Lightning Talks

Bucks County Community College has recently had success with acquiring Perkins funding to provide stipends for ZTC course conversions in occupational programs. By the end of the next academic year this funding will have allowed us to establish zero-textbook-cost pathways through two of our certificate programs.

Since Fall 2017, Temple University Libraries have been systematically purchasing electronic copies of course-assigned texts. The talk will describe the process of identifying titles for purchase, promotion efforts, and assessment. It will also note the ways the process has evolved over time, such as expanded criteria for purchase and increased outreach to faculty. Challenges include discoverability of the Libraries’ etextbook database and making new purchases early enough in the semester to be useful.

In this session, the presenter will articulate the characteristics of renewable assignments and how they, along with Wikipedia’s existing infrastructures, can foster community and critical engagement among students. The presenter will also discuss the collaboration between a librarian and a course instructor on iterations of renewable Wikipedia assignments across four years and two undergraduate Media Studies classes. Finally, the presenter will offer strategies for designing effective, scaffolded assignments involving Wikipedia-editing and how librarians can best support faculty and students engaged in these activities.