The purpose of this study is to map the practices regarding open educational resources’ (OERs) development and implementation at European higher education institutions (HEIs) in the field of library ...and information science (LIS) during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the challenges and obstacles to their full and optimal utilization, both during crisis situations and beyond. A systematic literature review and questionnaire-based survey yielded results from 56 European LIS schools/departments (n = 56). Statistical analysis was performed using the R programming language, and descriptive statistics were used to quantify the data sets. The results have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic served as an impetus for the adoption of OERs, particularly in the context of digital education (DE) and remote learning. However, there is still a lack of awareness of the many benefits and opportunities they provide to higher education, as evidenced by the fact than less than half LIS schools/departments used OERs. Certain issues were identified, such as the lack of institutional policies regarding OERs, inadequate peer-review of OERs, and, in most cases, the absence of monitoring and evaluation practices for OERs. The results and insights from this study can be used to improve all aspects of OERs’ implementation and thus accelerate their adoption, both with regard to LIS schools/departments and other fields. Further research into the topic through interviews and focus groups should provide a deeper understanding of opportunities, challenges and practices surrounding the adoption of OERs in the field of LIS education.
Transhumanism is an intellectual, cultural, scientific, and artistic movement based on the convergence of science, technology, and economy. It supports the growth and application
of new scientific ...and technological solutions in enhancing physical, mental, and other human abilities. On the other hand, posthumanism is a term (or a school of thought) that mostly refers to the redefining of the concept of human(e) in terms of the onto-epistemological, scientific, and biotechnological progress at the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Inevitably overlapping, these two movements or schools of thought imminently influence the evolution of the humanities, which are currently experiencing the so-called silent crisis. This crisis manifests in neglecting not only arts and humanities, but also the process of imagination, creativity, and critical thinking in every scientific area. The future of the humanities from the perspective of transhumanism and its value system implies two possible insights. The first refers to the issue of the humanities’ positioning, that is, their relationship towards natural and technical sciences. The other points out the issue of values and skills that the humanities should promote, especially regarding the challenges of the scientific and technological revolution. From the perspective of the posthumanities comes an idea of a complete reconfiguration of the humanities that would replace man as a central figure of humanities’ research. Thus, if the humanities wish to stay relevant and participated in the latest developments, they must morph into posthumanities, ultra-humanities, and metahumanities. Accordingly, critical posthumanities represent an interdisciplinary field focused on new discourse in the area of nonhuman, transhuman, metahuman, and posthuman, that is, a field focused on different perceptions of the concept of “human,” and thus the perception of the humanities in the posthuman age.
Dezinformacije, teorije zavjera i negativni komentari na društvenim mrežama utječu na dostupnost točnih zdravstvenih informacija i na stavove prema cijepljenju. Cilj je rada istražiti mišljenje i ...stavove javnosti, odnosno dezinformacije i teorije zavjera o cijepljenju i cjepivu protiv bolesti COVID-19 na internetskim portalima i društvenoj mreži Facebook. Od 9. studenog 2020. do 30. siječnja 2021. analizirano je ukupno 4576 komentara, odnosno 113 postova pod temom cijepljenje i cjepiva kategoriziranihs obzirom na sentiment (pozitivni, neutralni, irelevantni i negativni). Unutar negativnih komentara (20,60 %) identificirano je 13 glavnih tematskih kategorija. Najzastupljenije su kategorija teorije zavjera (35,84 %) i kategorija iskazi nepovjerenja u sastav, učinkovitost, sigurnost i nuspojave cjepiva (19,93%), dok je postotak dezinformacija bio 20,90 %. Rezultati upućuju na nužnost oblikovanja pravovremenog plana i strategije zdravstvenih kampanja te sadržaja za online edukativne materijale i platforme, kao i pokretanja programa zdravstvenog obrazovanja na nacionalnoj razini.
Misinformation, conspiracy theories, and negative comments on social networks affect the availability of accurate health information and attitudes toward vaccination. The aim of this paper is to explore the opinions and attitudes of the public, i.e. misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccination and the vaccine against the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus on Internet portals and the social network Facebook. From November 9, 2020 to January 30, 2021, a total of 4,576 comments were analyzed, i.e. 113 posts in the topic of vaccination and vaccines categorized according to sentiment (positive, neutral, irrelevant, and negative). Among the negative comments (20,60 %), 13 main thematic categories were identified. The most represented were in the category of conspiracy theories (35,84 %) and the category of expression of distrust in the composition, effectiveness, safety, and side effects of vaccines(19,93 %), while the percentage of misinformation was 20,90 %. The results highlight the necessity of designing a timely plan and strategy of health campaigns and content for online educational materials and platforms, as well as the initiation of nationwide health education programs.
