NTO News

NTO’s Teaching Tips Booklet

NTO is proud to publish our Teaching Tips Booklet – a compilation of all of our teaching-related blog posts. As the NNLM Training Office since 2016, and prior to that the NNLM Training Center (2012-2016), we have a long legacy of blog posts. We did a little searching around the archives and selected the posts that discuss training and education. Topics in our booklet include adult learning principles, instructional design, teaching technologies and tips on how to incorporate technology into your teaching methods.  We’ve compiled them here in the NTO Teaching Tips Booklet for your perusal.

There is also a print copy available to download from our Teaching Resources & Tips page.

We hope you like it!

It’s purple!

The NLM Homepage upgraded on June 1, 2018, but you can still access the former version. 

The National Library of Medicine unveiled a new look for their homepage on Friday. Note our upcoming NNLM training is listed here in along with more educational offerings from NLM.

 

Recordings of NLM Theater presentations are available in the NLM Technical Bulletin. From DOCLINE to PubMed Labs, hear all the latest developments fresh from MLA 2018.

 

PubMed for Librarians is a series of 5 free, online CE classes that begins on June 6, 2018. Each class is 90-minute long and offers 1.5 MLA CE credits. Learn something new, revisit what you know, remember what you forgot. Click here to register

Data. Data. Where’s the data? Are you looking for journal articles with associated data sets? New search filters in PubMed and PubMed Central (PMC) work to increase the discoverability of articles and citations with associated data information.

PubMed
Users can search on or append searches with data[filter] to find citations with related data links in either the Secondary Source ID field or the LinkOut – Other Literature Resources field (both located below the abstract). These data links may be to records in other NLM databases (e.g., GenBank) or external data repositories (e.g., figshare, Dryad).

Sample PubMed search using data[filter]

PubMed Central
Users can now search on or append searches with filters to discover articles with specific types of associated data.

1. Use has suppdata[filter] to find articles with associated supplementary material.
2. Use has data avail[filter] to find articles that include a data availability or data accessibility statement.
3. Use has data citations[filter] to find articles that include data citation(s).
4. Use has associated data[filter] to find all articles with any type of data section described above.

PubMed Central Sample Search

Original article can be found by clicking here.

NNLM Edit-a-thon happens Tuesday, April 17, 2018 in Wikipedia

Are you interested in improving the consumer health information available on Wikipedia? Do you want to utilize your librarian research skills towards making Wikipedia a better, evidence-based resource? Have you always wanted to participate in an edit-a-thon? Join the National Network of Libraries of Medicine on April 17th as we add citations to existing Wikipedia articles on rare diseases! We’ll be working on those diseases listed by the Genetic and Rare Disease Information Center, using trusted National Library of Medicine resources like Genetics Home Reference, MedlinePlus, and PubMed.

If you’re new to adding citations, NNLM will be hosting a webinar with Dr. James Heilman, a physician and active WikiProject Medicine editor. Dr. Heilman will give attendees an overview of the importance of Wikipedia, and will demo how to add a citation. NNLM’s webinar with Dr. Heilman is scheduled for 2-3 pm ET on Thursday, March 29th. Participants are encouraged to register for the training even if they can’t attend, as all registered participants will receive a recording of the webinar. Please note: you must create a Wikipedia user account prior to the event to be able to participate.

NNLM staff from across the nation will be available Tuesday, April 17th from 9 am ET to 9 pm ET to support you as you add your citations. Follow along with the fun on Twitter–check for hashtag #citeNLM2018!

Dear Network Member:

I am pleased to present you with A Platform for Biomedical Discovery and Data-Powered Health, the NLM Strategic Plan for 2017-2027:

Platform for Biomedical Discovery and Data-Powered Health

As it approaches its third century, the National Library of Medicine will do for data what it has done for the literature – create the tools to make it FAIR, guide the development of repositories to store it in a safe and accessible manner, and develop the linkages that makes seamless pathways between the literature, models, data, visualization tools, and people. The NLM will play a critical role in driving the shift to data-powered research and the inherent growing demand for access to our resources. We will foster new kinds of scientific communication while preserving the world’s biomedical knowledge in sustainable ways. In partnerships across NIH and around the world we will bring together the people and processes that create biomedical knowledge for health care, health, and economic growth.

This plan will guide us as we expand and enhance our research, development, training, and or literature and data resources to make more biomedical data easier to find, use, and understand. In doing so, we are fully committed to partnership with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, the NIH Institutes and Centers, NIH grantees, scientists, health professionals, and members of the public.

Over 1700 NLM staff members, hundreds of national and international librarians, informatics professionals, biomedical scientists, data scientists, clinicians, public health specialists, and other stakeholders advised us as we charted a pathway for the next ten years. The National Network of Libraries of Medicine plays a key role in bringing the NLM to the scientific, clinical, and lay communities. We value its members as collaborators and look to a future of growth in outreach and impact.

Even though the plan is now in final form, I welcome your comments and advice, too, as we begin its implementation. I invite you to be our partner in the adventure.

Patricia Flatley Brennan, RN, PhD
Director
National Library of Medicine

Last year I attended the full version of South by Southwest Education and came home with an information hangover. This year I drove into Austin for a day to check out the Learning Expo, which was described as “free and open to the public programming aligned with SXSW Edu Learning Expo”.  The Learning Expo exhibit hall was a mix of STEM gadgets, performing arts groups, business competition and college fair, there was even a science fair and a cooking kitchen, while the public programming included sessions about local projects in Austin schools.

