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New publication addressing inclusive design as a method and craft

New publication addressing inclusive design as a method and craft now available. A new resource for project design in UX/UI and project design in the digital social sciences and humanities is now available as an open access book chapter published in 2024.

 

Inclusive Design: A Method and Craft published in 2024 by ACRL.

Project design in user experience and project design in the digital social sciences or humanities share many of the same motivating questions. When setting up surveys as part of your research, do you consider the language or purpose of the question? Are there leading questions? Have you considered the background or demographics of your audience? When setting up tasks for user-testing a research project, do you strategize how to recruit users with a diverse approach or just try to get as many as possible? These are just a few of the questions user experience (UX) professionals would consider when creating a digital project. To help address project design, a recently published book chapter explains how to apply user experience design principles to your next design project by using an Inclusive Design Checklist. Though the chapter provides an introduction to the field of UX, an overview of the user-centered design (UCD) phases and applications in UX, an overview of UX research and design phases, and the importance of applying UX to digital projects, this post focuses on an inclusive design checklist that can help root the UX process in digital projects.

Inclusive Design Checklist

The framework for this Inclusive Design Checklist is to help project collaborators create and design for 1) the potential audience of a design project, not just the intended audience, and 2) both the expert user and casual user of the product. Designing with users and addressing this framework will help increase many aspects of inclusion in digital projects. To help stay on track with this framework, consider adapting the checklist below.

This is not an ordered list, rather it is diverse, complex, and iterative in nature. There are two versions, a brief checklist for reference (see below), and an expanded checklist with detailed explanations in the full-text of the chapter.

BRIEF CHECKLIST

• You are not the user

• Avoid bias

• Be mindful

• Prioritize content

• Be consistent

• Offer choice

• Document

DSI Lab project won Best Virtual Exhibit Award

In May 2024, a DSI Lab project won the PR Xchange Award Competition for best virtual exhibit. The project applies a digital social science lens to promote holistic health and wellness with inclusive design strategies. The Lab Team included faculty and graduate students with interdisciplinary backgrounds including interactive information retrieval, health/wellness, and professional counseling.

The PR Xchange had a panel of 25 judges with 334 entries for the various categories where submissions were assessed based on the quality of content, format, design, creativity, and originality. The jury included a group of UX and graphic designers, marketing professional, visual arts, and information professionals.

Congratulations to the lab team!

 

Winning project:

 Wellness Guide

This resource guide was created to show the six inter-related dimensions of wellness (physical, emotional, social, financial, intellectual, and spiritual). It is freely available for the public to use as they continue to grow and balance their quality of life. Designed with user research and user experience design philosophies, this guide offers a curated collection of self-help articles, videos, exercises, local resources, worldwide resources, book recommendations, and tools to help guide public awareness of the importance of one’s overall wellness.

Book Launch: Intercultural Engagement Through Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad

Announcing the newly released book, Intercultural Engagement Through Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad: A Practitioner’s Guide with Multidisciplinary Perspectives from a Public University

Congratulations to MTSU faculty, Priya Ananth and Seok Jeng Jane Lim (editors), and their chapter contributors! They published an edited monograph on September 15, 2023, titled Intercultural Engagement Through Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad: A Practitioner’s Guide with Multidisciplinary Perspectives from a Public University. This is the second book published under the James E. Walker Library’s MT Open Press imprint.

Have you ever thought about teaching abroad? Not sure how to get started? Or are you interested in how to improve your faculty-led study abroad courses? Then you will want to read this book!

What’s inside

  • Framework to understand short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs from theoretical and administrative perspectives.
  • 11 case studies that showcase faculty leaders demonstrating how intercultural competencies were strategically incorporated into their study abroad curricula.
  • Concluding analysis with recommendations for faculty and administrators to plan and design these programs.

 

book cover

 

What the book is about

Intercultural Engagement Through Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad: A Practitioner’s Guide with Multidisciplinary Perspectives from a Public University is an edited volume that offers pedagogically sound and creative ways of integrating elements of intercultural competence into short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs. By purposefully embedding these competencies in courses, faculty leaders can better assist their students in deepening intercultural and global competencies, preparing students for a changing, more diverse global environment. This book contributes uniquely to the field by providing theoretically driven model courses across disciplines. The book will interest a readership of multidisciplinary study-abroad educators, including faculty leaders, faculty leaders-in-training, faculty scholars, and administrators.