Transhumanizam je intelektualni, kulturni, znanstveni i umjetnički pokret koji, temeljen na sprezi znanosti, tehnologije i gospodarstva, podržava i potiče razvoj i uporabu novih znanstvenih i ...tehnoloških rješenja za poboljšanje ljudskih fizičkih, mentalnih i drugih sposobnosti. S druge strane, posthumanizam predstavlja termin koji se ponajviše veže uz redefiniranje pojma ljudskog, odnosno humanog u skladu s ontoepistemološkim, znanstvenim i biotehnološkim razvojem s kraja dvadesetog i početka dvadeset i prvog stoljeća. Neminovno se preklapajući, ta dva pokreta ili pravca mišljenja neumitno utječu i na razvoj humanistike koju u današnje vrijeme obilježava tzv. tiha kriza koja se očituje u zanemarivanju ne samo umjetnosti i humanističkih znanosti, već i imaginacije, kreativnosti i kritičkog mišljenja u svakom znanstvenom području. O budućnosti humanističkih znanosti iz perspektive transhumanizma i njegova sustava vrijednosti moguće je izdvojiti dva glavna uvida ili poveznice. Prvi se tiče pozicioniranja humanistike, odnosno njezina odnosa spram prirodnih i tehničkih znanosti, dok se drugi tiče pitanja vrijednosti i vještina koje humanističke znanosti žele promicati, posebno u odnosu na izazove koje donosi znanstveno-tehnološka revolucija. Iz posthumanističke perspektive pak predlaže se potpuna rekonfiguracija humanističkih znanosti koja bi dovela do toga da se čovjek ukloni iz središta humanističkih istraživanja. Stoga, humanistika mora mutirati u posthumanistiku, ultrahumanistiku i metahumanistiku, ako ne želi (p)ostati irelevantna i po strani razvoja i kretanja u suvremenom društvu. Kritička posthumanistika, u skladu s tim, predstavlja interdisciplinarno područje usmjereno na nove diskurse u području nehumanog, transhumanog, metahumanog i posthumanog, odnosno na različite percepcije fenomena ‘humanog’, a posljedično i percepcije humanistike u posthumanom dobu.
Introduction. As both academic citizens and active participants in information society who use information, students produce huge amounts of personal digital data and documents. It is therefore ...important to raise questions about their awareness, responsibility, tendencies and activities they undertake to preserve their collective digital heritage. Method. A survey was conducted amongst students from four different Croatian universities. 227 online questionnaires were completed. Analysis. Quantitative analysis was used to describe the students' answers and to identify their habits and practices of archiving personal digital information. Results. There is a positive correlation between respondents who are aware of the importance of managing digital data and documents and those who actually put an effort into it. Students often plan their activities when it comes to a preservation process, but mostly for the data and documents they view as important or that they might need in the future. Students' managing practices are primarily based on organizing documents into folders by the criteria of document type and importance, while using specific tools to manage their collections is very rare. Conclusions. Humanities and social sciences students are aware of their private digital legacy, and they endeavour to manage and archive it using basic, common organizing strategies and practices.
Misinformation, conspiracy theories, and negative comments on social networks affect the availability of accurate health information and attitudes toward vaccination. The aim of this paper is to ...explore the opinions and attitudes of the public, i.e. misinformation and conspiracy theories about vaccination and the vaccine against the disease caused by the COVID-19 virus on Internet portals and the social network Facebook. From November 9, 2020 to January 30, 2021, a total of 4,576 comments were analyzed, i.e. 113 posts in the topic of vaccination and vaccines categorized according to sentiment (positive, neutral, irrelevant, and negative). Among the negative comments (20,60 %), 13 main thematic categories were identified. The most represented were in the category of conspiracy theories (35,84 %) and the category of expression of distrust in the composition, effectiveness, safety, and side effects of vaccines (19,93 %), while the percentage of misinformation was 20,90 %. The results highlight the necessity of designing a timely plan and strategy of health campaigns and content for online educational materials and platforms, as well as the initiation of nationwide health education programs.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present an exploratory study whose aim was to investigate the role of public libraries in the provision of European Union (EU) information in an EU acceding ...country (Croatia).
Design/methodology/approach
Study was conducted via online questionnaire in public libraries across country.
Findings
The findings revealed that majority of respondents (83.7 percent) think it is an important task of public libraries to provide citizens with materials about the EU, and that almost all responding libraries (98 percent) have EU materials. In general, respondents think that provision of EU materials in their library does not compromise its role of politically neutral institution. The results also indicate that libraries quite rarely (10 percent) maintain links to relevant EU online sources on their websites. EU collections in responding libraries are promoted actively most frequently in the library itself and on its website, and very rarely in the local media.
Practical implications
Findings are expected to be of interest to European administration in charge of the development of effective communication policies, national authorities in EU candidate and acceding countries, and information professionals in general.
Originality/value
This is the first study to investigate the role of public libraries in EU information provision in an EU acceding country.
