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Library Skills: live online training guide

Guidance, best practices and suggestions on how to design and deliver live online library skills training.

Pre-booking

Information for potential attendees

Pre-booking information should be in the session description and should include any practicalities which would influence their decision on whether or not to attend. E.g. Pre-requisites, minimum software requirements.

After booking, before the event

Information for attendees

This should include any information, links or files that attendees might need to have prior to the live session and joining instructions for that platform.

  • Giving too much information means it is likely to be ignored. The most important points should be made prominent.
  • Joining instructions are included on our library skills pages, so you could send a link to these.
  • If you intend to record the session, you may like to alert attendees to this in advance, and provide information on how to join as an anonymous guest. As a matter of course we do not record sessions as part of our scheduled programme of sessions.
  • UCL policy is that lecture materials are shared 48 hours in advance, so depending on the nature of your session this may be a requirement for sessions delivered for academic programmes. We do not as a rule share our session materials in advance of sessions as part of our scheduled programme, which are workshops rather than lectures. See Making lecture materials available in advance.
  • If you have pre-course work you should send it with enough time for attendees to do the work.
  • Information and files can be sent automatically from LibCal as an email, or as a file attachment. LibCal does not keep a record of emails sent,. You can cc yourself but this will not show you which students received that same message.
  • Timing: When sending pre-course information consider timing carefully. They may need time to read or act on pre-course advice, but people might also book on a course at the last minute.

Information from attendees

A pre-course survey or form could be used to gather information about your attendees such as:

  • Technical information:
    • Any accessibility requirements;
    • If they have a UCL login;
    • What device / operating system / browser they will be using.
  • Knowledge or experience of the topic being covered.
  • Any questions they may like addressed in the session.

We recommend the use of Microsoft Forms to carry out a pre-course survey. Alternatively you could do a poll at the start of the session.

Communicating with co-facilitator

It is strongly recommended you have a colleague co-facilitate your session. You should agree in advance:

  • Who will be responsible for what.
  • How you will manage chat and Q&A.
  • What you will do in case of one of you losing connection.
  • If there are any particular areas you would like to reflect on after the event.