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Faculty Request for Library Instruction

Instruction Policy and Guidelines for Faculty

The mission of the Instruction Team at Roger Williams University Libraries is to teach students to be accomplished information users and to alleviate the "information anxiety" many students feel when confronted with university level research and information gathering. 

The Instruction Team provides a variety of instruction options, including assignment-based sessions for lower division students, discipline specific instruction, individual consultations for research projects, web-based tutorials and research guides, course and assignment guides, and workshops on research strategies and evaluating resources.

All levels and types of instruction are user-centered and interactive, integrating principles of information literacy and problem-based learning with information technology, as appropriate. The Association of College and Research Libraries' Standards for Information Literacy serve as the foundation for all instruction.

Guidelines for Faculty:

• Requests for instruction can be made by filling out the contacting Barbara Kenney on the Library web page.
• Classroom faculty are required to attend the complete instruction session. The sessions are learner-centered and participation by classroom faculty is encouraged. Should a situation occur in which the instructor cannot accompany her/his class, please inform the librarian and we will be happy to try to re-schedule the session.
• Instruction sessions must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance of the requested date. 
• In order to provide the best learning experience possible for the students, the sessions should be linked to an assignment, with the classroom instructor identifying the learning outcomes for the session. Librarians will work with the faculty member to ensure the goals of the instruction session are met.
• Faculty may request up to three sessions each semester for each course section they teach. Please complete a request form for each class.
• Faculty are requested to inform the librarian of any special needs for their students.
• Instruction scheduling is coordinated by Barbara Kenney to clarify content, goals and outcomes. Please feel free to contact her with any questions, special requests, etc. at x3559 or bkenney@rwu.edu.