Blundell, S., page 1

SHELLEY BLUNDELL, Ph.D.

Curriculum Vitae

blundell.shelley@gmail.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/shelleyblundell

EDUCATION

Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Ph.D. in Communication and Information, 2015Dissertation: A descriptive phenomenological investigation of the academic information search process experience of remedial undergraduate students. [Chair: Dr. Yin Zhang.]

Masters of Library and Information Science, 2009Specialization: Academic librarianship, archiving and special collections.

Bachelor of Science in News, 2007Concentration: Magazine JournalismGraduated summa cum laude

Bachelor of Arts, 2006Concentration: HistoryGraduated summa cum laude

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Instructional design librarian/Visiting Assistant Professor of Bibliography for the University of Akron Bierce Library, Akron, Ohio. December, 2014-November, 2015.

Primary responsibilities include: Learning object creation and administration for self-led and faculty-led library instruction at the

undergraduate and graduate level. Serving as the education subject librarian and providing information literacy and content-

specific instruction as requested by faculty in the College of Education. Serving as the embedded librarian for the “Akron Experience” freshman-level course. Continuous participation in “Assessment in Action,” a national information literacy assessment

project, sponsored by the American Library Association. Subject librarian partnership and support/co-creation of information literacy instruction

sessions for librarians throughout the University Libraries system.

Blundell, S., page 2

Creating and implementing the Research and Learning Services (RLS) training system for incoming student workers within Bierce Library.

Working with Access and Information Services to ensure ADA compliance and implementation of universal design practices in the redesign of the University Libraries website and associated learning objects (e.g. user tutorials, LibGuides, etc.).

Graduate instructor for Kent State University School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), Kent Ohio. August-December, 2014.

Taught three sections of the master’s online course “Tools for M.L.I.S. Success.”

Graduate instructor for Kent State University’s Graduate Student Orientation program, Kent, Ohio. July, 2011-December, 2014.

Created and delivered presentations such as “Exploring and conducting academic research,” “Transitioning to the American University,” “The virtual learner: Navigating the online learning environment,” and “The virtual instructor: Strategies for teaching success.”

Graduate Instructor for Kent State University SLIS, Kent, Ohio. August-December, 2010.

Taught the master’s online course “Introduction to Digital Preservation.”

Destination Kent State-First Year Experience [DKS-FYE] Instructor at Kent State University at Stark, North Canton, Ohio. August, 2009-December, 2010.

Created a core first year experience and academic excellence curriculum that establishes a foundation for students entering the university system.

Swift Kick Study Skills Instructor at Kent State University at Stark, North Canton, Ohio. January-May, 2010.

Created an academic refresher course for undergraduate students placed on academic probation, which included information literacy instruction components germane to student needs.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Graduate Assistant for the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science [SLIS], Kent, Ohio. September, 2013 to December, 2014.

Assisting with the creation of the master’s degree course “Information Literacy Instruction and Initiatives,” offered 100% online as of summer semester in 2014.

Participating in the creation of two instruments of a three-stage dispositional assessment research project, which would assess the change in library and information science-related dispositions of master’s degree students enrolled in one of the Kent State SLIS concentrations.

Blundell, S., page 3

A poster detailing this project’s creation and current status was delivered at the 2015 Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) Conference in Chicago, Illinois, in January of 2015. Dr. Frank Lambert presented the co-created poster.

Quantitative and qualitative research support for various projects; proofreading of articles prior to submission; sourcing of current articles on trends in youth services librarianship.

Graduate Assistant for the Center for Scholastic Journalism [CSJ], Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. September, 2011 to May, 2014.

Conducting academic research (including survey creation and statistical analysis) related to national scholastic journalism changes and trends.

Assisting in literature research related to scholastic journalism in the United States. Creating content-specific information literacy instruction sessions for delivery to JMC students,

as well as creating supplemental instruction materials, available at legalresearchresourcesjmc40006atkentstate.pbworks.com, and easyapaforstudentjournalists.pbworks.com

Individual Research Investigation with Dr. Frank Lambert, SLIS, at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. January to May, 2013.

