Showing posts with label faculty development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faculty development. Show all posts
Saturday, March 9, 2013
21st Century Ways to Assign Narratives
Earlier today I led the morning Saturday Faculty Development session. We discussed thinking outside the box to find alternative ways to assign narratives. Below is the presentation with links to our brainstorming and discussion notes, along with technology tutorials, links, and example/sample projects. We had some great discussions and ideas! Thanks to all who attended!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Update: Classes, Citations, Conversations, & After Hours
Well, it has been a whirlwind past few weeks. My class involvement has really taken off, especially with the ENGL 101 class. We tried something new this semester. Last semester we noticed students not really attaching much importance to using and citing scholarly or other credible resources for their research paper. I did some brainstorming between semesters to try to come up with an activity that emphasized the importance of using quality resources & citing them properly. Instead of the traditional, boring "this is how you cite resources in (insert your citation style of choice here)," I approached it as a game.
When I was in Dubuque, they had "The Great Poetry Race." I took that general idea, but applied it to citations in "The Great Citation Race." The students progressed through several rounds of the great citation race, each aligned with the types of resources that were being introduced to students during the day's lesson. The activities took place over several class periods, with the students working in groups. The first group to complete their tasks correctly received 7 points, the next group 6, etc. Round 1 was done in class, without technology; we discussed plagiarism and why we cite resources. I prepared book citation guides (and answer keys) for APA, MLA, CBE/CSE, and Chicago, and gave the students examples of book publication information & quotes and had students 1) prepare citations as they would appear on a bibliography or works cited page, and 2) show how they would do in-text citations (or footnotes) for paraphrased material (they wrote the paraphrased sections based on the quoted material they were given). We then progressed to books with multiple authors, journal articles (here we also identified errors in given citations)--both print & electronic, and websites. These activities were time consuming, but thus far I have noticed an increased awareness of the importance and relevance of citations. We have had annotated bibliography sections due as we progressed (first books, then journal articles, then websites).
In addition to ENLG 101, I have also had a blast working with the American Literature & Literature for Children and Adolescents classes. I'm thrilled to be have another excuse to read children's literature and apply some of what I learned in my Materials for Youth course (taken at Indiana University)!
Beyond embedded work, things are bustling on campus. We've been pretty busy at the reference desk lately (yahoo!) and expect that to pick back up again after spring break and continue through the end of the semester. Campus-wide events are also picking up as the academic year begins to draw to a close. Play performances and music concerts & recitals have been a pleasure to attend. Last week we had another round of Conversations on Information Literacy sessions. This time we discussed creating effective research assignments with information literacy in mind. Particularly with the transition to the new core (in which IL is a key component), there has been more interest in this topic. We had several sign up, or visit with me individually regarding the information covered in the sessions--the turnout for the actual sessions was low, but reflects just how busy campus is right now (and perhaps just how ready students and faculty are for spring break, which begins for them on Monday).
Last Friday we welcomed author Jennifer Wilson to the library for our second "Library After Hours" event. Travel writer Jennifer Wilson has written for Esquire, National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens, Traditional Home, Midwest Living, Iowa Outdoors, The Chicago Tribune, and many other publications. She shared her experiences and selections from her publication Running Away to Home: Our Family's Journey to Croatia in Search of Who We Are, Where We Came From, and What Really Matters. Publisher’s Weekly said: "In her funny and heartfelt memoir, she packs up her husband and two young children from Des Moines, Iowa, with the plan to live a simpler, more connected life in the ancestral home in Croatia and to learn about her immigrant story." Below are a few photos from the evening. (P.S. If you're interested, her books will be available in the Grand View University Bookshop at a reduced rate of $20, but only while supplies last.)
