While being a librarian means teaching every day one-on-one with students and in one-shot library orientation sessions, it can also mean teaching courses for credit, and I’ve had two opportunities to do that. I have taught LBRA 1191 at Houston Community College and COLLS 111 & 211 at Schoolcraft College.
LBRA 1191 – Information Literacy, Student Inquiry, and Libraries
A librarians dream – to have more than an hour and one chance to teach Information Literacy! When I started teaching this class, it was a hybrid with one hour of face-to-face class time and the rest as online. All of that changed when my class became an online class, and I learned new skills as I recorded certain demonstrations as videos. Since Information Literacy is more than just how to use a library, I’ve also added units on copyright and digital footprints on the Internet including social media and digital assistants.
COLLS 111 & 211 – The Electronic Portfolio
When I was asked to teach the Colls 111 & 211 – Electronic Portfolio classes at Schoolcraft College, I was excited to investigate what the current trends and standards were in the field especially since I already had an e-portfolio. I also faced a new challenge. This would be my first experience of not having a physical classroom or being able to teach in person. These classes were more like independent study with most communication done electronically. Consequently, all lectures and other materials had to be created and uploaded into Blackboard.