Primary Source Literacy in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

This article reports upon the development and implementation of a new literary research methods course in a remote teaching context. This updated curriculum is predicated on the notion that digital and traditional methods each work best when they expand and improve the other. Key facets of the new curriculum are outlined, with sample topics and assignments that serve to scaffold students’ understanding of primary source research in a remote learning environment. This article demonstrates not only how a program of experience-based, hands-on approaches to primary source literacy instruction may proceed in a time of social distancing but also how lessons learned during the pandemic may promote more effective research methods and instruction for the post-COVID era.