The Virtual library is an online tool that allows students, faculty and staff to search a variety of research resources via one user-friendly interface. The resources include scholarly academic journals, eBooks, trade publications, newspapers, reports and audiobooks. The online tool includes web links to all subscribed library resources. To learn the library resources, services, and updates, visit the library Orientation, FAQ, and Blog.
Intersections of Open Educational Resources and Information Literacy by 
Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice by 
A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education by
Focused on developing professional academic skills for supporting and supervising student learning and effective teaching, the fifth edition of A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education recognises the complex demands of teaching, research, scholarship and academic management in higher education institutions. Fully updated to reflect changes in practice and policy, this new edition has been written to enhance excellence in teaching and learning design and support all involved in facilitating a world-class inclusive education. Offering plentiful and rich practical advice, this rigorous and sound introduction to the basics of teaching and learning in higher education draws together a large number of expert authors and a range of global case studies. A definitive guide for anyone working in higher education, this edition: Offers new chapters covering an inclusive curriculum, the importance of student well-being and the scholarship of teaching and learning Considers the impact of technological changes on policy and practice Discusses the use of digital learning environments Explores how best to engage students in their disciplines and embed skills for employability The ultimate guide to support all those involved in providing student learning of the highest quality, A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is essential reading for all new lecturers. It will be particularly useful for anyone taking an accredited course in teaching and learning in higher education, as well as more experienced lecturers who wish to improve their teaching practice.
Inclusive Teaching by
Award-winning teachers offer practical tips for addressing inequities in the college classroom and for making all students feel welcome and included. In a book written by and for college teachers, Kelly Hogan and Viji Sathy provide tips and advice on how to make all students feel welcome and included. They begin with a framework describing why explicit attention to structure enhances inclusiveness in both course design and interactions with and between students. Inclusive Teaching then provides practical ways to include more voices in a series of contexts: when giving instructions for group work and class activities, holding office hours, communicating with students, and more. The authors finish with an opportunity for the reader to reflect on what evidence to include in a teaching dossier that demonstrates inclusive practices. The work of two highly regarded specialists who have delivered over a hundred workshops on inclusive pedagogy and who contribute frequently to public conversations on the topic, Inclusive Teaching distills state-of-the-art guidance on addressing privilege and implicit bias in the college classroom. It seeks to provide a framework for individuals and communities to ask, Who is being left behind and what can teachers do to add more structure?
What Inclusive Instructors Do by
Inclusive instruction is teaching that recognizes and affirms a student's social identity as an important influence on teaching and learning processes, and that works to create an environment in which students are able to learn from the course, their peers, and the teacher while still being their authentic selves. It works to disrupt traditional notions of whosucceeds in the classroom and the systemic inequities inherent in traditional educational practices.--Full-time Academic Professional, Doctorate-granting University, Education This book uniquely offers the distilled wisdom of scores of instructors across ranks, disciplines and institution types, whose contributions are organized into a thematic framework that progressively introduces the reader to the key dispositions, principles and practices for creating the inclusive classroom environments (in person and online) that will help their students succeed. The authors asked the hundreds of instructors whom they surveyed as part of a national study to define what inclusive teaching meant to them and what inclusive teaching approaches they implemented in their courses. The instructors' voices ring loudly as the authors draw on their responses, building on their experiences and expertise to frame the conversation about what inclusive teachers do. The authors in addition describe their own insights and practices, integrating and discussing current literature relevant to inclusive teaching to ensure a research-supported approach. Inclusive teaching is no longer an option but a vital teaching competency as our classrooms fill with racially diverse, first generation, and low income and working class students who need a sense of belonging and recognition to thrive and contribute to the construction of knowledge. The book unfolds as an informal journey that allows the reader to see into other teachers' practices. With questions for reflection embedded throughout the book, the authors provide the reader with an inviting and thoughtful guide to develop their own inclusive teaching practices. By utilizing the concepts and principles in this book readers will be able to take steps to transform their courses into spaces that are equitable and welcoming, and adopt practical strategies to address the various inclusion issues that can arise. The book will also appeal to educational developers and staff who support instructors in their inclusive teaching efforts. It should find a place in reflective workshops, book clubs and learning communities exploring this important topic.
College Teaching at Its Best by
This book is a practical guide for professors who are interested in being more effective teachers. It encompasses all the things a professor must do to prepare to teach; to stimulate learning and love of learning; to understand and engage all students; and to help them find direction, purpose, and mission in their lives. The book recognizes the importance of instructors, and how the best teachers focus on inspiring lifelong learning, both in themselves and in their students. Good teaching is rooted in good values, not the mastery of content alone. Caring, empathy, and compassion are important. The highest value of a teacher may often lie in the mentorship she can provide to her students. Discover how to convey passion and enthusiasm to students, and how to motivate your students to want to learn and participate. The book describes active learning approaches and how to make lectures more effective. It also recognizes the moral responsibility professors have to help the less talkative members of their class. The book deals with how to overcome the challenges of fostering learning in large classes where it is almost impossible for the instructor to get to know all the students. How to keep students alert and energized by adding variety to your classes through games, role-playing, humor, guest speakers, field trips, videos, and other devices. How to maintain enthusiasm and compassion all semester, and keep fatigue and negative thoughts at bay. How to handle email and office hours, how to provide feedback on work, and how to consider the whole student as you evaluate performance and foster success. This book is a useful guide as you chart your course through the challenges and rewards of college teaching.
