Posts by Sintjago

February 18, 2013

Document Developed with Tryggvi Thayer

We hope you are able to join us for our first booksprint in the production of an infographic about the future of education.  This infographic hopes to influence policy and awareness to some of the changes that are taking place in education as a result of new theories and technological developments.

This project is an initiative of the OLPD Technology Redesign Task Group (TRTG) with support from:

CEHD

Leapfrog Initiatives

GAPSA – UMN

Facilitator:

Tryggvi Thayer, Advanced PhD Candidate, Futurist, Policy Researcher and Education Technologist

Members of the TRTG:

Tryggvi Thayer, Advanced PhD Candidate, Futurist, Policy Researcher and Education Technologist

Daniel Woldeab, PhD, Education Technologist, IT Fellow, 2012 PSLSA Award Recipient

Matt Finholt-Daniel, MA Student, Director of Technology at Seward Inc, ICT for Development

Alfonso Sintjago, PhD Student, IT Fellow, Specialist in Open Education, EVP of GAPSA

Ahmed Essa, Compute Scientist, Technology Maintenance and Assessment for OLPD

What is a Booksprint:

A booksprint is an intensive collaborative activity where a group of individuals come together to create a high quality distributable or publishable work in 2-5 days. Booksprints utilize the dynamic creativity of a group and modern technologies to facilitate the production of informational artifacts such as books, manuals, or infographics. Booksprints share various elements with “hackathons” and were originally organized to develop manuals for open source open source software. Today, over 50 FLOSS (Free and Open Source Software) manuals have been produced using this methodology, each taking less than 5 days. A similar method has successfully been used to create open textbooks in Siyavula, South Africa for grades 10, 11, 12 totaling over 1,800 pages of content over a mere 10 days.

More information about the methodology is available at http://www.booksprints.net/.

The goals of this booksprint are to:

• Increase awareness of how technological developments affect education within the UMN, CEHD and OLPD. At-large stakeholders are welcome to join. We hope that this event will promote openness and new forms of knowledge construction and become a model for future collaborative and creative endeavours.

• Encourage participants to discuss possible futures for education and to promote future-oriented thinking about educational issues. The booksprint will emphasize the importance of envisioning the future and brainstorming what is possible in 5, 10 and 15 years from now. This booksprint hopes to influence local policy makers. 

Prices: 

All participants will be entered in a raffle for various ebooks and an iPad Mini.

The outcome of this booksprint will be:

• A series of “infographics” that illustrate alternative education futures given current and foreseeable forces driving technological change. The specific topics of these infographics will vary depending on the group of participants. A growing list of possibilities is available can be accessed at: http://z.umn.edu/topics. All ideas are welcomed.

• An interactive website where topics and issues detailed in the infographics can be further explored and expanded on.

Ideas and Examples of effective infographics:

http://visual.ly/ & http://visual.ly/education-infographics

http://pinterest.com/mashable/infographics/

http://www.coolinfographics.com/

http://dailyinfographic.com/

Scheduling:

• The event will take place the weekend of March 2nd – 3rd, 2013 (Saturday and Sunday) in Wulling Hall – 140. Changes may take place if a larger room is needed.

• The event will start at 10:00 am March 2nd. While there will be a brief introduction to the process, participants are welcomed to join the event throughout the day and join one of the work tables. 

Recruitment:

Any interested party is welcome to join. To account for materials needed please RSVP to the event by February 28 (RSVP at http://infographicfutureofed.eventbrite.com/). The event will includes a set of ground rules to encourage positive and constructive conversations. By bringing together individuals with different skills, knowledge, experiences and interests the event can result in a more diverse and rewarding experience.

Planning:

• Organizers will supply various resources that can be used for brainstorming to increase the sharing of ideas, and the effectiveness of the event. Snacks and lunch will be provided to participants at Noon. Participants must fill out a Subway form at the beginning of the event.

• The event will include multiple groups which will work sometimes simultaneously during the event. Participants are welcome to move around different stations and make suggestions but every team is responsible for an element of the infographic.

• Social media will be shared during the event. We will be live-blogging throughout the duration of the booksprint. Participants will also be urged to share their experiences using social media, for example tweeting to #UMN, #CEHD, #Booksprint, #Future, #EdTech, #2020, #OLPD, #GAPSA. We will also be recording brief interviews of participants during the event!

Information Packet:

• A detailed itinerary of the day will be provided to all participants.

