About this guide
This resource is meant to provide the Libraries staff with resources around areas of inclusive teaching practices and critical pedagogy, online and remote teaching resources, and accessibility and universal design in teaching and learning.
Each page includes a set of grounding readings that give context, deeper dive readings, tools and examples. Each area of this guide is set up to support Libraries staff as they prepare to pivot their instruction to digital and online modes.
Grounding principles of Libraries teaching and learning
Guiding Principles of the Teaching and Learning Program
- Recognize the whole learner in instructional contexts, which include cognitive, social, creative, and emotional aspects of learning.
- Center inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility in learning experiences, both for our staff and our learners.
- Value curiosity, vulnerability, openness, and trust.
- Support Libraries staff in their efforts to grow as instructors.
- Build upon best practices in the Framework for Information Literacy, critical pedagogy, culturally responsive teaching practices, Universal Design for Learning, trauma-informed pedagogy, and reflective practice.
Teaching and learning is
- centered on student learning, with a particular focus on kindness and empathy for the current student experience.
- thoughtful and designed with outcomes and objectives in mind by using sound pedagogical principles.
- accessible and inclusive by using Universal Design for Learning principles as a guide when developing lesson plans, activities, and learning objects.
- collaborative. No one person in the Libraries is expected to “do it alone” when supporting course-integrated and other instruction.
- flexible. Libraries staff will develop the knowledge, skills, and values to effectively pivot their teaching modes as needed.
What is effective online teaching?
The guidelines for effective online learning at the University of Minnesota state that effective online learning is a learner-centered experience
- characterized by the thoughtful design and facilitation of student-to-student, student-to-content, student-to-instructor, and student-to-technology interaction
- where goals, assessments, and activities are aligned to support the course objectives
- occurring in learning environments that facilitate active learning experiences
- facilitated by instructors who are able to effectively implement online pedagogies and ways to cultivate an engaged community of learners who are invested in their own and each other’s success and
- facilitates higher-order learning through a process involving critical discourse and reflection in an online community of peers.
While in most library instruction, we don't have the opportunity to see students for the whole semester, we should still consider these guidelines as we partner with faculty and instructors to support online instruction.