Highlighted Experiences
Instructional Specialist, Washington University
Being an Instructional Specialist embedded in a school affords me access to faculty and courses in an unprecedented way. My work is focused on engaging with faculty in the course (re)design process, from the development of learning outcomes, creating authentic assessments, and prioritizing student learning. The shift to remote learning in 2020 forced faculty and our institution to grapple with teaching in a pandemic, a racial injustice crisis, and a tumultuous election cycle. I partnered with colleagues in the Gephardt Institute and the Center for Teaching and Learning to create a digital publication that served as a pedagogical response to the current moment. This publication gives faculty a guided way to pause and refocus on the true purpose of their courses: student learning. My work in this publication highlights instructional design strategies such as backwards design, transparency in assignment and assessments, ways to foster belonging in a trauma-aware classroom, and highlights pedagogies of freedom and liberation including critical digital pedagogy, open pedagogy, trauma informed pedagogy, and inclusive pedagogy.
Information Literacy Coordinator, Washington University
As Director of the Information Literacy program, I provided leadership in the areas of innovative information literacy teaching and learning of over 25 librarians across nine University Libraries. I built the program by focusing on pedagogy, assessment, and educational technology. I created resources and workshops for librarians on best practices in on-ground and online teaching. One major project of IL Program was to develop a shared definition of information literacy on our campus, as well as shared learning outcomes, assessment strategies, and communication and outreach strategies. I lead librarians in developing this work, collaborating with folks from across the libraries' nine different libraries. Creating these components of the program with collective buy-in demonstrated that the libraries valued these efforts and were committed to student learning across disciplines.
I also implemented assessment protocols for teaching and the program as a whole. A highlight of my time as the ILC is the creation of the Information Literacy Learning Community, with the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement. Since its inception in 2019, 15 faculty and librarians and their courses have engaged in the learning community, redesigning their courses using backwards design and integrating information literacy concepts and skills into the fabric of the course.
Instructional Services Librarian, Saint Louis University
My area of focus as the Instructional Services Librarian included developing an instruction Community of Practice for librarians in the Reference and Information Services department. I conducted a needs assessment of nine librarians, created a series of workshops and hands-on learning opportunities, and lead journal club discussions and instructional design sessions. We covered topics such as the ACRL Framework, collaborative tech tools, strategies for effective lesson planning, and engaging assessment activities. The most positive feedback I received from this work were librarians who changed something about the way they teach, have successfully incorporated new activities into their instruction, or found teaching ENGL 1900 to be less burdensome than before. Another major outcome of this Community was the shared development of English 1900 library learning outcomes, assessment, and teaching strategies. ENGL1900 is the first-year writing and rhetoric course all first years must take. Typically, a librarian was embedded in each section; however, each person taught different skills and concepts. By coordinating our efforts, we were able to more effectively teach and assess student learning.
Distance Learning Librarian, Kennesaw State University
As the Distance Learning librarian much of my focus was to create videos, pathfinders, and other online learning objects for various courses. I developed an extensive video tutorial communications plan to standardize videos based on format, content, and length. Through this communications plan, I implemented tutorials that followed researched-backed guidelines such as using instructional design principles to ensure the videos maintain a learner-centered focus; created videos using a sustainable model for easy maintenance and updating; and created videos that were information literacy concept-based only.
Collaboration with other librarians to enhance the teaching of the instruction team was another major component of this work. I applied instructional design principles to library instruction, and developed creative ways to deliver and assess library instruction. For example, I participated on a team that sandboxed instruction ideas relating to the new ACRL Framework. We worked together to develop teaching ideas and activities, design lesson plans, and brainstorm ways to assess the threshold concepts set out in the framework. This was a safe space to tryout new ideas, assess the efficacy of the teaching activities, and hone teaching skills for the classroom.