• A brief brochure explaining the booksprint process.

• The information packet will include additional information relating to the event.

• Raffle tickets will also be included.

Teams Needed:

The booksprint will consist of multiple objective-specific teams. These teams will in many cases work simultaneously. Participants of a team are welcomed to visit other teams and change teams throughout the event.

Visioning team(s): Articulate a vivid story about what future will look/be like

Content team(s): Translate story into information to be conveyed on infographic(s)

Information design team(s): Decide how information will be presented

Graphic design team: Decide the look and feel of the infographic(s)

Web development team: Construct web-based platform for further info/interaction

Editing team: Check all content for grammar, spelling and style

Communication team: Update live blog about the booksprint process

Production team: Finalize artwork to be print-ready and for electronic dissemination

Brief Timeline: (Subject to Modifications)

10:00 a.m. Explanation of goals and overview of project

10:30 a.m. Group brainstorming – Open Space Technology

11:15 a.m. Organization into groups (Flexible framework)

12:00 p.m. Lunch and brief status check

12:45 p.m. Continued work in teams, increased inter-group collaboration

02:30 p.m. Brief check in – Answering lingering questions

02:45 p.m. Continuation of group work. Compiling of data

04:00 p.m. Continued compiling, missing pieces. Final Day 1 touches

05:00 p.m. Continued brainstorming. End of day 1

The schedule on the second day may change depending on the level of completion.

It is possible that the infographic could be finished on Saturday.

10:00 a.m. Debrief of prior day. Brief forum discussion of day two objectives

11:00 a.m. Continued group work. General input in dissemination

12:00 p.m. Group overview of web elements. What is missing?

01:15 p.m. Collection of experience interviews.

02:30 p.m. Comparison of different versions and styles

03:30 p.m. Depends on status. Group discussion of experience.

04:45 p.m. Closing circle. Sharing of final product

Afterwards: Depending on the state of the product, members may remain involved online on the day to come. The product should be finished or mostly finished by the end of the second day but it could potentially require additional work over the next few days to finalize certain elements. A Google Group may be created to continue this conversation.

Skills needed by team: Teams are neither permanent nor fixed, nor exclusive. Teams may be composed by a single member.

Visioning:

• Understanding of future studies and the process of “futuring” (see for example: http://www.slideshare.net/tryggvibt/tt-futuring

• Understanding of forces driving technological development (a list will be provided)

While the focus of the participants will be developed organically, participants could choose to focus on a particular aspect of the educational system and a particular timeline. Some ideas include higher education in the US, higher education worldwide, changes from 2015 to 2020, K-12, Informal Learning, Invisible Learning, Diversity, Etc.

Content:

• Members must have good writing skills and the ability to condense info into meaningful bullet points.

• Emphasis on facts that help others perceive an important message from multiple and insightful perspectives.

• Responsible for identifying information sources, filtering by quality, and by potential for engagement. Condensing relevant information.

Multiple magazines will be shared during the event. Data from books, journal articles, and recent reports on the subject may be shared by any participant. We encourage participants to find the most reliable sources. If a substantial number of members prefers working with different data they will be able to pursue multiple projects.

Information Design:

• Understanding of various ways to visualize and present info. Understanding the affordances of an infographic.

• Familiarity with “infographics” (A list of websites will be provided)

• We encourage participants to review the list of sources and think of ways to effectively present data.

Participants are encouraged to look at sources before and during the event. Wireframing and rough drafts can help the brainstorming process. The emphasis of information design is to ensure that the most important elements are being conveyed. Sources for all of the information must be included in the lower margin of the infographic. The information design team will ensure that all sources are accurate and reliable.

Graphic Design:

• Familiarity with design processes and supportive of a collaborative process. Use of brainstorming techniques that promote the visualization of multiple ideas.

• Emphasis on creativity, testing of different possibilities, and visual appeal.

• Advanced users of computer programs used in graphic design (vector drawing, photo, layout, etc.)

• Familiarity with analyzing graphics critically.

Multiple resources will be brought to the event. Participants should also own various programs with which they intend to modify and create various graphics. Participants who are knowledgeable with animations could aid the web development team in creating an interactive version of the infographic. Participants are urged to visit similar websites to familiarize themselves with infographic styles and elements.

Web Development:

• Advanced knowledge of web development and an interest in collaborative work.

• Familiarity with commonly used tools (HTML, CMS, JQuery, etc.)

