Engaging with the ACRL Framework: A Catalyst for Exploring and Expanding Our Teaching Practices (Off-RoadShow Virtual Workshop)

The ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education - with its emphasis on self-reflective, lifelong learning and conceptual understandings of information, research, and scholarship - has prompted many librarians to consider their teaching practices from fresh angles, as they explore their evolving instructional roles within and beyond the library classroom. The Framework’s vision of information literacy education as a shared responsibility of all educators suggests both opportunities and challenges for teaching librarians, as we expand pedagogical approaches and partnerships. This online workshop supports librarians seeking to engage more deeply with the Framework and explore ways it may help to enrich their individual teaching practices, as well as their local instruction programs and institutions.

Participants will reflect on how their prior knowledge of and attitudes towards information literacy instruction can influence their understanding of, approaches to, or attitudes towards the Framework. Participants will consider how perceptions of and experiences with teaching and learning can be both opportunities and barriers.

Throughout this online workshop, participants will explore concepts and pedagogical approaches outlined in the Framework and their significance to their own instructional work. Attendees will apply their learning and reflection by creating instruction plans with the Framework as a guide.

Who Should Participate?

This online workshop is for any librarian who supports teaching and learning, whether through direct instruction or through instructional programming or initiatives. While the workshop is most relevant to academic librarians, librarians working in other types of libraries and educators who are employed outside of a library will also benefit from engaging with the theoretical concepts and practical applications explored among participants.

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Sample Schedule

This workshop takes place across three half-days, and the schedule is flexible. Each session should be scheduled over three separate days with at least one day in between each session for participants to complete asynchronous activities and facilitator to synthesize feedback. Below is a sample agenda of a workshop scheduled over one week:

Day 1 (Mon)

9:00-9:15am: Welcome, introductions, and setting expectations for the workshop
9:15-9:40am: Presentation and Jamboard activity on "What is information literacy and why does it matter?"
9:40-10:00am: Breakout room discussion on teaching practices
10:00-10:15am: Break and reflection question
10:15-10:45am: Identifying an instructional idea; Overview of the Framework and other key theories
10:45-11:00am: Q&A
11:00am-12:00pm: Overview of Stage 1 of Understanding by Design

After session: asynchronous work (readings, reflection questions, etc.)

Day 2 (Weds)

9:00-9:30am: Recap of Session 1 - presenter provides synthesis/feedback of UBD Stage 1
9:30-10:00am: Breakout room share of Stage 1
10:00-10:15am: Break and reflection
10:15-11:00am: Inclusive Instructional Practices
11:00am-12:00pm: Overview of Stage 2 of Understanding by Design & critical assessment practices

After session: asynchronous work (readings, reflection questions, etc.)

Day 3 (Fri)

9:00-9:30am: Recap of Session 1 & 2 (Presenter provides synthesis of feedback of Stage 2 of understanding by design)
9:30-10:00am: Framework and the Significance of Context
10:00-10:15am: Break
10:15-10:45am: Librarians’ role as educator - Breakout room discussion
10:45am-12:00pm: Stage 3 of Understanding by Design
12:00-12:30pm: Where to go from here

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Presenters

Click a photo to read more.

Jenny Dale

Jenny Dale is the Information Literacy Coordinator at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's University Libraries, where she oversees the First-Year Instruction Program, coordinates information literacy assessment, and provides professional development training for librarian and teaching faculty colleagues. Jenny also collaborates with students and faculty in the departments of Classical Studies, Communication Studies, English, Media Studies, and Women's and Gender Studies in her role as a liaison librarian. She holds a Master of Science in Library Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Learn more about Jenny in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider.

Kate L. Ganski

Kate L. Ganski is Assistant Director of Libraries for User Services at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, where she is responsible for casting the vision and developing goals and metrics for library services contributing to the campus goals of graduating successful students, producing excellent research, and engaging the community. She also oversees the information literacy instruction program, which includes training and professional development for librarians and interns. Kate holds a Master’s in Library Science from Southern Connecticut State University. Learn more about Kate in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider.

