LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Computers

  • In-person service has resumed at the Library

    In-person service has resumed at the Library

    Loveland and Symmes open and also still offering curbside service

    PHONE NUMBERS

    LOVELAND – 513-369-4476

    SYMMES – 513-369-6001

    The sign on the door of the Loveland Library today.

    Loveland, Ohio – As part of the efforts to continue to serve the public, the Main Library has re-opened for limited in-person service.

    All other locations have re-opened for in-person service on Monday, July 27, including the Loveland and Symmes Branch, with several exceptions:

    • Mt. Healthy and Elmwood Place will begin curbside service on August 3.
    • Greenhills will remain a curbside-only location until after Labor Day.
    • North Central will remain a curbside location until their air conditioning is fixed.
    • College Hill will remain closed to all service due to air conditioner repairs, with a scheduled reopening date of July 29.
    • Price Hill is currently closed through the end of 2020 for a major renovation and expansion project.
    The sign on the door of the Loveland Library today.

    In-Person Service Changes

    At locations offering in-person service customers will notice the following changes:

      • The Library will provide a free mask if a customer needs one. A mask order is currently in effect for all of Hamilton County.
      • Customers and staff are expected to practice physical distancing at all times. Furniture has been spaced out to accommodate this and items like plexiglass barriers have been installed.
      • Each facility will have a lower maximum capacity.
      • Customers will be asked to limit their visits to one hour.
      • Customers will have access to computers, printers, and faxing, as well as the ability to browse and pick up holds.
      • Increased cleaning and sanitizing protocols are in place. Hand sanitizer is available for customers and staff.
      • HVAC system blowers have been increased to maximize airflow.
      • The Library can not accommodate groups at this time, and are not offering in-person programs or events.
      • Curbside and drive-thru service (where available) will still be offered at all currently activated in-person locations.
      • Special hours for vulnerable populations will be held Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10 AM until noon.

    Hours of Service 

    All open locations are now operating from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.

    Book Drops 

    All locations are accepting returns through their book drops, except Price Hill. Materials are being quarantined for four days before being checked-in, so it will be a few days before you see any changes reflected on your account.

    Curbside Service 

    The Loveland Branch has reserved parking spaces for curbside service

    The following locations are open for Curbside Service: Avondale, Blue Ash, Bond Hill, Cheviot, Clifton, Corryville, Deer Park, Delhi, Forest Park, Greenhills, Green Township, Hyde Park, Loveland, Madeira, Madisonville, Mariemont, Miami Township, Monfort Heights, Mt. Washington, North Central, Northside, Norwood, Oakley, Pleasant Ridge, St. Bernard, Sharonville, Symmes, Walnut Hills, Westwood, West End, and Wyoming

    Scheduled appointments are not required for curbside service, but calling ahead will make the process more efficient for you, especially if you need to do something other than pick up a hold.

    When you arrive at your location for curbside pick-up, look for the curbside service sign, park, and call the branch at the number on the sign.

    Drive-Thru Service

    Scheduled appointments are not required for drive-thru service, but calling ahead will make the process more efficient for you, especially for curbside service, or if you need to do something other than pick up a hold. Find phone numbers for all branches on this web page.

    Holds/Borrowing Items 

    If you would like to borrow an item from the Library, search the catalog, find the item you want, place a hold on it, and choose which location you’d like to pick up the item from. Or you can call and place the hold.

    When the item is ready, you will receive an email notice. You can pick it up anytime between 10 AM and 6 PM, Monday through Saturday.  If you’d like, you can call the location and schedule a time for pick-up.

    Online and on the Phone 

      • The eBranch is always open, and is continuing to provide events like storytimes online on a regular basis. Check the calendar for more information.
      • Call, email or chat with seven days a week for help with job searching, finding health information, getting assistance with a library resource, and more.

    For the latest Library service updates and resources, visit COVID-19 resource page.

  • [SHORT SURVEY] Do Ohio parents believe that humans or computers should grade their children’s written essays on Standardized tests?

    [SHORT SURVEY] Do Ohio parents believe that humans or computers should grade their children’s written essays on Standardized tests?

    Loveland-area resident Alice Culbertson, graduate student in Education at Xavier University, is conducting a research study that asks the following question: “Do Ohio parents believe that humans or computers should grade their children’s written essays on standardized tests?” Below is some general information about the topic of human vs. computerized scoring, followed by a short survey for parents to share their opinions on this issue. 

    If you are an Ohio parent who has had at least one child take a standardized test in an Ohio school any time during grades 3-12, you are encouraged to complete a short survey to share your opinions on this issue.

    Every year, millions of school children in America take state-mandated standardized tests. To manage the cost of such large-scale testing, many of the questions follow a multiple-choice format because computers can score the answers quickly and cost-effectively. Some questions, however, require written essay responses that are graded by humans, a slower and more expensive process. In an effort to reduce the time and cost associated with human scoring, several testing firms are working with technology companies to produce automated essay scoring (AES) software that can score essays as well as humans can.

    One of the leading proponents of AES is Mark D. Shermis, Dean and Professor, School of Education, University of Houston–Clear Lake, who has conducted several studies in which computers were shown to score essays with comparable results to human scoring. Les Perelman, research affiliate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), former professor of writing and composition, and a vocal opponent of AES, has also conducted research in which computer scoring proved to be less accurate than human scoring. 

    Shermis, AES software developers, and testing companies claim that the Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the capability to grade essays correctly and consistently. Perelman and primary, secondary, and post-secondary educators maintain that computers are incapable of evaluating a number of important elements of writing such as logic, tone, organization, and creativity, and should therefore not be used to grade essays. 

    Pros of Computerized Scoring cited by Shermis and other Proponents of AES

    • Several studies have shown that computers gave virtually identical scores to those given by humans on the same set of essays.
    • Computerized scoring can save time and money spent on testing, and test results can be returned to families and schools more quickly.
    • Humans who score essays are temporary employees who only need a bachelor’s degree in any subject, and the ability to adhere to a rubric (a chart that shows them how to score the essays).

    Pros of Human Scoring cited by Perelman and other Opponents of AES

    • Several studies have shown that computers can be fooled into giving high scores to poorly written essays based solely on the length and key words contained within the essay.
    • Human scorers are able to evaluate important elements of writing that computers cannot, such as tone, logic, organization, and creativity.
    • Computers can only score simplistic essays with scores comparable to those given by humans, meaning that test questions would have to be “dumbed down” in order to be accurately scored by a computer. 

    There is virtually no research documenting how parents feel about the prospect of computers grading their children’s written essays.

    The question of whether computers should score essays is a growing area of contention among educators, software firms, and testing companies across the country. Largely absent in this debate, though, is a sector of the population that has a personal stake in standardized testing scoring: the parents of those students who take the tests, whose educational paths may be affected by the scoring outcomes. While research has shown that parents have had differences of opinion as to whether their children benefit from standardized tests in general, there is virtually no research documenting how parents feel about the prospect of computers grading their children’s written essays.

    If you are an Ohio parent who has had at least one child take a standardized test in an Ohio school any time during grades 3-12, you are encouraged to complete a short survey to share your opinions on this issue. Simply click the link below to access the survey. Please feel free to share this link with any other Ohio parents. Thank you!

    https://kwiksurveys.com/s/VJ8A5d3V#/0   

    All survey respondents will remain confidential, and the results of this survey are for classroom purposes only and will not be published. Results of the study will be available after January 2, 2018, and may be obtained by emailing a request for results to culbertsona@xavier.edu.