When I was in Dubuque, they had "The Great Poetry Race." I took that general idea, but applied it to citations in "The Great Citation Race." The students progressed through several rounds of the great citation race, each aligned with the types of resources that were being introduced to students during the day's lesson. The activities took place over several class periods, with the students working in groups. The first group to complete their tasks correctly received 7 points, the next group 6, etc. Round 1 was done in class, without technology; we discussed plagiarism and why we cite resources. I prepared book citation guides (and answer keys) for APA, MLA, CBE/CSE, and Chicago, and gave the students examples of book publication information & quotes and had students 1) prepare citations as they would appear on a bibliography or works cited page, and 2) show how they would do in-text citations (or footnotes) for paraphrased material (they wrote the paraphrased sections based on the quoted material they were given). We then progressed to books with multiple authors, journal articles (here we also identified errors in given citations)--both print & electronic, and websites. These activities were time consuming, but thus far I have noticed an increased awareness of the importance and relevance of citations. We have had annotated bibliography sections due as we progressed (first books, then journal articles, then websites).
In addition to ENLG 101, I have also had a blast working with the American Literature & Literature for Children and Adolescents classes. I'm thrilled to be have another excuse to read children's literature and apply some of what I learned in my Materials for Youth course (taken at Indiana University)!
Beyond embedded work, things are bustling on campus. We've been pretty busy at the reference desk lately (yahoo!) and expect that to pick back up again after spring break and continue through the end of the semester. Campus-wide events are also picking up as the academic year begins to draw to a close. Play performances and music concerts & recitals have been a pleasure to attend. Last week we had another round of Conversations on Information Literacy sessions. This time we discussed creating effective research assignments with information literacy in mind. Particularly with the transition to the new core (in which IL is a key component), there has been more interest in this topic. We had several sign up, or visit with me individually regarding the information covered in the sessions--the turnout for the actual sessions was low, but reflects just how busy campus is right now (and perhaps just how ready students and faculty are for spring break, which begins for them on Monday).
Last Friday we welcomed author Jennifer Wilson to the library for our second "Library After Hours" event. Travel writer Jennifer Wilson has written for Esquire, National Geographic Traveler, Better Homes & Gardens, Traditional Home, Midwest Living, Iowa Outdoors, The Chicago Tribune, and many other publications. She shared her experiences and selections from her publication Running Away to Home: Our Family's Journey to Croatia in Search of Who We Are, Where We Came From, and What Really Matters. Publisher’s Weekly said: "In her funny and heartfelt memoir, she packs up her husband and two young children from Des Moines, Iowa, with the plan to live a simpler, more connected life in the ancestral home in Croatia and to learn about her immigrant story." Below are a few photos from the evening. (P.S. If you're interested, her books will be available in the Grand View University Bookshop at a reduced rate of $20, but only while supplies last.)
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| Library Director Pam introducing author Jennifer Wilson |
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| Jennifer Wilson |
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| Jennifer Wilson |
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| Audience listening to Jennifer Wilson |
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| Jennifer Wilson's book |
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| Reception afterward |
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| Reception afterward |
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| Book signing during the reception |
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| Reception afterward |
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| Reception afterward |
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| Book signing during the reception |
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Navigating Internet Resources: Sorting the Awesome from the Awful
Last week I hosted another set of "Conversations on Information Literacy" sessions. As Faculty Development and Instruction Librarian, I host a series of events throughout each semester highlighting library resources and how the library can help support faculty teaching and student learning. This semester I am really focusing on hands-on experience with the resources we discuss. Making information accessible, practical, and relevant is important for both faculty- and student-oriented lesson planning. Keeping in mind that people learn better when they’re actively applying the concepts being introduced, I arranged to have the faculty development sessions held in a computer lab in another building on campus. This allows students to continue to use the library lab (which does tend to get quite busy during the late morning & afternoon, when the faculty sessions are scheduled). I was also excited about this because it shows librarians getting out of the library & going to spaces where faculty are. I am hoping to continue this outreach beyond the faculty sessions, and do some office visits or hold office hours for both faculty and students in different buildings in the future (eventually—this may take some time).
In this set of sessions we discussed helping students find quality information online (Navigating Internet Resources: Sorting the Awesome from the Awful). I went over some of the strategies the library uses during our instruction with students, and then dove into different resources. Of particular interest to the faculty were the following:
The feedback from those who attended was overwhelmingly positive and several faculty members said they were excited to share the resources we covered with their colleagues in department or other meetings! My goals are to continue to increase attendance (which is going to be tricky, given schedules on this campus) and to continue to develop sessions that would appeal to a wide range of faculty. I am hoping to do some informal surveying of faculty from a variety of departments (informal because, as I’m sure many other campuses are, our email inboxes are exploding, and paper surveys tend to take the back burner to lesson planning and assessing student work). For more information on the faculty development session, explore the links above.