Conducted a quantitative study investigating information anxiety experienced by college-ready and remedial undergraduate students in the spring semester of 2013.

Study findings were presented at the 2013 Graduate Research Symposium at Kent State University, and published in international academic work Journal of Education in Library and Information Science (please see Publications section).

Special Investigation at the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology [CCHP], University of Akron, Akron, Ohio. August to December, 2012.

Created a preservation and education outreach plan for The Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Popular Psychology Magazine Collection, and wrote about my experience at http://centerhistorypsychology.wordpress.com/2013/01/07/thursdays-with-ben/

Created information resource guides for educators and researchers based on the collection. Participated in special events and archival literacy outreach programs at the CHP.

Graduate Assistant and Graduate Student Assistant, Office of the University Registrar, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. January to August, 2011.

Researched and assessed Kent State University’s graduation application process and created a report and presentation for the Office of the University Registrar.

Based on report findings presented to the Registrar’s employees, almost 80% of technical and other problems in the process to graduation system were resolved within six months of the report’s completion.

Blundell, S., page 4

TEACHING INTERESTS

Information literacy instruction and development for incoming and remedial undergraduate students, and other at-risk student populations (first-generation college students, non-traditional students, etc.).

Journalism and mass communication coursework, particularly as it pertains to ‘the global newsroom’ and 21st century multimedia skills development.

Integrating archival literacy initiatives into information literacy instruction, and working collaboratively to create a global archival literacy curriculum.

Media and digital literacy instruction. Collaborative information literacy instruction sessions/liaison sessions between academic

librarians and faculty members for undergraduate and graduate students.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Information literacy needs and development in at-risk groups (including remedial undergraduate students, non-traditional undergraduate students, and high school senior to college freshmen program students).

Framing of rape culture and sexual assault by national and international media agencies. The impact of media and digital literacy skills development at the undergraduate level. Social networking use and misuse by a variety of audiences (including K-12 students,

undergraduate students, professionals in the workplace, and higher education faculty members/administrators).

ADA compliance in online coursework, learning management systems, and information resource guides/websites.

Archival literacy projects, trends, and collaborations, particularly in the realm of collaborative projects integrating archival collections into K-12 and higher education academic assignments.

The effects of information anxiety in U.S. and international undergraduate students.

ADDITIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Faculty advisor, Kent State University at Stark. North Canton, Ohio. August, 2009-August, 2012.

Assistant reference librarian, The Akron Beacon Journal. Akron, Ohio. September, 2009-May, 2010.

Freelance reporter, Akron Life and Leisure Magazine. Akron, Ohio. February, 2007-January, 2010.

A.C.T. Examination Testing Supervisor. A.C.T. Examination. Iowa City, Iowa.January, 2004-August, 2010.

Administrative Assistant. Kent State University SLIS. Kent, Ohio. June, 2007-August, 2009; May-August, 2013; June, 2014.

Blundell, S., page 5

Map Library Graduate Student Assistant, Kent State University. Kent, Ohio. August, 2008-May, 2009.

Master’s degree practicum experience. Kent State University at Stark. North Canton, Ohio. June, 2008-December, 2008.

News reporter. 1590 WAKR. The Rubber City Radio Group. Akron, Ohio.March 2007-May 2008.

General assignment reporter. The Burr Magazine. Kent State University. Kent, Ohio.May 2007.

General assignment reporter/photographer/editor. The Jackson Observer. North Canton, Ohio.May 2006-May 2007.

Reporter & columnist. The Daily Kent Stater. Kent State University. Kent, Ohio.September 2004-May 2007.

Journalism intern. Timeline Magazine. The Ohio Historical Society. Columbus, Ohio.August-December 2006.

General assignment reporter. Fusion Magazine. Kent State University. Kent, Ohio.December 2005.

HONORS, GRANTS, & AWARDS

Recipient of a Kent State University Faculty Recognition Award on October 23, 2015. This award is student-nominated, and allows students the opportunity to provide their perspective on an individual faculty member through this nomination, providing support for a faculty member who truly made a difference in their life at Kent State University.

