Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the information literacy proficiency of transfer students. This assessment of skills was undertaken to improve the services provided to transfer students in academic libraries, with a particular focus on information literacy instruction. Design/methodology/approach The Project Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) test was administered to assess the information literacy proficiency of a cohort of undergraduate students taking courses on two regional campuses of a four-year institution. In total, 114 students participated, and SAILS test scores were compared to several demographic characteristics using one-way and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings Results showed that undergraduate students generally lack information literacy skills, even at the junior and senior levels. Previous library instruction had a positive impact on scores for two of the Association of College and Research Libraries information literacy standards, suggesting that library instruction programs can be effective at improving these skills. When examining performance across the board on the various information literacy skills, there was no significant difference between transfer and native students in this result set. Research limitations/implications This study had a limited sample size, and only tested students taking courses from two regional campus locations. Follow-up studies could broaden the scope to include main campus transfer students to form a larger sample size. Originality/value It was difficult to find original research within the library literature that directly addressed information literacy skills in a mixed population of transfer and native students. Further research in this area can serve to improve the services offered to all students within academic libraries.

No abstract

No abstract

Background Previous studies have evaluated the physiological responses to video game in children with different clinical conditions, however, although no study has compared video game active with an incremental field test in healthy children. The purpose of this study was to compare the maximum heart rate (HRmax) of children, their perceived exertion and motivation during the shuttle run test (SRT) and the Virtual Systems (VS) test, an interactive video game.Methods This is a cross-sectional study of 235 children (9.0 ± 0.8 years, 109 boys). The two tests were performed one week apart and the children were instructed not to engage in any physical exercise or sports in the 24 hours preceding each test. Their heart rate was monitored at rest for one minute and then throughout the tests. To evaluate the influence of motivation on test execution (SRT and VS), at the end of the tests the children were asked to rate their motivation based on a scale from zero to 10, zero being “not cool” and 10 “awesome”. Perceived exertion at the end of the tests was assessed using the modified Borg scale.Results HRmax did not differ between the SRT and VS (194.4 ± 10.2 bpm vs. 193.2 ± 13.8 bpm, respectively). Both tests were similar in intensity > and < 96% HRmax. The children showed greater exertion on the Borg scale and motivation during the VS. The multiple logistic regression model showed that motivation (p=0.98), sex (p=0.53), age (p=0.61), nutritional status (p=0.65), and speed (p=0.18) were not predictive factors of whether the child would reach HRmax.Conclusion The VS can be used as a tool to evaluate the intensity of maximal exercise tests given that the percentage of children who achieved HRmax did not differ between the VS and SRT. The perceived exertion scales were correlated, but only the modified Borg scale correlated with HRmax in the SRT. The tests are motivational, and most children obtained the maximum score in the VS

No abstract