Using Online Learning Tools to Broaden Instructional Reach in STEM Library Instruction
Thursday, December 6, 2018
2:00 - 3:00 pm EST
Sponsored by the MiALA STEM Interest Group, Eric Tans of the Michigan State University Libraries and Ed Eckel of Western Michigan University Libraries presented a webinar on how they use video tutorials and other asynchronous learning modules to increase student engagement and promote important information literacy skills in STEM courses at their universities. Eric discussed a collaborative effort between his institution's instruction librarians and science faculty to create a science-focused information literacy learning module for non-majors on critical evaluation of science information resources. Ed discussed how he set up a "flipped classroom" approach to teaching information search skills for a freshman engineering writing course.
Eric Tans has two roles within the Michigan State University Library: Science Collections Coordinator and Environmental Sciences Librarian. As Science Collections Coordinator, he manages and supervises MSU's science librarians overseeing their collection development, instruction, and liaison work across science disciplines. In his position as Environmental Sciences Librarian, he is liaison to the Fisheries and Wildlife Department and the Environmental Science and Policy Program, where he provides support for both teaching and research. His primary research interests focus on sustainability in libraries.
Edward Eckel serves as the Engineering and Applied Sciences Librarian at the Western Michigan University Libraries in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He primarily works with freshmen engineering students, helping them learn to research applied science topics to write research papers. His research interests include how freshmen come up and develop topics for their research papers. He has an MLS in Library and Information Science from Drexel University.