Since April 2020, the HSLS instruction team has held bi-weekly meetings to introduce new tools, share challenges, and make recommendations. We have had the opportunity to experiment with new instructional methods and assess which practices we will permanently adopt going forward.
For example, we recently licensed LibWizard from Springshare to create self-paced tutorials on topics like Getting Started with EndNote. Instructors have used active learning techniques like polling, short discussions via TopHat, and Zoom Breakout rooms to increase engagement. Other instructors provide directions for detailed hands-on activities that can be done during or after class.
The HSLS MolBio team has taken advantage of Zoom Webinars by recording each of their classes and making them available on the comprehensive MolBio Workshop/Class Guides. Many instructors have leaned into LibGuides as complements to HSLS classes. Providing a LibGuide where course materials can be hosted, links posted, and class recordings stored allows us to keep any materials shared fresh, up to date, and accessible. For an excellent example, check out the Gene Regulation Guide. Continue reading
Today, the almanac is no longer the important and popular resource it once was in most households. It appeared in America at the end of the 17th century and its popularity was second only to the Bible. Almanacs offered lists of current events, advice, and weather prognostics tailored to a specific audience, such as that of the Farmer’s Almanac, and served as a basic home reference, especially for those in isolated households, helping to keep track of passing time. Dr. David Keyes Hitchcock started publishing almanacs annually around 1839, which happened years before printed calendars were invented (1870), and before there were any standards (1883)* by which to set clocks and watches.