Type of Presentation

Individual paper/presentation

Target Audience

Higher Education

Location

Session Five Breakouts

Abstract

While the Covid-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to information literacy instruction, it has also provided opportunities to find unique ways to use digital tools to showcase student learning. One such virtual learning opportunity was the International Studies Poster Gallery, a collaborative effort between the Paul Meek Library and College of Business and Global Affairs at the University of Tennessee at Martin. This Poster Gallery built on an in-person event from the previous year to move the student poster presentations into a virtual space. Senior students studying International Studies spent the semester researching their topics, and then presented their poster to classmates, faculty, and visitors from around the world. Students were able to answer questions and virtually engage with attendees over the weeklong Poster Gallery. The Information Literacy Librarian elected to create an asynchronous website using website-builder Wix, to cut down on Zoom fatigue, scheduling conflicts, and provide an opportunity for more individuals to attend. The site received nearly 300 unique hits, and the 7 students in the class had a combined 766 poster views. Although the Poster Gallery website was a problem-solving technique to bring student research to the online world, the site was so successful that students requested a hybrid in-person and online event for future years.

The International Studies Poster Gallery can be found online at: https://eweber57.wixsite.com/inst485

Presentation Description

This presentation will discuss how to create a virtual poster gallery to present student research, including possible technological tools, pitfalls, and lessons learned. The virtual International Studies Poster Gallery not only gave students a chance to conduct research, but also to present their research, answer questions, and interact with other scholars. In this way, the Covid-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for students to reach more people than ever before.

Keywords

Undergraduate research, student research, presentations, virtual, poster sessions, Wix

Publication Type and Release Option

Presentation (Open Access)

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Mar 26th, 2:15 PM Mar 26th, 2:45 PM

International Studies Poster Gallery: Sharing Undergraduate Research in the time of Covid-19

Session Five Breakouts

While the Covid-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to information literacy instruction, it has also provided opportunities to find unique ways to use digital tools to showcase student learning. One such virtual learning opportunity was the International Studies Poster Gallery, a collaborative effort between the Paul Meek Library and College of Business and Global Affairs at the University of Tennessee at Martin. This Poster Gallery built on an in-person event from the previous year to move the student poster presentations into a virtual space. Senior students studying International Studies spent the semester researching their topics, and then presented their poster to classmates, faculty, and visitors from around the world. Students were able to answer questions and virtually engage with attendees over the weeklong Poster Gallery. The Information Literacy Librarian elected to create an asynchronous website using website-builder Wix, to cut down on Zoom fatigue, scheduling conflicts, and provide an opportunity for more individuals to attend. The site received nearly 300 unique hits, and the 7 students in the class had a combined 766 poster views. Although the Poster Gallery website was a problem-solving technique to bring student research to the online world, the site was so successful that students requested a hybrid in-person and online event for future years.

The International Studies Poster Gallery can be found online at: https://eweber57.wixsite.com/inst485