In the afternoon I attended a PBS Kids EdCamp. The program was designed to function as an unconference (an unconference is a loosely structured conference emphasizing the informal exchange of information and ideas between participants, rather than following a structured program). At lunch I sat between a public television producer and an executive career coach, who told me about free online professional development programs for digital media and media literacy and using ‘discomfort zones’ to learn with agility.

Collage from SXSW Education

Links

EdCamp Foundation – https://www.edcamp.org/

SXSW Education – https://www.sxswedu.com/

KQED Teach – https://teach.kqed.org/

 

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach to teaching and learning aiming at minimizing barriers to maximize learning. In order to achieve this goal, UDL helps educators to make curriculum understandable and accessible for everyone. UDL was first developed for the disabled people to make their access to the buildings easier. However, considering Neuroscience, UDL is an effective framework for teaching and learning as well. Because UDL offers guidelines that meet with the need of our brain’s network. These networks are 1) affective networks, which controls the ‘why of Learning’, 2) recognition networks, which controls the ‘what of learning’, and 3) strategic networks, which controls the ‘how of learning.’ UDL basically suggests using multiple means to promote teaching and learning.

1. Multiple means representation stimulates the recognition networks and affects the what of learning. Therefore, teachers should support their instructions utilizing multiple ways of representation.
2. Multiple means of action and expression excites the strategic network and support the how of learning. It is associated with allowing and encouraging learners to use multiple ways to reflect their learning.
3. Multiple means of engagement is associated with the affective networks. By providing learners with multiple means of engagement, educators support the why of learning domain and might increase learner’s engagement.

According to a report released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 2013, 10.8% of the students in higher education in 2008 were disabled. Also, in another NCES report in 2010, the percentages of the students based on their specific disabilities are showed in the Table 1.

Table 1. Percentages of Students with Disabilities

Disability Percentages (%) Learning disabilities 28 Mobility or orthopedic impairments 15.4 Health Impairments 5.8 Mental illness or emotional disabilities 24.1 Hearing impairments 6 Blindness and visual impairments 2.7 Speech or language impairments 0.7 Other impairments 17.3

 

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that UDL principles do not only suggest incorporating multiple technology options into lessons, but it also promotes utilizing multiple techniques or strategies. The choices of tools, methods, and strategies might differentiate based on the types of teaching. However, there are some general rules that should be followed by instructors especially when teaching online, such as color use with care, web-friendly font selection, use of bulleted points or numbered list, and use of headings and subheadings.

Here are some examples of how to design teaching activities align with the UDL principles:

Image: UDL strategies for face to face teaching

 

 

 

UDL strategies for online teaching 

Click through for a text-based list of UDL strategies for face-to-face and online teaching.

Face-to-Face

Multiple Means of Representation 

• Start your lesson with clear and measurable objectives
• Make the content accessible to the learners
• Give learners some time to familiarize with the goals and content
• Provide your learners with alternative format of your teaching
• Alternative text to images
• Closed captions for video materials
• Lectures
• PowerPoint presentations
• Online presentation tools (Google slides, Nearpod)
• Handouts
• Printed materials
• Guest speakers
• Video and video materials

Multiple Means of Action and Expression

• Clearly state the expectations from the learners
• Give learners some time to familiarize with the expectations
• Provide multiple options for students to showcase their understanding/learning.
• Make sure all the students have access to at least an option
• Provide support for learners when needed
• Allow students to be able to reflect their knowledge on various devices
• Presentations
• Group and individual activities
• Twitter discussions
• Online meeting rooms (Todaysmeet)
• Bring Your Own Device (Laptop, Tablets, Smart Phone)
• Audio and video materials

Multiple Means of Engagement

• Offer multiple fun activities to stimulate learners’ interest.
• Increase learners’ participation
• Allow students to be able to reflect their knowledge in a device that they feel comfortable with.
• Bring Your Own Device
• Gamification
• Twitter

Online

Multiple Means of Representation

• Start your lesson with clear and measurable objectives
• Make the content accessible to the learners on various devices
• Give learners some time to familiarize with the goals and content
• Provide your learners with alternative format of your teaching
• Alternative text to images
• Closed captions for video materials
• Use color with care
• Record your teaching
• Clearly state contact information, technical requirements, prerequisites (if exists).
• PowerPoint presentations
• Online presentation tools (Google slides, Nearpod)
• Printable materials
• Guest speakers (Online)
• LMS (Moodle, Canvas, Desire2Learn, Blackboard)
• Video and audio materials
• Flipped classroom
• WebEx technologies
• Zoom, Skype

Multiple Means of Action and Expression

• Clearly state the expectations from the learners
• Give learners some time to familiarize with the expectations
• Provide multiple options for students to showcase their understanding/learning.
• Make sure all the students have access to at least an option
• Provide support for learners when needed
• Allow students to be able to reflect their knowledge either writing or speaking
• Provide clear guidelines for your learners how to submit assignments
• Twitter discussion or other discussion boards
• LMS (Moodle, Canvas, Desire2Learn, Blackboard)
• Online quiz

Multiple Means of Engagement

• Offer multiple fun activities to stimulate learners’ interest.
• Increase learners’ participation
• Allow students to be able to reflect their knowledge in a device that they feel comfortable with.
• Twitter discussion or other discussion boards
• Video or audio materials
• Group activities

 

Useful links:

http://udlguidelines.cast.org/

http://www.cast.org/

http://www.udlcenter.org/

References

National Center for Education Statistics (2010). Profile of Undergraduate Students: 2007-08. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010205.pdf#page=150

National Center for Education Statistics (2013). Fast Facts of Undergraduate Students: 2007-08. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60