 

What is being said about this book

It is refreshing to read what feels like a very unified approach to internationalization through intercultural engagement primarily at one institution offering varying cross-disciplinary approaches. I find the specific examples of activities, reflection exercises, and thoughtfulness of the review process of each program very well developed and a great resource for those looking to build faculty-led global learning programs.”

--Keshia Abraham, President and founder of Abraham Consulting Agency, and formerly an academic dean, Fulbright Scholar, study abroad director, and Africana scholar. 

The overall uniqueness of this book is the perspective of facilitating short-term faculty-led programs within one institution – a mid-sized public university in the U.S. This affords readers a unique perspective based on how faculty design and execute programs with a particular eye on the intercultural development aspect of short-term programs. This is a great resource for an education abroad professional or for a course in international education.”

--Karen McBride, Executive Director of Community Colleges for International Development, and formerly affiliated with the NAFSA Education Abroad Knowledge Community, Peace Corps, and Fulbright.

 

About the editors

Priya Ananth and Seok Jeng Jane Lim are faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and College of Education (respectively). They have both successfully directed multiple short-term study abroad programs to Japan and Singapore. Collectively, the editors have a wide range of experience in teaching, pedagogy, and study abroad curriculum design.

About the contributing authors

The book features a diverse group of authors with incredible expertise from a range of disciplines and perspectives at Middle Tennessee State University.

 

Contact

Together, the editors, authors, and press have created a valuable resource that we encourage the public to read and share. If you end up using this using this book in your course, please tell us about it at digitalscholar@mtsu.edu.

Book information

Available at https://openpress.mtsu.edu

© 2023 the Authors

Published by MT Open Press at Middle Tennessee State University ∙ Murfreesboro

DOI: 10.56638/mtopb00223

ISBN (Digital PDF): 979-8-9871721-2-4

ISBN (paperback) 979-8-9871721-3-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023943895. Full record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2023943895 

 

Suggested citation:

Ananth, P., & Lim, S. J. J. (Eds.). (2023). Intercultural engagement through short-term faculty-led study abroad: A practitioner’s guide with multidisciplinary perspectives from a public university. MT Open Press, Middle Tennessee State University. https://doi.org/10.56638/mtopb00223 

The print-on-demand version (paperback) is available at https://lulu.com/spotlight/mtop  

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-4.0 International License

0823-2341 / Middle Tennessee State University does not discriminate against students, employees, or applicants for admission or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, age, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or any other legally protected class with respect to all employment, programs, and activities sponsored by MTSU. More information is available at www.mtsu.edu/iec

Announcing the Final Projects for the Digital Seed Grants 2022-2023

Announcing the Final Projects for the Digital Seed Grants 2022-2023

The Digital Seed Grant (https://dsi.mtsu.edu) had impressive applications for its sixth year. The Digital Seed Grant Review Committee and Library Dean decided to award four grants for the 2022-2023 academic year. The AY 22-23 awardees were announced on the website at https://dsi.mtsu.edu/dsgrant22-23.

Below is a summary of the four winning projects and resulting outcomes. A PDF copy of the full report details is preserved in the institutional repository.

Congratulations to the project investigators and their teams on the completion of these projects!

 

Intercultural Engagement in Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad Programs Across Disciplines

Primary Investigator (PI):  Dr. Priya Ananth, MTSU Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

PI’s Project Description: The Digital Seed Grant was used to fund the copyediting, print book purchases, and student worker support for producing an open access book titled Intercultural Engagement Through Short-Term Faculty-Led Study Abroad: A Practitioner's Guide with Multidisciplinary Perspectives from a Public University. The monograph is edited by Priya Ananth and Seok Jeng Jane Lim, aided by 15 contributing chapter authors, and published by MT Open Press.

The main objective of this edited volume is to offer pedagogically sound and creative ways of integrating elements of intercultural competence into class activities, tasks, and assignments in short-term faculty-led study abroad programs. The intercultural competencies, categorized in the areas of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, include characteristics such as awareness about self and other cultures, creative thinking, problem-solving, empathy, tolerance towards ambiguity, and withholding judgment, to name a few. By purposefully embedding these characteristics in their course activities, faculty leaders can better assist their students in deepening intercultural and global competencies. This book will contribute uniquely to the field by providing theoretically driven model courses from a broad spectrum of disciplines at the university level.

Purpose and Audience: The main purpose of this book is to encourage the creation of new short-term, faculty-led study abroad programs at the university level as well as empower current faculty leaders to strengthen or adapt their programs. Since the book is formatted as a practitioner’s guide, it will be of interest to a broad readership of multidisciplinary study abroad educators, including faculty leaders, faculty leaders-in-training, faculty scholars, and administrators.

