Speaking of slow

Yesterday, I reviewed all of my research in search of themes.  When I have created literature reviews in the past, I wrote a paragraph that summarized each individual article.  For this practicum project, I am guessing that no one would want to read 19 individual paragraphs, one for each article that was read, in addition to countless descriptions of the interviews that were conducted. 

So, with that in mind, I am looking for themes.  Themes that will allow me to summarize our research into a page or two that describes the extensive research that has been conducted.  Below you will find a list of themes that I am exploring:

• Collaboration - between faculty and the library, or between institutions
• Distance students' use of local libraries - how can the academic library foster relationships and partnerships with these local libraries
• Definitions of ILI and distributed education
• Point of need instruction - terms that continually come up are value and meaning
• Student outcomes - this is the assessment piece.  It is interesting to note that most libraries view assessment as an after thought.  I believe that the learning objectives or outcomes inform the assessment or evaluation of students in the achievement of these goals and vice versa.  Assessment is a critical piece of the learning and teaching cycle.
• CMS - importance of being present and responding in a timely manner
• Marketing and promotion
• Active learning
• Equity of library services for all students
• Tools for facilitating learning

Well, that is 10 themes... I think I will still need to tighten this list.