practice. To overcome this challenge, this paper proposes a learning path recommendation model based on a multidimensional knowledge graph framework. The main contributions of this paper are as follows. Firstly, we have designed a multidimensional knowledge graph framework that separately stores learning objects organized in several classes. Then, we have proposed six main semantic relationships between learning objects in the knowledge graph. Secondly, a learning path recommendation model is designed for satisfying different learning needs based on the multidimensional knowledge graph framework, which can generate and recommend customized learning paths according to the e-learner’s target learning object. The experiment results indicate that the proposed model can generate and recommend qualified personalized learning paths to improve the learning experiences of e-learners.

Immersive learning: Applications of virtual reality for undergraduate education

Abstract: Virtual reality technology has applications across many academic disciplines and has the potential to contribute to student centered, experiential learning opportunities. Some academic libraries ha...