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 Age Learning_Bill_of_Rights.htmlhttp:// 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 

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 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.”