Recently published online in September 2023, the book is already being used in at least two projects this fall semester. First, the chapters in this book will be used as recommended readings in a study abroad focused faculty learning community (FLC) on creating a community of short-term study abroad faculty leaders across disciplines at MTSU who are interested in enhancing intercultural engagement in their programs. Second, we will organize our 1st Study Abroad Symposium at MTSU during International Education Week on November 18, 2023. This symposium will involve talks and panel discussions with contributing authors of this book who will not only discuss the contents of their individual programs but also propel the conversations forward to cover issues such as assessments and advocacy that were not within the scope of this book.

Project News:

The book is available as open access (free) and as print-on-demand at https://doi.org/10.56638/mtopb00223. Published under the MT Open Press Lightning Series imprint, this book underwent developmental editing, copyediting, external review, and is indexed in WorldCat, DOAB, search engines, and the library catalog.

 

book cover

 

 

MATLAB/Simulink Simulations for an Autonomous Vehicle Sensors Testbed

Primary Investigator (PI):  Dr. Jorge Vargas, MTSU Department of Engineering Technology

PI’s Project Description: Autonomous Vehicle (AV) technology has the potential to provide enormous value to society. To do that, there is a need to build comprehensive testing technology to prove efficacy under different environmental conditions (e.g., rain). This can be done by creating simulations to validate perception and decision-making stages of AVs, thus demonstrating the response of radar systems in AVs. The simulated framework involves radars, target objects, and a stationary vehicle at specific environmental conditions through a real simulation system and MATLAB/Simulink.

The Digital Seed Grant was used to pay student workers, who collected data through a real simulation system and MATLAB/Simulink software in the MTSU Micro-Electronics Lab. They also attempted to create a user interface to work with real-world data and perceptive PCs. Outcomes of the data collection enabled the drafting and submission of an article for publication in an open access journal.

Purpose and Audience: This project helps solve a real-world problem, therefore having potential impact on the public. Implementation of the proposed waveform has been coded and functional. Real world implementation of this waveform may require a unique antenna array, most likely using MIMO technology to maintain low hardware cost. Simulations of the waveform are performed on MATLAB. The proposed waveform will be programmed to generate radar data based on the beat frequencies created previously. The proposed coding scheme has the ability for future potential by increasing the number of slopes or steps. The incorporation of MIMO technology may be a viable step for creating more signals. With that, ghost detections may be canceled using virtual antenna arrays. As technology evolves, AVs will encounter a decentralized tracking network in which detections will be shared amongst vehicles.

Project News: The article was published by MDPI on August 15, 2023.

Duke, Jonathan, Eli Neville, and Jorge Vargas. 2023. "A Modulated Approach for Improving MFSK RADARS to Resolve Mutual Interference on Autonomous Vehicles (AVs)" Sensors 23, no. 16: 7192. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23167192

Figure 1 Society of Automotive Engineers automation levels. Reprinted from Duke et al. (2023) https://doi.org/10.3390/s23167192

 

Database of American Synagogue Iconography (DASI)

Primary Investigator (PI):  Dr. Laura Cochrane, MTSU Department of Art & Design

PI’s Project Description: The Database of American Synagogue Iconography (DASI) is an index of decorative imagery and motifs in American synagogues built prior to 1930. My goal for this project was to have a searchable, public website on decorative imagery of American synagogues that would make images and documentation openly available for research purposes. The ability to compile and compare images from different buildings made at different times and/or in different places will allow researchers to see patterns and make connections that they might otherwise not have. The decorations of synagogues were very political and ideological —synagogue decoration could be controversial, with figural imagery often being avoided because it was thought to be forbidden. At times in American history, however, figural and narrative imagery in synagogues was used to help modernize and assimilate Judaism. Understanding the mindset behind decorative choices can help to reveal the ideology of the designers and of the congregation.

The grant was used for travel reimbursements to visit and document synagogues in Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi, New Jersey, California, and Louisiana. While I first imagined this database as a means of conducting my own research, I now see this database as more important as a public good. It will help researchers to make connections and to see patterns that would otherwise be hard to discern. But, more importantly, it will preserve documents of these artworks and visual materials at a time when they are especially vulnerable.

