Linda C. Smith GSLIS, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign LEEP, WISE, CPLA, MOOC: Expanding Access to LIS Education.

Linda C. Smith

GSLIS, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

LEEP, WISE, CPLA, MOOC: Expanding Access to LIS Education

Alternative subtitle: 20 years in 20 minutes

LEEP=Library Education Experimental Program

Online enrollment option for GSLIS MS and CAS

degrees

WISE=Web-based Information Science Education

Consortium of 16 LIS programs for course sharing

CPLA = Certified Public Library Administrator

Voluntary post-MLS certification program

MOOC = Massive Open Online Course

Unlimited participation, open access via the Web

North American LIS Education Landscape

59 ALA-accredited programs

29 programs fully online

22 primarily face-to-face with select online courses

offered

Accreditation standards: “The requirements of these

Standards apply regardless of forms or locations of

delivery of a program.”

A Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Agehttp://www.hybridpedagogy.com/Journal/files/Online_Learning_Bill_of_Rights.html

(January 22, 2013)

“We believe that online learning represents a

powerful and potentially awe-inspiring opportunity to

make new forms of learning available to all students

worldwide, whether young or old, learning for credit,

self-improvement, employment, or just pleasure. We

believe that online courses can create ‘meaningful’

as well as ‘massive’ learning opportunities.”

Expanding Access: LEEP

1996 LEEP Library Education Experimental Program

31 students, primarily from Illinois

3 courses per semester

developed technology in-house for instruction

2015 LEEP enrollment option

~300 students from across the U.S.

Also “community credit” and on-campus

students

~100 online course sections per year

Moodle and Blackboard Collaborate

Expanding Access: WISE

An online consortial initiative dedicated to the

quality and accessibility of online LIS education

Established in 2004 by Illinois and Syracuse,

emphasizing quality metrics, faculty development,

and course share

Currently 16 institutions in 4 countries (US,

Canada, New Zealand, and Australia) are members

http://www.wiseeducation.org

Expanding Access: WISE (cont.)

Member schools list spaces in online courses for

students from other WISE schools

Once approved to enroll by the WISE coordinator,

the student registers at his/her home school but

participates in the course via the host school’s

online learning environment

Official registration, payment of tuition, and

recording of grades take place at the home school

Students gain access to specialized courses

Expanding Access: CPLA and WISE+

Using technology to offer non-credit continuing

education opportunities: CPLA 6-week short

courses to satisfy competencies in areas such a

Budget and Finance

WISE+ partnerships with professional associations

WISE member schools partner with LIS

organizations to develop and offer courses

suitable for both graduate credit and continuing

education (e.g., ATLA)

Benefits of WISE/WISE+

WISE: students and instructors enjoy the benefits

of a diverse class environment, with students

contributing unique perspectives from various

schools, professional experiences, and geographic

locations

WISE+: model for professional schools to partner

with professional associations for mutual benefit—

support education for special areas within the

profession

Expanding Access: MOOCs

http://www.simmons.edu/news/school-of-library-and-information-

science/2014/march/behind-moocs

Jeffrey Pomerantz (UNC) offered a Coursera MOOC

on “Metadata: Organizing and Discovering

Information” in 2013—taught more students in one

MOOC than he had throughout his 12-year career in

academia.

Given this ability to connect with students

worldwide, are MOOCS worthwhile for universities to

invest in?

Revisiting: A Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Age

“We are aware of how much we don’t know: that we

have yet to explore the full pedagogical potential of

learning online, of how it can change the ways we

teach, the ways we learn, and the ways we connect.”

“Our broad goal is to inspire an open, learner-

centered dialogue around the rights, responsibilities,

and possibilities for education in the globally-

connected world of the present and beyond.”