Keynote Address
For our keynote address, we are thrilled to welcome Joan Ruelle and Deandra Little of Elon University. The Engaged Library: High-Impact Educational Practices in Academic Libraries (2020, ALA) is edited by Joan Ruelle and features an introduction by both presenters entitled, "A SoTL View of HIPs and Libraries."
High-impact educational practices (HIPs)—as identified by George Kuh and the Association of American Colleges & Universities (2008)—are widely recognized as activities that promote student engagement, student retention, and positive student learning outcomes. How these eleven practices are implemented may vary some, depending on institutional context and priorities, as well as on the learners themselves, but are all meant to create substantive activities that deepen student learning, engagement, and success. A persistent struggle for libraries has been articulating how libraries directly and indirectly contribute to student success, and calls to better measure and articulate the contributions of libraries to student learning are well-represented in our profession (most notably through the ACRL Value of Academic Libraries initiative). As high-impact practices become a leading measure of engaged pedagogy on college and university campuses, we hope to provide an entry point for academic librarians looking to learn more about HIPs so they can lead, partner, and contribute to engagement and assessment with HIPs on their campus to better communicate the academic library’s value to the broader academic community.
Deandra Little is assistant provost and director of the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning and professor of English at Elon University. In this role, she works with faculty and teaching staff to foster evidence-informed, inclusive and innovative teaching and learning practices and the scholarship of teaching and learning. To accomplish this work, she has frequently collaborated with faculty and library colleagues at Elon and in her previous position at the University of Virginia. Her research and publications focus on teaching and learning and educational development. A former president of the POD Network in Higher Education, she is a recent past vice president of the International Consortium of Educational Development.
Joan Ruelle is Dean of the Carol Grotnes Belk Library at Elon University where she works in a variety of ways to articulate and implement a broad-based strategic vision of the library as a vital and vibrant partner in the life of the institution. She is deeply committed to the teaching role of the academic library and presents frequently with colleagues about the integration of high-impact practices in academic libraries, as well as deep collaboration among campus partners. Joan was previously the University Librarian at Hollins University, which was recognized with the ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award for innovative outreach during her leadership.