Critical Literacies and Pedagogies Team Annual Report
Submitted by Reanna Esmail, Chair
July 1, 2023
Charge:
The Critical Literacies and Pedagogies Team (formerly, the Instruction Team) provides leadership for library-wide instruction initiatives, and supports CUL in its commitment to effective instruction and comprehensive information and related literacies (data literacy, visual literacy, media literacy, primary source literacy), by serving as a clearinghouse for information, facilitating a community of practice, and partnering with other groups on initiatives and projects of shared import.
We began this year by transitioning from the Public Services Instruction Committee to the Critical Literacies and Pedagogies (CLAP) Team. These transitions enabled strategic and efficient use of our time, aligned with movement happening in the broader field towards critical librarianship and justice-oriented instruction and addressed the interests and needs voiced across Cornell Library for more co-learning spaces.
Team:
For 2022-2023, our membership comprised:
1. Leadership Team
- *Ashley Shea, Outgoing Lead, and member-at-large (until June 2023)
- Reanna Esmail, Incoming Team Lead and Specialized Humanities and Social Sciences representative
- Christina Sheley, Director Sponsor
2. Cluster Reps/Liaisons
- Reanna Esmail, Humanities and Social Sciences representative
- Tracey Snyder, Music, Fine Arts representative
- Julia Gardner, RMC representative
- Jeffrey Petersen, Kroch Asia representative
- Hyunjung Lee, Business, Engineering, Entrepreneurship representative
- Diana Hackett, Life Sciences representative
- Nina Scholtz, Law representative
- Christian Miller, ILR representative
- Lauren Mabry, Veterinary Library representative (incoming chair 2023-2024)
- *Iliana Burgos, Digital Scholarship representative
3. Member (s)-at-large
- Julia Mizutani, member-at-large
- *Ashley Shea, member-at-large
- Marcie Farwell, member-at-large
- *Kristen Reichenbach, member-at-large
- Devin Sanera, member-at-large
- Robin Gee, member-at-large
- Hannah Toombs, member-at-large (December 2022-Present)
*Indicates that person has already left the Team, or will leave the Team in June 2023
Outputs:
With a new charge, focus, and several new committee members, CLAP explored two main topic areas for the 2022-2023 year: instructional tools, and developing co-learning spaces. Two sub-teams supported exploration in these areas. The tools sub-team included Chris, Devin, Diana, Hyunjung, Julia G., Lauren, and Nina. The co-learning sub-team included Iliana, Jeff, Julia M., Kristen, Marcie, Robin, and Tracey. The leadership team took part in, oversaw, and provided guidance for both teams.
Each team achieved several important goals, which are listed below:
Tools Sub-Team:
- Identify emerging instructional tools being used both within and outside of libraries.
- The tools sub team explored several instructional tools, such as Canva, Canvas, Kahoot, Libwizard, Piktochart, PollEverywhere, and TriviaMaker. The tools team found that game-based platforms were especially popular with both undergraduate and graduate students.
- The team also surveyed other institutions and found that resources like the Niche Academy were becoming increasingly popular as they provide some ready-made and adaptable information literacy resources.
- Research pricing, accessibility compliance, pedagogical value, and privacy ethics for identified instruction tools.
- In December 2022, the tools sub team drafted a proposal for purchasing licenses for Kahoot. The proposal outlined the license pricing, the pedagogical value of game-based instruction tools, and both student and instructor experiences using Kahoot. The team also consulted with the Privacy team to ensure that Kahoot’s privacy policies aligned with Cornell Library’s commitment to privacy and intellectual freedom. The team also scheduled an accessibility compliance review and a technology risk assessment review of Kahoot by the IT Project Management Office.
- While the Privacy team’s review of Kahoot’s privacy policy was favorable, the accessibility compliance review ultimately found some issues with Kahoot’s platform and thus, the tools team decided to notmove forward with purchase.
- In May 2023, the tools team requested a trial of Niche Academy to determine whether it would be useful for Cornell Library instructors.
- The trial will run from June 2023 to July 2023.
- In December 2022, the tools sub team drafted a proposal for purchasing licenses for Kahoot. The proposal outlined the license pricing, the pedagogical value of game-based instruction tools, and both student and instructor experiences using Kahoot. The team also consulted with the Privacy team to ensure that Kahoot’s privacy policies aligned with Cornell Library’s commitment to privacy and intellectual freedom. The team also scheduled an accessibility compliance review and a technology risk assessment review of Kahoot by the IT Project Management Office.
