Learning, Teaching and Leadership

Engaging through eLearning: Key factors to make webinars and virtual learning effective

June 6, 2012

Tomorrow I’ve been invited to do a professional development workshop for the Calgary chapter of the Canadian Society of Training and Development. The session is:

“Engaging through eLearning: Key factors to make webinars and virtual learning effective”

We are going to talk about:

What makes e-learning (in)effective
Best practices for e-learning and webinars
Increasing learner engagement
Effective e-learning assessment

If you’re in Calgary, come and join us. Here’s the link to register: http://www.cstd.ca/events/event_details.asp?id=228664

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If you are interested in booking me (Sarah Eaton) for a presentation, keynote or workshop (either live or via webinar) contact me at sarahelaineeaton (at) gmail.com. Please visit my speaking page, too.

Comments Off on Engaging through eLearning: Key factors to make webinars and virtual learning effective | technology, Uncategorized, webinar | Tagged: adult ed, adult education, Alberta, Calgary, Canada, CSTD, e-learning, education, elearning, keynote, learning, online, presenter, Sarah Eaton, speaker, webinar, webinars | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

How to provide peer review feedback

June 6, 2012

There is no single correct way to conduct a peer review of a writer’s manuscript or submission to a journal. Every publication will have its own guidelines and standards. However, if you are brand new to reviewing a peer’s work here are some factors to consider:

Organization and structure

Does the work have a clearly articulated title?
Is the work organized and structured in a logical manner?
Does the manuscript contain explicit headings, making it easier for you to read?

Introduction

Does the introduction articulate the point of the paper?
Does the introduction contain key words and phrases to help readers find the paper once it is in circulation?
Does the introduction clearly establish the value of the paper?

The problem / context / research question

Does the writer provide a clearly articulated research question or problem?
Is this problem situated in a historical, geographical and professional context?
Is this question original? If this sounds like something that has been studied to death, then it is unlikely to be original. Journal articles are meant to contribute new knowledge, fresh perspectives to the ongoing dialogue in the field.

Significance of the work

What rationale does the writer provide for his or her work?
Does the writer link their manuscript to the particular journal he or she has chosen? Many writers submit manuscripts without targeting them to a particular journal or relating their manuscript to the theme or purpose of the journal. Reviewers regularly reject such articles.
Why should we, as readers and professionals, care about this manuscript?

Discussion and argument

Does the author define and develop a cogent argument?
Is the argument logical?
Does the argument influence and persuade you as a reader?
How sophisticated is this argument?

Conclusions

Has the author provided clear and succinct conclusions?
Are the conclusions logically linked to the introduction and the argument?
Has the author restated the relevance of this research, in terms of already-published literature in the field?
Does the conclusion highlight the significance of the author’s manuscript in the larger research and professional context?
Has the writer provided directions for future research or recommendations for professional practice?

References

Are all the references mentioned in the body of the paper cited properly in the References section at the end of the paper? (Manuscripts with missing references are almost always automatically rejected by journals.)
Do the references at the end of the paper meet style guide standards, such as APA or Chicago style? (Sloppy references are also cause for rejection.)

General assessment

Is this a manuscript you think is worthy of publication? Why or why not? What changes would strengthen it in order to make it suitable for publication? Provide recommendations for revision.

Your mission is to objectively examine the work as a professional and scholarly critic. This is not an exhaustive list of criteria to consider, by any means. It is a list to give the novice manuscript reviewer a place to start.

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This blog has had over 1,000,00 views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Comments Off on How to provide peer review feedback | education, Uncategorized | Tagged: academic, editor, how to, journal, journals, manuscript, peer review, publishing, research, research question, Sarah Eaton, Sarah Elaine Eaton, scholarly, write, writing | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Marketing your language or literacy program: 10 webinars recorded

May 31, 2012

This week we wrapped up our 10-week webinar series on how to market your literacy or language program. Nine of the ten programs featured ideas from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program. The 10th and final webinar focused on social media, including:

Brief overview of social media marketing for non-profit and educational programs
Building your social media capacity to market your programs more effectively.
Do’s and dont’s of social media marketing.

Here is the tenth webinar recording for you. There are links to the other nine programs below.