Essentials for Blended Learning, 2nd Edition by
Essentials for Blended Learning provides a practical, streamlined approach for creating effective learning experiences by blending online activities and the best of face-to-face teaching. Effective blended learning requires rethinking of teaching practices and a redesign of course structure. Suitable for instructors in any content area, this book simplifies these difficult challenges without neglecting important opportunities to transform teaching. The revised second edition is more streamlined and easier to user, and includes more real-world examples of blended teaching and learning, the latest technologies, and additional research-based learning activities.
Learning Online by
What's it really like to learn online?Learning Online: The Student Experience Online learning is ubiquitous for millions of students worldwide, yet our understanding of student experiences in online learning settings is limited. The geographic distance that separates faculty from students in an online environment is its signature feature, but it is also one that risks widening the gulf between teachers and learners. In Learning Online, George Veletsianos argues that in order to critique, understand, and improve online learning, we must examine it through the lens of student experience. Approaching the topic with stories that elicit empathy, compassion, and care, Veletsianos relays the diverse day-to-day experiences of online learners. Each in-depth chapter follows a single learner's experience while focusing on an important or noteworthy aspect of online learning, tackling everything from demographics, attrition, motivation, and loneliness to cheating, openness, flexibility, social media, and digital divides. Veletsianos also draws on these case studies to offer recommendations for the future and lessons learned. The elusive nature of online learners' experiences, the book reveals, is a problem because it prevents us from doing better: from designing more effective online courses, from making evidence-informed decisions about online education, and from coming to our work with the full sense of empathy that our students deserve. Writing in an evocative, accessible, and concise manner, Veletsianos concretely demonstrates why it is so important to pay closer attention to the stories of students--who may have instructive and insightful ideas about the future of education.
Syllabus by
How redesigning your syllabus can transform your teaching, your classroom, and the way your students learn Generations of teachers have built their classes around the course syllabus, a semester-long contract that spells out what each class meeting will focus on (readings, problem sets, case studies, experiments), and what the student has to turn in by a given date. But what does that way of thinking about the syllabus leave out--about our teaching and, more importantly, about our students' learning? In Syllabus, William Germano and Kit Nicholls take a fresh look at this essential but almost invisible bureaucratic document and use it as a starting point for rethinking what students--and teachers--do. What if a teacher built a semester's worth of teaching and learning backward--starting from what students need to learn to do by the end of the term, and only then selecting and arranging the material students need to study? Thinking through the lived moments of classroom engagement--what the authors call "coursetime"--becomes a way of striking a balance between improv and order. With fresh insights and concrete suggestions, Syllabus shifts the focus away from the teacher to the work and growth of students, moving the classroom closer to the genuinely collaborative learning community we all want to create.
Specifications Grading by
In her latest book Linda Nilson puts forward an innovative but practical and tested approach to grading that can demonstrably raise academic standards, motivate students, tie their achievement of learning outcomes to their course grades, save faculty time and stress, and provide the reliable gauge of student learning that the public and employers are looking for. She argues that the grading system most commonly in use now is unwieldy, imprecise and unnecessarily complex, involving too many rating levels for too many individual assignments and tests, and based on a hairsplitting point structure that obscures the underlying criteria and encourages students to challenge their grades. This new specifications grading paradigm restructures assessments to streamline the grading process and greatly reduce grading time, empower students to choose the level of attainment they want to achieve, reduce antagonism between the evaluator and the evaluated, and increase student receptivity to meaningful feedback, thus facilitating the learning process - all while upholding rigor. In addition, specs grading increases students' motivation to do well by making expectations clear, lowering their stress and giving them agency in determining their course goals. Among the unique characteristics of the schema, all of which simplify faculty decision making, are the elimination of partial credit, the reliance on a one-level grading rubric and the "bundling" of assignments and tests around learning outcomes. Successfully completing more challenging bundles (or modules) earns a student a higher course grade. Specs grading works equally well in small and large class settings and encourages "authentic assessment." Used consistently over time, it can restore credibility to grades by demonstrating and making transparent to all stakeholders the learning outcomes that students achieve. This book features many examples of courses that faculty have adapted to spec grading and lays out the surprisingly simple transition process. It is intended for all members of higher education who teach, whatever the discipline and regardless of rank, as well as those who oversee, train, and advise those who teach. Specification grading promotes the following values and outcomes. It: 1. Upholds High Academic Standards 2. Reflects Student Attainment of Skills and Knowledge 3. Motivates Students to Learn and to Excel 4. Fosters Higher-Order Cognitive Development and Creativity 5. Discourages Cheating 6. Reduces Student Stress 7. Makes Students Feel Responsible for Their Grades 8. Minimizes Conflict Between Faculty and Students 9. Saves Faculty Time and Is Simple to Administer 10. Makes Expectations Clear and Simplifies Feedback for Improvement 11. Assesses Authentically 12. Achieves High Inter-Rater Agreement
Combating Plagiarism by
