RIPS-SIS Webinars
2020
RIPS-SIS INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN FOR LAW LIBRARIANS
Most law librarians who teach have never taken an instructional design course and base their best practices on watching and learning from other law librarians. This three-day workshop series presented by the Research Instruction & Patron Services SIS (RIPS-SIS) was held on July 28, 2020 through July 30, 2020. It was a chance to hear from law librarians who actively integrate cognitive theory, accessibility best practices, and instructional design in their teaching.
CHANGE YOUR SYLLABUS, CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Date: July 28, 2020
Speakers: Mari Cheney, Lewis and Clark Law School; Elizabeth Sherowski, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law Professor Elizabeth Sherowski lead a hands-on discussion on how to make the move from a rule-focused syllabus to a learner-focused syllabus. Professor Sherowski illustrated this transition through examples from the evolution of her own syllabi. By the end of the session, attendees should understand how and why the learner-focused syllabus is better for both students and their professors.
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN: EMPOWERING FOREIGN LLM STUDENTS TO LEARN AND THRIVE
Date: July 28, 2020
Speakers: Mari Cheney, Lewis and Clark Law School; Jennifer Allison, Harvard Law School Library
Unique skills and experiences that foreign LLM students bring to an instructional setting can be considered and leveraged to optimize the students’ success in learning and conducting legal research were discussed. The instructor, an American academic law librarian who holds both a U.S. J.D. and an LL.M. in German law, drew on her own experience as a foreign LL.M. student to guide the discussion.
BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION: SMALL TEACHING ONLINE
Date: July 29, 2020
Speakers: Mari Cheney, Lewis and Clark Law School; Rebecca Fordon, UCLA Law Library
BACKWARD DESIGN
Date: July 29, 2020
Speakers: Mari Cheney, Lewis and Clark Law School; Heather Joy, Fowler School of Law, Chapman University; AJ Blechner, Harvard Law School Library
As we prepare for fall amidst the changes wrought by COVID-19, we have the unique opportunity to rethink our teaching methods and optimize our instruction for both online and in-person classes. Backward design is an established pedagogical framework for developing lessons that prioritize essential learning objectives and measure student understanding.
ACCESSIBILITY & INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN
Date: July 30, 2020
Speakers: Mari Cheney, Lewis and Clark Law School; Rena Seidler, Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law; Franklin Runge, Washington & Lee University School of Law Library; Mari Cheney, Lewis and Clark Law School
In this session, panelists discussed best practices for accessibility in instructional design, including captioning options for video and web conferencing, and document and web content creation for blind and low-vision patrons. The panelists also discusse inclusionary practices for the classroom.
AN INTRODUCTION TO EVIDENCE-BASED INSTRUCTION: USING COGNITIVE THEORY TO IMPROVE YOUR TEACHING
Date: July 30, 2020
Speakers: Mari Cheney, Lewis and Clark Law School; Alyson Drake, Texas Tech University School of Law Library
In this session, Alyson Drake gave a quick overview of cognitive overload and working memory, and then gave easy examples of ways to modify in-person and online instructional sessions to help increase students’ long-term retention of information, transfer of knowledge, and more. Attendees brought a syllabus or teaching outline for a single instructional session so they could participate in a hands-on session to incorporate some of these strategies into their classes.
THE WEBINAR ON WEBINARS (RIPS-SIS)
Date: May 26, 2020
Speakers: Matthew Timko, Northern Illinois University College of Law; Rebecca Bryan, University of Tennessee College of Law; Sarah Gotschall, The University of Arizona College of Law; Sibyl Marshall, University of Tennessee College of Law; Gail Mathapo, University of Florida Levin College of Law; Jingwei Zhang, Rutgers Law School
The Research Instructions & Patron Services SIS (RIPS-SIS) Online Training Committee is proud to present: The Webinar on Webinars. In this training, we will cover your favorite and lesser known webinar platforms, including Zoom, GoToWebinar, WebEx, and more! You will leave the training with a greater understanding of how best to use these platforms, so you can best determine which platforms are right for you and your institution. There is so much that goes into planning and running a webinar that the only way to show it to you is in a webinar!