subject: Establishing a Sustainable Humanities and Social Sciences Research and Resource Web Portal for the Dillard U. Center for Teaching&Learning; [print this page] Establishing a Sustainable Humanities and Social Sciences Research and Resource Web Portal for the Dillard U. Center for Teaching&Learning;
What is a Web Portal? Web portals serve as powerful tools to help organizations improve their collaborative activities. They facilitate knowledge acquisition, sharing and discovery of publishing documents, sharing ideas, working collaboratively and storing information and knowledge in easily searchable repositories (Jones, Provost, Pascale, 2006). Web portals can also be described as a single, personalized interface through which users access all information resources and services in a secure, consistent and customizable manner (Bajec, 2005).
Five steps in managing knowledge (via web portals) are to:
Capture
Store
Process
Share and
Use knowledge
(Seng, C.V., Zannes, E., & Pace, R.W. (2002) Well-designed portals provide a single point of access to information stored in a repository that can be used to support scholarly decision-making, which in this case, involves storage of sustainability resources within the disciplines of Humanities and Social Sciences that tie into curriculum development at Dillard University.
Sustainability and how it fits into curriculum development of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Dillard University
The structure of the web portals will be designed to improve knowledge exchange in the disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences at Dillard University and to open a gateway for resources on the use of teaching and learning in Sustainability and how it can be incorporated into curriculum development and research at the university. The new portals, which will be created, using GOOGLE Blogger, will be linked to the Dillard University Center for Teaching, Learning & Academic Technology Blog (DU CTLAT) @: http://www.ductlat.blogspot.com. CHART 1 is a diagram of how the portals will be structured and how it will be linked to the DU CTLAT Blog.The links in each of the subject areas of the Humanities and Social Sciences portals will provide faculty with current developmental, environmental and economic research and resource materials to include in their curriculum development in their respective fields of expertise. Each portal will include the following areas (CHART 2). http://www.slideshare.net/ccharles/charts-12-cynthia-charles-article-submission-dillard-university-december-15-2010
Anticipated Results of the Project
Interdisciplinary and collaborative research within the Humanities and Social Sciences will draw on and support the scholarship of the DU CTLAT and others without traditional access to extensive research and resources funding. These disciplines will be recognized and serve as critical components of success in discovery research and resources in sustainability. Due to the anticipated outcome of this pilot project, Dillard University will develop a reputation for sustainable research and resources that both stimulates the educational experience and provides rapid delivery of the benefits of discovery and creativity to the Dillard community. This excellence in sustainable research and resources in the Humanities and Social Sciences will be translated to solutions for problems to meet community needs of the Dillard University environment.
Conclusion
Sustainable research & resources will support the future development of specially designated "Community-Based Learning" free online courses and provide student, faculty and community-based leadership opportunities information and resources via the DU CTLAT Blog.We also plan to launch a "Community Engaged Scholar" certificate program in Sustainability, with concentrations in specific disciplines that the university offers with more community-based learning components. Additional plans are being made to sustain the project beyond the initial phase by establishing collaborative partnerships with other academic divisions on campus to build Sustainability web portals for their respective departments and divisions (Business; Professional Studies; Math, Science & Technology; General Studies; Continuing Education and Graduate Studies).
Bibliography
Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education;
Bajec, M. (2005) Chapter XII: Educational Portals: A Way to Get an Integrated, User-Centric University Information System. IDEA Group Inc.
Integrating Sustainability into Your Curriculum? Yes You Can! Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education;
Integration of Sustainability & Environmental Content intoHumanities and Social Sciences; Sustainability General Education Course Sequence Discussion Topics 10/27/09;
Jones, N.B., Provost, D. and Pascale, D. (2006) Developing a University Research Web-Based Knowledge Portal. University of Maine.
Partners for Sustainability Education; Ithaca College School of Humanities and Sciences
Seng, C. V.; Zannes, E. & Pace, R. W. (2002) The Contributions of Knowledge Management to Workplace Learning. Journal of Workplace Learning
Sustainability Curriculum Framework; Second Nature Education for Sustainability. Sustainability Blogs in the Humanities and Social Sciences
