Librarians have led and/or actively engaged with OER initiatives across CUNY for many years. More recently, librarians have also been part of COIL initiatives. For AY 2023-2024, multiple CUNY campuses included stipends for librarians who collaborate with faculty members on developing and/or teaching OER/COIL modules. When librarians collaborate with faculty to teach a course that uses and adapts a COIL module, the role of the librarian could include:
- Working with the faculty member to adapt/adopt the module so that it includes resources and instruction on using the library, and so that the assignments are structured to include library resources and research skills
- Embedding in a COIL-integrated course and asynchronously supporting students as they complete their research projects
- Teaching synchronous library workshops for students that are geared to finding information related to the students’ COIL projects (bibliographic instruction and/or media/information literacy workshops)
When librarians collaborate on the development of OER/COIL modules, the librarian’s role might include:
- Double-checking the copyright licenses for resources that faculty assign students engaged in their COIL projects
- Finding required and supplemental readings/media for students engaged in the COIL project that are free-of-charge and/or open access
- Creating libguides (using Springshare’s libguide software) that house the COIL project’s assigned readings/media
If you are either a librarian interested in collaborating with a faculty member teaching with COIL and you would like help finding a partner, or if you are a faculty member looking for a librarian, please contact the OER/COIL committee. The committee members can help connect you with someone on your campus.
