Recap of the Year
At the Academic Commons, we support Jefferson educators, students, researchers, postdoctoral fellows, clinicians, and staff. Our team of librarians, instructional designers & educational technology experts, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, and more, explores and embraces emerging trends and priorities in higher education and academic scholarship. It is no surprise that in the Academic Year 2023 – 2024, much of our work centered around artificial intelligence (AI) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In the following sections, you will learn about the new initiatives around AI and DEI that our Academic Commons team took on this year while continuing to provide our established services and support. Other significant accomplishments included the completion of the Marion J. Siegman, PhD, FAPS, Archives, the addition of three new open access publishing opportunities for researchers, a major move for our Media Services team, and the overhaul of our workshop and event database, which supports multiple departments at Jefferson.
Jefferson Libraries
The Jefferson Libraries include three academic libraries: the Dixon Library on the Horsham/Dixon Campus, the Paul J Gutman Library on the East Falls Campus, and the Scott Memorial Library on the Center City Campus.
Artificial Intelligence
Four Academic Commons staff members – two librarians, an instructional designer, and a writer/editor in the Office for Professional Writing, Publishing, & Communication (OPWPC) – created the Artificial Intelligence Library Guide. The guide offers best practices and precautions for using AI tools in teaching & learning, research, and professional writing. The guide has been shared broadly across the Jefferson enterprise and is among the most viewed guides on the Jefferson Libraries Library Guides website.
The collections expanded to include more artificial intelligence resources. Popular additions include NEJM AI and AI in Precision Oncology – two journals that focus on the role of AI in medicine.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
The Jefferson Libraries made inclusivity a top priority in our DEI efforts. Librarians intentionally and thoughtfully acquired resources representing a wide range of diverse voices and developed programs and displays amplifying these voices. These initiatives helped to ensure that the Jefferson Libraries are a safe and representative space for all patrons, making everyone feel valued and respected.
Jefferson Libraries highlighted resources related to awareness days, such as Holocaust Remembrance Day, Asian American & Pacific Islander Month, and more. At Gutman Library, a new series, “Celebrating & Amplifying Diverse Voices,” highlighted Black, African American, and African female authors, Indigenous people, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
At Scott Library, staff participated in Juneteenth programs and hosted a traveling exhibit, OUTSIDE/INSIDE: Immigration, Migration, and Health Care in the United States (created by the National Library of Medicine), highlighting immigrant health disparities. In conjunction with the exhibit, the library hosted Refugee Health in Philadelphia, a presentation by Jefferson’s Dr. Marc Altshuler.
Additional resources added to the Jefferson Libraries collection included Covidence, Psychotherapy.net, Access Pharmacy, Race & Fashion Database, and Nature Reviews Disease Primers. While Scott Library’s 4th floor was under construction for the Siegman Archives, staff audited examination reviews and study guides, which led to a major update of the Midwifery titles, LWW Board Review Series, and other review tools.
The Gutman Library more than doubled its graphic novels & comic book collection. The collection includes titles with protagonists of different races, nationalities, genders, sexualities, abilities, and other identities.
Jefferson Libraries: By the Numbers
Open Access Publishing Opportunities & Impact
The Jefferson Libraries continued strengthening transformative agreements with publishers to waive open access article processing charges for Jefferson authors. In 2024, three additional publishers joined the growing list: Company of Biologists, Springer-Palgrave-Adis, and Microbiology Society. Pre-established transformative agreements exist with Wiley, the American Chemical Society, and BMJ Case Reports. And, of course, the Jefferson Open Access Publishing Fund remains an open access publishing resource, which reimburses Jefferson authors up to $2,500 for article processing charges (APC) for publication in qualified, fully open access journals.
Jefferson Digital Commons (JDC): Jefferson's Institutional Repository
The JDC added collections in the Academic Year 2023 – 2024, including a new student-run journal, Beyond the Airway, and Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies capstone presentations.
Archives & Special Collections
East Falls Special Collections & Textile and Costume Collection
The Design Center on the East Falls campus, home to the Textile & Costume Collection, had a busy year. The Center offered a space for inspiration and collaboration among Jefferson's students, researchers, and faculty. In particular, students in the Textile, Fashion, and Architecture programs visited the Design Center to view objects from the collections to support their coursework and offer inspiration.
