Faculty and instructors can invite a librarian to teach one or more sessions in their classrooms. Here are some potential topics:
We have included details about a few of the instruction sessions we've worked on within our departments to give you an idea of the possibilities! Contact us to consult with a librarian about your course and what might work best for you and your students:
In the Bio 1B Research Skills assignment, students use a database to find and access scientific information sources about a UC Berkeley faculty member's research interests. They identify primary research articles and literature reviews, understand the process and significance of peer review, evaluate sources for credibility, and cite a source in a scientific citation style. Students work through the assignment, which is hosted on the online platform edX, at their own pace. The assignment supports student presentations on a California ecosystem, for which they must cite three credible information sources.
A course offering in the online Master's of Information and Data Science program, DATASCI 290 introduces students to data science applications in fields such as climate and energy, healthcare, and cybersecurity. Librarians created an online guide to information resources relating to computational biology applications, industry and market research, as well as the use of a citation manager for research and writing. The guide supports the students' end-of-semester presentations.
Students in MCB 32 are asked to write a short paper on one of two topics: the physiological action of a drug, or an example of the effects of race and racism in medicine. Bioscience librarians have created an online guide to finding, accessing, evaluating, and citing a broad range of information sources on each topic. The guide is linked from the course bCourses site and students can refer to it throughout the semester.
A two-hour long hands-on bioinformatics lab based on NCBI Bioinformatics Resources: An Introduction. Students are given experience in:
Cartographic Representation (GEOG 183) students create a map for their final projects, however many of the students have little to no experience working with spatial data. The GIS Librarian, in conversation with faculty, developed a session on "Finding and Evaluating GIS Data" that introduces students to key concepts and resources for spatial data. It also walks students through a series of exercises that mirror the steps they will take on their own later when finding data for their final projects.
Cleantech to Market (C2M) (MBA 212A) is a partnership between graduate students, startups, and industry professionals to help accelerate the commercialization of leading cleantech solutions. Teams include a mix of business and science students; while students in the sciences may be familiar with resources and searching techniques for locating information and research around the technology behind their products, they may not be as adept at finding market, industry, and funding information (and vice versa for business students). The Engineering Librarian and the Business Librarian join the class to provide an overview of the resources available to students and advice on effectively and efficiently finding the different types of information needed for their projects, and act as consultants for the duration of the semester if student teams need additional assistance.
The "Finding Inorganic Chemical Information" library session is held during a lab period for the Chemistry 108: Inorganic Synthesis and Reactions course. In this 2.5-hour session, students learn how to access and use chemical information databases and resources such as the Combined Chemical Dictionary, SciFinder-n, Reaxys, and Web of Science. They also learn about using information and data found in these resources in their scientific writing, and the session is designed to help them as they complete a course project.
