ALAO DLIG/IIG Co-Hosted 2020 Virtual Summer Workshop Series

ALAO's Instruction Interest Group and Distance Learning Interest Group are joining together to provide a series of free virtual workshops on topics relating to teaching and learning in a remote environment. All of us are facing challenges as we continue to serve our students and faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic as we switched rapidly to virtual learning. The webinar series aims to keep librarians connected and inspired as we move forward and will cover topics related to copyright, accessibility, active learning and more.

This is the last of our Summer Workshop Series, and we wanted to go out with a bang. We have three excellent speakers lined up to speak on a variety of topics:

Van Gogh’s Ear:  A Fact-Finding and Information Literacy Activity
Dana Knott, Director of Library Services at Antioch University Midwest
20 minute presentation

Research often begins with a seemingly simple question; however, a researcher may discover that a simple question may lead to more complex questions and contradictory answers. This presentation will introduce a fact-finding assignment that begins with a question (Which ear did artist Vincent van Gogh slice off?) and applies different frames, including “Research as Inquiry” and “Searching as Strategic Exploration.” Attendees will leave with activity guidelines that share additional fact-finding questions, explore questions within questions, and emphasize the research journey (strategic exploration) over the destination (a right answer).

Government Documents: Some Changes Are Good
Abby Noland, Systems Librarian at University of Mount Union
20 minute presentation 

You wouldn't think you could easily find copyright free materials, including videos, for your academic institution through government resources online. The FDLP is undergoing incredible changes making government documents accessible via the Internet more than ever. Now there are powerful search engines available. This presentation is a quick introduction in order to tantalize librarian into consider FDLP resources. Did I mention these resources are free and scholarly?

Concept Mapping for Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Instruction Delivery
Erin Smith, Research Services Librarian at Case Western Reserve University 
10 minute lightning talk

Concept maps are a well-trod topic in educational circles, however their potential for synchronous and asynchronous learning leading to library skill acquisition in an online environment can and should be expanded upon. Benefits of concept maps include engaging students creatively while also demonstrating how to generate keywords and how to organize information in a way that speaks to different learning styles. I would like to discuss not only how this activity encourages flexible search strategies and information organization, but also how the process is adaptable to imparting research skills in the digital classroom.