Jade Papa, Curator of the Collection, led many workshops and lectures, including Fashion Through the Decades, an exhibition for Alumni Relations in support of Jefferson's Homecoming, and Curious About Kimonos, a lecture on the history and wearing of Japanese kimonos, given to the East Falls Villages retirement community.
Abby Brubaker, a fashion design student, created the exhibit A Glance Back to 1884 to celebrate Jefferson's Bicentennial. Among the almost 2,000 items added to the digital collection were jackets worn by Aymara women in the Andes and Altiplano regions of Bolivia.
Marion J. Siegman, PhD, FAPS, Archives (previously the Center City Archives)
In the summer of 2024, the Scott Library finalized an archives expansion project that began in the spring of 2023. Thanks to a generous donation from Dr. Marion Siegman, a long-time champion of the Center City Archives, the library's 4th floor was renovated to provide more space to showcase artifacts, offer designated areas for programming, and devote rooms to individual or group research of the materials.
Now called the Marion J. Siegman PhD, FAPS, Archives, the renovated area also includes state-of-the-art archival storage space to ensure items are stored properly. In Spring 2024, the 4th floor and archives reopened, and the Academic Commons hosted multiple events to welcome Jefferson leadership, students, researchers, and staff to explore the new and improved space.
We look forward to offering programming in the Fall 2024 semester and encourage more exploration of the archival materials.
Educational Technologies & Instructional Design
The Instructional Design & Educational Technologies teams also embraced artificial intelligence and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the Academic Year 2023 – 2024.
Artificial Intelligence
Instructional designers created a popular workshop series, AI Basics, that met throughout the year. AI Basics offered educators a place to discuss AI trends, tools, and concerns. The Educational Technology team advised educators on instructional AI tools like Packback to support classroom engagement and student success. The team also contributed to the Artificial Intelligence Library Guide.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Instructional designers developed a new workshop series, DEI Dilemmas. Sessions covered case studies of hypothetical situations, offering educators a safe space to share ideas and learn best practices to create respectful and inclusive teaching environments. Two team members voluntarily participated in Jefferson’s Sexual & Gender Minorities Education & Training Program. This nine-month program taught participants inclusive teaching practices they will bring into their work as they build course curricula, develop assessment strategies, and more.
Instructional Design & Educational Technologies: By the Numbers
Respiratory Therapy
Instructional designers continued their collaboration with the Respiratory Therapy team in the College of Health Professions. They completed designing a second-year course for its new program launch.
Continuing to Build Community in the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL)
The SoTL hybrid community continued to grow in its second year. The group of seven educators met bi-monthly to explore steps involved in SoTL research, share progress, and develop research plans for their work. Participants led presentations on their SoTL projects at Faculty Days and the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE).
Instructional Design + the Jefferson Center for Autism & Neurodiversity (JeffCAN)
Instructional designers collaborated with JeffCAN to create a visual story template that can be used by community groups and event organizers. The template offers space to input customized details about social events. The template offers a first-person narrative, allowing the audience to visualize an activity from its preparations, throughout the event, and going home. This tool helps members of the neurodivergent community to feel prepared, safe, and included during activities like sporting events and concerts.
Advancing Health Equity through Ob/Gyn Provider Education
Instructional designers collaborated on a grant-based project focused on improving the health equity of women with spinal cord injuries. The project team includes experts in Rehabilitation Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Occupational Therapy, and more. Designers created asynchronous learning modules to improve and support OB/GYN provider education.
Communicating Wisely: Designing a Platform for Teaching & Evaluating the Communication of Uncertainty
As part of a grant-based project funded by the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Foundation, instructional designers created asynchronous learning content and artifacts focused on communicating diagnostic uncertainty. The content will complement a collection of resources collected by a research team during a scoping review that was supported by librarians in the Jefferson Libraries.
Designing a Virtual Reality Experience for Assessment of the Home Environment
This year, instructional designers concluded a multi-year project with the Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice & Education (JCIPE) to create a virtual reality experience for students. The experience involves an "escape room" where students utilize the 4Ms Age Friendly Framework to locate potential hazards and assess the home environment of a patient. This virtual reality experience has been utilized by over 700 students in 11 programs at Jefferson.