• Advanced knowledge in web programming languages is also welcome.

• Understanding of limitations in mobile devices and screen sizes.

The web development team will brainstorm various ideas that could be used for creating an interactive version of the infographic. This group will decide the tools to be used and the layout of the web page.

Editing:

• Prior editing experience is helpful. Especially editing for the web and media that use short, concise messages to deliver critical points.

• Excellent writing skills.

• Emphasis on constructive criticism and collaboration. Encouraging and promoting greater tolerance for differences.

Editors will review content from various groups to double check for quality and for accuracy. The editor must trust the decisions made by each team while making recommendations that he or she feels might improve the final product. Editors are welcome to visit different groups and provide suggestions.

Communication:

• Good writing skills and understanding of social media. Twitter and Facebook, and other forms of social media may be used during the event.

• Editing of images, videos, and other resources that may be gathered during the event.

• Familiarity with common blogging tools (blog sys like WordPress, interaction with other web services like photo, video, etc.)

The role of the communicator is to help share the experience with the public via the internet. By sharing the different activities that are taking place in the booksprint we hope to encourage others to consider conducting booksprints while also finding ways in which to improve the method for future events.

Production:

• Familiarity with printing processes and production for paper-based and electronic distribution.

• Planning of distribution and distribution of materials once they are completed.

• Familiarity with print formatting.

The production team will be in-charge of planning the printing and distribution of materials. This team will think of ways to distribute electronically and on paper. We recommend that the infographic be shared with related twitter accounts, and organizations of interest.

Every year over 65,000 undocumented students graduate from college, but unlike other students they do not qualify for in-state tuition or many other support services. Due to the lack of support many of them are limited to living in the shadows, diminishing their possibilities  and the changes for developing their true potential. This handicap is not only detrimental to them but also to society as many skilled job go unfilled every year, limited the United States economic growth. GAPSA recently passed a resolution in favor of undocumented immigrants and is doing what it can to increase the support that is available to them at the University of Minnesota

——-

RESOLUTION: University of Minnesota Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota in Support of the Federal DREAM Act and Institutionalized Aid (Modeled after a UCLA undergraduate student governance resolution from 2010)

February 13, 2013

Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Executive Vice President, Brittany Edwards, President

Topic: Public Affairs

Whereas, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly works to fairly represent student interests, needs, and welfare.

Whereas, the UMN Student Development Goals supports Appreciation of Differences

Whereas, the fee and tuition increases within the UMN system cause undocumented students to be among the most vulnerable to extreme academic and financial pressure.

Whereas, each year, more than 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school in the United States.

Whereas, these undocumented students regardless of their hard work, dedication, and years in the United States, are still ineligible for any form of university-related scholarships, federal loans, grants, or work study.

Whereas, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or the Federal DREAM Act, is a bipartisan bill that seeks to recognize the hard work of undocumented students and provide equitable access to education.

Whereas, the Federal DREAM Act currently has 40 co-sponsors in the Senate and 154 in the House of Representatives.

Whereas, the DREAM Act provides undocumented individuals of good, moral character who have lived in the United States for at least 5 years and attend a 2- or 4-year university a path to conditional permanent residency after completing their college degree within a six (6) year period.

Whereas, this bill aids in alleviating the financial hardship of a college education by providing  undocumented students access to financial aid in the form of loans and work-study.

Whereas, the DREAM Act is at a critical state in the federal legislative system and all measures to support the undocumented population at UMN should be sought out.

Whereas, the DREAM Act has been in the Senate Judiciary committee and both Minnesota Senators Klobuchar and Franken have the political power to bring it to a vote.

Whereas, we ask that the University Of Minnesota Board Of Regents allow all students access to institutionalized financial aid.

Be it resolved, that GAPSA supports student efforts and endorses the passage of the Federal DREAM Act.

Be it resolved, that GAPSA urges Senators Klobuchar and Franken to bring the DREAM Act up to a vote in the Senate Judiciary committee.

Be it further resolved, that GAPSA urges the University of Minnesota Board Of Regents to  approve institutionalized financial aid to all students – regardless of race, creed, economic background, legalization status, and country of origin, restricted to students who came to the US before being sixteen.

Be it finally resolved, that GAPSA urges UMN students, faculty and administration to support  these national and statewide initiatives that support the undocumented student population at UMN.

