Flipping Out(ward): Changing the Instructional Model for Large-Enrollment Courses

Citation: Citation: Pitts, J., Fritch, M. (2017) Flipping Out(ward): Changing the Instructional Model for Large-Enrollment Courses. Creative Instructional Design: Practical Applications for Librarians. p.227-242For years, Kansas State University Libraries taught face-to-face library instruction sessions for the general education courses, Expository Writing and Public Speaking. We called these Library Days, as they were scheduled daily over week-long periods due to the large number of sections. Expository Writing Library Days were four days of back-to-back, lecture-style sessions for around 1,100 students. It took two weeks to schedule the fifty sections of the course and the eleven librarians needed to lead the instruction and separately operate the computer for each section. The sessions needed to be organized to cover each different research paper assignment and required additional PowerPoint presentations in case the Internet crashed during a session. This was in addition to creating the instruction outlines for all the librarians to follow so each and every student saw the same material, no matter which session they attended. Each session was fifty minutes with approximately seventy students. By the end of the week, we could only hope that the students retained at least ten minutes of our material. This is how we spent a significant amount of library staff time prior to embarking on wide-scale, flipped-classroom implementation that not only transformed how we taught large-enrollment classes, but provided an avenue for improved student learning and self-service. This chapter will cover the design iterations of the online component and discuss the rapid prototyping process utilized to design and implement the program. Assessment and logistics will also be discussed, as will lessons learned and design specifications to consider when embarking on a project of this scale. In essence, we’ll describe how K-State Libraries went from flipping out during Library Days to flipping out(ward) using an effective flipped-classroom model

Library discovery through augmented reality: a game plan for academics

In order to create innovative pathways to services and resources, the authors propose placing a “game-layer” on top of the library, luring new patrons with the potential of playing an Alternate/Augmented Reality Game (ARG). Using both physical and virtual library space a variety of “nodes” are created, drawing players to various library locales even regular patrons may be unfamiliar with and presenting them with story fragments and puzzles. Each node requires players to use library resources like databases and books, or engage library staff at known service points in order to move forward. Players contribute to the game itself in the form of puzzle solutions. Far more illustrative than a guided tour or required course/class, this library ARG encourages players to discover and utilize resources within the context of the game, generating fluency in library systems, places and platforms. But more importantly, the ARG invites a process of “meta-level reflection” invaluable throughout a patron’s academic career

It takes a village: Collaborating to teach new literacies online

Citation: Pitts, J., Kearns, S.K., and Collins, H. "It takes a village: Collaborating to teach new literacies online." Association of College and Research Libraries 2015 National Conference. (2015, Portland, OR). Poster

Canceling the Big Deal: Three R1 Libraries Compare Data, Communication, and Strategies

Canceling the Big Deal is becoming more common, but there are still many unanswered questions about the impact of this change and the fundamental shift in the library collections model that it represents. Institutions like Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the University of Oregon were some of the first institutions to have written about their own experience with canceling the Big Deal several years ago, but are those experiences the norm in terms of changes in budgets, collection development, and interlibrary loan activity? Within the context of the University of California system’s move to cancel a system-wide contract with Elsevier, how are libraries managing the communication about Big Deals both internally with library personnel as well as externally with campus stakeholders? Three R1 libraries (University of Maryland, University of Oklahoma, and Kansas State University) will compare their data, discuss both internal and external communication strategies, and examine the impact these decisions have had on their collections in terms of interlibrary loan and collection development strategies. The results of a brief survey measuring the status of the audience members with respect to Big Deals, communication efforts with campus stakeholders, and impacts on collections will also be discussed

Lived Experience-Led Research Agenda to Address Early Death in People With a Diagnosis of a Serious Mental Illness: A Consensus Statement

