Syllabus Alchemy: How to Propose Creative Library Instruction from Quick Syllabus Analysis
Type of Presentation
Workshop (1 hour and 15 minutes)
Target Audience
Higher Education
Location
Room 218/220
Proposal
Getting our hands on a syllabus is often the gold standard for course-integrated library instruction. Too often, though, we simply scan the course schedule to identify the assignment we will support and then zero in on the assignment description to see the sources required. True course integration requires more granular analysis and more mercurial pedagogies. As a snapshot of the course, a syllabus can be a window onto the learning scenarios a professor has designed for her students to work through over the course of a semester. Designing instruction that fits seamlessly into those scenarios is complicated and creative work, but having on-hand tools for analyzing syllabi and developing a “menu” of creative instructional strategies to experiment with can become the touchstone of a more responsive integrated library instruction service.
In this workshop, facilitators Beth Rugan Shepard and Jason Ezell will demonstrate their approach to quick-fire syllabus analysis before walking participants through small-group “reads” of sample syllabi. Next, presenters will lead the full group through the process of classifying the instructional priorities of each course and matching them to information literacy outcomes and frames. Small groups will then use this information to guide brainstorming lesson ideas. At the end of the workshop, facilitators will share how such a process is leading to the creation of their own programmatic instruction menu. The aim of the session is for attendees to leave not only with the skill set to replicate this process but also to leave with their own “starter” menu.
Workshop Schedule
- Intro to Syllabus Analysis (Ezell) – 10 mins
- Small-Group Analysis of Sample Syllabi (Ezell/Shepard) – 15 mins
- Mapping the Syllabi to Information Literacy Outcomes & Frames (Shepard) – 10 mins
- Small-Group Lesson Brainstorming (Ezell/Shepard) – 10 mins
- Large-Group Sharing of Lesson Ideas (Ezell/Shepard) – 15 mins
- Conducting the Faculty Consultation (Shepard) – 5 mins
- Developing an Instructional “Menu,” Sharing USA’s – (Ezell) – 5 mins
- Questions (Ezell/Shepard) – 5 mins
Short Description
Getting our hands on a syllabus is often the gold standard for course-integrated library instruction. Too often, though, we simply scan the course schedule to identify the assignment we will support and then zero in on the assignment description to see the sources required. True course integration requires more granular analysis and more mercurial pedagogies. This workshop will guide participants through the process of interpretive syllabus analysis to create more collaborative assignments.
Publication Type and Release Option
Presentation (Open Access)
Recommended Citation
Ezell, Jason and Shepard, Elizabeth Rugan, "Syllabus Alchemy: How to Propose Creative Library Instruction from Quick Syllabus Analysis" (2015). Georgia International Conference on Information Literacy. 62.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gaintlit/2015/2015/62
Syllabus Alchemy: How to Propose Creative Library Instruction from Quick Syllabus Analysis
Room 218/220
Getting our hands on a syllabus is often the gold standard for course-integrated library instruction. Too often, though, we simply scan the course schedule to identify the assignment we will support and then zero in on the assignment description to see the sources required. True course integration requires more granular analysis and more mercurial pedagogies. As a snapshot of the course, a syllabus can be a window onto the learning scenarios a professor has designed for her students to work through over the course of a semester. Designing instruction that fits seamlessly into those scenarios is complicated and creative work, but having on-hand tools for analyzing syllabi and developing a “menu” of creative instructional strategies to experiment with can become the touchstone of a more responsive integrated library instruction service.
In this workshop, facilitators Beth Rugan Shepard and Jason Ezell will demonstrate their approach to quick-fire syllabus analysis before walking participants through small-group “reads” of sample syllabi. Next, presenters will lead the full group through the process of classifying the instructional priorities of each course and matching them to information literacy outcomes and frames. Small groups will then use this information to guide brainstorming lesson ideas. At the end of the workshop, facilitators will share how such a process is leading to the creation of their own programmatic instruction menu. The aim of the session is for attendees to leave not only with the skill set to replicate this process but also to leave with their own “starter” menu.
Workshop Schedule
- Intro to Syllabus Analysis (Ezell) – 10 mins
- Small-Group Analysis of Sample Syllabi (Ezell/Shepard) – 15 mins
- Mapping the Syllabi to Information Literacy Outcomes & Frames (Shepard) – 10 mins
- Small-Group Lesson Brainstorming (Ezell/Shepard) – 10 mins
- Large-Group Sharing of Lesson Ideas (Ezell/Shepard) – 15 mins
- Conducting the Faculty Consultation (Shepard) – 5 mins
- Developing an Instructional “Menu,” Sharing USA’s – (Ezell) – 5 mins
- Questions (Ezell/Shepard) – 5 mins
