Browsing by Author "Feerrar, Julia"

Now showing 1 - 19 of 19
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    Blazing a Trail for Literacy Exploration Through Design Thinking
    Feerrar, Julia; Nino, Miguel (Miko) (2019-05-10)
    As learners navigate increasingly complex information wilds and explore new forms of creation, libraries are discussing and supporting a variety of literacies, including data, invention, health, information, media, visual, and digital literacies. How can librarians chart a path through varying definitions and priorities for these literacies in relation to existing instruction programs? This interactive workshop gave participants opportunities to explore new or unfamiliar literacies. Using design thinking strategies, participants reflected on the current landscape of one literacy at their institution and created a prototype output to help them start conversations with collaborators and stakeholders.
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    Bringing digital well-being into the heart of digital media literacies
    Feerrar, Julia (2021-07)
    The complexities of our digital media landscape present challenges that often strain the physical, emotional, and social well-being of learners and educators alike. Given these challenges, this essay makes a case for incorporating digital well-being into digital and media literacy curricula and pedagogy. For the author, a focus on digital well-being, or the capacity to pursue health, safety, and happiness online, has sparked a shift in pedagogical values and goals. Following a discussion of the nature of digital well-being, the author charts this shift through an example lesson about online identity. Bringing digital well-being into the heart of digital media literacies means reconsidering both the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of our teaching.
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    Building a Balanced Portfolio: Investing in TAs and Other Contingent Faculty
    Feerrar, Julia; Miller, Rebecca K. (2016-05)
    This presentation explores approaches for collaborating with course instructors to move beyond the one-shot workshop, using library engagement with first year writing at a large university as a case study. With increasing enrollment, growing instruction requests, and high instructor turnover, integration with core and first year courses often tests the scalability of our information literacy programs and the energy of our library teaching teams. To address these concerns, our team has developed a portfolio of experimental teaching options, including flipped classes, drop-in studios, integration with departmental training, and a teaching toolkit. With these new models, we step beyond what we traditionally think of as the library classroom, build on partnerships with teaching assistants, and bring balance to our program. Participants will leave this session with sample strategies for thinking creatively about instructional roles in order to scale and reenergize their programs.
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    Composition, Digital Literacies, & Instructional Design: Creating Open Resources Together
    McNabb, Kayla B.; Griffin, Katlyn; Feerrar, Julia; Becker, Tim; Robertson, Chloe; Awotayo, Olayemi; Zaldivar, Marc; Becksford, Lisa (2021-02)
    In this session, we (the Composition Program, the University Libraries, and TLOS) will outline our goals in creating a series of educational modules through our Pathways grant-funded project, discuss how the project shifted to address unique challenges presented by COVID-19, share lessons learned and feedback that we received from users, and look toward the future possibilities for this collaboration. Throughout this session, we will create space for attendees to brainstorm and share how they could apply our experience in their own collaborations and ask them to consider the impacts and benefits of fostering these kinds of collaborations on their campuses.
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    Development of a framework for digital literacy
    Feerrar, Julia (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2019-05-31)
    Purpose: Institutions seeking to develop or expand digital literacy programs face the challenge of navigating varied definitions for digital literacy itself. In answer to this challenge, this paper aims to share a process for developing a shared framework for digital literacy at one institution, including drawing on themes in existing frameworks, soliciting campus feedback and making revisions. Design/methodology/approach: A draft digital literacy framework was created following the work of an initial library task force. Focus groups were conducted to gather feedback on the framework and to identify areas for future development. Findings: Focus groups yielded 38 written responses. Feedback themes related to gaps in the framework, structural suggestions and common challenges for learners. Themes in focus group feedback led to several framework revisions, including the addition of Curation as a competency area, the removal of information communication technologies as its own competency area, and the inclusion of Learner rather than Student at the center of the framework. Practical implications: The approaches described in this case study can be adapted by those looking to create a shared framework or definition for digital literacy on their campuses, as well as to create or revise definitions for other related literacies. Originality/value: This case study presents an adaptable process for getting started with broad digital literacy initiatives, within the context of existing digital literacy frameworks worldwide.
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    Digital Literacy at Virginia Tech: From What and Why to Who and How
    Feerrar, Julia (2021-05)
    An invited talk presented to a group of academic librarians in Singapore. This presentation detailed the progression of coordinated digital literacy initiatives at Virginia Tech, including the work of the initial task force, the development of the digital literacy framework and toolkit, and the status of current programs.
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    Digital Wellness: Navigating the Messiness of Being a Person Online
    Feerrar, Julia; Dean, Kirsten; Hammer, Kelsey; Griffin, Katlyn (2020-11-07)
    Being a person online can be messy and challenging. Disinformation, privacy breaches, online harassment, digital clutter, and doomscrolling are a few threats that learners and educators face. While we can not solve these challenges on our own, we can make informed decisions and set boundaries. In this workshop, we will discuss digital wellness—the capacity to pursue health, safety, and happiness online—as a core element of digital media literacy. Participants will practice analyzing elements of their own digital wellness, discuss the challenges they see in their communities, and leave with ideas and resources for incorporating digital wellness into their own teaching.
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    Exploring Digital Literacies: Four Steps for Getting Started
    Feerrar, Julia (2020-10-09)
    Whether you are looking to develop large-scale digital literacy programs or to incorporate digital literacies into your own teaching repertoire, getting started may feel overwhelming. In this webinar, we will discuss four steps or strategies to consider when first exploring digital literacies, drawing on lessons learned from digital literacy initiatives at Virginia Tech. Presented as part of the Special Library Association Education Division's webinar series.