Recipient of the Kent State University Fellowship for the 2014/2015 academic year. This award features a full-time service appointment for the fall 2014 semester, and a non-service appointment for the spring 2015 semester, allowing for full-time focus on completing one’s dissertation.

Recipient of the Kent State University Graduate Student Senate Domestic Travel Grant, awarded to fund attendance and presentation at the Union for Democratic Communications/Project Censored conference in San Francisco, California, November 1-3, 2013.

Recipient of the 2013 Society of Ohio Archivists Student Scholarship, awarded to fund attendance and presentation at the Society of Ohio Archivists spring conference in Dublin, Ohio, April 5, 2013.

Recipient of the August Alpers award, given by the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science to a student who has contributed the most to the school while maintaining a good grade point average, awarded in fall 2010.

Blundell, S., page 6

Recipient of the Marge McNab Block award, given by the Toledo Blade to the graduating female with the highest grade point average in the news sequence in the school of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University, awarded in spring 2007.

Recipient of a Columbus Program in Intergovernmental Issues scholarship from the Kent State University Department of Political Science, awarded in fall 2006 to fund participation and residence in the semester-long Columbus Program in Intergovernmental Issues in Columbus, Ohio.

Recipient of the Ohio Newspaper Women’s Scholarship, awarded by the Ohio Newspaper Association in spring 2006.

Recipient of the Frances B. Murphy Scholarship for Women in Journalism, awarded by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University in fall 2005.

Recipient of the Ron Clark Award for Outstanding Opinion Writing, awarded by the Daily Kent Stater in spring 2006.

Recipient of the Inga F. Mullen Scholarship for Excellence in French language study, awarded by Kent State University at Stark in fall 2004.

IN-PROGRESS RESEARCH

I am currently working with University of Akron Engineering Liaison Librarian Tammy Stitz on an IRB-approved project, wherein we will assess a random sample of secondary data sources (units of analysis: UA librarian-created information resource guides, with identity of librarians removed to protect anonymity) to gauge the compliance of said sources with ADA compliance and universal design best practices. Results of the project will be used to create a best design practices rubric for information resource guide creation in the future, and shared with all UA librarians. Project is on-going and will be completed by summer, 2016.

Over the next year, it is my intention to prepare and submit numerous scholarly articles based on my dissertation research to academic journals in both library and information science and higher education. Additionally, I will be preparing a ‘theory to practice’ manuscript based on my research findings, and my recommendations for creating and implementing targeted, collaborative information literacy instruction for undergraduate students enrolled in remedial coursework.

PUBLICATIONS

Dissertation

Blundell, S., page 7

Blundell, S. (2015). A Descriptive Phenomenological Investigation of the Academic Information Search Process of Remedial Undergraduate Students (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from OhioLINK ETD. (Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1429452955)

Proceedings

Blundell, S. (2014). Documenting the information-seeking experience of remedial undergraduate students. Proceedings from the 11th Annual Meeting of the Document Academy, Kent, Ohio.

Refereed journal articles

Goodman, M., Blundell, S., & Cogar, M. (2014). Quantifying control: Scholastic media, prior review and censorship. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication 97th Annual Conference, Montreal, CA.

Blundell, S., & Lambert, F. (2014). Information anxiety from the undergraduate student perspective: A pilot study of second semester freshmen. Journal of Education in Library and Information Science. 55(4).

In-progress publications

Blundell, S. (October, 2015). The database of accredited postsecondary institutions and programs: A simple resource for accessing U.S. higher education accreditation information. Reference Reviews.

Blundell, S. (October, 2015). The handbook for storytellers: A worthwhile investment for novices and professionals alike. Reference Reviews, 30.

Blundell, S. (March, 2016). The student’s survival guide to research: A review. Reference Reviews.

Blundell, S. (March, 2016). The encyclopedia of war journalism: 1807-2015. Reference Reviews.

Other publications

Blundell, S. (July, 2015). Alternative medicine’s allure: Benjamin L. Hill. Timeline Magazine: The official publication of the Ohio History Connection (formerly the Ohio Historical Society).

