Intertwining Concerns of Libraries and Writing Centers

Through 2020, Asbury Theological Seminary largely built an introductory course for those preparing for graduate-level study in seminary disciplines. Through that work and the collaborative efforts between our research librarian, Writing Center, and instructional designer, we have discovered shared concerns, knowledge, and new insights into how to help our students. Great synergy was found in terms of information literacy, citations, using information well, and a desire to see students/patrons succeed. Points of divergence were found in terms of organizational structures (siloes) and a potential conflict between a “do for” rather than “teach how” staff focus. Recommendations also are given at the close regarding having writing resources available for patrons in contexts where there is not a writing center.

How Instructional Designers Work and Think in Online Higher Education

This article summarizes the main themes and chapters for The Learner-Centered Instructional Designer (Stylus Publishing, 2021) and provides a critical evaluation and recommendations for prospective readers. The book consists of 19 short essay-like chapters where 20 experienced instructional designers cover a range of topics related to instructional design consulting in higher education. The various authors share practical strategies and best practices about working with instructors to create online courses.

Building Collaboration with Faculty and Instructional Designers

Librarians are often working together within the library, but collaborating with faculty and instructional designers can benefit your students, faculty, and staff. Many large libraries have whole teams working collaboratively, but in a theological library you might be working at a much smaller scale, with a limited budget. This pre-conference focused on approaches that a small team (one librarian and one instructional designer/faculty member) has developed to collaborate across their departments to build a suite of services and collections to serve their patrons. The workshop allowed time to develop a plan of action to bring away three concrete items on which to collaborate with the faculty or instructional designers at your school.

Improving Classroom Management and Teacher Retention

This case explores how a needs assessment was conducted at a middle school experiencing high rates of teacher turnover. Pamela Frost, an experienced instructional designer, was assigned to assess the situation and identify opportunities to improve professional development opportunities for the teachers. As a part of a needs assessment, Pamela gathered data to address needs pertaining to classroom management challenges, teacher attrition rates, and establishing relations with the local community. This case explores how Pamela gathered data and triangulated her findings to determine what interventions were needed.

Improving Performance, Self-Efficacy, and Motivation

Suzy Whitman, an experienced instructional designer and program manager, was hired to coordinate a new online graduate program at a large university. It was Suzy's responsibility to identify and implement solutions to the rapidly growing program's needs. Identifying problems, evaluating the need, thinking through a modification and implementation process, and considering the potential impact of change, are all important steps. In this case study, Suzy needed to identify the problems, determine a solution, and then implement that solution. After speaking with her new supervisor, Suzy determined additional instructors needed to be hired to meet the growing program's needs. Although Suzy did briefly analyze the situation and provide a potential solution, the solution Suzy implemented needed further development to ensure it was implemented in an effective manner.

Infection Prevention and Control Training-Design of a Workbook Prototype

This case describes the instructional design process of a workbook accompanying a four-day infection prevention and control global training. Working closely with global health professionals, the instructional designer assessed the needs, the attitudes of learners, and conducted a task analysis of the training content. Subsequently, she designed instructional strategies with special attention to cognitive load, sequencing, and generative learning. Then she created formative and summative assessment strategies and developed a prototype for testing. This case explores how the instructional designer collaborated closely with the global health team to review the content material of the training and design the workbook accordingly.