If you like these webinars and find them helpful, please share them with others, leave a comment or “like” the video on YouTube. Thanks to everyone who joined us.

Dear students, It is not O.K. to cite Wikipedia as a source for scholarly articles. Sincerely, your prof.

May 31, 2012

Recently some of my graduate students presented papers that had citations from Wikipedia. Personally, I think there is some valuable information on Wikipedia. Anyone can be a contributor. I am a contributor and I would encourage anyone with a commitment to research and sharing knowledge to become a contributor, too. It’s a highly democratic knowledge base.

Having said that, because anyone can be a contributor, some entries can contain incorrect or inflammatory information.

Though some researchers believe it is fine to cite Wikipedia, there are others who are vehemently opposed to Wikipedia citations in academic work. It is a contentious topic in academia.

If you submit a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal for consideration, it could happen that some reviewers might reject your manuscript based solely on the fact that you have cited Wikipedia… though they may never tell you that.

When it comes to citing Wikipedia, here is how to avoid upsetting journal editors or professors… or anyone else for that matter:

Step 1: Examine the primary references listed at the bottom of the a Wikipedia article.

Step 2: Check that they are real references. People have been known to fabricate primary sources and fake research papers. Go back to the original source.

Step 3: Read the original source yourself. It is good for you to learn how to read research articles published in peer-reviewed journal. This comes with the territory of being a student (particularly a grad student).

Step 4: Evaluate the original source.

Step 5: Once you are satisfied that the original research is sound, cite the original source instead of the Wikipedia article.

This is an extra step that will ensure your work — and you — are taken seriously in both professional and academic circles.

I am curious to know about your experiences with this topic? Thoughts? Feedback? Discussion?

References:

Moran, M. E. (2011). The top 10 reasons students cannot cite or rely on Wikipedia. Finding Dulcinea. Retrieved from http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/education/2010/march/The-Top-10-Reasons-Students-Cannot-Cite-or-Rely-on-Wikipedia.html

Jaschik, S. (2007). A stand against Wikipedia. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/01/26/wiki

Williams College Libraries. (n.d.). Should I use or cite Wikipedia? Probably not. Retrieved May 29, 2012, from http://library.williams.edu/citing/wikipedia.php

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Update – January 2018 – This blog has had over 1.8 million views thanks to readers like you. If you enjoyed this post, please “like” it or share it on social media. Thanks!

Sarah Elaine Eaton is a faculty member in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada.

4 Comments | education, research | Tagged: citations, education, graduate students, research | Permalink
Posted by Sarah Elaine Eaton, Ph.D.

Tomorrow: Free webinar on using social media to market literacy and language programs

May 29, 2012

Tomorrow we wrap up our series of ten free webinars on how to market literacy programs and language schools.

Each webinar has highlighted different ideas from 101 Ways to Market Your Language Program. Tomorrow is a little different in that the ideas and strategies provided are brand new information, not published in the book. The program will be 30 to 60 minutes in length. Bring a pen and paper. I’m going to give you lots of ideas you can implement right away.

Webinar #10 of 10 – What to expect

Today’s webinar will focus on:

Brief overview of social media marketing for non-profit and educational programs
Building your social media capacity to market your programs more effectively.
Do’s and dont’s of social media marketing.

Webinar time

Date: Wednesday, May 30, 2012

There are some time zone changes coming up around the world, so double-check these times against your local area:

Point of origin – 14:00 (2:00 p.m.) Mountain Time, May 16, 2012 Calgary / Edmonton

16:00 (4:00 p.m.) – Eastern Time – Toronto / New York

20:00 (8:00 p.m.) – Greenwich Time – London, England

22:00 (10:00 p.m.) – Eastern European Time – Athens / Istanbul

05:00 (5:00 a.m.) – following day – Japan Standard Time – Tokyo

How to log in

There is no need to register. These webinars are free and open to everyone. Seating is limited though, so sign on early.

To join the webinar, simply click here: http://meet11548754.adobeconnect.com/saraheaton/

Will it be recorded?

You bet. I’ll record the program and post it within 24 hours or so. No charges or fees to watch these recorded programs.

Learning, Teaching and Leadership

Engaging through eLearning: Key factors to make webinars and virtual learning effective