Blundell, S. (April 20, 2015). ‘Storifying’ the remedial undergraduate student experience: How one class inspired an information literacy research agenda. Rhetoric Today: The official publication of the Department of Rhetoric & Composition at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Available at http://www.aucegypt.edu/academics/rhet/Newsletter/Pages/articleDetails.aspx?aid=115

Blundell, S. (2014, Spring issue). The past is prologue: Archival literacy as bridge between archivists and educators. Ohio Archivist: The professional newsletter of the Society of Ohio Archivists. Available at http://issuu.com/societyofohioarchivists/docs/ohio_archivist_2014_spring

Blundell, S., page 8

PRESENTATIONS AND POSTER SESSIONS

Will present the poster “A descriptive phenomenological investigation of the academic information search process of remedial undergraduate students” as a part of the Jean Tague-Sutcliffe Doctoral Student Poster Competition at the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) conference in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 7, 2016.

Moderated the juried paper session “Research Design & Cataloging Education” at the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) conference in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 6, 2016.

Co-presented the poster “As good as it gets … for now: Assessing information literacy in the general education curriculum,” at the 2015 American Library Association Annual Conference in San Francisco, California, on June 26, 2015. The poster presented a summary of key implementation procedures and outcomes related to assessing information literacy in general education courses at the University of Akron, as a part of the national Assessment in Action information literacy assessment project, overseen by the American Library Association.

Aided in the preparation of the poster “Conceptualizing and implementing dispositional assessments for students at the Kent State University School of Library and Information Science,” presented by Dr. Frank Lambert at the ALISE 2015 Annual Conference in Chicago, Illinois, in January, 2015.

Presented the round-table session “Empowering Communities through Collaborative Innovation: Doctoral Student Perspectives on Knowledge Navigation in the Academic Library” at the Academic Library Association of Ohio [ALAO] conference in Sandusky, Ohio, on November 14, 2014.

Presented “Documenting the information-seeking experience of remedial undergraduate students” at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Document Academy at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, on August 8, 2014.

Presented the poster “Archival literacy in action – Exploring information literacy abilities in the Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Popular Psychology Magazine special collection” at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Document Academy at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, on August 8, 2014.

Presented the poster “Under pressure: Exploring information anxiety in traditional and remedial undergraduate students” at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Document Academy at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, on August 8, 2014.

Presented “Framing rape culture: Media coverage of sexual assault in the United States and South Africa” at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, on November 21, 2013.

Presented research paper “Framing rape culture: A critique of global mainstream media coverage of sexual assault” at the Project Censored/Union for Democratic Communications Conference in San Francisco, California, on November 2, 2013.

Blundell, S., page 9

Co-presented the round-table session “Using Collaborative Strategies to meet Common Core Primary Resource Requirements” at the Academic Library Association of Ohio [ALAO] conference in North Canton, Ohio, on October 25, 2013.

Presented the poster “Under pressure: Exploring information anxiety in traditional and remedial undergraduate students” at Kent State University's Graduate Research Symposium in Kent, Ohio, on April 19, 2013.

Presented “Social networking: The good, the bad, and the very ugly” at the University of Akron’s Center for the History of Psychology in Akron, Ohio, on April 9, 2013. This presentation was given as a part of the CHP’s Spring Colloquium series: http://www.uakron.edu/psychology/about-us/news-detail.dot?newsId=40a47a83-6255-44a2-85d6-91b83d16c8d9&

Presented the poster “Archival literacy in action: Exploring information literacy abilities in the Ludy T. Benjamin, Jr. Popular Psychology Magazine special collection” at the Society for Ohio Archivists Annual Conference in Dublin, Ohio, on April 5, 2013. The poster can be viewed here: http://ohsweb.ohiohistory.org/soa/images/d/d9/Blundell_soa_2013-04_poster_archlit.pdf

COURSEWORK

Ph.D. in Communication and Information

Foundations of Communication and Information

Database Design Information Needs, Seeking, and Use Introduction to Research in Communication

and Information Quantitative Research Methods in

Communication Information Literacy Instruction and

Initiatives Statistics for Educational Services Comparative Higher Education Designing Successful Grant Projects International and Comparative

