About Teaching and Learning
We are librarians, educators, researchers and information literacy experts dedicated to empowering members of the McMaster community through our teaching and learning practices.
Teaching and Learning
About Teaching and Learning
About Us
Our Mission
Our mission is to:
- Empower students to critically engage with research and information
- Facilitate inclusive learning experiences using evidence, scholarship, and reflection to inform our approach and to contribute to the university and professional teaching and learning landscape.
- Equip individuals with the tools to critically evaluate and navigate information sources.
Our Vision
As a team of dedicated information literacy experts, we believe in:
- Fostering critical thinking and empowering individuals with essential information skills.
- The transformative power of knowledge, and that continuous growth is fundamental to navigating the complexities of the information landscape.
- Cultivating a collaborative and inclusive learning environment where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but celebrated.
- Enhancing the educational experience through collaboration, providing a foundation for lifelong learning and informed decision making.
- Reaching learners across diverse backgrounds through accessible teaching and learning practices.
Our Values
As academic librarians, we value:
- Equity, diversity, inclusion and respect.
- Empowering students, and meeting them where they are.
- Meaningful and sustainable partnerships.
- Nurturing our work through continuous learning and scholarship.
What We Do - Version
What We Do
- Research Consultations
- Instruction and Workshops
- Research Guides and Learning Objects
- Open Educational Resources
- First Year Experience
- Graduate Student Experience
Our Services
Our Services
Research Consultations
Meet with one of our librarians who can help you with your project, no matter the scope or your skill level.
Research consultations can help you:
- Develop and refine your research topic.
- Find and critically evaluate sources.
- Create basic and advanced search strategies.
- Understand how to use citation management tools.
Request an appointment using our form.
Instruction and Workshops
Teach your students how to think critically about their research needs and scholarship.
We can:
- Introduce students to library resources, and how to use them effectively.
- Educate students about plagiarism and the ethical use of information.
- Provide active learning experiences designed to encourage participation and discussion.
Book a class using our form.
Research Guides and Learning Objects
Discover general guides and to help with your research skills, and course specific guides to help you with relevant resources and services, or create a research guide to help your students navigate through the Library's resources for a specific class or assignment.
With Research Guides and lesson materials, we can
- Create a research guide or learning object to help your students navigate through the Library's resources for a specific class or assignment.
- Provide videos, online tutorials, and custom interactive content to further student learning and engagement.
Open Education Resources
Our open educational resources (OER) services can help you integrate OER, including openly licensed textbooks, presentations, multimedia, and other course materials, into your teaching.
With OER Resources, you can:
- Find OER in McMaster’s OER by Discipline Guide and by search for OER using our list of OER repositories.
- Discover relevant open materials for a course you teach through our OER finding service.
- Apply for an OER Grant to fund your OER adoption, adaptation, or creation project.
First Year Student Experience
Adapt to university life and academia through specialized programming and tailored events curated by our First Year Librarian.
With first year student experience, you can:
- Participate in exciting and informative sessions designed to introduce students to library resources and proper library use.
- Help other students and forge connections by applying for the Library Ambassador program.
- Discover both McMaster’s community and the beautiful city of Hamilton, Ontario.
Graduate Student Experience
Transition into Graduate research with the help of specialized resources, spaces, and tools to ensure academic and personal wellbeing.
With graduate student services, you can:
- Get personalized academic help and support from our dedicated Graduate Studies librarian.
- Get access to, then study or decompress in the library’s Graduate space.
- Find support for all things research and publishing related with specialized tools, tips, and guidance.
Request a Class
Request a class
The Librarians from Teaching and Learning offer course-related and course-integrated instruction on effective research and critical information use to McMaster faculty and students. Teaching and Learning can provide synchronous or asynchronous information literacy instruction sessions for your courses. We are here to provide guidance on integrating information literacy and active learning into online learning environments.
Form > Request an Information Literacy (Research Skills) Class
We can:
- Provide advice on creating effective library and information research assignments.
- Teach your students how to critically think about their research needs, and how to use library resources.
- Create a course guide to help your students understand how to use library resources for their assignment.
- See our Research Guides page - https://libguides.mcmaster.ca
- Educate students about plagiarism and the ethical use of information.
- Teach students how to correctly cite sources in their papers and bibliographies.
Request a Consultation
Request an appointment with a Librarian
Teaching and Learning offers research consultations and drop-in office hours for all students, faculty and staff in person, via phone, email, Teams, Zoom or Skype.
Submit a Research Consultation Form or Book an Appointment
Research consultations can help you:
- get started on developing your research question
- decide on which databases are most relevant to your topic
- create a better search strategy
- critically think about which resources to use, and why
and so much more!
Events
Events
This page lists upcoming and past events delivered and/or co-ordinated by the Teaching and Learning team.
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned for upcoming events.
Past Events
Research Consultations (Under Construction)
Research Consultation: Getting Started
Research consultations are a 30-60-minute meeting with a librarian. Consultations can be conducted in-person or online using Zoom.
How we can help:
- Critically review your search strategy
- Advise on database selection
- Provide guidance on searching grey literature
- Recommend methods for documenting your search strategy and managing your citations
- Provide advice on publishing, including Open Educational Resources
- Refer you to other resources to support your research
How to prepare for your consultation:
We want you to get the most out of your time with a librarian. Here are some things you should prepare for your research consultation:
- Your research question or research protocol
- Full citations for 2-3 articles relevant to your research (if available)
- A table of your key concepts with potential search terms
- A list of potential databases that you have identified
- Initial search conducted in the database with your search history included (if available)
Before you book:
- We will not conduct your search for you. We are here to give you the tools to conduct your own search.
- We can provide 3 consultations per project per term.
- Subsequent appointments will only be booked after progress and follow-up from the last consultation have been indicated.
- Faculty supervisors are welcome and encouraged to attend consultations.
Booking an appointment:
Book an appointment by selecting a librarian or research expert and an appointment time that works for you.
If you are a Health Sciences student, faculty member, or researcher, please visit the Health Sciences Library research consultation page.
If you’re still not sure where to book, you can fill out a research consultation form.
Katie Compton
Teaching and Learning Librarian, Humanities and Social Sciences
905-525-9140 ext. 26080
comptk1@mcmaster.ca
Nicole Doro
Teaching and Learning Librarian, Humanities and Social Sciences
905-525-9140 ext. 22000
dorone@mcmaster.ca
Anna Flak (On Leave)
Teaching and Learning Librarian, Humanities and Social Sciences
905-525-9140 ext. 23023
flaka1@mcmaster.ca
Katie Harding
Teaching and Learning Librarian, OER & STEM
905-525-9140 ext. 22000
kharding@mcmaster.ca
Helen Kula
Helen Kula
Associate University Librarian, Teaching and Learning
905-525-9140 ext. 22000
kulah@mcmaster.ca
Katie Merriman
Katie Merriman
Teaching and Learning Librarian, STEM
905-525-9140 ext. 26757
merrimkv@mcmaster.ca