Samantha Godbey

Samantha Godbey is Education Librarian at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she is liaison to the College of Education and Department of Psychology. In this role, she has worked directly with faculty to integrate research-based assignments and information literacy concepts into their courses. Samantha’s research focuses on the Framework as well as information literacy instruction and assessment, and she is co-editor of Disciplinary Applications of Information Literacy Threshold Concepts (ACRL, 2017) and Faculty-Librarian Collaborations: Integrating the Information Literacy Framework into Disciplinary Courses (ACRL, 2020). She holds a Master of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and a Master of Arts in Education from the University of California at Berkeley. Learn more about Samantha in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider.

Brittney Johnson

Brittney Johnson is the Library Curriculum and Instruction Developer at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, where she develops (and teaches) programmatic curriculum for information literacy that integrates into the general education curriculum, as well as research- and writing-centric courses. In previous work at Texas State University, she developed curriculum for and coordinated a digital literacy micro-credentialing program that was embedded within the library's technology spaces. Brittney also teaches in higher education, both online and face-to-face, and most recently has taught introduction to education and senior-level capstone courses. Brittney holds a Master of Science in Cognitive Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master in the Art of Teaching in Education from the University of Alaska - Southeast and is working on her doctorate in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning at University at Buffalo. Along with Andrea Baer and Lindsay Matts-Benson, Brittney co-designed this workshop curriculum. Learn more about Brittney in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider.

Lindsay Matts-Benson

Lindsay Matts-Benson is the Teaching and Learning Program Lead for the University of Minnesota Libraries in Minneapolis where she collaborates and consults with librarians and library staff on enhancing their teaching practices - both in-person and online and developing strategy, programs and partnerships around campus to further the Libraries impact on student learning. Lindsay has designed online learning modules and developed semester-long courses ranging from insurance law and trial advocacy skills to library research skills and job searching using library databases. Lindsay holds a Master of Arts in Learning Technology with a certificate in e-learning from the University of St. Thomas, and a Master's in Library and Information Science from Dominican University in River Forest, IL. Along with Andrea Baer and Brittney Johnson, Lindsay co-designed this workshop curriculum. Learn more about Lindsay in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider.

Kim Pittman

Kim Pittman is the Head of Research and Learning at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), where she leads a team that is responsible for information literacy instruction, archives and special collections, digital services, and research support. In a previous role as UMD's Information Literacy and Assessment Librarian, she coordinated the library's instruction program and led assessment efforts. She is a founding member of the Lake Superior Libraries Symposium Steering Committee and co-founder of the Minnesota Library Association Instruction Roundtable (IRT). With IRT co-chairs Amy Mars and Trent Brager, Kim helped develop the 23 Framework Things, an online professional development program which was recognized with the 2018 ACRL Instruction Section Innovation Award. She holds a Master’s in Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Learn more about Kim in her ACRL Member of the Week profile on ACRL Insider.

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Pricing

Smaller Groups

Cost: $3,500 (as low as $145/person!)
Participants: up to 24
Presenters: 1

Larger Groups

Cost: $6,000 (as low as $100/person!)
Participants: 25 - 60
Presenters: 2

Even Larger Groups

Have more than 60 participants? Get in touch and we'll work to accommodate your community!

Organizational members of ACRL receive a 10% discount off the hosting cost. Not sure about your organization's membership status? Contact Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org to find out.

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Host Responsibilities

Technology Requirements

Virtual Meeting Platform License and DJ

Host should have a virtual meeting platform license and provide someone to coordinate technical issues for the live sessions. Note: Presenters have a strong preference for Zoom or WebEx. Please let ACRL know if your institution uses a different virtual meeting platform.

Host's virtual meeting software must have the following features:

• Screen sharing capabilities
• Breakout rooms
• Chat
• Polling

• Ability to mute participants
• Virtual hand-raise feature
• Closed captioning

Other Host Responsibilities

• Management of registration process
• Communicating with presenters and attendees
• Marketing and publicity of the virtual workshop
• Limit attendance to participant level set by ACRL
• Provide attendee roster to presenters and ACRL
• Ensuring a safe and harassment-free learning environment. We invite and encourage you to use ACRL's Statement of Appropriate Conduct as a model.

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Ready to take your library off-road? Get in touch!

To schedule a virtual workshop, please contact Margot Conahan at mconahan@ala.org.