Offers an instructional plan for plagiarism education for middle school and high school students, allowing librarians to become a resource for students, teachers, and school administrators. The proliferation of resources now available through libraries and the internet requires a new set of information management skills in order for students to avoid plagiarism. While educators legitimately expect students to approach academic work with honesty and integrity, students need to be able to understand the context of their academic resources--both print and digital--well enough to use them appropriately and ethically. Combating Plagiarism helps middle and high school teachers and librarians understand and teach the authorship and publication process so students learn to use relevant information in an ethically and academically sound fashion. Terry Darr's long-term collaboration with a high school history teacher taught her the challenges faced by students conducting research--and by librarians and teachers tasked with teaching plagiarism prevention. Her book is full of tested concepts for teaching these complex topics, emphasizing our modern reliance on digital sources. An extensive student reference section covers common knowledge, fact, and opinion. A wealth of practical resources includes real-life examples from research papers as well as plenty of instructional materials, exercises, and lesson plans. Helps librarians to feel confident in their professional positions as plagiarism experts on campus Teaches librarians how to help students who have already plagiarized Provides opportunities for librarians to collaborate with teachers and writing centers through plagiarism education Acts as a reference guide with all types of questions to ask students about plagiarism during the research process Creates an important framework for the ethical and appropriate use of information in schools
Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators by
Copyright law never sleeps, making it imperative to keep abreast of the latest developments. Declared "an exemplary text that seals the standards for such books" (Managing Information), this newly revised and updated edition by respected copyright authority Crews offers timely insights and succinct guidance for LIS students, librarians, and educators alike. Readers will learn basic copyright definitions and key exceptions for education and library services; find information quickly with "key points" sidebars, legislative citations, and cross-references; get up to speed on fresh developments, such as how the recently signed Marrakesh Treaty expands access for people with disabilities and why the latest ruling in the Georgia State University case makes developing a fair use policy so important; understand the concept of fair use, with fresh interpretations of its many gray areas that will aid decision making; learn the current state of affairs regarding mass digitization, Creative Commons, classroom use and distance education, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and other important topics; receive guidance on setting up on a copyright service at a library, college, or university; and find many helpful checklists for navigating copyright in various situations. This straightforward, easy-to-use guide provides the tools librarians and educators need to take control of their rights and responsibilities as copyright owners and users.
The Adjunct Faculty Handbook by
The Adjunct Faculty Handbook, Second Edition provides a full range of academic leaders and adjunct faulty with a much-needed, practical resource to manage the work of adjunct faculty teaching. Since the publication of the first edition in 1996, the number of adjunct faculty members in colleges and universities has increased spectacularly, to the point that most colleges and universities could not function efficiently without them. The revised edition has been updated to address the dramatic changes in higher education that result from institutional dependence on adjunct faculty as well as the striking changes in higher education (such as the role of technology in teaching and learning, the increased emphasis on student evaluations and learning outcomes assessment, and changes in classroom dynamics) in which adjunct faculty must be proficient.
33 Simple Strategies for Faculty by
Winner of the 2020 Scholarly Contributions to Teaching and Learning Award from the American Sociological Association Many students struggle with the transition from high school to university life. This is especially true of first-generation college students, who are often unfamiliar with the norms and expectations of academia. College professors usually want to help, but many feel overwhelmed by the prospect of making extra time in their already hectic schedules to meet with these struggling students. 33 Simple Strategies for Faculty is a guidebook filled with practical solutions to this problem. It gives college faculty concrete exercises and tools they can use both inside and outside of the classroom to effectively bolster the academic success and wellbeing of their students. To devise these strategies, educational sociologist Lisa M. Nunn talked with a variety of first-year college students, learning what they find baffling and frustrating about their classes, as well as what they love about their professors' teaching. Combining student perspectives with the latest research on bridging the academic achievement gap, she shows how professors can make a difference by spending as little as fifteen minutes a week helping their students acculturate to college life. Whether you are a new faculty member or a tenured professor, you are sure to find 33 Simple Strategies for Faculty to be an invaluable resource.
It's a Matter of Fact by
In this new book from Routledge and MiddleWeb, author Angie Miller shows how you can turn your students into informed citizens by teaching them how to research effectively. In today's information-saturated world research skills have moved beyond fact-finding, into fact-sifting, fact-sorting, and fact-assessing. Miller shows you how to help students check sources, take good notes, make use of information, and synthesize and present information across the subject areas. She also shows how to make research a daily practice, not a one-time essay or project. With examples and online handouts you can use immediately, this practical book is a valuable resource for educators seeking to engage students in their work and encourage them toward higher level thinking.
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You can find examples on Bryant & Stratton College APA Style Guide page 15 and 17.
