MERIT Library — UW School of Education

MERIT is the library that serves the University of Wisconsin School of Education. At MERIT I develop workshops and course-related instruction, work at the information desk, provide reference training for student staff, and collect education titles related to health education, second language education, English as a second language, and science education. While at MERIT, I have accomplished the following:

1. Developed instructional sessions for students and faculty on integrating technology and education.

   I have taught sessions to faculty members of the kinesiology and occupational therapy departments on integrating Interactive Whiteboard technology into their instruction. In addition, I have trained staff members in the School of Education to develop webinars using Adobe Connect. I have also taught drop-in workshops on designing instruction with technology.

2. Collaborated with faculty members to develop custom course-integrated library and technology instruction

   I have worked with faculty members to develop in-class instruction that is customized to the goals of their courses. For example, I have created sessions that demonstrate how technology can be used in both student-centered and teacher-centered learning environments.

3. Developing short web-based instructional videos to supplement in-class instruction

   I have long advocated for a website with more active content. Upon performing a school-wide survey, we found that 90% of undergraduates expected instruction online. As a result of the survey, I am currently working to develop short (5 minutes or less) videos that mirror and supplement in-class instruction. These videos will be both a reference for instruction as well as a way to create just-in-time videos for faculty members that may not need an entire in-class presentation.

4. Developed school-wide survey and focus groups to assess library and instruction needs of  undergraduate and graduate students in the school of education

   At the request of the library director and the CIO, I developed a school-wide survey to assess the library and IT needs of members of the school of education. The director only expected about 100 respondents, but I was able to generate nearly 200 responses.

5. Developed advanced training modules for student staff members

   I have developed advanced training modules for students at the information desk. Topics have included editing and burning DVDs with iMovie, printing posters with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and transferring audio from portable recorders.