Thanks to all who attended our virtual roundtable discussion about Supporting Online Teaching and Learning! Participants came with a range of experiences and lessons learned from the spring term. Here are a few items that were shared.
Some institutions are planning for a fully or partially remote fall term, with a variety of options for library instruction sessions represented:
Participants also shared tips that have helped them succeed in teaching synchronous library sessions and providing asynchronous materials and activities.
Here are some ways that librarians are contacting faculty about instruction and other opportunities:
Many librarians have seen an increase in the demand for electronic resources and are looking into purchasing more e-books and prioritizing unlimited licenses. Demand for streaming videos has also seen an increase, though many participants mention cost restrictions as a barrier. Some librarians have offered alternatives to faculty requests, such as offering a video on a similar topic or one that discusses themes or includes clips from the original request. Others have used this as an opportunity to educate and connect with faculty around open electronic resources and other available resources. How has the library supported the transition to online learning at your institution? Join us for an informal discussion of lessons learned from two months of remote teaching and learning. We’ll discuss efforts in online collections and instruction, as well as collaborations with university-wide faculty and staff.
Date: Tuesday June 16, 2020 Time: 9:00 AM CST Access to the Zoom meeting room will be provided upon RSVP. Thanks to all who attended last month’s Remote User Testing roundtable, and thanks to Emma Boettcher (UChicago) and Eileen López for co-convening.
Pressing Areas for Testing CARLI is moving forward with the migration to Alma/Primo in June 2020. User testing is not centralized through CARLI, in part because individual institutions are able to make many local customization (for example, search scopes, top-level menus, naming and ordering of facets). Many attendees had planned to do user testing this spring, so that work will either need to be done online or postponed until after go-live in June. Other areas for testing include website or institutional repository development that was in process prior to COVID-related closures. Remote Card Sorting with OptimalSort Eileen López gave a brief presentation about a study she conducted on the University of Chicago Library’s intranet. This study served two purposes: testing the organization of content across multiple pages via a card sorting exercise and evaluating the utility of two platforms (OptimalSort and Qualtrics ) for conducting this sort of study. After reviewing the features and functionality of both platforms, Eileen determined that Qualtrics could not support an open card sort. She used OptimalSort’s free trial, which allows users to create an unlimited number of tests of with up to 10 participants and 30 cards each, to conduct this project. The built-in tools made grouping and analysis of reports much easier than anticipated. Other Strategies for Remote Testing Attendees shared several strategies they’ve tried:
Remote testing presents different logistical challenges that in person. Participants have to use their own equipment rather than yours which will result in more authentic feedback about how your tool will function in the real world – but also means that you can’t control the environment, internet connection, device speed, etc in order to ensure that your tool is what is being tested. It is possible that your participant may not be able to access the thing you need to test! Recruitment is also proving to be challenging in an environment where communication with patrons is often discouraged. Some attendees mentioned working with student workers or other affiliated student groups to conduct testing. Others are reaching out to pools of previous participants. All of these groups bring with them the caveat that they may be familiar with the library and its systems. Remaining Questions The roundtable closed with a discussion of future plans – or, rather, the difficulty of balancing work that can feasibly be done right now with the needs of our institutions longer term. Questions included:
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