Five ways the Library can help your teaching
Are you teaching next semester, trimester, or term? Here are five ways the Library can help you provide your students with an engaging learning experience.
1. How to use Course Readings
Did you know that Course Readings is the University’s designated system for sharing third party copyright material with students? This includes copies of book chapters, journal articles, broadcasts, and music recordings. Learn more on the Course Readings page and enrol in the self-paced Introduction to Course Readings course to learn how to create a reading list and share resources with your students.
2. How to teach essential information skills
It’s important to teach students how to find and use information effectively. Share the self-paced Library Essentials course with your students to teach them how to find, evaluate, manage, and acknowledge information in their coursework and assignments.
New in 2023, we have launched Library Essentials II: Intermediate information skills, another self-paced course which guides students through defining their own research question and creating a comprehensive search strategy. If you are teaching students new to conducting self-directed research (such as Honours students), ask them to complete Library Essentials II and set them up for success. Enrol yourself in the course to browse the material, including suggestions for how to embed the course in your teaching.
3. How to use open resources in teaching
Looking for more equitable and flexible alternatives to using expensive textbooks in your course? Consider using open resources. Open resources can be shared at no or minimal cost to your students or the University. What’s more, many open resources allow you to copy and adapt their content, meaning you can revise the material to better suit the learning outcomes of your course. Learn more about using, adapting, and publishing open resources on the Open Educational Resources page.
4. How to find resources for embedding Indigenous knowledges
Search the Yaitya Ngutupira collection to find library resources you can use to embed Indigenous knowledges in your curriculum. Yaitya Ngutpira comes from the Kaurna language, meaning about Aboriginal knowledge. The collection includes physical and digital items from across the Library, brought together on the themes of linguistics, art, native title, health, social justice, politics, and biographical and cultural knowledge. The collection aims to highlight and present books written by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander authors and scholars.
You can find physical Yaitya Ngutupira spaces on level 1 at the Barr Smith Library and at our Waite and Roseworthy campus libraries. You can also search the Yaitya Ngutupira collection online. Learn more about finding and using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander resources in our How Do I guide.
5. How to support referencing
We can help your students with their referencing and have a range of support resources available, including:
- an interactive guide for the UofA Harvard style
- guides for other referencing styles
- support for using EndNote
Want to know more about how the Library can support your teaching? Our Teaching Support Framework details the support we provide to teaching academics. Browse the framework now and contact the Library’s Learning Support team if you need any further assistance.