The importance of improving health services cannot be overstated. By partnering with Boyton as well as Paul Wellstone in a mental health advocacy campaign as well as promoting a tobacco free campus, GAPSA hopes to positively influence students at the University of Minnesota

RESOLUTION

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota

Date : October 16, 2012
Author: Meghan Mason, Vice President for Administrative Affairs

Topic: Boynton, University Counseling and Consulting Services, and Provost’s Committee on Student Mental Heath Partnership

WHEREAS, mental health conditions are most common during the ages of 18-24, with 24% of young adults in this category experiencing mental health conditions (Active Minds, 2007); and

WHEREAS, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students (Mental Health America of Illinois, 2007); and

WHEREAS, nearly half of all college students report feeling so depressed that they have had trouble functioning, and 15% meet the criteria for depression (Mental Health America of Illinois, 2007); and

WHEREAS, the University of Minnesota Provost’s Committee on Student Mental Health has a website dedicated to student mental health; and

WHEREAS, the University of Minnesota Boynton Health Services provides mental health counseling for all students, staff, and faculty; and

WHEREAS, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly values its partnership with Boynton Health Services, the Provost’s Committee on Student Mental Health and the University Counseling and Consulting Services to improve the health and well-being of the University of Minnesota graduate and professional student body;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, resolves to work with Boynton Health Services, the Provost’s Committee on Student Mental Health, and University Counseling and Consulting Services  on creating initiatives and activities that improve student mental health and wellness at the University of Minnesota.

——

RESOLUTION

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota

Date : October 16, 2012
Author: Meghan Mason, Vice President for Administrative Affairs

Topic: Smoke-Free Campus Policy

WHEREAS, smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, causing over 393,000 deaths per year (American Lung Association, 2012); and

WHEREAS, secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard for people of all ages, and is estimated to cause 50,000 deaths each year in the United States (American Lung Association, 2012); and

WHEREAS, 18-24 year olds use tobacco more than any other age group; and

WHEREAS, the American College Health Association has encouraged all college campuses to become tobacco free (ACHA, 2009); and

WHEREAS, 774 colleges and universities, small and large, public and private, throughout the country have enacted 100% smoke-free campus policies (and of these, 562 have a 100% tobacco free policy)(ANRF, 2012); and

WHEREAS, 29 colleges and universities in Minnesota (including the University of Minnesota, Crookston, the University of Minnesota, Duluth, Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, Saint Cloud State University, and Winona State University have enacted 100% smoke-free campus policies (ANRF, 2012); and

WHEREAS, the 2008 Opinion Survey on Tobacco Use and Exposure at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus indicated that students, staff, and faculty report strong support for a policy prohibiting smoking on the entire campus (Boynton Health Services, 2008); and

WHEREAS, the 2010 College Student Health Survey shows that for both nonsmokers and smokers at the University of Minnesota, campus is the most commonly reported location for exposure to secondhand smoke (Boynton Health Services, 2010); and

WHEREAS, the 2006 United States Surgeon General’s Report “The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke” concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke (USDHHS, 2006); and

WHEREAS, the University of Minnesota provides tobacco cessation counseling for all students, staff, and faculty; and

WHEREAS, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly values its partnership with Boynton Health Services to improve the health and well-being of the University of Minnesota graduate and professional student body;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, resolves to support Boynton Health Services in its efforts toward a 100% tobacco-free campus policy at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

 ——-

With an increasing demand for mental health services and an obesity crisis, it is important to do all we can to provide incentives for people to live healthier lifestyles. GAPSA passed two resolutions this year with this goal objective. One of them addressed the difficulty of accessing recreation facilities, while the other one emphasize the importance of increasingly the availability of services in the West Bank. Whereas there are around 20 recreation facilities on campus, only one of them is currently located on the West Bank. Rec Sports is planning to built a new recreation center soon, but we are working to provide services for students in the meanwhile.

