Where: Room B210 in the North Building on UMW’s Stafford Campus

When: Tuesday, May 13th at 2:45pm

Presenters:

• Jami Bryan, Library Manager of the CGPS Stafford Library at the University of Mary Washington
• Jim Groom, Instructional Technology Specialist and adjunct professor at the University of Mary Washington

Presentation Abstract:

After 2 semesters of offering the 1-credit LIBS101: Library and Internet Resources course in a traditional format, Jami Bryan, Library Manager at UMW’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies, knew the course needed an overhaul. The textbook was awful, the assignments weren’t allowing for timely instructor feedback, and, at the end of the semester, the students still couldn’t use the library catalog effectively.

Working with Jim Groom, Instructional Technology Specialist, Jami decided to throw out the textbook, step out of the Blackboard box, and move the course materials online via a blog. Using the University’s installation of WordPress Multi-User, Jami and Jim created a course blog that allowed for flexibility in the selection and delivery of readings and exercises and that acted as the main point of communication between the students and the instructor. The course schedule and assignments were revised, with the requirement that students use their own blog on UMW Blogs to submit certain assignments.

In this presentation, Jami and Jim will demonstrate how they created the course blog and will discuss some of the technical hurdles faced by the students and instructor. Jami will talk about how the course and student blogs affected her teaching, her relationship with the students, and her assessment of their learning. Jami will also share the results of student course evaluations and her thoughts about the successes and failures of this transformation.