Pedagogy for Practical Library Instruction – An Online Program

Abstract

While many librarians find themselves with teaching responsibilities, few have received sound pedagogical training. This leaves many librarians to learn on the fly or through trial and error when in the classroom. Although effective for some, others are left seeking additional professional development opportunities to grow their pedagogical knowledge. To address this, an online program was developed for academic librarians that introduces pedagogy. A variety of topics related to university teaching and student learning are covered including course design, meaningful and measurable objectives, learner-centered instructional strategies, formative assessments that drive instructional practice, inclusive teaching practices that create positive learning environments for learners, and more. This program encourages asynchronous communication with others, provides practical and easy to implement teaching strategies, examples from library instruction sessions and case studies, as well as opportunities to practice and receive feedback on newly acquired or refined skills. During this presentation, I will describe the overall outline of the program, the structure of the modules, and the implementation plan for this program.