10. IOA Updates its Communications Platforms -- The International Ombudsman Association revised both of its messaging tools in 2017. In July, the Journal of IOA abandoned its formatting based on a bound volumes and moved to a piecemeal publication schedule. Then, in September, the association revamped its membership newsletter into a slick and graphical blog. The effort was marred by unduly restrictive access requirements, which were somewhat lifted after feedback from members.
9. German Crowdsourcing Firms Create Ombuds Program -- In November a collective of tech companies established an Ombuds program for the workers and volunteers that drive their businesses. To date, this is one of the few Ombuds programs in the tech sector.
8. Researcher Urges Academic Ombuds to Deal with Practice Disparities -- Studies on the work of Ombuds are rare, so Tessa Tomkins Beyer's paper published in Harvard's Negotiation Journal in July was significant. She found serious discrepancies in the practices of higher ed Ombuds that "undermine [Ombuds'] efforts to gain a greater role for the field and enhance its wider visibility and respectability."
7. University of California Ombuds Update their View of IOA Standards -- In April, the nine UC Ombuds programs updated their Declaration of Best Practices. The document articulates a common understanding of how IOA standards apply for Ombuds that serve nearly 400,000 stakeholders and is a significant reference for other university and college Ombuds.
No comments:
Post a Comment