"TEACHING TABLES I:" Library Instruction to Go: Online Resources @ Mason Libraries

Abstract

Library research at academic institutions is increasingly becoming an online activity as more scholarly information and resources are made available in electronic format. To facilitate online research, and the research process in general, George Mason University Libraries is developing online resources that promote basic information literacy skills and that guide students to relevant and credible sources as they are completing assignments. Using various online technologies, librarians have created instructional modules, course pages, and research guides – all of which can be easily adapted by faculty for use in their own teaching.This teaching table session will briefly describe some of the online resources in development at Mason Libraries, focusing on our online tutorials and InfoGuides (described in detail below). The session will explain how and why faculty may adapt these resources for their own teaching. For instance, faculty may choose to teach research skills by presenting instructional tutorials in their own classrooms, rather than bringing students in for a traditional library instruction session. Our online tutorials and research guides can also be quickly and effectively integrated into the Blackboard CE learning environment for use by on-campus students as well as distance learners. This session will touch on how to embed library resources into Blackboard and how to work with a librarian to create a customized course page. The Educational Services department of the library is developing a number of instructional modules that supplement face-to-face instruction. Our “How Do I…” pages, http://library.gmu.edu/education/students/tutorials.html, teach students the basics of doing research in an academic library with topics such as searching the Mason catalog and article databases, distinguishing the differences between popular and scholarly literature, and accessing the full-text of journal articles. Online tutorials are delivered through different mediums in order to accommodate a variety of student learning styles. An example is seen here, http://library.gmu.edu/education/students/find_fulltext.html, where the same information is presented in text-based format, as well as in video screencast.InfoGuidesMason’s liaison librarians have developed subject-specific research guides, http://infoguides.gmu.edu/arth, as well as course pages http://infoguides.gmu.edu/IT103, which are tailored to particular courses. These guides can easily be customized to meet the specific needs of a course and can be embedded into Blackboard.The session will also provide information about future online instructional content that is in development.Â