RESOLUTION

 Graduate and Professional Student Assembly—University of Minnesota

Date : September 27, 2012

Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Cody Mikl, Dana Meade, Meghan Mason

Topic: Parking Discount When Attending Exercise Facilities

 ——————

WHEREAS, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle can improve the student experience and;

WHEREAS, physical exercise can help to reduce student anxiety and improve individuals’ well-being and;

 WHEREAS, students purchase subscriptions to private fitness facilities due to difficulties accessing the University of Minnesota Facilities;

 WHEREAS, many university students do not live in University housing and must travel by vehicle to utilize the university facilities;

WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the University and its students to maximize the use of its facilities;

WHEREAS, parking ramps are sometimes underutilized and the cost of parking can be prohibiting;

WHEREAS, other facilities offer parking discounts for the use of nearby venues;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will support the consideration of discounted parking for usage of recreation facilities and;

BE IT RESOLVED, student parking tickets will be stamped or marked to indicate that students have entered and exited the facility to note the time that will be discounted from their parking fee and;

BE IT RESOLVED, students will be notified every semester that they will be able to park for a discounted cost in nearby University of Minnesota parking ramps after regular business hours when there are no special events if they are planning on utilizing a recreation facility.

————–

RESOLUTION

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly—University of Minnesota

Date : September 12, 2012

Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Cody Mikl, Chet Bodin

Topic: Exercise Space on West Bank

WHEREAS, Exercise facilities are an excellent place for students to gather informally and build friendships which enhances the campus community;

WHEREAS, exercise is a major component of a healthy lifestyle and can improve individual physical health and;

WHEREAS, exercise can also help in reducing student anxiety and improve individuals mental well-being and;

WHEREAS, the proximity of a facility can lead to its increase utilization and impact for a student body and approximately 13,000 students spend the majority of their time on the West Bank;

WHEREAS, obesity and a myriad of related health conditions such as type II diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease as well as reported mental health problems have increased in recent years

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will support the consideration and planning of a West Bank Recreation and Wellness facility along with a temporary space until that construction is completed no sooner than 2015;

BE IT RESOLVED, the temporary exercise space to be considered will include machinery that could be used for both strength and cardiovascular training

Increasingly, individuals will not only share their ideas in written form but also in video. Below is a resolution that GAPSA approved to further that idea. By promoting greater openness ideas can reach not just thousands but millions in a short amount of time. Another advantage of video is that as TED has illustrated, an powerful idea can be shared in only a few minutes. Most TED Talks are under 18 minutes and many other influential online videos are even shorter, some as short as a couple of minutes.

RESOLUTION

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota

Date : September 12, 2012

Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Executive Vice President

Topic: Encouraging/supporting methods to visually present ideas

WHEREAS, individuals are increasingly interconnected through improvements in telecommunications with over 5.8 billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide; and

WHEREAS, the means to create and share videos are increasingly available to a larger number of individuals, including over 65% individuals in the United States between the ages of 18 to 29 who have access to smart phones; and

WHEREAS, videos are increasingly available in various subjects by multiple experts impacting the spread of ideas and aiding student learning, including over 72 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute and thousands of educational videos through initiatives such as TED, Khan’s Academy, Solve for X, RSAnimate, Sophia, among others; and

WHEREAS, the Internet has transformed into a resource through which most individuals access information, is currently the second most important source of news information for American households, and was recently voted a human right by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council (A/HRC/20/L.13); and

WHEREAS, graduate and professional students may benefit from additional opportunities to develop their presentation skills, and sharing their ideas with the global community.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will support a partnership with TEDx UMN with the hope of ensuring the continuation of their program; and

BE IT RESOLVED that the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will support a yearly event where graduate and professional students will be able to share their ideas with the Twin Cities community; and

BE IT RESOLVED that a website or portal will be developed to share edited graduate and professional student presentations that will be posted openly online fulfilling the University’s land grant mission of benefiting the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

Having partnered with the UMN libraries in increasing OA awareness, GAPSA also passed this resolution and has committed itself this year to increase awareness of the benefits of increasing access to information. Knowledge should belong to everyone, especially when the government already paid for this research in the form of taxes and research funding. We have also encouraged faculty to sign a pledge in favor of Open Access publishing. The libraries created a series of handouts and the following website – https://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/open-access-umn

RESOLUTION

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota

Date : September 12, 2012

Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Executive Vice President

Topic: Open Access Journals

WHEREAS, Open Access advances scholarship, research, and public knowledge by making peer-reviewed journal articles freely available online, where they are readily accessible to students, researchers, and the public; and

WHEREAS, university libraries nationwide and the University of Minnesota have modified their subscriptions to academic journals to accommodate for the rising cost of subscriptions; and

WHEREAS, the cost of subscribing to academic journal continues to increase and outpace inflation by over 200% in recent years, despite cost-saving improvements in the distribution and communication technologies utilized by academic journals; and

