Program Description
In academic libraries, reference consultations continue to shift to the virtual environment as more courses and programs are taught online. Understanding interactions with students in this environment will help librarians effectively support student learning. Virtual or chat reference is often thought of as a service for quick answers to directional or ready reference questions. It may also provide an opportunity for academic librarians to offer instruction to students at their point of need. Librarians find, however, that teaching in the chat environment is complicated by students’ varied expectations, and also by uncertainty about how to best support student learning during online conversations. This session will examine how librarians and students negotiate instruction in the chat environment. The presenters will expand on previous research on instruction in virtual reference by reporting on their current study, in which they use open-ended interviews with librarians and an examination of chat transcripts to describe and understand librarians’ experiences as teachers in the chat environment. In a group activity, session participants will examine actual (anonymized) chat transcripts and identify librarian and student behaviors that facilitated or detracted from instructional opportunities. Participants will develop strategies for determining if chat patrons are open to instruction and will identify chat techniques that contribute to student engagement and learning.
Start Date
25-4-2014 2:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2014 2:50 PM
Negotiating Instruction in the Chat Environment
In academic libraries, reference consultations continue to shift to the virtual environment as more courses and programs are taught online. Understanding interactions with students in this environment will help librarians effectively support student learning. Virtual or chat reference is often thought of as a service for quick answers to directional or ready reference questions. It may also provide an opportunity for academic librarians to offer instruction to students at their point of need. Librarians find, however, that teaching in the chat environment is complicated by students’ varied expectations, and also by uncertainty about how to best support student learning during online conversations. This session will examine how librarians and students negotiate instruction in the chat environment. The presenters will expand on previous research on instruction in virtual reference by reporting on their current study, in which they use open-ended interviews with librarians and an examination of chat transcripts to describe and understand librarians’ experiences as teachers in the chat environment. In a group activity, session participants will examine actual (anonymized) chat transcripts and identify librarian and student behaviors that facilitated or detracted from instructional opportunities. Participants will develop strategies for determining if chat patrons are open to instruction and will identify chat techniques that contribute to student engagement and learning.