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    Learner-Centered Digital Literacy: Embracing the Complexity of Identity and Equity Online
    Feerrar, Julia; Hammer, Kelsey (2021-04)
    Invited keynote at MILEX 2021. This presentation focused on resisting assumptions we may make about student experiences with digital literacy and instead embracing complexity and nuance in instructional programs.
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    Learning from YouTube's Reaction Videos
    Feerrar, Julia; Finney, Trevor (2020-11-07)
    Reaction or ‘react’ videos are a popular YouTube genre in which an individual or small group analyzes a piece of media, drawing on their personal and specialized knowledge in an informal, often highly emotional way. For educators and learners alike, reaction videos offer a way to approach personal learning, develop digital and media literacies, and ground their learning in personal identity and community connection. In this workshop, participants will discuss key components of reaction videos as a genre, practice reacting to a piece of media, and leave with ideas for using reaction video concepts in their own teaching.
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    Literacies and Campus Context
    Feerrar, Julia (2018-05-08)
    This poster, presented at the Innovative Library Classroom 2018, describes approaches to digital literacy program planning. The poster details a process of exploration and framework development, facilitating feedback conversations, and putting a framework into action.
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    Optimizing the Field Through a Curriculum Mapping Initiative
    Metko, Stefanie; Feerrar, Julia; MacDonald, Amanda B. (2017-05)
    This presentation shares a new model of curriculum mapping to demonstrate how library instruction programs can make connections between high profile campus initiatives and library instruction. While this model was designed to address one institution’s changes to the general education curriculum, the model is flexible and transferable. Attendees will be able to define various types of curriculum mapping approaches and identify strategies for designing their own curriculum mapping frameworks. Frameworks can be used to map library instruction to the student experience, space usage, and new university-wide initiatives in an effort to assess future changes in information literacy programs.
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    Reaching Over the Fence: Building Partnerships With New Teaching Neighbors
    Feerrar, Julia; Miller, Rebecca K. (2016-05)
    As more contingent faculty, graduate teaching assistants, and other new instructors move into the instructional neighborhood, librarians face a familiar challenge: collaborating with teaching and learning partners who may be unfamiliar with information literacy and librarians’ roles. This interactive workshop empowers participants to move beyond these potential barriers and reach over the fence in order to support our neighbors. Participants will work collaboratively to discuss the unique needs of contingent faculty, develop strategies for building productive partnerships, and analyze a sample scenario in order to reflect on application of these ideas to their own instruction programs.
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    Student, teacher, and partner: Understanding and supporting the many roles of graduate teaching assistants
    Feerrar, Julia; Miller, Rebecca K. (2015-10)
    As instructors for many core undergraduate courses, graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) are important university library partners in learning and information literacy. But as novice teachers and budding scholars themselves, GTAs have their own unique needs. How can librarians support GTAs and other new academics in their teaching and learning roles?
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    Supporting digital wellness and wellbeing
    Feerrar, Julia (ACRL Press, 2020)
    Elements of digital life, such as information overload, distraction, privacy concerns, and interpersonal interactions, can significantly affect an individual’s well-being. Cultivating digital wellness involves the ability to navigate these aspects of digital life and to make mindful decisions related to time spent, account settings, sharing, and more. Education in support of digital wellness and well-being is an important and growing feature of wellness-related initiatives on college and university campuses. Academic libraries can be key partners in these kinds of programs. This chapter shares approaches for librarians looking to support digital well-being. Following a review of the literature on digital wellness and college students, the author details a case study of two pilot approaches to digital wellness support at the University Libraries at Virginia Tech: contributing to a large campus-wide event and developing cocurricular workshops. Connecting relevant outreach and instructional programs to digital well-being, and framing them in wellness terms, offered librarians new opportunities to build partnerships across campus and to connect with students.
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    Teaching with Data in the Social Sciences at Virginia Tech: An Ithaka S+R Local Report
    Baum, Liesl M.; Feerrar, Julia; McNabb, Kayla B.; Porter, Nathaniel D. (2021-09-30)
    This report recounts an exploratory investigation of the needs and experiences of instructors who teach with data in the social sciences at Virginia Tech, as part of an ITHAKA S+R project. The landscape of teaching with data in the social sciences at Virginia Tech is complex, involving instructors with a variety of interests and expertise, courses across the undergraduate curriculum, and students with a range of prior knowledge and personal goals related to their own learning. Participants discussed a variety of needs related to student competency, access and technology, program structures, and pedagogy. Multifaceted approaches from multiple university collaborators will be key to addressing these needs. By building on existing digital literacies programming, expanding shared resources like online modules, and exploring opportunities for peer education and further professional development, we can better prepare Virginia Tech students to learn, create, and take action with data throughout their lives.
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    Using Design Thinking and Project Management in the Design and Development of a Digital Literacy Initiative
    Nino, Miko; Feerrar, Julia (Virginia Tech, 2018-10-24)
    This presentation introduces an innovative instructional design model, based on agile and design thinking principles for the design and development of digital literacy initiatives at a higher education institution. The main goal of the digital literacy initiative is to empower learners as digital citizens, while providing an open access platform of resources that can be accessed by everyone.
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    Women's History Month
    Fralin, Scott; Dietz, Kira A.; Brodsky, Marc; Feerrar, Julia; Nardine, Jennifer T.; Winn, Samantha R.; Wright de Hernandez, Anthony (Virginia Tech, 2017-03-01)
    Exhibit featuring the contributions of women throughout history. The theme for Women's Month 2017 is Empowerment & Unity: Collective Voices in Action. We are inspired by the solidarity, community, and power created when our collective voices are in action toward creating a more just and equitable world through acknowledging the historic and current contributions of women in our community and beyond. 2017/03/01 - 2017/03/30