University Libraries Engages Audiences at the Summer Institute

On June 4th & 5th, 2024, Montclair hosted the 19th Annual Summer Institute for Teaching, Learning, and Technology. Featuring nearly 20 unique sessions ranging from AI tools in the classroom to improving students’ learning modalities, the institute provided a breadth of engaging learning opportunities allowing faculty both on campus, and virtually, to implement new teaching strategies.

Of these sessions, two were provided by faculty and staff from University Libraries. Librarians Catherine Baird, Jacob Bilek, and Justin Savage presented on AI from the perspective of critical information literacy. Kevin Handeli, Web Services and Systems Specialist from University Libraries, alongside Meghan Hearns, Director of the Disability Resource Center (DRC), presented on an online accessibility tool known as Userway and how its integration into the library’s research guides “break barriers” improving web accessibility for library users.

In the session on AI, Justin spoke on how students view and interact with AI tools and how we evaluate student learning, giving examples of how we might transition to a new model of student evaluation that accounts for students’ use of AI while still encouraging student agency. Justin also discussed how AI tools, other than generative AI, could be adapted to our current research model. Catherine touched on the concept of AI as an author, demonstrating the current expectations that publishers have for potential authors’ disclosure of AI use in their research process. Jacob wrapped the session up by discussing the ethical ramifications that come from using generative AI tools and what student privacy concerns may stem from that. Throughout the presentation, attendees were encouraged to speak about their experiences and expectations for adapting to students’ use of AI in the classroom.

In the session on accessibility, Meghan provided a foundation for the audience on what exactly accessibility means, the legal requirements around accessibility at Montclair including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and how the university complies with these requirements. Kevin moved on to speak about web accessibility, how web accessibility requirements are met following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provided by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and then concluded with a live demo on the suite of tools provided by Userway. Attendees interacted with the tool on their own computers and phones, immersing themselves in the experience.