Professional Communication
The Office for Professional Writing, Publishing, & Communication (OPWPC)
The OPWPC offered editing and consultation support for members of the Jefferson community working on scholarly communications projects. The team reviewed papers for publication, conference presentations, posters, and grant applications. In 2023 – 2024 the department expanded its impact, reviewing 32 more presentations, conducting 27 more consultations, and supporting the publication of 10 more projects than the previous year.
OPWPC staff also helped develop the Artificial Intelligence Library Guide, offering guidance on best practices, tools, and considerations regarding the usage of AI in academic and professional research and publishing.
Select Accomplishments:
- Served on the editorial board of Evanescent and the Theresa and Charles Yeo Writing Prize
- Judged Asano Reflections prize
- Mentored the postdoctoral scholarly communications endeavors, including the Postdoctoral Research Symposium, JeffPost,Tech Skills Seminars, PSERT
- Co-chaired the Science Communication Series and coached the Science Slam and Academic Talk & Practice Club
- Held the Jefferson College of Interprofessional Practice & Education writing retreat
- Reviewed capstone and dissertation defense presentations for multiple colleges and provided faculty with tailored workshops to foster engagement and communication
- Provided faculty with tailored workshops to foster engagement and communication
Media Services: Audio Visual, Graphics, Photography, & Video Production
The Media Services team, which encompasses Audio Visual, Graphics & Illustration, Photography, and Video Production, saw an increase in service requests and projects in the Academic Year 2023 – 2024. So, it was good that most of the staff relocated to a larger, more accommodating office space in September 2023!
The Graphics, Photography, and Video Production teams moved from Jefferson Alumni Hall to the 8th floor of the Curtis Building. This new location offers more room to create and produce their work and space to store large equipment. The central location also provides more opportunities to collaborate and build community among the team.
Media Services: By the Numbers
In a collaborative project with the Jefferson Libraries, photographers documented all the anatomical models in Scott Library's anatomy/physical aid collection. The professional photographs have assisted in the discovery and promotion of these resources to students.
New video projects included a training for mental health professionals working with cystic fibrosis patients, a video for the physical diagnosis exams for the Physician Assistant program, and a safety training video for Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital staff.
Staff Highlights
Awards
- Abby Adamczyk received the Virginia L. And William K. Beatty Volunteer Service Award from the Medical Library Association (MLA)
- Abby Adamczyk received the Chair Award and Gary Kaplan received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Annual Meeting for the Liberty Chapter of the MLA
- Jerry Fillman and Demi Harte received the 2024 James B. Erdmann Staff Award for Excellence in Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice from the Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Severity Index" in the Journal of Emergency Nursing
Publications
- Abby Adamczyk co-published an article "Harm reduction in undergraduate and graduate medical education: a systematic scoping review" in the journal BMC Medical Education
- Abby Adamczyk and Gary Kaplan published a poster presentation “Librarian Support for Graduate Medical Education: 5-Year Check-In” which they presented at the MLA 2024 conference
- Elif Gokbel published the chapter "Instructional Designers' Roles in the Post-COVID-19 Era" in the book Global Perspectives on Higher Education
- Jess Saunders co-authored the book chapter titled “Health Literacy and Academic Health Sciences Libraries” in the book Health Literacy and Libraries
- Beth Ten Have co-published the article "Triage Accuracy in Pediatrics Using the Emergency Severity Index" in the Journal of Emergency Nursing
Presentations
- Julie Phillips served as faculty for the 2024 Institute for New Educational Developers (INED) conference
- Megan Donnelly and Jess Saunders presented "Setting Students Up for Success with Research Assignments: An Evidence-based Practice from Two Librarians” at Temple University’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching Faculty Conference on Teaching Excellence
Faculty Days 2024
DaVonne Armstrong spoke on the keynote panel titled Jefferson Faculty Who Build Community: A Keynote Panel.
Becky Miller and Megan Donnelly presented the active workshop Increasing Students’ Research Skills Using the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy.
Jerry Fillman and Demi Harte presented the active workshop Create and Innovate: Designing a Virtual Reality Experience for Interprofessional Learning about Assessment of the Home Environment.