New information literacy workshops are offered regularly. Dates, descriptions, and registration information for upcoming workshops are available below. ALL TIMES EASTERN.
Teaching AI Literacy with Authenticity and Vulnerability
January 16, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/ailitspring25
Presenters: Michael Flierl, Associate Professor, Student Learning Librarian, & Jane Hammons, Associate Professor, Teaching & Learning Engagement Librarian
Feeling overwhelmed by the AI revolution sweeping through education? You’re not alone.
As educators, we may be feeling pressure to teach our students about generative AI or to incorporate AI into our courses. And yet, for those who lack significant experience or expertise related to AI, leading discussions about AI or engaging with AI tools may create feelings of vulnerability. How can we talk with our students about AI, or provide guidance or create policies for AI use, if we don’t feel comfortable using AI ourselves? In this workshop, two presenters with varying levels of expertise with AI will discuss how educators, even those who may not have a great deal of experience using AI tools, can approach teaching with or talking about AI in an authentic manner. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Teaching AI Literacy: Engaging with AI Tools
January 22, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/aitoolspring25
Presenter: Michael Flierl, Associate Professor, Student Learning Librarian
As educators, we may be feeling pressure to teach our students about generative AI or to incorporate AI into our courses. And yet, for those who lack significant experience or expertise related to AI, leading discussions about AI or engaging with AI tools may create feelings of vulnerability. In this hands-on, interactive workshop, participants will have the chance to engage with different AI tools and ask questions related to the use of AI in the teaching context in a supportive environment. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Help! My Students Can’t Research
January 23, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/helpresearch25
While ubiquitous in higher education, research assignments can be great sources of frustration for both students and instructors. Instructors may find themselves wondering why students seem unable to meet their expectations, but students may struggle to identify what those expectations even are. In this workshop, participants will learn more about the reasons why students may have difficulties understanding and meeting expectations for research assignments. Participants will also learn about strategies and resources that they can use to support students’ ability to become stronger researchers. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Information Literacy: Definitions and Core Concepts
January 30, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/ildefineconcepts1
OR
February 5, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/ildefineconcepts2
What is information literacy? Why is information literacy important for students? In this workshop, participants will learn about several definitions of information literacy and develop an understanding of the key concepts, skills, and dispositions associated with information literacy. In addition, participants will learn why explicit information literacy instruction is crucial to students’ academic and professional success and consider what their role in supporting students’ information literacy development might be. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend. The workshop will be followed by a second workshop, Teaching Information Literacy: Strategies and Resources. Participants are encouraged to attend both workshops.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Teaching Information Literacy: Strategies and Resources
February 6, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/ilstrategiesresources1
OR
February 12, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/ilstrategiesresources2
How do we teach information literacy? In order to develop the habits and skills associated with information literacy, students need explicit guidance and support across their entire academic careers. In this workshop, participants will learn more about strategies and activities that they can use to teach information literacy in a variety of contexts. In addition, participants will become familiar with multiple resources available to help them integrate information literacy into their teaching practices. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend. This workshop builds upon an initial workshop, Information Literacy: Definitions and Key Concepts. Participants are encouraged to attend both workshops.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Decoding Research Practices: Narrowing the Expert-Novice Gap
February 13, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/decodingresearch
Instructors’ expectations for student performance on research assignments is heavily influenced by their disciplinary expertise and their knowledge of academic research practices. However, because this knowledge may become tacit, instructors may have difficulty communicating their expectations to students. The Decoding the Disciplines model, developed by Joan Middendorf and David Pace, has been shown to help narrow the gap between expert and novice thinking by providing instructors with a seven-step process that they can follow to identify and model their own thinking and practice. This workshop will provide participants with an overview of the Decoding the Disciplines model and will demonstrate how participants can use this process to identify student learning bottlenecks related to research and help students move past these bottlenecks. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Should I Still Be Teaching That? Identifying Outdated Research Notions
February 20, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/outdatedspring25-1
OR
February 26, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/outdatedspring25-2
Are .org sources more credible? Should students be discouraged from using Wikipedia or Google Scholar as part of the research process? Students, and sometimes even instructors, may have a wide range of misconceptions or outdated notions when it comes to information searching and research assignments. In this workshop, participants will learn about some common, but outdated, understandings about how to find, evaluate and use information as part of the research process. Participants will also collaborate to update these notions to provide more effective guidance to students. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Do Students Really Need to Learn That? Controversial Research Notions
February 27, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/controversialnotions
Do first year students need to be using peer-reviewed journal articles? Should students spend time learning how to use Boolean operators? How important is it for students to be able to create perfect APA or MLA citations? Is plagiarism really theft? Research and information literacy instruction often centers around teaching students how to conduct research in the same way as disciplinary experts. We encourage students to learn how to use academic databases and peer-reviewed journal articles, to utilize Boolean operators and other precision search techniques, and to generate complete academic citations. However, after graduation, many (perhaps most) of our students will lose access to academic databases and will never use peer-reviewed articles or need to provide citations. This presentation will outline several controversial notions related to how we teach research and information literacy. Participants will be encouraged to consider these notions in light of their own teaching practices and consider potential alternative approaches for teaching research and information literacy. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Adapting to Change: Student Research and Emotions Post-COVID
March 5, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/adaptingtochange
Presenters: Hanna Primeau, Instructional Designer, and Katie Blocksidge, Associate Professor of Practice
The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated emergency remote teaching has reshaped the research journey for first-year students, altering their emotional responses and information-seeking behaviors. As emergency remote teaching took hold, students adapted by leaning more on peer networks and evolving their information literacy across diverse contexts. This presentation dives into the post-COVID research challenges students face, comparing pre-pandemic data from 2019 with fresh insights from 2023.
