TEACHING IN SLIS:

As a SLIS Associate Professor, I teach online synchronous courses pertaining to school libraries, youth services, literature, reference, and public/academic libraries for graduates and undergraduates. In addition to being second reader on an average of 10 Master Research Projects a year, I teach an average of 11 courses a year. My course evaluations are consistently high with an average of 4.72084 for the eighteen questions over twelve semesters. I am responsible for teaching, or have taught, the following:

 

• LIS 401 REFERENCE & INFORMATION SERVICES

• LIS 417 LIT & RELATED MEDIA FOR CHILDREN

• LIS 418 LIT & RELATED MEDIA FOR YA

• LIS 419 PROGRAMS & SERVICES FOR YOUTH

• LIS 428 STORYTELLING

• LIS 491 LIBRARY INSTRUCTION

• LIS 492 LIBRARY PR & MARKETING

• LIS 492 STORYTIMES & EARLY LITERACY

• LIS 501 REFERENCE & INFORMATION SERVICES

• LIS 517 LIT & RELATED MEDIA FOR CHILDREN

• LIS 518 LIT & RELATED MEDIA FOR YA

• LIS 519 PROGRAMS & SERVICES FOR YOUTH

• LIS 528 STORYTELLING

• LIS 590 LIBRARY INSTRUCTION

• LIS 605 LIBRARY MANAGEMENT

• LIS 607 LIB MEDIA CENTER & THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM

• LIS 629 STUDIES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE

• LIS 640 ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

• LIS 641 THE PUBLIC LIBRARY

• LIS 670 GRAPHIC NOVELS, MANGA, COMICS & ANIME

• LIS 670 ADULT GENRES

• LIS 692 STORYTIMES & EARLY LITERACY

 

 

I was responsible for the creation and development of four new courses—Library Instruction and Graphic Novels, Manga, Comics & Anime, Library Marketing & PR, and Storytimes & Early Literacy.  I also completely revised the Storytelling class and The Public Library class and made Reference and Information Services a much more interactive class.

 

am the creator and advisor of the Graduate Certificate in Youth Literature and Services. In addition to advising for the certificate, I advise students interested in public libraries, and until recently advised school library students; I average 20 student advisees per semester.

 

Awards & Presentations:
In February 2013, I received the Exemplary Online Course Award for LIS 501 presented by Southern Miss’ Learning Enhancement Center and in April 2014 I was awarded the Inaugural College of Education and Psychology’s Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award. I have been invited to speak on teaching by the college and the university:

• Jumpstart for Educational Leadership and School Counseling—Best Practices in Collaborate (Spring 2015)

• Select as Academic Service-Learning Faculty Fellows (Spring 2014)

• Professional Education Unit (USM)—Best Practices in Online Education or What Works for Me (Fall 2014)

• Teaching Forum—Assessment That Works: Measuring Success (USM) – Creating & Measuring Group Work (Spring 2014)

 

I have also presented multiple workshops and presentations—including juried presentations—on teaching at local, national, and international conferences; some highlights are as follows:

• 7th International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries (QQML 2015) - Student Satisfaction and Preference in Online Courses: A Comparison of an Online LIS Program to Other Online Programs in the University (Summer 2015)

• 7th International Conference on Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries (QQML 2015) - Virtual and Physical Connections: An Assessment of Students’ Satisfaction of an Online LIS Program

• LEC Educators Connect Conference (USM) – Virtual and Physical Connections: Innovative Teaching in an Online Program (Spring 2014)

• Library 2.013 Worldwide Virtual Conference – Virtual Library Instruction: Tools & Tips (Fall 2013)

• Creating Futures Through Technology Conference – Access & Enable: Using Technology to Transform Learning (Spring 2013)

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