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October 26, 2021, 1-2 p.m.
Feedback on the PS Teams (with Bonna Boettcher, AUL for Public Services present)
Missing Public Service: Collections. How can we better integrate with collections?
Director of Instruction: Some felt that having a Director of Instruction is a good idea since it would provide continuity and the ability to build a vision for how instruction should move forward and how new/continuing instructors can be supported. In addition, it is very complex for a dynamic group to coordinate activity across CUL. It would also be good to have someone talk to the University as a whole and to see where IL, digital, and other literacies fit into the larger framework. However, we still need units to be able to support different relationships/constituencies, and perhaps the Team should stay in place for this person to check-in with. This position could look at the University and determine how we can position ourselves as an instruction unit to support IL and the student experience. Can also assist with assessment and that would be better coordinated if one person instead of the whole group.
Drawbacks with a Director: Do not want instruction to be standardized. Also, do not want someone who has a top down approach, but a person open to collaboration, transparency, and new frameworks (critical/trauma informed pedagogy). A Director requires a financial commitment. What if more authority and budget are given to this group for training and mentoring within instruction and tools to improve our teaching.
Bonna Response to Director: Director would keep track of trends in the field, and also develop an understanding of the wide range of instruction initiatives/programs that are happening at CUL. [NOTE: Missed some comments here because my internet froze.] We could follow the Andy/Access Services model, where he has gotten to know the individuals involved and brings their strengths together. We would also need an advisory/strategy group. The Director would meet with the unit coordinators to help set priorities. Perhaps they can talk with people/units (a listening tour) to see about needed resources do you need, answer questions, and inform their projects.
Current Team Feedback: What authority do we have? We share ideas but what can we do with those, and do we have the authority to make it happen? How do we expand the discussions across CUL? We only have a finite amount of time to dedicate to the Team, and it takes a back seat. You could hire more people to unburden those on the committee. If this work is important, then should there be some active discussion and consideration about freeing up time from regular responsibilities to do this work. Do you look at subteams or projects differently? Meet more frequently and bring in others from outside the group to get things accomplished.
Bonna to Response Team: Not sure if the current charge captures a mission, ways to think about goals, and mechanisms for accomplishing. Where can we learn from each other and understand what is happening in units, and where are things that we are better off at the CUL level. Big assessment piece; we collect all kinds of data and need to do things with it. How are we connecting the dots with all the unit instruction, and then to the University? How are we bringing all of that back and making the connections clearer at CUL?
Next Steps/Other Suggestions: What are the goals for the Instruction Team? This might dictate the best structure/strategy. Is the goal to create the most meaningful instruction across the units? Is the goal a more systematic integration within the University curriculum? Hard to answer until we know what we are trying to achieve. Do wonder if we can start with a community of practice? Bringing new things to the forefront; reading, discussing, and applying in the classroom. We want to move forward and take our place as experts in various literacies and intentionally position our programs in a way that faculty see value. What are the underlying threshold concepts that we want to be teaching? There used to be a peer teaching/mentoring program, really interested in doing that again. How do we approach more interdisciplinary instruction?
Bonna Question (Capacity): How would you free up time for ongoing and active work around instruction? What does that look like?
Team Answer: Part of this is wrapped up in current job roles. Will this work align with unit work? Be additional? Gut answer is maybe 10 hours a week.
Bonna Question (Primary/Secondary): How would RAD/traditional instruction work together and interact?
Team Answer: Look at this as how do we get the materials together and put them in the same room at the same time (logistics). Would like to see people teaching across collections more often. Joan is taking over the CCC and will have more subteams to engage with. Want more opportunities to teach collaboratively and not see ourselves as one or the other. Do you teach students how to use a finding aid? Different instruction areas for students.
Website Feedback: Recently looked at CUL website for research tips and instruction. Site hasn’t changed over time, and students will never read the content. Where would that fall? Mann does that internally but who takes charge of instructional content on CUL website? How do we get the site regularly reviewed? We have so many people who need the site (need to define the target audiences for the site).
Sept 21, 2021
1-2pm
Present: Ashley, Christina, Mel, You Lee, Chris, Marsha, Nina, Sarah
Agenda/Minutes
- Welcome to our new members! Sarah, Business; Marsha, Fine Arts, Music, Africana
- Brief overview of the committee: who we are, what we do, how we function
- Discussing questions sent from Bonna re: future planning/reimagining of public service teams
- How might we organize ourselves to better manage the CUL-wide work that needs to be done and help us to start thinking about innovation opportunities in these areas? We’ve tried the team model with varying degrees of success (through no fault of those leading and participating in the teams). The Access Services Team recently restructured and we wonder where there are better ways to structure the other teams so they work more effectively? Should we even have them at all and if we don’t, what are our alternatives?
- Maybe we need a "Czar of instruction" for all of CUL, similar to Director of Access Services position. They could consult Instruction Leads/Coordinators across units, set direction, coordination execution and assessment of success, help establish CUL Instruction Program learning outcomes. Would also help establish external relations with important units on campus, like CTI, Office of the Vice Provost (Lisa Nishi)Having a committee for instruction does have benefits: Provides mechanism to advance projects, does provide fellowship for instructors, structure ensures accountability. Also some drawbacks: limits free-flow of serendipitous exploration, formality limits organic one-off ideas (i.e., would it be easier to informally start a journal club if people didn't worry about which organizational structure it should fit within?)
What do we consider the functional areas of public services? What is missing?
Public Services Functions
· Access Services (already significantly reimagined)
· Digital Scholarship, including data services (already working with university partners)
· Instruction
· Liaison/Outreach/Engagement Services
· Reference/Research Services
· What is missing? Collections? If we want our collections exposed to students and incorporated into our public service work, it seems they should somehow be represented here.
- What do you hope that we can achieve in our public services functions CUL-wide? Other thoughts and ideas?
- Next month: Discussion with Bonna, revisit annual goals
June 23, 2021
10-11 am
Present: Ashley, Rachel, Lenora, Christina, Mel, You Lee,
Agenda/Minutes
CUL Instruction Overview - sharing unit instruction programs with team
- Rachel presented an overview of instruction at the Business, Engineering, & Entrepreneurship Libraries
Topics of discussion
- Are research consultations instructional? In some cases this is where a lot of instruction occurs due to the number of resources and complexity involved.
- How to find a common approach to instruction (vision) among multiple units
- Further discussion of proposed goals
May 26, 2021
10-11 am
Present: Lenora, Christina, Ashley, Mel, Chris, You Lee, Nina, Lynn, Marcie, Kelly
Agenda/Minutes
CUL Instruction Overview - sharing unit instruction programs with team...