Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Covid-19 Misinformation Challenge: Asynchronous Learning About (And During!) A Pandemic, Jennifer Bonnet, Senta Sellers

New England Library Instruction Group

In early 2020, the coronavirus pandemic ushered in a “new normal.” During this time, the world witnessed a prevalence of misinformation about COVID-19, on social media, in the news, and in academic publishing. We saw this emerging landscape as an opportunity to help people think critically about ways to combat false or misleading information. The result: The COVID-19 Misinformation Challenge.

Each day for five days, participants received tasks designed to test their knowledge of the coronavirus. They evaluated memes, doctors, news headlines, treatments, and some of the science behind the virus.

Join us for an interactive tour of the challenge! …

Creating A (Bright)Space For Library Instruction, Maureen A. Perry, Elizabeth Bull, Megan Macgregor

New England Library Instruction Group

Creating a (Bright)Space for Library Instruction

Students come into class with varied levels of preparation for college-level research. Faculty had little time to spare for library instruction prior to COVID 19, and the move to online instruction has left them with even less time.

As these things were happening across higher education, the University of Maine system was changing learning management systems, leading to a steep learning curve for everyone. The University of Southern Maine Libraries saw an opportunity to address these challenges and remain visible to faculty.

The reference librarians created a series of information literacy modules for instructors …

A Mindful Role Of Questions In Teaching, Judith S. Pinnolis

New England Library Instruction Group

Judith S. Pinnolis, Associate Director, Instruction and Engagement at Berklee College of Music/ The Boston Conservatory presented on the importance of interactive dialogue with students and using questions as a means of transcendence in order for students to reach new academic levels and achieve high-quality outcomes.

I Search: A Reflection On The Importance Of A Personal Connection, Eric Shannon, Leslie Inglis, Tracy Mendham

New England Library Instruction Group

This session, led by two librarians and an adjunct faculty member, described the benefits of replacing a traditional research paper with an I Search paper (a more informal first person research narrative) for students taking a first year inquiry course. An I Search paper facilitates student learning by encouraging students to select a topic that piques their interest and places the focus on students’ personal research journeys. Although this assignment was designed for a semester-long credit-bearing course, we discussed ways to incorporate aspects of this assignment into a library one-shot.

Decolonizing Databases: A Scalable Critical Pedagogy Activity, Emery Shriver, Lori Dubois

New England Library Instruction Group

Inspired by Safiya Umoja Noble’s Algorithms of Oppression, essays and lesson plans in Critical Library Pedagogy (Nicole Pagowsky and Kelly McElroy, eds.), and the ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, this presentation described a critical pedagogy activity that interrogates systems of oppression in library research tools and challenges students to reflect on the emotional aspects of their research experience. We discussed how we have modified the activity for different courses and disciplines, classroom settings, and class session lengths. This activity is suitable for librarians who are beginning to consider how to incorporate critical pedagogy into their teaching.

No Zombies Here!​: An Inquiry-Based Learning Approach To An Embedded Librarian Project, Sam Boss, Kristi J. Castleberry

New England Library Instruction Group

Since 2017, a library director and English professor have been collaborating on an embedded librarian project for a required Critical Thinking seminar. Our guiding concept is inquiry-based learning, and we have seen students connect with information literacy more deeply as we encourage them to explore information resources and to consider what scholarly conversation means to them. Our goal is to seamlessly blend elements of the ACRL Framework with the learning objectives and content of the seminar through hands-on activities related to research and writing assignments. Tying the Framework to ongoing projects has resulted in a higher level of engagement and …