OMICS Publishing Group is an open-access publisher operating under an author-pays model. Unlike traditional journal subscriptions in which readers or institutions pay to read content, OMICS relies on its contributors for financial support. Although the author-pays model is not a new phenomenon in the realm of open access, its recent popularity has…

In response to a focus on reading, this paper examines the notion of reading online; as such it uses the term "networked reading" to describe any act of reading in an online or digital environment. In accordance with this notion of "networked" reading, the paper provides a broad introduction to AustLit: the Australian…

As the coauthor (with Susan Dean) of a formally for-profit and now open (i.e., free on the web) textbook, "Collaborative Statistics," this author has received many questions about open educational resources (OER), which can be summarized as follows: (1) What are OER?; (2) Why do you support, actively promote, and speak about OER?; (3) If a book is…

In 2008 the author co-curated (with Pilar Tompkins Rivas) the art exhibition "Vexing: Female Voices from East LA Punk" at the Claremont Museum of Art in Claremont, California. Part of his motivation, as a scholar, was to generate discourse about the punk scene in East Los Angeles from 1979 to 1984 and to stimulate further research in…

The success of academic blogs depends on the participation and engagement of students. Taking an exploratory approach, this study aims to develop a better understanding of the perceptions of student teachers towards academic blogging, and the factors that motivate them to write academic blogs voluntarily. Drawing on data gathered from…

There's something about textbook prices that generates outrage in ways that other college expenses, such as housing and technology fees, don't. Maybe it's the shock felt by new students when faced with a $900 bill after getting their textbooks for free in K-12. Maybe it's the awful realization that $40,000 in tuition and board doesn't even cover…

The growing need to match pedagogy with the evolving needs of a new generation of learners has stirred and interest in Web 2.0 Blogging can bring a surprisingly rich experience to class projects by increasing collaboration between students and teacher. As a teaching tool, blogging can bring greater complexity to learning that would have otherwise…

This paper reports on a study at a research intensive University in the North of the UK exploring academics' perceptions of the potential of Web 2.0 for their teaching and any influences shaping those perceptions. It looks at the perceptions of academics "on the ground" as well as those leading teaching and learning strategies at the…

The current study examined the nature of deaf readers' phonological processing during online word recognition, and how this compares to similar effects in hearing individuals. Unlike many previous studies on phonological activation, we examined whether deaf readers activated phonological representations for words as opposed to pseudohomophones.…

This paper provides the rationale and framework for the blended advising model, a coherent approach to fusing technology--particularly the ePortfolio--into advising. The proposed term, "blended advising," is based on blended learning theory and incorporates the deliberate use of the strengths from both face-to-face and online…

English teachers have a particular professional interest in developing their students as readers and this includes a very strong emphasis on literature. They are personal and professional enthusiasts for books and in the past have shown anxieties about threats to the book from computers and portable devices. The advent of e-readers, like the…

Teaching in a diverse, urban community college, it has become apparent that students spend most of their free (and classroom) time participating in social media. In response, we decided to incorporate social media, blogs specifically, as a way to increase student engagement, retention and achievement. The learning objective was for our students to…

The Mapping Educational Specialist Knowhow (MESH) Initiative is part of a research project applying knowledge management principles which are well known in other sectors, public and private, to the education sector. The goal is to develop and test out the new ways of working, now possible with digital technologies, which can address long standing…

Open access textbooks (OATs) and educational resources (OERs) are being lauded as a viable alternative to costly print textbooks. Some academic libraries are joining the OER movement by creating guides to open repositories. Others are promoting OATs and OERs, reviewing them, and even helping to create them. This article analyzes how academic…

A novel course using green chemistry as the context to teach general chemistry fundamentals was designed, implemented and is described here. The course design included an active learning approach, with major course graded components including a weekly blog entry, exams, and a semester project that was disseminated by wiki and a public symposium.…