Comprehensive Standard #3.8.2 (Instruction and support)

The institution ensures that users have access to regular and timely instruction in the use of the library and other learning/information resources.

Compliance Certification

The College of William and Mary is in compliance with this comprehensive standard.

Explanation

The explanation for this requirement is in two parts, considering information technology and library services.

Information Technology

Please see the discussion in Comprehensive Standard 3.8.1 for a detailed discussion of the learning resources provided through Information Technology.

• As noted in the response to Comprehensive Standard 3.8.1, Information Technology provides targeted support to faculty in most departments and programs, the School of Education and the School of Law through the Academic Departmental Liaison Program. The liaisons assist faculty in developing curricula that integrate information technologies, and they work hand-in-hand with individual faculty members, departments, and programs to ensure effective use of technology that supports teaching and research. The implementation of the Blackboard Learning System provides one good example. Because the liaisons have graduate training or professional experience in the disciplines they support, they often work in collegial relationships with faculty on specialized class-related or research projects. One recent example of collaborative work involving faculty, students, and IT professions is the Classroom Across the Pacific project.
• IT's Classroom Support Team has the responsibility for designing, installing and maintaining a wide range of instructional technologies in the College's seminar rooms, presentation classrooms, and multimedia auditoria. IT support staff train faculty members and students to make effective use of LCD projectors, VCRs, laptop connections, instructor podia, and in-class computers with the standard faculty software image, Internet connection and DVD players. Multimedia classrooms with all these features, plus additional equipment required by faculty are also available. IT also provides support for videoconferencing in the Millennium Classroom and in other locations on campus, as well as the training necessary for effective use of these technologies.
• The College of William and Mary was an early adopter of the Blackboard instructional management software. Over 600 courses each semester use Blackboard to provide syllabi, assignments, reserve readings, and links to authoritative sites on the Internet. A growing number of faculty are using its interactive tools such as discussion boards, the virtual classroom, assessment management tools, and group email. At any time of the day or night, more than 800 users are logged in, with more than 2,000 simultaneous users connected during the busiest times of the semester. IT liaisons help faculty members learn to use the Blackboard system and provide training to enhance faculty members' skills in the use of this software.
• IT's Web and Learning Services Team designs and delivers a high quality curriculum for desktop and enterprise applications for faculty, staff and students in a professionally-outfitted technology training facility. Members of the W and M community use this resource both as a professional development activity and to enhance their workplace effectiveness. During 2004, IT offered 133 workshops ranging from MS Office to Macromedia Dreamweaver to SCT Banner Student and Finance.

Library Services

• Swem library offers a comprehensive range of instructional opportunities. Faculty members may request instruction on any subject (see library instruction). Library liaisons work closely with faculty members to develop timely and relevant classroom instruction, tailored to fit the class and/or project. (see library liaisons). Since the 1999-2000 academic year, reference librarians have met with an average of over 1400 students in nearly 80 classes per year. While the majority of these participants were first year students in small writing classes or freshman seminars, the program also provided classroom instruction for upper level students. The numbers for in-class instruction do not include other educational, orientation, and outreach activities where the library is represented. Examples of these activities include orientation tours for new students, "Family Weekend," the Residence Life Fair, and the Student Activities Fair.
• There are special sessions for student athletes, international students, and for "PLUS" students, those admitted students who need extra help before beginning their college careers. There are also orientations for graduate students in education, physics, and psychology. (See Library Instruction Data, Fall 2004 and Library Instruction Data, Spring/Summer 2005.)
• In addition to the typical subject-specific library instruction, the College offers a one-credit semester-long Interdisciplinary Studies course, "Introduction to Library Resources," for which any undergraduate may register. A reference librarian offers this course every fall semester (see, for example, INTR 322 - Introduction to Library Resources (Syllabus)
• Librarians provide research assistance at the Reference Desk. Reference Desk Data from 2003-2004 reveal that librarians helped 14,245 patrons at the reference and government information desks. Professional librarians staff the reference desk 72 hours each week, and it is part of the library's mission to provide instruction to students learning how to do research. Librarians also take questions by phone and by email. Patrons may make inquiries via live, on-line chat through the Ask a Librarian service. This service is offered through the ASERL (Association of Southeastern Research Libraries) consortium and offers live advice from professional librarians 69 hours each week Additionally students and faculty can meet with subject specialist-librarians for in depth, one-on-one instruction on doing research (research assistance request).
• At night and on weekends, e-SWAT technical assistants work at the Reference Desk, and help with technology questions and problems (see e-Swat). Writing Center consultants also provide guidance and weekly tutorial sessions in a group study room adjacent to the Reference Desk.
• In 2001, the College started a new program to address concerns about students' information literacy. Called "DIL" (Digital Information Literacy), the program is an outgrowth of discussions within the faculty of Arts and Sciences' Educational Policy Committee. The committee was concerned about variations in the standards imposed by different disciplines for meeting the Concentration Computing Requirement. They recommended a common proficiency for all students, which is to be met early in the freshman academic year. This would provide students with a baseline understanding of digital information and technology, upon which disciplines could build higher-level requirements. The College conducted a pilot project involving a small group of students in the fall of 2001 and spring of 2002. After extensive revision of the tutorials and test questions, the College implemented the second phase of the pilot project in fall 2002. All freshmen now must meet this requirement.
  Another phase of DIL began in the spring of 2005. Students who did not complete or did not pass the DIL quiz are required to take a one-credit course. The College offers two sections of the course. Librarians teach the course and it covers all aspects of information literacy. (See DIL Initiative June 2005.)
• Library liaisons also demonstrate new products and databases, and lead workshops on subjects such as plagiarism (see library liaisons).
• Subject specialists at Swem Library have created over 30 web-based subject guides. The subject guides list and describe print and electronic sources, including reference sources, subscription databases and web pages that students and faculty members can use to research a given topic. The subject specialists carefully vet the information contained in each guide, and the guides mirror the tools that reference group librarians provide in a classroom or reference desk setting. In 2004, patrons accessed the subject guides more than 60,000 times, with some popular guides being accessed well over a thousand times. In all, the guides continue to be an effective tool informing the library's users about the top resources for subject-specific research (subject guide).

Librarians also created a guide called "Research: Getting Started @ Swem," which is available from the library home page. This guide takes students through all the stages of doing research at Swem Library.

References

• Comprehensive Standard 3.8.1
• Academic Departmental Liaison Program
• Blackboard Learning System
• Research
• Classroom Across the Pacific
• Videoconferencing
• Discussion Boards
• Assessment Management Tools
• Busiest Times
• 133 Workshops
• Library Instruction
• Library Liaisons
• Library Instruction Data, Fall 2004
• Library Instruction Data, Spring/Summer 2005
• INTR 322 - Introduction to Library Resources (Syllabus)
• Reference Desk
• Reference Desk Data fro 2003-2004
• Ask a Librarian
• Research Assistance Request
• E-Swat
• DIL Initiative June 2005
• Subject Guide
• Research: Getting Started @ Swem