Importance People with serious mental illness (SMI), defined as a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, or disabling major depressive disorder) die approximately 10 to 25 years earlier than the general population. Objective To develop the first-ever lived experience–led research agenda to address early mortality in people with SMI. Evidence Review A virtual 2-day roundtable comprising 40 individuals convened on May 24 and May 26, 2022, and used a virtual Delphi method to arrive at expert group consensus. Participants responded to 6 rounds of virtual Delphi discussion via email that prioritized research topics and agreement on recommendations. The roundtable was composed of individuals with lived experience of mental health and/or substance misuse, peer support specialists, recovery coaches, parents and caregivers of people with SMI, researchers and clinician-scientists with and without lived experience, policy makers, and patient-led organizations. Twenty-two of 28 (78.6%) of the authors who provided data represented people with lived experiences. Roundtable members were selected by reviewing the peer-reviewed and gray literature on early mortality and SMI, direct email, and snowball sampling. Findings The following recommendations are presented in order of priority as identified by the roundtable participants: (1) improve the empirical understanding of the direct and indirect social and biological contributions of trauma on morbidity and early mortality; (2) advance the role of family, extended families, and informal supporters; (3) recognize the importance of co-occurring disorders and early mortality; (4) redefine clinical education to reduce stigma and support clinicians through technological advancements to improve diagnostic accuracy; (5) examine outcomes meaningful to people with an SMI diagnosis, such as loneliness and sense of belonging, and stigma and their complex relationship with early mortality; (6) advance the science of pharmaceuticals, drug discovery, and choice in medication use; (7) use precision medicine to inform treatment; and (8) redefine the terms system literacy and health literacy. Conclusions and Relevance The recommendations of this roundtable are a starting point for changing practice and highlighting lived experience–led research priorities as an option to move the field forward.publishedVersio

Putting web analytics to use creating a data driven website

This chapter examines a data-driven library website redesign and suggests informed best practices for pragmatically managing a redesign project.Citation: Pitts, J., & Coleman, T. L. (2013). The right tools for the job: Using analytics to drive design. In T. Farney & N. McHale (Eds.). Web analytics strategies for information professionals: A LITA guide (pp.131-145). Chicago : ALA TechSource

The Advent of Web Scale Discovery Tools: What it Means for Undergraduate Research

Web Scale Discovery is a new breed of library research tool which provides a single platform to search a library’s books, databases, archives and additional materials. Touted as an alternative to Google, Web Scale Discovery has great potential to augment and elevate the undergraduate research experience. The mechanics of Web Scale Discovery will be discussed, along with potential applications in undergraduate courses. Come and learn about the tools many institutions have already adopted or are on the verge of adopting

Cutting Time, Not Corners: Rapid Prototyping in Instructional Design

Trends in digital teaching and learning combined with the learning preferences of college students result in an ever-increasing need for digital learning objects and experiences. Time, budget, and environmental restraints compound instructional design challenges, resulting in too many projects spread over too few staff members. Rapid Prototyping (RP) is an iterative design process originating from the software engineering sector. Adapted to instructional design, RP allows academics to facilitate the design, development, and assessment of multiple learning objects to maximize resources, while catching problems early in the development stage. Discussion will center on how RP can overcome common instructional design problems. Technical details like scheduling and coding usability tests will be offered, as well as a comparison of RP and the traditional ADDIE model. Examples of information literacy projects completed using the RP model along with team member feedback will be shared

Beyond the Book: Teaching Transliteracy through Transmedia Storytelling

In 2013, the Kansas State Book Network’s Common Read program marked its fourth year by selecting Ernest Cline’s dystopian novel Ready Player One. From the program’s inception, Kansas State University Libraries (KSUL) participated in the Common Read program through activities such as hosting book displays, integrating elements of the books into face-toface instruction sessions, and creating LibGuides. In addition to these activities, for 2013’s Common Read two librarians and an instructional designer decided to try something previously attempted by only a handful of colleges and universities: build a campus-wide transmedia storytelling event that not only embedded literacy instruction into the heart of the Common Read program, but also captured the imaginations, interests, and talents of close to 600 students, faculty, and staff.Citation: Pitts, J., Ireton, D., & Ward, B. (2014). Beyond the book: teaching transliteracy through transmedia storytelling. LOEX Quarterly 41(3), 4-10