Primarily for students in the MSHE Sacramento program, tonight’s session will cover the basics quickly as needed: exporting citations from popular education databases that do and don’t support RefWorks, creating bibliographies, etc. Then we’ll get into some finer points, such as publicly sharing bibliographies, linking attachments and using the Ref-Grab-It plugin to capture website details, and the Write-n-Cite plugin to generate in-text (parethetical) references.
Technical requirements:
The session requires a fast internet connection and an up-to-date browser. Wired connections are preferable over wireless, otherwise you may notice poor audio quality. If you have a microphone you may participate in the conversation, but typing questions in the chat box will work too. If you plan to use the built-in mic on your laptop, then you’ll need to wear headphones so as to avoid creating feedback. Plan on joining the e-classroom 5-10 minute prior to the scheduled start time to test your connection. Those who plan to participate using their mic will need to install a tiny Acrobat plugin.
Please note that 7PM PST = 10PM EST
Here’s the link – http://goodwincollege.na4.acrobat.com/edschoolresearch/
See you online!
best,
Tim
ps – Need to schedule an online instruction session? Daytime hours are best, but evening hours can be available by arrangement. Email for details: siftar at drexel.edu
This database is a revised version of the 1997 State Postsecondary Structures Sourcebook that was converted into an interactive database with information about the postsecondary governance structures in each state. Generate profiles of individual state postsecondary governance structures, comparisons between them, or check out a few of their predetermined reports. Published by the Education Commission of the States (www.ecs.org). It’s a good start on that MSHE510 assignment.
As a second step, find the website for your state’s agency. (The directory on the SHEEO website has handy links to all states.) Study your agency’s website carefully. What does the “About Us” link reveal? For example, on the page for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Ed , it lists their mission statement and summary of powers.
If there is no helpful “About Us” section on your state system’s site, I recommend using the Google Advanced Search feature “Search within a site or domain” and paste in the homepage of your target state system, then use keywords such as “governance” or “powers” to come up with your answers.
As an afterthought, I noticed at the bottom of the mass.edu pages they have a “related link” to an informative section of the Massachusetts General Law that was enacted by state legislators to create their system. Wading through the legal language can help clarify any details that are not revealed on your agency’s website. If your agency doesn’t include a link to the legal statute that created them, it is possible to find via Drexel’s subscription to Lexis Nexis as I have detailed in the Higher Education Research Guide.
Lastly, I understand that you need statistics on the high school graduation rate for your chosen state. Whenever you hear “education and statistics” in the same sentence, you should think of the Federal National Center for Education Statistics website. While there are certainly other places to find this data, their report entitled “High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the US: 2007” is the definitive source that all the others will cite. Table #12 entitled: “—Averaged freshman graduation rate of public high school students, by state: School year 2005–06″ seems right.
I’ll update this blog with a posting about your upcoming historical assignment next week.
Have you ever tried a new library database and wished someone could JUST SHOW YOU instead of having to figure out the navigation tricks for yourself? Well, you are in luck.
Your Education Librarian was trained this summer on a new online-meeting service called Adobe Connect. It has proved to be so friendly that I have been using it as a help-desk platform as well.
Feeling stuck? Shoot me an email or call. Within one or two clicks I can be looking at your desktop and talking your through whatever database has you stumped. Consulting sessions can be recorded and sent afterward as a link if you’d like to revisit the steps.
So go ahead! Be bold. Lose yourself in the research. Help is just a few clicks away… at THIS LINK.
Currently I’m prepared to offer this support from 9-5pm EST. But generally I’m on the web from 10-11pm EST as well, at least Sunday-Thursday nights. So feel free to schedule a consult at that hour, or just try the link above to see if I’m online. The late night hours are an unofficial experiment at this point. But if they prove popular I’ll see about formally shifting my work hours to better meet the needs of west coast and night owl students. As always, from 5-10pm EST please call the main Reference Desk to get help from our outstanding evening librarians at 1-888-278-8825 (for local calls it’s 215-895-2755)
See you online!
Best,
Tim Siftar
siftar@drexel.edu