Librarianship

Communication in an Information Society Qualitative Research in Journalism and

Mass Communication: Data Collection Information Sources and Reference

Services College Teaching in Communication and

Information Qualitative Research in Educational

Services Individual Investigation: Archival Literacy Communication in Global Society Information Policy Individual Investigation: Information

Anxiety in Undergraduate Students

Master’s degree in Library and Information Science

Foundations of Library and Information Science

Organization of Information Access to Information

Management of Libraries and Information Centers

Marketing the Library Music Librarianship

Blundell, S., page 10

Digital Preservation Research Methods in Library and

Information Science

Foundation and Administration of Archives The Academic Library Access to Government Documents

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Member of the Academic Library Association of Ohio.

Member of the American Library Association.

Member of the Association for Library and Information Science Education.

Member of the Society of Ohio Archivists.

Trainee in and advocate for the Quality Matters™ Higher Education Rubric in online course design (for more information, please visit https://www.qualitymatters.org/rubric).

Volunteer with the Domestic Violence Project of Stark County, Ohio.

Volunteer with the Victim Advocacy program, serving Canton and Massillon, Ohio.

Volunteer/frequent guest speaker with the Copley, Ohio chapter of the Girl Scouts of America.

COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

July 24, 2015-present: Elected Chair of the Educational Programming Committee of the Society of Ohio Archivists.

April-September, 2015: Completed Levels 1 and 2 of the Mendeley Certification program.

April-November, 2015: Member, UAL User Interface Committee, University of Akron.

February-April, 2015: Member, 2015 University Libraries Outstanding Student Employee Award committee, University of Akron.

July-December, 2014: Member, Teaching Assistant Blackboard Module resource creation committee through Kent State University’s Graduate Student Orientation program.

September, 2013-August, 2014: Member, 2014 Document Academy Conference organization and planning committee.

August, 2011-December, 2014: Member, Ohio Scholastic Media Association Fall/Spring State Convention planning committee.

UNIVERSITY SERVICE

University of Akron

October, 2015: Created the Information Resources for Veterans LibGuide to promote materials and services available for veterans in the University of Akron community. This included

Blundell, S., page 11

resources available through University Libraries, within the University of Akron community, in the state of Ohio, and nationally.

April 9-April 25, 2015: Coordinated the display of winning posters from the 2015 University of Akron Student Innovation Symposium (UASIS) in the Emerging Technologies Space in Bierce Library, which was open to the public.

April 9, 2015: Oral presentation session evaluator for the 2015 University of Akron Student Innovation Symposium (UASIS).

March, 2015: Presenter of the workshop “Research skills for graduate success: Part I,” hosted by the Office of Graduate Student Development as part of their graduate workshop series.

February-April, 2015: Served as member of the 2015 University Libraries Outstanding Student Employee Award Committee.

Kent State University

October, 2014: Presenter of the workshop “The virtual instructor: Strategies for teaching success” for the Graduate Professional and Academic Development series, hosted by the Department of Graduate Studies.

August, 2013-May, 2014: Academic Hearing Officer for the Office of Student Conduct.

October, 2012-December, 2014: Presenter of the workshop “Exploring and Conducting Academic Research” for the Graduate Professional and Academic Development series, hosted by the Department of Graduate Studies.

August, 2012-May, 2014: Research and administrative assistant for the American Society of News Editors Reynolds Summer Institute.

October 1, 2012: International student representative on a panel discussing Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and censorship as a part of the “One Book, One Community” event held at Kent State University Tuscarawas Campus.

September, 2011-May, 2014: Assistant and presenter at the Ohio Scholastic Media Association [OSMA] fall and spring conventions, held at Kent State University.

July, 2011-December, 2014: Graduate Student Orientation teaching fellow/team leader at Kent State University. For more, visit http://www.kent.edu/graduatestudies/gso/index.cfm

Fall, 2010: Text editor for Kent State Student Accessibility Services [SAS], working with SAS to electronically edit and prepare text materials for students with visual impairments.