WHEREAS, the national government spends over $60 billion annually on research projects and a large number of academic publications are funded by student tuition while some publications continue to remain inaccessible to the general public and students after graduation; and

WHEREAS, many authors do not obtain direct royalties from the publication of their academic articles and have an interest in increasing the impact and visibility of their work; and

WHEREAS, academic journals may be able to adopt an open access funding model while remaining financially sustainable, decreasing the cost of knowledge, and increasing access to information; and

WHEREAS, the Graduate Student and Professional Assembly previously supported the passing of the Federal Research Public Access Act, S. 1373 emphasizing the relevance of open access journals for graduate and professional students.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Graduate Student and Professional Assembly will collaborate in the hosting of a yearly panel along with the University of Minnesota Libraries to discuss the state of Open Access in the University of Minnesota; and

BE IT RESOLVED the Graduate Student and Professional Assembly will conduct an awareness campaign regarding the benefits of open access for students and faculty members at the University of Minnesota; and

BE IT RESOLVED the Graduate Student and Professional Assembly will support the further development and expansion of an institutional

fund to underwrite University of Minnesota authors’ costs in making their published works openly accessible as supported by both the Office of the Vice President for Research and the University Libraries.

Working with David Ernst has been inspiring. Following his project as well as the potential of OER to transform education. GAPSA recently adopted the resolution below. Hopefully other student government organizations will do just that. MSA, GAPSA counterpart for UMN undergraduate students recently adopted this resolution.

RESOLUTION

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota

Date : September 12, 2012

Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Executive Vice President

Topic: Open Textbook Initiative

WHEREAS, the high cost of textbooks currently prevents up to 7 out of every 10 students from purchasing all of their required textbooks during their academic career; and

WHEREAS, textbooks may not be fully utilized within a classroom as they may not fully apply to the content of the course and cannot easily be modified due to the lack of flexibility in book licenses; and

WHEREAS, the cost of publishing a textbook can be diminished through their acquisition in a digital format while the students who wish will also be able to purchase a paper copy; and

WHEREAS, the use of e-books will reduce the weight carried by students in their backpacks and improve the transportability and mobility of their books; and

WHEREAS, sustainable business models may be attained through an open textbook publishing model where experts are paid to write textbooks at a cost comparable to that of a traditional publishing company, but the digital copy of the textbooks are published free of cost online and made accessible to the general public; and

WHEREAS, high quality and useful information should be made available to as many individuals as possible and the high costs of tuition and living nationwide may be detrimentally impacting the utilization of educational materials; and

WHEREAS, the University of Minnesota has invested in developing a platform for the review and evaluation of Open Textbooks by faculty members at open.umn.edu for the use of educators worldwide.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will conduct an awareness campaign for faculty and students to encourage the further consideration of Open Textbooks for UMN graduate, professional and undergraduate courses; and

BE IT RESOLVED the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will encourage the further evaluation of Open Textbooks by university faculty to most adequately consider their potential use in some instances as replacements for more expensive course materials.

Including an iterative evaluation process is important for all organizations. While most organizations conduct informal evaluations regularly, formalizing the process can improve the collection and triangulation of data. GAPSA, an organization which I have worked extensively this past year, passed the resolution below to accomplish this.

RESOLUTION

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota

Date : September 12, 2012

Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Executive Vice President

Topic: Developmental Evaluation of GAPSA

WHEREAS, the mission and the vision of an organization should be clearly operationalized through the activities of an organization; and

WHEREAS, full-time graduate and professional students face competing responsibilities and financial limitations; and

WHEREAS, the continued analysis and observation of organizational activities can facilitate the improvement and adequate functioning of an organization; and

WHEREAS, a developmental and utilization-focus evaluation attempts to “evaluate processes, including asking evaluative questions and applying evaluation logic, to support program, product, staff and/or organizational development;” and

WHEREAS, “the evaluator is part of a team whose members collaborate to conceptualize, design and test new approaches in a long-term, on-going process of continuous improvement, adaptation and intentional change;”

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED  the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will conduct a developmental utility-focused evaluation throughout the 2012-2013 academic year; and

BE IT RESOLVED this internal evaluation will utilize a series of different qualitative methods including the use of focus groups, interviews, data analysis, and surveys to assess its functioning in relationship to student councils; and

BE IT RESOLVED that the evaluation will present a report to the General Assembly during the last meeting of the assembly or before the beginning of the next academic year (2013-2014).