HAVING JUST JOINED SAN JOSÉ State University’s (SJSU) all online SLIS, I read with great interest the new report from Pew Internet and American Life, “The Digital Revolution and Higher Education.” Pew interviewed over 1000 college presidents and more than 2100 members of the general public.
One of the key findings: only 29 percent of the public says online courses offer an equal value compared with courses taken in a classroom. Half (51 percent) of the college presidents surveyed say online courses provide the same value. I’d like to see a similar survey focused specifically on LIS education. Would students—such as at SJSU, Drexel, or other completely online LIS programs—rate their online experience as equal in value to face-to-face instruction?
That depends on the caliber of the online experience. Are the classes just ported over from face-to-face syllabi and entirely text-based? Read, respond, repeat. This style of online course is frowned upon by many students (see “The Transparent Library School” for more). I wonder how many of the general public respondents had the mostly text-based correspondence-style classes, or if emerging technologies and the social web were used to enhance their coursework.
Also, 50 percent of college presidents “predict that ten years from now most of their students will take classes online.” In our field, more programs will put at least part of their courses online if they haven’t already done so.
Online or not?
The decision to pursue a graduate library degree involves multiple considerations: time, money, and location are but a few. Despite the views and predictions of college presidents and the lower ratings for online education from the general public, many library school candidates will still choose online over on campus. After all, online offerings mean that students are not tied geographically to just the school in their own state.
Before applying to an online program, however, prospective grad students need to do some comparative shopping and soul-searching.
First, evaluate a program’s curriculum. Does it reflect current issues and trends in the profession? Does it include focus on core values and emerging technologies? Can you examine a course catalog and a schedule of current offerings? What’s the process for the ongoing evolution of the curriculum itself?
These things should be transparent and easy to find on the school’s website. The website is also indicative of the school’s attitudes and perceptions as to how the web can be used to share information. Beware PR speak.
Second, reflect on your learning style and comfort level with technology before making a decision. Is course delivery via face-to-face in the physical classroom, a hybrid model of boot camp style days followed by online exercises for the rest of the semester, or entirely online? Whatever your learning style, tech skills and comfort are paramount for success in today’s libraries and information environments. (For more on the importance of understanding and participating to at least some degree in the online world, see my first column.)
Third, do your research! Search for posts about the school on the web. Blogs including Hack Library School and student blogs may offer insights beyond the marketing efforts of the schools being considered. Search the archives here at LJ and look for mention of the program at the American Library Association’s site for the Committee on Accreditation. The degree is a high price tag decision—make it carefully.
Online assets
I may have a bit of a bias, but I would much rather my students make the short trip to their desks and computers instead of commuting across town or farther. Time saved on travel could roll over into time spent on coursework or finding balance among school, work, and life. Money saved on gas and travel could transform into paying for classes or student loans.
Other students may be drawn to the classroom, to in-person interaction with a professor and other classmates. I would argue, however, that the technologies available at San José State that allow me to lecture, interact with, and guide my students rival those classrooms. My weekly drop-in office hours via web conferencing software give students a chance to ask a question or just say hi. An integrated IM program automatically populates class tabs with my student rosters, so faculty and students can exchange quick messages.
Reflecting on Pew’s data, there is no excuse for online education to be rated below face-to-face if students and faculty have access to technologies that not only replicate but enhance the learning experience. In reality, however, there are certain appurtenances and hurdles to consider in e-learning environments. Can we truly re-create all that is well and good in face-to-face classrooms? Are there some things that technology simply can’t overcome? For potential LIS students pondering online, research and reflection should influence the decision, no matter what the Pew data says.
Author Information
Michael Stephens (mstephens7@mac.com) is Assistant Professor at the School of Library and Information Sciences, San Jose State University, CA
Reader Comments (6)
The fact that only 29% of the general public believes that
online education is at least equal to the face-to-face
classroom experience isn't as troublesome to me as the 39%
of students who have taken online classes who feel this way.
Online education requires more effort from both sides of the
virtual lectern and so a determination of what is causing
this less than ideal feeling among students who have taken
online classes is obviously needed. Is it because the
instructors lack adequate training to teach for the online
setting? Is it because instructors do not have the
technologies available to them to provide the most
appropriate online course delivery methods to their content
needs? Is it because students must be more self-disciplined
and motivated than in the classroom setting? Is it because
faculty and students lose some sense of reality concerning
what can be accomplished in a course because it is a virtual
experience? Knowing that the majority of students feel in
some way cheated by their online education is a bitter pill
for a faculty member to swallow considering the numbers of
hours spent preparing for and supporting online students.
