Fresh-grown Produce @ ACC?

It's true!!
ACC has a Continuing Education program in Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurship at the Elgin campus!! This program focuses on ecological farming and small farm profitability. Students get real, hands-on experience growing a variety of heirloom fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Students have also set up Farmer's Markets at the Elgin campus and Highland Business Center to sell their harvest. Beginning in Summer 2017, this program conducted a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pilot that has been expanded into the Fall. For a small fee, subscribers to the CSA get a weekly delivery of fresh produce from the Elgin farm complete with a description of each item, storage and cooking suggestions.
Fresh, healthy, affordable, and growing, the Sustainable Agriculture program at ACC is on trend! Visit their Facebook page for more photos or learn more about Sustainable Agriculture resources.

Changes in Adult Education at ACC

Image from https://pixabay.com/en/adult-education-book-books-know-2706977/

Austin Community College has served as the primary sponsor of the Adult Education Program in Travis County since September 1973.  It is funded through federal, state and local (ACC) funds.  As a result, most people know that students can come to ACC to take free classes to prepare for and take the GED test to get their High School Equivalency Certificate.  The GED test has been around since the 1940’s, and was originally set up to help U.S. soldiers coming back from the war.   Over the years, it became nearly synonymous with “high school equivalency.”  But now in the last few years, options for students to get a high school equivalency diploma have changed dramatically.

The GED test was completely rewritten and the new version premiered in 2014.  The new test was more rigorous than the older version, and for the first time, the tests could only be taken on computer.  Around 2014 some new players entered the testing market too.  States across the country have been adding these tests as paths to a High School Equivalency Certificate.  In fact, in Texas the State Board of Education voted January 29, 2016 to award contracts to three separate companies to provide high school equivalency assessments.

Test takers may now select from one of the following three assessments:

GED test

HiSET exam

TASC test

You can find out more about the three tests and their differences at “Test Information at a Glance” on the TEA website.

In 2013, by legislative action, the adult education program in Texas was transferred from the Texas Education Agency to the Texas Workforce Commission.  While the TWC now oversees Adult Education and Literacy, the TEA continues to oversee the testing part and issues the Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency (TxCHSE).  This seems to be a better alignment for many of the students who are trying to get their high school equivalency certificate in order to get a better job.  That better job may even enable them to go on to college.

So, while the TWC Adult Education and Literacy program has oversight over high school equivalency educational programs, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) still manages the high school equivalency testing operation in Texas. You can learn more about Texas Certificate of High School Equivalency on the TEA website at Certificate of High SchoolEquivalency Information.

ACC offers two locations for students to sign up for and take the tests through the ACC Business Assessment Testing Center at the Highland Campus or Round Rock Campus locations.

In addition to helping students prepare for the test to get their high school equivalency diploma, theAdult Education Department also helps students through free classes in:

          ESL

         Career Pathways

         College Prep Program

The ACC Libraries support Adult Education students through materials available in print and online.  Study guides for all three test assessments are available.  There is a Research Guide for Adult Education that gives students tips on places to find help in studying for the different test sections, especially for Reading and Writing and Math.  It includes sources for ESL students and information on study skills and careers too.

Furthermore, the libraries provide study material and practice tests through two Databases. 

One is Learning Express. 

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 Learning Express in particular covers all aspects of Adult Education, more than just study material to prepare for a High School Equivalency test.  It also covers ESL (preparing for the TOEFL), study skills and career exploration.  Additionally it has study material available in Spanish.

  The other is the Testing and Education Reference Center.

The Testing and Education Reference Center covers all three high school equivalency exams as well as tutorials in reading, writing and math.  It too covers ESL (preparing for the TOEFL) and career exploration.

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL)

Are you writing a research paper? Do you need background information about art, business, history, literature, science, or other subjects? Do you need a basic introduction to your subject, with overviews of the important facts and concepts? Then Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) is the resource for you!

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) is a collection of encyclopedias and other online reference books that covers a wide variety of subject areas. Here you can search by keyword or browse hundreds of titles to find quick information for beginning your research!

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL) brings so many resources together in one database, it’s a great spot to start your research. No matter what topic you’re interested in, GVRL will likely have background information appropriate and helpful for you!

Have a question about how to use Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL)? Ask a librarian! We're here to help you!

iPads @ ACC

Do you need a way to read one of the library's 50,000 ebooks? How about a way to access Blackboard on the go? Maybe you just want to watch the movie your Introduction to Cinema professor recommended.

ACC Library Services has wifi-enabled iPads available for student checkout at every campus! You can even choose between an iPad mini and a traditional 9.7 inch screen.

IPads checkout for 2 weeks just like a book! You can also renew your iPad up to 2 times. Just stop by the library, or call the checkout desk so we can make sure there is at least 1 tablet available if another student need it.

Fake News: Librarians Mobilize

The worldwide fake news phenomenon has mobilized librarians to take action.  

One organization IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions), the global voice of the library and information profession, has mounted a How To Spot Fake News campaign. 

Their signature infographic (below) has been translated into several languages (see the list at https://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11174).

Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries began a social media campaign in February 2017 that included Twitter posts, graphics, and instructional videos. You can read the article, "To combat 'alternative facts,' VCU Libraries launches campaign to encourage students to #VetYourSources," that describes their effort. 

The article includes links to online resources you can read or view.




ACC libraries provide a guide, Fake News and Alternative Facts: Finding Accurate News, devoted to this issue.

Please join librarians in this campaign and learn how you can become a better consumer of information. Take some time to review the guides created to assist you in evaluating resources and discovering fake news, post-truth, and alternative facts.   

New Chat Service

We want to talk with you!

Expert librarians are standing by ready to answer your research questions!

Need some guidance on citing sources at 2 a.m.? 
Click on the chat button and get live help!

Trying to locate a scholarly source for your paper? 
Click the button!

Expert help is always a click away

Go to the library home page: (library.austincc.edu)

Click on "Get Help/Chat"

And start chatting with an expert librarian!

Give us try! 

BatLab Makerspace @ ACC Libraries

What's the BatLab Makerspace?

Launched in the Fall of 2015, the BatLab is a makerspace which encourages: hands-on learning, student success and engagement, experiential learning, STEAM based learning activities, exploring, tinkering, creating, sharing, peer learning, co-curricular collaboration, and a no fear of failure attitude. Its purpose is to allow students to explore, learn, and create through participation in active learning, critical thinking, peer learning, and exposure to cutting edge technologies. Each activity presented is directly tied to student learning outcomes.

The joining of makerspaces in libraries promotes equitable access to resources and technologies to which users may not otherwise have access. The BatLab is open to current ACC students, faculty, and staff.

  The BatLab team will host meetup events at various campuses throughout the year, so be sure to check the the calendar of upcoming events in the BatLab Makerspace Library Guide! Several new projects are on the horizon for the Fall Semester, so don't miss out! There will be lots of fun learning opportunities for makers of various experience levels.

  Want more hands on time with technology?

Who wouldn't? Library Services has several BatLab kits available for checkout, featuring materials needed to further explore topics such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and Robotics. Kits are currently housed at the Highland Campus, however users can request for kits to be sent to any ACC Library for checkout.

Visit the BatLab Makerspace Library Guide for a full list of available kits.

 

ACC Libraries BatLab Basic Project Kit (Arduino)

      Want to learn more? 

Visit the online BatLab Makerspace Library Guide for links to resources, projects, kit information, and a calendar of upcoming events. Browse the Library's collection of books and ebooks on makerspaces and the maker movement, Arduino, 3D Printing, Raspberry Pi and more!