We’ll explore how students’ frustrations and persistence levels have shifted, and how their emotional experiences now play a crucial role in their research process. By understanding these evolving dynamics, all educators can better support students in navigating their academic paths. Join us to discover strategies that harness students’ emotional resilience, foster self-regulated learning, and build robust information literacy skills in this transformed educational landscape.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Teaching Research Practices with Small Teaching
March 6, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/smallteachingsp25
In Small Teaching: Everyday Lessons from the Science of Learning, James Lang uses research on how we learn to provide guidance for small changes that instructors can make in order to support student learning. This workshop will provide an overview of the Small Teaching approach and consider how instructors can use this approach to help students develop key understandings and skills related to research and information literacy. The presentation will use Small Teaching to highlight activities and strategies that instructors can incorporate into their classes that do not require a significant amount of time or a major course redesign. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
TILTing Research Assignments
March 11, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/tiltmarch25
OR
April 9, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/tiltapril25
Research assignments, common across higher education, often require students to demonstrate their information literacy. Instructors may assume that students are prepared to meet the expectations for these assignments or feel unable to teach information literacy at the expense of disciplinary content. Hence, the ways of thinking and knowing related to information literacy can form a hidden curriculum. This online workshop introduces the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework and provides an activity for you to consider how you might apply this framework to your own teaching practice.
What They Don’t (Yet) Understand: Taking an Empathetic Approach to Student Research Challenges
March 13, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/empatheticresearch
For instructors, it can be frustrating when students consistently struggle to meet our expectations for performance on research assignments. Why do they so often use poor sources? Why can’t they provide proper citations? Why did they turn to AI to complete the assignment? In some cases, instructors may be inclined to blame such performance on laziness or indifference. However, while such frustrations may be understandable, instructors may fail to recognize the extent of the knowledge gap between what experienced researchers know and what novice learners do not (yet) know. This workshop will support instructors to think about how we can take a more empathetic approach to the challenges that students experience with research. Instructors will be encouraged to consider how we can recognize and acknowledge the real challenges that students may be experiencing related to research as we help students to develop the skills and knowledge they need to become effective researchers. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Beyond “Just Show Them the Databases”: Rethinking the Roles of Faculty and Librarians in Teaching Research Practices
March 20, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/rethinkingroles
Both course instructors and librarians have a stake in supporting students to develop the understandings, skills, and dispositions necessary to effectively complete research assignments. But who has the primary responsibility for teaching information literacy? And how can instructors and librarians most effectively collaborate to help students learn effective research practices and habits? This workshop will explore current practices for teaching research and information and encourage both instructors and librarians to rethink their roles in supporting students’ information literacy development. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Not Just Research Skills: Identifying and Teaching the Dispositions and Values of Effective Researchers
March 27, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/researchdispositions
Being an effective researcher requires a significant amount of knowledge and skills, but it also requires students to demonstrate key dispositions and values, such as adaptability, patience, and curiosity. This workshop will identify some of the attitudes and values that are shared by experienced researchers that allow them to more effectively with research, and will consider strategies that instructors can take to help students develop these dispositions. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Transformative Information Literacy
April 3, 2025
12:00-1:00 pm (Eastern)
To register: https://go.osu.edu/transformativeinfolit
A transformative education is one in which students do not just learn new skills and knowledge, but develop a new perspective that allows them to critically consider and question existing understandings and assumptions. Is it possible to teach information literacy in ways that support epistemic and personal transformation? If so, what would this look like? This workshop will provide an overview of the concept of transformative education and will consider this notion in relation to efforts to teach information literacy. This workshop is intended for course instructors, graduate teaching associates, instructional support staff, and librarians at Ohio State. Participants from other institutions are also welcome to attend.
For participants associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy Endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. For participants not associated with Ohio State, participation counts as credit for the Teaching Information Literacy Certificate being offered by the Teaching & Learning Department in the Ohio State University Libraries.
Past Workshops
To access slides and/or view recordings of previous workshops, go to: Past Workshops.