Some answers concerning how to remedy this situation are
obviously needed.
Posted by Joan E Beaudoin on October 18, 2011 10:38:03AM
Does this mean that public libraries will see ever-increasing requests to proctor distance learning tests?
Posted by Joneser on October 18, 2011 12:33:19PM
I graduated from SJSU's program last December and for me, it was an extremely positive experience. I felt well-supported by the staff and faculty throughout the time I was a student.
Professor Stephens is absolutely correct that before enrolling in this type of program, students need to do adequate research and perform serious self-evaluation. Online learning is very different from the traditional classroom setting. SJSU had a required Introduction to Online Learning course that taught some techniques for staying organized, self-motivated, and making the best use of online tools and resources.
Both students and professors have to be absolutely dedicated to participating regularly in online discussions, responding quickly to emails and giving regular feedback as the class progresses. If something isn't working, the professor needs to be able to know *before* course evaluation time.
On the part of professors, I think that regular professional development is crucial. They need to be kept abreast of emerging technologies and new methods of teaching online. SJSU's professors used the Elluminate platform from time to time while I was a student there. It's an online, interactive classroom with a huge amount of potential. But often, it was used purely as a lecturing tool. That's certainly useful, but the times I found it most effective were when students used it to give presentations, and peers and professors provided feedback in real-time.
I benefited greatly from being able to work on my MLIS online because it allowed me to continue working full time at a library. I was able to apply a lot of the lessons (especially those in coding) daily at my job. Even if nothing was due on a particular day, it made a big difference to do a quick check-in each evening in each online course and see what others were posting. That, more than anything made me feel involved with my classmates and like we were all working toward a common goal. And the added bonus of being able do it in the comfort of my home was the icing on the cake.
Posted by Christina Certo on October 19, 2011 09:46:48AM
I really enjoyed reading this post, Michael. I am a strong proponent of online education,
having benefitted from it myself. When I graduated UC Santa Cruz with a BA in Modern
Literature, I had no idea what I was going to do for work, and I started taking Web-based
courses at Foothill College in Los Altos, CA. At that time, Foothill College used the ETUDES
software tool, and only a limited selection of courses were available online.
While I was disappointed that I could not take mathematics courses through ETUDES (I
desperately need to learn calculus), I was highly motivated to defer my undergraduate
school loans, and began taking courses on graphic design, Web technology, and even XML.
These courses opened my mind to new and unexpected possibilities, and I began down a
path that eventually led me to the School of Library and Information Science at San Jose
State University.
I selected the SJSU's MLIS program for two reasons: a) the school had just eliminated the
requirement to take certain courses "face-to-face", and b) I felt the school's ALA accreditation was a clear symbol that I would receive a rigorous education from a
respected institution.
The second reason was perhaps more significant to me because there is an obvious stigma
associated with online education today. I think this issue has been compounded by the
emergence of for-profit colleges and universities, since many of them happen to offer
online programs. Several people I've talked to seem to conflate "online" with "for profit",
which is unfortunate. In a recent LinkedIn discussion on this topic, one participant
grumbled that the deterioration of the LIS profession was due in large part to the fact that
"nowadays anyone with a computer can get their degree online"--clearly implying that
online education was not equivalent to "real" education.
The stigma facing online education today is not unlike the challenge facing online media
("New Media") a decade ago. No one took the Web seriously as a source of accurate,
authoritative news information until CNET started winning awards for outstanding
journalism. That was a tipping point for CNET because they leveraged their reputation to
lure many of the best journalists and radio personalities away from traditional media,
which further elevated the quality of their journalism. To this day, CNET scoops a
significant portion of technology-related news stories, and now has access to even greater
resources as a part of CBS Interactive.
I believe we will someday reach a similar tipping point in online education--in the LIS field
as well as in other areas of academia--when an online program/institution gains
recognition as being not just equal to, but superior to, its competitors and counterparts in
the traditional realm of education. Those who brave the wilderness and endure the harsh
winters of this "beta" period today will be poised to take leadership roles in the future as
pioneers of a new academic frontier.
Posted by Richard Thomchick on November 6, 2011 07:11:32PM
I'm nearly finished with an online MLIS program. I have mixed feelings. Many of the professors have been fantastic, but there are a handful who do not even attempt to engage students or utilize interactive teaching methods. For that handful, instruction is at best a megabyte or two of Word documents (or worse, PowerPoint) posted on the class website, and all learning is completely self-serve. I do realize it's grad school, but in this case what is the difference between grad school and reading a book on my own? I've learned a lot and have gained some higher level skills, but I really do miss the face-to-face environment and the ability to interact with my peers.