Purpose and Audience: DASI is a visual database of decorative imagery and motifs in American Synagogues, mainly in the American Southeast. The database records historical information about the building and the decoration of the synagogue and identifies the iconography of stained-glass windows, wall paintings, and furnishings. The purpose is to be able to search within the database to see patterns and trends in synagogue decoration. These artworks are being demolished or scattered and, up until now, they have not been sufficiently documented. This database will be open to the public and for posterity, records the synagogue decorations of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Project News:

The DASI collection is available at https://digital.mtsu.edu/digital/collection/dasi. The collection will continue to grow through spring 2024.

Figure 2: Temple Emanuel in Beaumont, Texas, interior, torah ark lining, detail.

 

The African American Material Culture of Death in Middle Tennessee

Primary Investigator (PI):  Dr. Stacey Graham, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation

PI’s Project Description: Nashville and the surrounding counties are currently among the fastest-growing areas in the U.S. Both rampant development into formerly rural areas and gentrification of longstanding urban neighborhoods have put undue pressure on vulnerable properties such as small cemeteries and older housing stock, with the impact disproportionately felt among African American residents and business owners. Furthermore, city cemeteries have reflected a systemic segregation by denying African American families access and visibility. The African American history of Nashville and Middle Tennessee is a vital part of the fabric of the history, accomplishments, and character of Tennessee. Our project is located at the convergence of these pressing preservation concerns – properties associated with the human disposition and commemoration of the deceased, particularly those that are fast disappearing in the glossy sprawl of metropolitan Middle Tennessee. Our project seeks to draw attention to marginalized death traditions and culture in African American communities with a specific focus on cemeteries, churches, funeral homes, and other sites associated with death practices, particularly in Nashville and the fast-growing counties of Middle Tennessee.

The Digital Seed Grant enabled the equipment loan of a laptop and document scanner, plus hosting the digital collection in the library’s CONTENTdm database. This digital exhibit is intended to be a tool that can be used piecemeal or in its entirety in the classroom, in community heritage meetings and events, as a linked and related resource for other public history projects, and in scholarly footnotes and bibliographies.

Purpose and Audience: As intended, this exhibit starts off very small – a collection of nine artifacts or sites, with brief essays providing historical context for each item. We hope to add to it over the coming years, based on further research and from feedback from other researchers, preservationists, archivists, and interested community members. We attempted to create a story, told in different aspects as represented by the various items, that describes how African Americans in Middle Tennessee have developed death-related cultural traditions in response to the legacy of slavery, the limitations placed upon them by Jim Crow laws, and the unique cultural expressions forged by communities made tight-knit by adversity. This is why we concentrate on the period of U.S. history beginning in Reconstruction and with a strong focus on the Jim Crow period stretching from the late 19th to the early 20th century. However, we also wanted to bring the timeline into the present by examining the preservation of this material culture and how the pressures of economic and demographic growth in the Middle Tennessee area have put undue pressure on African American neighborhoods and historic sites. We hope this will be of interest and of use to students, scholars, and community members working to research and preserve artifacts and sites that represent deathways culture.

Project News:

The African American Material Culture of Death in Middle Tennessee (AAMCD) collection is available at https://digital.mtsu.edu/digital/collection/aamcd

Figure 3: Object-Ephemera essay on the church fan with funeral home advertisement

 

Funding and Support

The Digital Seed Grant is made possible by generous funding and support from the Library Dean and the Digital Scholarship Initiatives team. For many, this is a starter grant, which can lead to national grant opportunities in the future and Walker Library wants to encourage and support such creativity activity.

As a competitive grant, evaluation of applications and assessment of digital lifecycles of selected projects takes time. The Digital Seed Grant is indebted to the time of the Review Committee and colleagues at Walker Library who support operational aspects. Thanks also go to those who help promote the grant and encourage participation. The grant program was initially launched in 2016 for the award period of 2017-2018. Since 2017, the library has jumped-started campus research by funding 15 digital seed grant projects across various academic disciplines.

The 2023-2024 cycle is on pause. Information on future cycles will be available at https://dsi.mtsu.edu/dsgrant.

 

Book Launch: Privacy and Safety in Online Learning

Announcing the newly released book, Privacy and Safety in Online Learning

Congratulations to MTSU faculty, Denise FitzGerald Quintel and Amy York, and their chapter contributors! They published Privacy and Safety in Online Learning, an edited monograph on January 31, 2023. This is the first book published under the James E. Walker Library’s MT Open Press imprint.

 

Do you teach online? Or are you interested in any of these questions:  

  • Why Privacy, Why Now?
  • What's the State of Privacy in Online Education?
  • How Can We Transform Our Pedagogy with Privacy in Mind?
  • What Tools or Resources Can We Use?

Then you will want to read this book!