Authors and other creative workers today are faced with the (r)evolution of digital technology and media that slowly change and challenge the way they create, disseminate, and preserve their work. ...The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitudes, habits, and practices of contemporary Croatian writers in a small-scale sample in terms of the creation, organization, and preservation of digital documents and various literary forms. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with nine contemporary Croatian writers and examined through narrative analysis of the interview transcripts. The research highlighted areas that need to be more thoroughly considered when we are dealing with issues of personal digital archiving, digital legacies, and the preservation of digital cultural heritage in general. In-depth interviews with respondents indicated one particularly important issue: that preserving the context of their work is as important as preserving the work itself.
Objective. The objective of this study was to identify and interpret state-of-the-play of the implementation of digital education (DE) in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the field of library ...and information science (LIS) during COVID-19 pandemic. Approach/Methodology/Design. In order to collect data, a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. A survey for the study's target audience - the heads/directors of LIS schools/departments in Europe - was created and disseminated. The collected data were analyzed using the method of descriptive statistics. Results. The survey was completed by the heads/directors of 56 LIS schools/departments in 23 European countries. The results indicate that DE presents a positive disruptive force that transforms the teaching and learning process and widens access to education, especially in crisis situations. It also indicates that despite the need for emergency response, almost all aspects of DE were deliberately and successfully implemented in most of the LIS higher education institutions. Further analysis of core topic areas (through interviews and focus groups) will provide a deeper insight into teachers' and students' practices and their overall appraisal of DE during the pandemic. Limitations. Limitations include the methods used to collect data and the lack of clarity and understanding of certain terms and concepts by a small number of participants. Originality/value. This paper offers an in-depth understanding of the role of DE in crisis situations within the field of LIS. It underlines the necessity for consistent monitoring and evaluation of DE to guarantee its quality. Consequently, this paper may contribute to more effective policy and decision-making processes concerning DE. Moreover, it aims to help create frameworks and guidelines that facilitate simpler, more sustainable, and broader implementation of DE in LIS HEIs.
Cilj. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja ispitati percepciju, mišljenja i iskustva studenata preddiplomskog studija informacijskih znanosti o različitim aspektima digitalnog obrazovanja i online nastave ...tijekom pandemije bolesti COVID-19.
Pristup/metodologija/dizajn. U ožujku i svibnju 2022. godine provedene su tri fokus grupe sa studentima preddiplomskih studija informacijskih (i komunikacijskih) znanosti na trima hrvatskim sveučilištima (N = 18). Nakon transkripcije audiozapisa, provedena je sadržajna analiza rezultata.
Rezultati. Pandemija bolesti COVID-19 znatno je ubrzala digitalnu transformaciju visokoškolskog obrazovnog sustava. Disruptivne promjene i ad hoc prelazak na online nastavu i učenje na daljinu imali su značajan utjecaj na studentsku populaciju. Ispitanici su se većinom brzo i uspješno prilagodili uvjetima rada i učenja u pandemiji. Nasta va je u većini slučajeva uspješno organizirana i održana, a gotovo svi ispitanici imali su osiguran pristup potrebnim digitalnim obrazovnim sadržajima. Unatoč prednostima digitalnog obrazovanja i online nastave, ispitanici su s vremenom osjetili manjak motivacije, pad koncentracije, stres zbog povećanog broja radnih zadataka i online provjere znanja te brigu zbog cjelokupne situacije. Najčešći izazovi odnosili su se na organizaciju i provođenje pismenih ispita i drugih oblika provjere znanja, probleme tehničke prirode, probleme prostorne i vremenske organizacije, manjak osobnog kontakta i nedovoljno razvijen sustav institucijske podrške. Za unaprjeđenje digitalnog obrazovanja i online nastave u mogućim budućim kriznim situacijama ispitanici predlažu osiguravanje videozapisa predavanja, osiguravanje odgovarajuće opreme studentima slabijeg socioekonomskog statusa, veći broj asinkronih nastavnih aktivnosti, smanjenje broja grupnih aktivnosti te bolju organizaciju ustanove u pogledu odabira digitalnih alata za rad, učenje i komunikaciju.
Originalnost/vrijednost. Rad pruža dublji uvid u politiku i praksu digitalnog obrazovanja tijekom pandemije bolesti COVID-19 sa stajališta studenata te tako doprinosi jačanju njihove aktivne uloge u sustavu visokog obrazovanja i kreiranju obrazovne politike. Također, uz pitanje digitalne tehnologije i digitalnih vještina i kompetencija, rad je usmjeren i na mnoge druge aspekte digitalnog obrazovanja, poput organizacije nastavnog procesa, omogućavanja pristupa digitalnim obrazovnim sadržajima, osiguravanja sustava podrške i dr. Rezultati ove kvalitativne studije mogu koristiti kreatorima politika, donositeljima odluka i dionicima sustava visokog obrazovanja kako bi osigurali održivost i kvalitetu ekosustava digitalnog obrazovanja u Hrvatskoj, općenito i u mogućim budućim kriznim situacijama.
PDF
