Melissa N. Mallon (she/her), MLIS, is associate university librarian for teaching & learning at Vanderbilt University. She has published, presented, and taught professional development courses in the areas of online learning, instructional design, and the impact of information and digital literacies on student learning. Her previous books include Partners in Teaching & Learning: Coordinating a Successful Academic Library Instruction Program (2020); The Pivotal Role of Academic Librarians in Digital Learning (2018); and the co-edited volume, The Grounded Instruction Librarian: Participating in the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (2019). Positionality Statement: I identify as a white, cis-gendered woman, which affords me an acknowledged place of privilege. Through my teaching and research, I strive to use this privilege to give voice to those that may be underrepresented or unheard in both libraries and higher education. I strive to lead with empathy and humility, and endeavor to not stop listening and learning.

The Grounded Instruction Librarian: Participating in The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning—eEditions PDF e-book
The download link for this product can be found on the final confirmation screen after you complete your purchase, and may also be accessed from your Account Profile. For more information about ALA eEditions file types and how to view them on eReaders, desktop computers, and other devices, see this page.
- Description
- Table of Contents
- About the Authors
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) refers to original research and scholarship on teaching and learning practice in higher education conducted by scholars across disciplines interested in understanding student learning, teaching innovations, and transforming higher education. SoTL work is situated in a specific time and place, publicly disseminated, and diverse in discipline, theory, and method.
Across four sections—Pedagogical Content Knowledge/Signature Pedagogy, SoTL Theory, SoTL Research, and SoTL as Professional Development—The Grounded Instruction Librarian engages SoTL through different lenses and provides a sense of the varied ways it’s currently being conducted in academic libraries in North America and Europe. Each section begins with a foundational chapter from SoTL leaders that discusses central questions, highlights important theories and literature, and introduces the SoTL-in-practice chapters that follow. The practical chapters highlight work at the more local level and take a range of forms, from case studies from specific institutions, reflections on individual participation in SoTL work, to explorations of a particular topic or theme.
The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning unleashes great potential in librarianship, and academic librarians are ideal candidates for participation in SoTL projects: We’re inquisitive, passionate, and we care about student success. The Grounded Instruction Librarian can provide innovative ideas and methods to help you use SoTL as a professional development tool, a research agenda, a way to create theory, or for a deeper understanding of your teaching and your students’ learning.
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Section I. Pedagogical Content Knowledge/Signature Pedagogy
Chapter 1. Examining Information Literacy Instruction through Signature Pedagogies and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Foundation Chapter)
Lauren Hays
Chapter 2. Asking “Good Questions” about How Academic Librarians Learn to Teach
Eveline Houtman
Chapter 3. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Transfer of Information Literacy Skills
Rebecca Kuglitsch and Lindsay Roberts
Chapter 4. Crosswalking the Disciplines: Reimagining Information Literacy Instruction for a History Methods Course
Bobby Smiley
Section II. SoTL Theory
Chapter 5. Theory and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning: Inquiry and Practice with Intention (Foundation Chapter)
Nancy L. Chick
Chapter 6. Visions of the Possible: A Critical Pedagogical Praxis for Information Literacy Instruction
Christine M. Moeller and Roberto A. Arteaga
Chapter 7. Historicizing the Library: Information Literacy Instruction in the History Classroom
Maura Seale
Chapter 8. Not Missing the Point(s): Applying Specifications Grading to Credit-Bearing Information Literacy Classes
Kathy Shields, Kyle Denlinger, and Meghan Webb
Chapter 9. Teaching the Creation of New Knowledge: Applying the Constructivist and Social Constructivist Theories of Learning
Cynthia A. Tysick, Molly K. Maloney, Bryan J. Sajecki, and Nicole Thomas
Chapter 10. Using a Model of the Teaching-Learning Environment as Part of Reflective Practice
Pamela McKinney and Sheila Webber
Section III. SoTL Research
Chapter 11. Inside/Outside/In-Between: Librarians and SoTL Research (Foundation Chapter)
Emma Coonan
Chapter 12. At the Intersection of Theory and Experience: How Qualitative Interviews Enrich the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Ann Marshall and Sarah Wagner
Chapter 13. Instructor-Librarian Collaboration to Improve Students’ Searching, Evaluation, and Use of Scientific Literature
Sarah Bankston, Micah J. Waltz, and Heather K. Moberly
Chapter 14. Assessment of a One-Credit Course for Humanities Graduate Students: A Phenomenological Approach to Identify Thresholds and Impacts
Denis Lacroix and Lindsay Johnston
Chapter 15. Uncovering the Comfort Levels of Students Who Are Conducting Library Research
Donna Harp Ziegenfuss
Chapter 16. Using O’Brien’s “Compass”: A Case Study in Faculty-Librarian Partnerships and Student Perceptions of Research and Writing in Anthropology and Sociology
Catherine Bowers and Shelly Yankovskyy
Chapter 17. Mapping the Information Literacy Skills of First-Year Business Students: A Journey Through Lesson Study
Norm Althouse, Peggy Hedges, Zahra Premji, and Justine Wheeler
Chapter 18. If the Rubric Fits: Library Instruction, Teaching Efficacy, and the Practice of Collective Reflection
Sara Maurice Whitver
Chapter 19. How Do I Know If They Learned Anything? Evidence-Based Learning and Reflective Teaching in a First-Year Learning Community
Jill Becker and Alison Olcott
Section IV. SoTL as Professional Development
Chapter 20. SoTL Difference: The Value of Incorporating SoTL into Librarian Professional Development (Foundation Chapter)
Peter Felten, Margy MacMillan, and Joan Ruelle
Chapter 21. Finding Common Ground: Developing Partnerships Between the Academic Library and Campus Teaching Center to Advance Teaching and Learning
Amanda Nichols Hess
Chapter 22. Five Concrete Collaborations to Support SoTL Across Campus
Noémi Cobolet, Raphaël Grolimund, Cécile Hardebolle, Siara Isaac, Mathilde Panes, and Caroline Salamin
Chapter 23. Breaking New Ground: Librarians as Partners in a SoTL Fellowship
Thomas Weeks and Melissa E. Johnson
Chapter 24. DiYing Your Own Framework: Partnering with a CTL to Construct Local Learning Outcomes
Amy Fyn and Jenn Marshall Shinaberger
Chapter 25. Re-centering Teaching and Learning: Toward Communities of Practice at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
Erica DeFrain, Leslie Delserone, Elizabeth Lorang, Catherine Fraser Riehle, and Toni Anaya
Chapter 26. Cultivating Teacher-Librarians through a Community of Practice
Maoria J. Kirker
Chapter 27. Cultivating a Librarians’ Community of Practice: A Reflective Case Study
Corinne Laverty and Nasser Saleh
Chapter 28. SoTL as Professional Development: Participating in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning as an LIS Graduate Student
Erin Durham
Conclusion
Editor Biographies
About the Contributors