Blend it all! A tale of embedded librarianship and dynamic classroom instruction in an engineering capstone design course

Abstract

Librarians everywhere are offering information literacy sessions to undergraduate students that enhance their critical inquiry skills. Using innovative methods and integrating sessions into coursework, librarians are keen on deepening the understanding of library resources available to students. In engineering undergraduate courses, librarians have actively explored various blended instruction methods. From face-to-face instruction to chat and email reference most of these have provided students with a dynamic learning environment. Keeping in mind the shifting engineering pedagogy, a librarian at the University of Victoria Libraries embedded herself using CourseSpaces while also facilitating face-to-face sessions to students in a Civil Engineering capstone design course. This poster will share the librarian’s experience and journey using a blended learning environment that not only allowed the students to ask open-ended questions, but allowed the librarian to reflect on what students thought the focus of instruction should be. The librarian also accessed students at the end of the course and these findings will be highlighted in the poster. Attendees will be able to discuss the effective way of using a blended learning environment including a dynamic learning classroom instruction facility for face-to-face instruction.