As part of a class assignment, I acted as a seminar facilitator for an hour long group seminar on Personal Information Management: Tools, Practices, and Overload. Everyday we are encountering all forms of information at an increasingly accelerated rate and from a multitude of outlets. This seminar addressed the issues, benefits, and potential coping mechanisms that arise from information overload. Personal experience played a huge role in the discussion.
The seminar featured in-depth discussion of questions and issues that arouse from group members' reading of four topic-related articles and studies and two seminar activities that required both individual thinking and team work.
Everyone experiences information overload (and responds differently), so addressing the topic head-on as a group was important. Personally, I found this seminar useful in not only learning how to facilitate, but also managing the anxiety that can be related to information overload as a graduate student.
As seminar facilitator, I:
- Provided seminar members with a creative and easy to navigate seminar handout, which enabled full participation from all group members
- Prepared open and critical discussion questions, which resulted in in-depth and respectful debate of topic issues and reading materials
- Designed both mentally and physically engaging activities that promoted teamwork and thus a more open discussion of the topic
- Lead and directed seminar discussion and activities within the allotted time
This seminar was part of an assignment for LIBR 508: Information Practices in Contemporary Society, a core course taken as part of the Master of Library Information Studies program at the iSchool at UBC . Seminar members included course peers.
Below are images of the one page (front and back) handout provided to group members to act as a tool and guide throughout the seminar. The front side of the page includes an overview and critical questions about of the four assigned seminar reading/video materials. The reverse features additional critical questions, the two seminar activities, and additional resources discussed briefly during the seminar.
