Co-Owners in Engaged Learning: Reimagining the Library-First Year Writing Partnership as a Community of Practice

Type of Presentation

Panel (1 hour and 15 minutes presentation total for two or more presenters)

Target Audience

Higher Education

Location

Room 1220 A/B

Abstract

Presenters will describe the evolution and implications, including assessment data and faculty and student feedback on, a collaboration between the library and first-year writing (FYW) faculty to re-engage students, faculty, and librarians in library instruction at a private institution of 6,000 students. Lacking the desired level of participation in library instruction for first-year classes and in response to a recent university focus on writing and a signature practice of engaged learning, we redesigned library instruction for FYW students. Our interactive approach, integrating threshold information literacy concepts, active learning, and real-time assessment, was the hook we needed to connect with faculty, resulting in a deeper collaboration, both in and out of the classroom. During the library sessions, librarians and faculty work as a team to demonstrate and help students as they apply key concepts of academic research: narrowing topics, developing meaningful search terms, and finding and evaluating sources. Faculty feedback on this new approach was immediate and extremely positive. Expanding the FYW “ecosystem” to include librarians as teaching partners allows FYW faculty and librarians to share expertise in ways that contribute to better FYW learning outcomes for both information and digital literacy. The relationship between FYW faculty and librarians changed, too; in-class conversations among faculty, librarians, and students demonstrate to everyone, but particularly students, that faculty and librarians are equal partners in student success.

Presentation Description

Presenters describe the evolution of library instruction for FYW students that reflects and highlights the changing roles of faculty librarians and their relationship to faculty. Library and writing faculty moved from collaborators to co-owners of the curriculum, developing a community of practice in which none feels adjunct to the instruction taking place.

Keywords

First-year writing, Library instruction, Collaboration, Active learning

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Sep 30th, 1:15 PM Sep 30th, 2:30 PM

Co-Owners in Engaged Learning: Reimagining the Library-First Year Writing Partnership as a Community of Practice

Room 1220 A/B

Presenters will describe the evolution and implications, including assessment data and faculty and student feedback on, a collaboration between the library and first-year writing (FYW) faculty to re-engage students, faculty, and librarians in library instruction at a private institution of 6,000 students. Lacking the desired level of participation in library instruction for first-year classes and in response to a recent university focus on writing and a signature practice of engaged learning, we redesigned library instruction for FYW students. Our interactive approach, integrating threshold information literacy concepts, active learning, and real-time assessment, was the hook we needed to connect with faculty, resulting in a deeper collaboration, both in and out of the classroom. During the library sessions, librarians and faculty work as a team to demonstrate and help students as they apply key concepts of academic research: narrowing topics, developing meaningful search terms, and finding and evaluating sources. Faculty feedback on this new approach was immediate and extremely positive. Expanding the FYW “ecosystem” to include librarians as teaching partners allows FYW faculty and librarians to share expertise in ways that contribute to better FYW learning outcomes for both information and digital literacy. The relationship between FYW faculty and librarians changed, too; in-class conversations among faculty, librarians, and students demonstrate to everyone, but particularly students, that faculty and librarians are equal partners in student success.