Fall, 2010: Alumni presenter at Kent State at Stark’s “The Experience” Project.

Fall, 2007: Student/Faculty Liaison for the American Library Association/Kent State University Chapter [ALA/ALSSO].

Summer, 2006: Peer Leader and Advisor for Incoming Kent State freshmen, taking part in a fledgling program entitled “Spend a Day the KSU Way.”

Blundell, S., page 12

January-December, 2006: Student leader and volunteer with Kent State University at Stark’s Aspire, Build and Challenge Program.

September, 2002-May, 2007: Campus ambassador for Kent State University at Stark.

Blundell, S., page 13

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

The promotion of deep critical thinking, emphasizing the power and utility of collaboration, the

strengthening of ability through both basic and complex skill development, and encouraging students’

autonomous investment in their own academic pursuits constitute the core principles of my teaching

philosophy. Research in information and mass communication has shown that information searching

and understanding is a process requiring a developable continuum of skills, but is one that is prone to

high anxiety when the necessary skills to do so are lacking. Additionally, education research posits

that students who feel more autonomous in their learning experience are also more motivated to

succeed than those who do not. Therefore, students in my courses are actively encouraged to learn the

skills necessary for developing a critical thinking paradigm, to learn the benefits afforded and the

challenges faced by collaborating with peers outside of their discipline, and to recognize and overcome

their limitations by asking for help when necessary and by taking control of their academic progress.

My core principles are reflected in my learning outcomes and throughout my course materials,

curriculum design, assessments, and in-class discussions and activities.

Students with whom I interact and engage via all means of instruction are encouraged

continually to engage in deep critical thought—from student to student, between student and material,

and between students and myself. I believe that educators cannot expect deep critical thinking from

students without creating a learning environment within which critical thinking in all spheres is

promoted. For example: In multiple-choice exams, if students provide an answer that is marked

incorrectly, they are given the opportunity to support their answer after the fact by finding an alternate

reference or a real-world example that supports their original answer for a return of lost points.

Adapting this concept from colleagues who have seen the proof of its effectiveness in promoting deep

Blundell, S., page 14

critical thinking in students; this exercise encourages students to challenge assumptions in a thoughtful

and concrete way, building upon their own critical thinking skills in the process.

In a 2012 national study by Project Information Literacy, 84% of undergraduate students

identified getting started with research as being the most difficult aspect. Additionally, they

discovered that students first seek information from search engines and their peers before turning to

professionals for educational assistance. In a bid to encourage collaboration between students and their

peers and between students and professionals, I model the benefits of collaboration by inviting

professionals to my classes to team-teach different modules to students, representing that on many

occasions, two minds truly can be better than one. Additionally, in-class peer-review assignments

wherein students help each other assess research they have found to meet an information need gives

students the opportunity to work with one another on making informed research choices. This exercise

allows them to solicit the feedback they value from one another, and affords me the opportunity to be

on-hand to facilitate, modeling educators as facilitators of effective learning. Rather than rail against

student attitudes in this area, I create practical ways to reach students “where they are” while

emphasizing the value of professional facilitation.

Finally, as many students gain a greater understanding of their own educational competencies

by ‘learning through doing,’ most discussions in class are concluded with hands-on group activities

regarding content discussed. These activities reinforce course learning objectives and allow me to

perform real-time assessment on ‘muddiest point’ issues from class. My continual adaptive reflection

on actual student learning is critical in assessing skill development in students, demonstrates clearly to

students my commitment to and involvement in their incremental academic successes, and actively

emboldens them to take control of their own academic progress throughout their programs of study.

Former South African President Nelson Mandela said: “Education is the most powerful weapon

which you can use to change the world.” By modeling and promoting my core principles through

Blundell, S., page 15

research and teaching (both independently and collaboratively) and in-class behavior, I show students I

expect nothing less of myself than I do of them. In this way, it is my hope that they find value in my

core principles, and use them to uncover their own ability to liberate themselves from information

illiteracy and change their worlds for the better.