If anyone has suggestions for something they've tried in the past & loved, I'd love to hear your ideas!
In this set of sessions we discussed helping students find quality information online (Navigating Internet Resources: Sorting the Awesome from the Awful). I went over some of the strategies the library uses during our instruction with students, and then dove into different resources. Of particular interest to the faculty were the following:
- Google Advanced Search
- Google Scholar
- The Recommended Websites page we are developing
- Online citation resources
The feedback from those who attended was overwhelmingly positive and several faculty members said they were excited to share the resources we covered with their colleagues in department or other meetings! My goals are to continue to increase attendance (which is going to be tricky, given schedules on this campus) and to continue to develop sessions that would appeal to a wide range of faculty. I am hoping to do some informal surveying of faculty from a variety of departments (informal because, as I’m sure many other campuses are, our email inboxes are exploding, and paper surveys tend to take the back burner to lesson planning and assessing student work). For more information on the faculty development session, explore the links above.
If anyone has suggestions for something they've tried in the past & loved, I'd love to hear your ideas!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Blackboard and the Library
This week and last week I hosted another set of "Conversations on Information Literacy" sessions. As Faculty Development and Instruction Librarian, I host a series of events throughout each semester highlighting library resources and how the library can help support faculty teaching and student learning. Thus far I have been following a template of what has been done in the past, for several reasons. I am new to this community and understand it takes time for everyone to get used to "the new girl's approach." I also understand that too much change too soon can be a plan for disaster. I want to approach this first year as an opportunity to learn from those around me. That doesn't mean I don't have ideas (and it doesn't mean I don't keep a running list of said ideas); what it does mean is that I am listening, observing, and working to learn more about the community I serve, which will help me craft my faculty development sessions around user needs.
For this pair of sessions we discussed how the library can help support faculty and students through having a presence on Blackboard. (Blackboard, Your Courses, and the Library) We recently migrated to Blackboard 9.1, and with technology change comes some anxiety from faculty. In this session we discussed the different levels of embedded librarianship, types of resources we can link to from Blackboard, and larger lesson-oriented concepts. Though we would like to believe all students come to us with a strong background in technology, that is not necessarily the case. Also, those students who do have background using technologies don't necessarily transfer those skills to other mediums, such as Blackboard. It is up to us to introduce those concepts and build those connections, just as we had to learn these new tools. One thing that I cannot emphasize enough is the inclusion of a lesson (or even just a part of a lesson) that concentrates on the professor's expectations for using Blackboard. Showing students the tools you expect them to use, having in-class activities where students demonstrate proficiency with using Blackboard (prior to looming, important, and intimidating deadlines) will help ease student anxiety when it comes to assignment or discussion post submission. For more information on the Blackboard session, click the link above.
For this pair of sessions we discussed how the library can help support faculty and students through having a presence on Blackboard. (Blackboard, Your Courses, and the Library) We recently migrated to Blackboard 9.1, and with technology change comes some anxiety from faculty. In this session we discussed the different levels of embedded librarianship, types of resources we can link to from Blackboard, and larger lesson-oriented concepts. Though we would like to believe all students come to us with a strong background in technology, that is not necessarily the case. Also, those students who do have background using technologies don't necessarily transfer those skills to other mediums, such as Blackboard. It is up to us to introduce those concepts and build those connections, just as we had to learn these new tools. One thing that I cannot emphasize enough is the inclusion of a lesson (or even just a part of a lesson) that concentrates on the professor's expectations for using Blackboard. Showing students the tools you expect them to use, having in-class activities where students demonstrate proficiency with using Blackboard (prior to looming, important, and intimidating deadlines) will help ease student anxiety when it comes to assignment or discussion post submission. For more information on the Blackboard session, click the link above.
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