in medias res
Creative approaches for embedding an online instruction program into a face-to-face information literacy curriculum
START
The Context
1.
The library team is small and the instruction is largely in-person.
Small Instructional Team
Librarians have strategically prioritized instruction for First Year Experience and Advanced Writing courses due to the size of our team.
Current Curriculum
2.
Students jump from introductory to advanced research without building IL skills through iterative instruction
An Instructional Gap
3.
The Vision
Utilize the campus Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver engaging library instruction that can be incorporated into existing courses.
Asynchronous Instruction
Create a robust online program that rounds out the existing curriculum, providing students with holistic IL instruction throughout their undergraduate experience.
Bridge the Gap
The Process
Click on each list item for more information.
Create engaging and accessible online lessons
Identify campus partners
Backward Design
Utilize expertise from colleagues
Establish a delivery strategy
The Implementation
At the end of the semester, gather feedback from instructors on the content and process to inform the next iteration.
Collect Feedback
3.
The course coordinator agreed to add the content to the Canvas module that provides resources for instructors.
Collaborate
1.
Without an analytics feature in Canvas, instructors were asked to contact me directly when they use the modules.
Track Use
2.
The Takeaways
Successes
Opportunities
- Identify a new way to distribute content. The "Send" feature in Canvas did not transfer all of the content properly.
- Determine a more efficient method for tracking use.
- Develop an assessment survey to gather formal feedback from students and instructors.
- Expand collaborations with other similar courses.
- There is interest from these course instructors to receive continued support from the library.
- The overall vision for the content is promising and could be a good fit for campus.
- The initial lessons plans are a good start and will continue to evolve.
THANK YOU
Contact Me
Karli Cotton, MLIS Online Learning Librarian University of Montana karli.cotton@umontana.edu
References
CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org
Stapleton-Corcoran, E. "Backward Design". Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence, University of Illinois Chicago. January 25, 2023. https://teaching.uic.edu/cate-teaching-guides/syllabus-course-design/backward-design/
Utilize the expertise around you
Be Strategic
Stakeholder input can be helpful, but trying to accommodate different visions and priorities can stall your process. Remember that you are an expert as well, and that educational content can and should evolve over time.
Fellow library faculty provided feedback and suggested changes to the lesson plans before building them out in the LMS. As a new faculty member, it was helpful to lean on the expertise of colleagues.
However...
Campus Partners
Finding instructors willing to test the content
A strategic approach was needed for finding collaborators. The following was considered for decision-making:
- Courses that logically connected with those targeted in the First-Year and Advanced Writing instruction.
- Courses where the content could reach the most students.
- Instructors with established relationships with library colleagues.
Conclusion: For the first pilot, the "Send" feature in Canvas was utilized, where instructors can share entire courses or individual modules with other instructors. This wouldn't allow for editing or managing the content after sharing it, but it involved the fewest steps. This approach also did not provide any way to automatically track the use of the modules.
Finding the best Delivery Method
How to share the content?
Several factors went into planning for sharing the content:
- The sharing process needs to be efficient and easy for instructors to ensure continued collaboration.
- Limited to the sharing functionalities within the campus LMS.
- A need to retain the ability to tailor the content to each course before sharing it.
- A means of tracking the use of the modules.
Backward Design
Librarians have worked closely with the campus Writing Committee to establish IL outcomes for intermediate writing courses. These and the knowledge practices and dispositions from the library's curriculum, which is strongly aligned with the ACRL framework, provided an excellent starting point.
Stapleton-Corcoran, E. "Backward Design". Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence, University of Illinois Chicago. January 25, 2023. https://teaching.uic.edu/cate-teaching-guides/syllabus-course-design/backward-design/
Read Text-Only Version
Creating Engaging Online Content
Pedagogical Approaches & Best Practices for Online Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) This framework prioritizes "Learner Agency" by encouraging accessible, inclusive, and challenging learning environments for every learner.
CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org
Best Practices for Online Learning While many best practices for online learning overlap with UDL, it's also necesary to deeply understand the functionalities of the campus LMS and how they can contribute to accessible and engaging content.
in medias res
Cotton, Karli
Created on March 19, 2025
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Transcript
in medias res
Creative approaches for embedding an online instruction program into a face-to-face information literacy curriculum
START
The Context
1.
The library team is small and the instruction is largely in-person.
Small Instructional Team
Librarians have strategically prioritized instruction for First Year Experience and Advanced Writing courses due to the size of our team.
Current Curriculum
2.
Students jump from introductory to advanced research without building IL skills through iterative instruction
An Instructional Gap
3.
The Vision
Utilize the campus Learning Management System (LMS) to deliver engaging library instruction that can be incorporated into existing courses.
Asynchronous Instruction
Create a robust online program that rounds out the existing curriculum, providing students with holistic IL instruction throughout their undergraduate experience.
Bridge the Gap
The Process
Click on each list item for more information.
Create engaging and accessible online lessons
Identify campus partners
Backward Design
Utilize expertise from colleagues
Establish a delivery strategy
The Implementation
At the end of the semester, gather feedback from instructors on the content and process to inform the next iteration.
Collect Feedback
3.
The course coordinator agreed to add the content to the Canvas module that provides resources for instructors.
Collaborate
1.
Without an analytics feature in Canvas, instructors were asked to contact me directly when they use the modules.
Track Use
2.
The Takeaways
Successes
Opportunities
THANK YOU
Contact Me
Karli Cotton, MLIS Online Learning Librarian University of Montana karli.cotton@umontana.edu
References
CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org
Stapleton-Corcoran, E. "Backward Design". Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence, University of Illinois Chicago. January 25, 2023. https://teaching.uic.edu/cate-teaching-guides/syllabus-course-design/backward-design/
Utilize the expertise around you
Be Strategic
Stakeholder input can be helpful, but trying to accommodate different visions and priorities can stall your process. Remember that you are an expert as well, and that educational content can and should evolve over time.
Fellow library faculty provided feedback and suggested changes to the lesson plans before building them out in the LMS. As a new faculty member, it was helpful to lean on the expertise of colleagues.
However...
Campus Partners
Finding instructors willing to test the content
A strategic approach was needed for finding collaborators. The following was considered for decision-making:
Conclusion: For the first pilot, the "Send" feature in Canvas was utilized, where instructors can share entire courses or individual modules with other instructors. This wouldn't allow for editing or managing the content after sharing it, but it involved the fewest steps. This approach also did not provide any way to automatically track the use of the modules.
Finding the best Delivery Method
How to share the content?
Several factors went into planning for sharing the content:
Backward Design
Librarians have worked closely with the campus Writing Committee to establish IL outcomes for intermediate writing courses. These and the knowledge practices and dispositions from the library's curriculum, which is strongly aligned with the ACRL framework, provided an excellent starting point.
Stapleton-Corcoran, E. "Backward Design". Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence, University of Illinois Chicago. January 25, 2023. https://teaching.uic.edu/cate-teaching-guides/syllabus-course-design/backward-design/
Read Text-Only Version
Creating Engaging Online Content
Pedagogical Approaches & Best Practices for Online Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) This framework prioritizes "Learner Agency" by encouraging accessible, inclusive, and challenging learning environments for every learner.
CAST (2024). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 3.0. Retrieved from https://udlguidelines.cast.org
Best Practices for Online Learning While many best practices for online learning overlap with UDL, it's also necesary to deeply understand the functionalities of the campus LMS and how they can contribute to accessible and engaging content.