e-Learning from ACRL
ACRL offers a number of online learning opportunities to meet the demands of your schedule and budget. If you have a question about an e-Learning opportunity or need technical assistance, please contact Margot Conahan (mconahan@ala.org).
Online Courses
ACRL e-Learning courses are multi-week, primarily asynchronous events, delivered through the Moodle platform.
Developing a Comprehensive Critical Thinking Curriculum: From Goal-Setting to Assessment (February 6 - March 2, 2012)
Even professional educators have a tough time designing learning experiences that help students develop authentic critical thinking skills. Learn to do more than just pay lip service to critical thinking by planning, developing, implementing and assessing a library instructional unit that fosters higher-order thinking.
Deciding with Data (February 13 - March 9, 2012)
Learn about the lifecycle of library data from setting up its collection to making decisions using this information. Topics covered include plotting commonly-gathered statistics over time and on the same chart in order to visualize trends; an introduction to e-resources use statistics; in introduction to using Google Analytics in libraries; and an introduction to the analysis of library collections using ILS data.
Fundamentals of Management: Practical Approaches for Successful Managers (March 5-23, 2012)
This course provides a practical approach to becoming a successful library manager, including strategies for planning, organizing, staffing and evaluating library departments and programs. Through a series of readings, discussions and exercises, gain real-world tools for improving your management skills and develop confidence in your ability to supervise and manage.
Humanities on the Map: Discovering Spatial Humanities (March 12 - 30, 2012)
Because Humanities librarians are beginning to encounter students and faculty who want to include such geographic components to their papers and research they need to be aware of the different approaches to introducing geography and the study of space into other disciplines. Through a variety of readings, resource assignments, and project evaluations this course will provide an overview/awareness of, discussions on the role of the librarian in and useful resources for assisting students and faculty in the Spatial Humanities.
Winning Library Grants (April 1-20, 2012)
This course will introduce you to the grant process from beginning to end with an emphasis on planning successful grant projects, funding sources for libraries, researching grant opportunities, proposal writing basics, and grant-winning tips and techniques useful for all types of librarians.
Successful Budgeting in Academic Libraries (April 16-May 4, 2012)
An essential skill for managers is the ability to develop and manage a budget. However, many new managers are ill-prepared for this responsibility, since they may have received little, if any, education on budgeting while in library school. Learn essential budgeting skills, including how to develop and manage a budget and how to write a persuasive budget request.
Mobile Apps: What You Need to Know (April 23-May 11, 2012)
Become familiar with some of the best apps for academic libraries including things like Wunderlist, Inkling, Kindle, Evernote, Instapaper, iAnnotate and many others. Learn how to evaluate and review the usefulness of individual apps, so you can make selection decisions and advise others. Through readings, video demos, discussions, and hands-on practice, you will leave the course with a good understanding of the app landscape and the knowledge and skills to offer your own workshop for staff, faculty, or students.
Managing Student Assistants (May 14 - June 1, 2012)
Find out how to get the best performance from your student workers. Through a variety of exercises and discussions find out how to write job descriptions, “sell” your job to prospective student assistants, financial aid basics, interviewing techniques, the importance of training, coaching & counseling and staff retention strategies.
Instructional Design for Online Teaching and Learning (July 16 - August 10, 2012)
In this hands-on course, the intellectual focus will be on using good instructional design and Web page design principles. Participants will also be introduced to Web-based Teaching techniques and materials using standard Web pages and the Moodle LMS.
Statistics for the Non-mathematical Mind (July 23 - August 10, 2012)
The goal of the course is to assist in understanding the full benefit appreciation, relevance and importance of statistics in the workplace and everyday life applications. Throughout the course there will be discussion boards and online chats to discuss common issues and challenges related to statistics.
Implementing Online Teaching and Learning: Using Moodle and Other Web 2.0 (September 10 - October 5, 2012)
In this hands-on course, learn about state-of-the-art of online teaching and learning technology and its applications.
Live Webcasts
ACRL e-Learning webcasts are 1.5 hours in length. Webcasts take place in an interactive, online classroom environment with one user/one login. A group registration allows an institution to project the Webcast to participants in the same location.
From Idea to Publication Part One: Understanding the Research Question (February 7, 2012)
Learn to formulate and define good research questions, select appropriate research methodologies and design the research study. Specific topics will include developing useful questionnaires, techniques used in conducting telephone interviews, working with focus groups and constructing surveys to get the information you need.
From Idea to Publication Part Two: Analysis and Writing (March 7, 2012)
Quantitative methods necessitate certain kinds of analyses, while qualitative methods operate on different assumptions and different kinds of data. It is essential to have an understanding of the appropriate forms of analyses (along with their possibilities and limitations). Learn learn to express their research in publishable form.
The Library's Role in Ensuring the Success of International Efforts on Campus (March 13, 2012)
Libraries can play a critical role in connecting these foreign students, not only to our universities and colleges, but also to the information literacy skills they will need to succeed. Many students have not previously had librarians available to assist with their research. It is therefore critical that we clarify the role that libraries and librarians can play in their educational careers.
Shifting Sands: How Small Changes in Policy, Culture and Technology are Determining the Future of Libraries (March 27, 2012)
Discover how changes in national and international policy, the growth of the free culture movement, and the rapid evolution of technology are having big impacts on libraries, and what you can do to help turn the tide.
From Idea to Publication Part Three: Submitting for Publication (April 3, 2012)
Learn how to select an appropriate journal or publisher, learn how to prepare a manuscript for submission, and understand what the submission process will encompass.
A New Model for Student Learning: Using Team-based Learning in Information Literacy Courses (April 12, 2012)
Team-based learning (TBL), which uses a very structured approach to student learning in teams, has enormous potential when used in information literacy credit-bearing courses. While TBL shares some characteristics with problem-based learning and the flipped model of learning, it has unique elements that make it a particularly powerful teaching/learning approach. Learn about the four critical components of TBL, and their application in an information literacy course.
Embedded Librarians: Integrating Information Literacy Instruction at the Point of Need (May 1, 2012)
More and more libraries are adopting embedded librarianship as an approach to creating an integrated and sustained library instruction presence in classes across the curriculum. In this webcast, embedded librarians will describe examples of successful projects across the range of academic levels and departments, including both online and on-campus instruction.
Lightning in a Bottle: Managing Ideas to Spur Innovation (July 17, 2012)
Library literature is filled with discussions of how libraries can use the design process and user feedback to create innovative services and solutions that fulfill the needs and solve the problems of our patrons. However, these principles often fail in practice. This webcast will look at one of the foundations of innovation - ideas - and its role in the innovation process. With a better grasp of how to manage and share ideas within the organization, libraries will be better able to create innovative solutions.
