ZSR librarian recognized for creating online course

October 11, 2013

An interview with e-learning librarian Kyle Denlinger was recently featured on the website of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association devoted to advancing higher education.

Denlinger discussed features of a new online course offered by the Z. Smith Reynolds Library called ZSRx that he created to help Wake Forest parents and alumni learn how to use the Web more effectively. Open to anyone who wanted to enroll, more than 700 people registered for this free, four-week course, ranging from recent graduates to an alumna from the class of 1954. About 50 participants were active in the course during any given week.

ZSRx was made using free online tools. The course, which took several months to complete, covers Internet search strategies, online privacy issues, and how to evaluate information accuracy. Parents and alumni who have taken the course gain a better understanding of the expertise of librarians. On the final course survey, they described the course as “a wonderful learning experience” that has made “internet searching more manageable.”

More courses are in the works, and ZSR is leading the charge. “Libraries have always been hubs of their physical communities. We also need to be hubs of digital communities,” Denlinger said. “Offering courses like ZSRx — lightweight, informal, communities wrapped around a collection of content — is a huge opportunity for libraries of all kinds.”

If you’re interested in completing ZSRx, course content is here.