Workshops

The U of T Scarborough Library provides instructional workshops to support a wide variety of student skills, competencies, & knowledge of library resources.    

Workshops for Course-Related Instruction

In collaboration with instructors and departments, librarians develop and teach tailored in-class workshops which are customized to assignments, helping students build critical skills for academic success throughout their degrees. 

We also offer a variety of other supports for course-related instruction. For more information, see Teaching & Classroom Support and Studying & Learning. For more information contact your Liaison Librarian

Workshops for Groups of Students (Study Groups, Student Organizations etc.)

We also provide workshops for study groups & student organizations etc. on skills/competencies/library resources needed for a specific disciplinary area or project. 

Workshop Topics

Here are examples of workshops offered by U of T Scarborough Library.

Research Skills Workshops

Learning Objectives:

  • How to use library databases to find scholarly articles
  • How to brainstorm keywords
  • How to create search strategies using boolean operators 
     

Learning Objectives:

  • Access library resources (physical space and website)
  • Access article databases to locate scholarly articles on an assigned topic
  • Access the LibrarySearch to find books (at U of T Scarborough Library, other U of T libraries and online) on an assigned topic

Online Training:
Library Research Skills Modules: A series of six modules introducing students to foundational library skills. Includes a CCR edition. 

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand purpose of LibrarySearch/why they might select it for their research (over a different database) 
  • Brainstorm keywords
  • Create search strategies using boolean operators
  • Use limiters to focus search results
  • Limit search to books and understand how to retrieve books (online & print)

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will be able to choose appropriate tools pertinent to their research needs
  • Students will be able to use University of Toronto licensed databases in order to find images needed for research or study
  • Students will understand how to use images within their research and assignments with academic integrity

Relevant Links:

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand basic issues around how information is collected and applied for purposes of discrimination
  • Examine the roles that private/corporate information systems play in using information for and against different groups of people
  • Question why and how information is used for or against different groups of people

Relevant Links:

How do I spot misinformation?

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand purpose of database/why they might select it for their research (over a different database) 
  • Brainstorm keywords
  • Create search strategies using Boolean Operators
  • Use limiters to focus search results

Database Tutorial Videos:

LibrarySearch 
CINAHL (Ebsco)
Cochrane Central
ERIC (ProQuest)
Ovid Embase
Ovid Medline
PubMed
Scopus
SimplyAnalytics
Web of Science

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will be able to save citations to Zotero
  • Students will understand how to effectively organize information in Zotero
  • Students will be able to make bibliographies using Zotero

Relevant Links:

Zotero Research Guide

Data & Digital Scholarship Workshops

If you are interested in participating in one of the workshops below, let us know by filling out the University of Toronto Scarborough Library Data and Digital Scholarship Workshops form. Filling out this form helps us understand which workshops you would like us to schedule each term.

If you are a faculty member, instructor, or trying to organize a group workshop departmental liaison librarian

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss GIS basics and the concepts of map making
  • Use an example topic to practice finding, adding, importing data and then use tools in ArcGIS to analyze the map
  • Create your own map by using a provided topic where you will be asked to find data, and analyze the map using ArcGIS tools

Sample workshop

Learning Objectives:

  • Explain the Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data
  • Understand the NVivo interface and terminology
  • NVivo Basics:
    • Create a project and import data
    • Code and organize theme nodes
    • Create memos and annotations

Sample workshop

Learning Objectives:

  • Discuss the concepts of data cleaning 
  • Apply facets and filters to your data sets 
  • Understand controlled vocabularies and apply them 
  • Perform merges and splits on cells of data

Sample workshop

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the function, structure, and general application of APIs in research and programming
  • Navigate the landscape of APIs at UTL 
  • Build an API query using CORE API

Sample workshop

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify the different types of Creative Commons licenses and what each allows/does not allow
  • Correctly attribute an open resource using the TASL framework
  • Locate OER including open textbooks:
    • UofT Context & community
    • Examples of OER possibilities (website, book, module, lab assignment, multiple choice text, video, etc)
    • Discuss how to apply OER to your own situations (low-stakes to high stakes)
    • Adapt, adopt, create and contribute

Sample workshop

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the various narrative formats of a Podcast
  • Apply basic audio editing functions in Audacity
  • Perform saving, packaging, and exporting your project

Sample workshop
UTSC Library Storytelling Portal

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the OBS Studio Interface
  • Apply live streaming techniques using a virtual camera
  • Understand methods of using OBS Studio for enhanced instruction and communication

Sample workshop
UTSC Library Storytelling Portal

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the difference between a workbook and a sheet
  • Understand the difference between data types
  • Perform simple calculations 
  • Perform simple sorting and apply facets
  • Develop charts, graphs, and pivot tables

 UTSC Library Foundational Data Literacy Modules (CCR Credit)

Learning Objectives:

  • Develop an understanding of how StorymapJS can contribute to your research
  • Coordinate historical information with geographic locations using digital tools
  • Practice uploading content and arranging data points in StorymapJS

Sample workshop

Learning Objectives:

  • Develop an understanding of how timelines contribute to your research
  • Understand how to organize information in chronological order using digital tools
  • Format information into data to create a timeline
  • Investigate tools for creating timelines 
  • Create an interactive timeline using TimelineJS

Sample workshop

Entrepreneurship & Innovation Workshops

Learning Objectives:

  • Become familiar proprietary and open sources of industry information
  • Learn to read a market research report in five minutes
  • Explore models for DIY industry analysis
  • Take away tools and frameworks for synthesizing and analyzing your industry

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe types of data in order to understand why you need it to inform your business idea
  • Identify an information need and find the data that best addresses a startup research question
  • Use logical judgment and critical thinking to evaluate data from multiple sources

Sample workshop

Additional workshops, including "Company and Competitor Research," are offered, and can be found on the Entrepreneurship Research Workshops page.

Makerspace Workshops

This hands-on session introduces you to 3D design using Tinkercad, a free design platform that is ideal for beginners. At the end of the workshop, you will have created a basic object that is ready to be 3D printed. You are welcomed to use your own laptop.  

Tinkercad Website

This online session will introduce you to the tools and resources related to podcasts. You will learn about best practices for creating a podcast, including choosing a format, comparing recording software and selecting the proper equipment needed to complete your audio project.

This online session will go beyond the fundamentals of podcast creation. You'll gain insights into mastering, podcast directories, and RSS feeds. Additionally, there will be a practical exercise involving the editing of an audio file using Audacity. To actively participate in this hands-on activity, make sure to download the free program beforehand. 

Audacity Website

This online session will introduce you to Design Space, the online tool that lets you create Cricut projects. During the interactive workshop, you will learn how to browse the Cricut design database or use program tools to create your own project, such as stickers or greeting cards. To participate, make sure to download the free program beforehand.

Cricut Website

 

If you have questions or would like to arrange a workshop, please contact your liaison librarian.