Scaffolding Information Literacy

Not currently scheduled

Duration: 4 weeks
Credits: 1.5 CEUs
Price: US $200

In brief: Educators and instructional designers frequently emphasize the importance of scaffolding, through which learning supports are developed and later removed in order to help students build on prior learning, progressively strengthen their understandings and abilities, and ultimately to be more self-directed learners. Whether a teacher is designing a single class session, a series of class sessions, an assignment, an online learning object, or a credit course, scaffolding is a powerful technique that informs the entire instructional design process. Often, however, it does not receive the attention that it deserves. In this 4-week course participants will learn about various scaffolding techniques, reflect on their own related teaching experiences and approaches, and apply scaffolding to developing or revising an instruction plan of their choice.

Course Structure

  • Week 1: Foundations in Scaffolding: Theory, Principles, & Techniques
  • Week 2: Instructional Contexts: Identifying Learning Outcomes & Anticipating Stumbling Blocks
  • Week 3: Creating Learning Experiences & Learning Supports
  • Week 4: Self-Regulated Learning, Flexible Learning, and the Iterative Nature of Scaffolding

Learning Outcomes

In this four-week interactive online workshop participants will:

  • Articulate the value of scaffolding in the instructional design process.
  • Recognize the interconnections between scaffolding, learning outcomes, and learning assessment.
  • Identify and describe scaffolding techniques that can be constructively integrated into various instructional contexts.
  • Apply scaffolding to designing and revising an instruction plan.

Note: This class can be taken as a stand-alone course or as a follow-up to Backward Design for Information Literacy Education. While background knowledge of backward design will be beneficial, it is not necessary in order to learn and fully engage in this course. Those with more knowledge of backward design will benefit from the opportunity to focus more intently on the scaffolding process.


Registration Information

Participants may register up through the first week of a course. Please email abaer at inquiringteachers dot com with the registrant name(s), email address(es), and the course in which they wish to enroll.

Within one business day you will receive a registration confirmation and payment information. Payments can be made with personal or institutional credit cards or PayPal. If your institution prefers to receive a billing statement or to make purchase order, please indicate this in your email message.

About Inquiring Teachers Courses

Baer_2018In a small online community participants learn about pedagogical theories and practices relevant to information literacy education, while also developing an instruction plan for their unique teaching contexts. Throughout these courses participants provide one another with feedback and receive individualized feedback from the instructor. All courses are asynchronous, with flexible weekly schedules.

This professional development is unique in its emphasis on reflection and community and in its integration of learning research, accessible theory, and everyday teaching practice. To foster this environment, classes are small (no more than 15 people) and all participants are given ongoing personalized and detailed feedback. All courses are facilitated by educator and instruction librarian Andrea Baer, Ph.D.

(This course counts as an elective for the Certificate in Library Instruction from Library Juice Academy.)

Privacy Information

Courses are taught through the digital platform MoodleCloud. When registrants first log in to MoodleCloud, they are required to accept the site’s Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy in order to use the site. When a registrant is enrolled in a course, their name and email are added to the course’s MoodleCloud site. Inquiring Teachers does not share any additional user information with MoodleCloud.