Information Literacy Virtual Workshops

New information literacy workshops are offered regularly. Dates, descriptions, and registration information for upcoming workshops are available below.

Artificial Intelligence, Teaching, and Information Literacy: Concerns and Opportunities

January 25, 2024, 12:00-1:00. To register: Artificial Intelligence, Teaching, and Information Literacy

The rise of generative artificial intelligence continues to generate both excitement and concern among educators. This workshop will explore some of the key concerns and opportunities related to teaching and artificial intelligence, including how artificial intelligence may impact how we think about and teach information literacy concepts and skills. Participants will leave with resources they can use to continue exploring how to incorporate artificial intelligence into their teaching and learning practices.

For participants affiliated with Ohio State, this workshop counts as 1-hour credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Information Literacy: Foundational Concepts and Teaching Strategies

February 1, 2024, 12:00-1:00. To register: IL Foundational Concepts

What exactly do we mean when we talk about information literacy? Why is it important that our students are developing their information literacy? This workshop will provide an overview of information literacy as a concept and a practice in higher education and explore why information literacy is crucial to student success. Participants will also learn about resources and strategies that they can use to incorporate information literacy into their courses.

For those affiliated with Ohio State, this workshop counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement and/or the Meaningful Inquiry endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. Note: A previous version of this workshop was offered in May 2022. 

Prior Knowledge, Research and Information Literacy

February 8, 2024, 12:00-1:00. To register: Prior Knowledge and Information Literacy

Students come into our classes with prior understandings about what it means to do research or how to perform tasks such as locating and evaluating information sources. While this prior knowledge can sometimes be useful, when it is inaccurate or inappropriate, prior knowledge can also cause students to struggle with research or inquiry-based assignments. This workshop will explore the relationship between prior knowledge, research, and information literacy. The presenter will share practical ideas for how to identify, activate, and, when needed, correct students’ prior knowledge in order to support improved performance on research assignments.

For those affiliated with Ohio State, this workshop counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement and/or the Meaningful Inquiry endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Beyond Anxiety: Exploring Emotional Bottlenecks in the Research Process

February 15, 2024, 12:00-1:00. To register: Beyond Anxiety

Students encounter a spectrum of emotions on their research journeys, providing both meaning and motivation to their work. In this workshop, participants will gain insights into the impact of emotional bottlenecks on the research process and explore effective strategies aimed at nurturing and enhancing students’ emotional investment in their research pursuits.

For those affiliated with Ohio State, this workshop counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement and/or Meaningful Inquiry endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Decoding Information Literacy

February 22, 2024, 12:00-1:00. To register: Decoding Information Literacy

Do your students struggle with research or inquiry-based assignments where they are required to locate, evaluate and use a variety of different information sources? Some of these challenges may be due to the gap between how experienced researchers approach research and how novice learners approach research. In this workshop you will be introduced to Decoding the Disciplines (Pace & Middendorf), a model for reducing the gap between expert and novice thinking. You will learn about how you can use this model to help identify student learning bottlenecks related to information literacy—finding, evaluating and using information—and will be provided with strategies and activities you can use to help students overcome these bottlenecks.

For those affiliated with Ohio State, this workshop counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement and/or Meaningful Inquiry endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. Note: A version of this workshop was previously offered in September 2021.

Identifying Outdated Research Notions

February 29, 2024, 12:00-1:00. To register: Outdated Research Notions

Students, and sometimes even instructors, may have a wide range of misconceptions or outdated notions when it comes 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.

For those affiliated with Ohio State, this workshop counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning. Note: A version of this workshop was previously offered in September 2023.

Social Media, Research, and Information Literacy

March 7, 2024, 12:00-1:00. To register: Social Media and Information Literacy

How can we teach students to evaluate information encountered through social media? Can social media be incorporated into research and information seeking processes effectively? One of the key information formats our students engage with is social media. Students may also use social media as a search tool. And yet, information literacy instruction often focuses on more traditional forms of information, such as scholarly articles or books. This workshop will explore the concept of social media information literacy (Heiss et al., 2023; Murawski et al., 2019) and consider the role of educators in helping students to navigate social media. Participants should leave with resources and ideas for supporting students to develop social media information literacy.

For those affiliated with Ohio State, this workshop counts as credit toward the Teaching Information Literacy endorsement from the Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning.

Past Workshops

To view recordings of previous workshops, go to: Past Workshops.