Co-learning Sub-Team:
- Identify emerging information literacy topics, approaches, and techniques that Cornell Library instructors would like to learn more about and practice incorporating into their practice.
- The co-learning team identified several topics that might interest Cornell Library instructors, including algorithmic literacy, critical information literacy, data literacy, and primary source instruction. Due to the increase in requests and interest in data services and digital scholarship, the team pursued data literacy as the primary topic for the 2022-2023 co-learning opportunity.
- Create co-learning opportunities for Cornell Library instructors.
- After identifying a topic area, the team explored different co-learning formats and offerings, such as working through a book or project together, training toolkits, hands-on workshops, informational panels, and a combination of one or two of these offerings. Team members surveyed their colleagues and the rest of the CLAP team, and ultimately began with an informational panel. Additional programming would be determined based on attendee input.
- On March 27, the CLAP co-learning sub team hosted an informational panel that featured Cornell Library workers whose position deals with data in some capacity. Panelists included Courtney Dalton (Data Librarian at Law), Keith Jenkins (GIS Librarian at Mann), Rob Kotaska (Maps Room Coordinator), Susan Kendrick (Business Data and Research Librarian) and Whitney Kramer (ILR Research and Data Librarian).
- Overall, the turnout and reception of the event were very positive. There were over 50 participants for the hybrid event, and many noted that they would like additional events in the future.
- Attendees of the Data Literacy at CUL Panel noted an interest in topics like the anatomy of a data question, data ethics, GIS data, machine learning and large language models, programmatic languages, and tools for digital scholarship like text mining and data visualization.
- Despite the variety of intensive topics, many noted that they were unsure if they could commit to regular meetings or events that required additional tasks such as homework, prerequisite skills, supplementary reading, etc. This, paired with the proposed changes to digital scholarship and data services at Cornell Library made additional programming challenging until the restructuring of these services is completed.
Whole team:
In addition to the work by CLAP sub-teams, CLAP also held regular meetings. Outside of sub-team check-ins and updates, CLAP also used meeting times to discuss instruction related issues and initiatives. In 2022-2023, the team used meetings to accomplish the following:
- Provide feedback to other Cornell Library committees, departments, and working groups.
- CLAP provided feedback to the website redesign team on instructional pages.
- CLAP provided feedback on assessment for ACRL’s yearly survey.
- CLAP provided feedback on the new CUL instructor Canvas course.
- Explore emerging instructional approaches.
- CLAP held space for reading discussions and to test out different lesson plans or approaches to instruction.
- CLAP also planned and hosted an end-of-the-year event for Cornell Library instructors on June 13, 2023 from 12-2pm. The first hour included a networking lunch. We devoted the second hour to unconference-style discussions.
- The CLAP leadership team took notes during the unconference discussion to use these takeaways for future programming.
- Examine different instruction outreach strategies.
- One major topic that emerged in Spring 2023 discussions was around libguides. CLAP discussed libguide formats, usage, and ease of use for non-library workers. We also explored alternatives to libguides, such embedded materials in Canvas, shared libraries, and OER alternatives to Springshare.
Budget:
For FY23, we requested roughly $450 to purchase food for our June 13 end of the year event for Cornell Library instructors. We were very thankful for this financial support!
Preliminary Goals for 2023-2024:
- Continue to explore instructional tools and approaches.
- In particular, there is increasing interest in OER materials, and hence, CLAP hopes to devote time to exploring OER tools for library instruction in 2023-2024.
- Expand co-learning opportunities and collaborate with other Cornell Library teams on programming in this area.
- We hope to offer more regular co-learning opportunities in 2023-2024. This may include a community of practice lunch series and collaborations with Cornell Library committees, departments, and working groups.
- Investigate the efficacy of libguides and other library instruction outputs.
- Building off CLAP discussions in Spring 2023 and discussions in the Ivy+ consortium, we would like to survey Cornell library guides. This survey will include examining their layouts, usage, and consistency across the different units. We will also explore alternatives to libguides and solicit feedback from instructors and students. Possible outputs may include a Cornell Library libguide style guide, testing alternative information sharing resources, and collaborations with other Ivy+ institutions.
- Explicitly and regularly develop the Team’s knowledge and implementation of critical librarianship and justice-oriented instruction.
- Regularly read selected journal articles, chapters, or other professional development materials and actively engage with the concepts presented as a team.
- Members of the team will be tapped, as their availability and interest permits, to select resources and lead related discussions on a rotating basis.