Information Overload: Strategies for Personal Information Management (PIM) and More Effective Online Teaching Susan Alman, Lorna R. Kearns, Barbara A. Frey, and Christinger Tomer What is PIM? …the practice and study of activities a person performs to create, store, organize, maintain, retrieve, use, and distribute information. -- William Jones Keeping Found Things Found: The Study and Practice of Personal Information Management (2008) Our Study Research Questions 1.What challenges do online instructors face in managing digital information within the areas of , computer file management, Web bookmarks, and learning management systems? 2.What effective practices have instructors used in these areas? Methods Administered an online survey in the summer 0f 2011 consisting of closed- and open-ended questions about information management challenges and practices related to online teaching Survey completed by 65 online faculty at 15 different institutions Results The participants in our study reported many challenges managing information in each of the four contexts as well as coordinating among contexts. The selected quotes below exemplify some of these challenges: Recommendations Reduce or organize select s with filters File by using mail folders labeled for topic, sender, and/or course Remember to file sent s Flag s as high priority or for follow-up Act on incoming or delete it Use subject line to keep s clear and brief Desktop Create folders for each course and subfolders for each semester Within subfolders, create folders for announcements, discussions, assignments, FAQs Use file names that include version tracking info (e.g. version number, date, semester) Make regular backups Web Save bookmarks in a shareable format Add notes to bookmarks Explore Web 2.0 tools for bookmark sharing, calendaring, scheduling, and media sharing When you upload content to wikis, blogs, or other media sharing sites, keep a copy on your desktop Learning Management System Keep backup copies of course files on your personal computer. Create, edit, and save documents on your personal computer before uploading to your LMS. Participate in training opportunities to learn more about the LMS in use at your institution. Cross-Context Align folder structure across , desktop, and Web bookmarks Information is a source of learning. But unless it is organized, processed, and available to the right people in a format for decision making, it is a burden, not a benefit. --William Pollard Alignment DesktopBookmarks “The biggest challenge is in prioritizing which s are very important or time-sensitive and keeping up with them during the busiest time of the semester.” “There are occasions when I KNOW that a message is in the system somewhere, but I can’t find it with automatic searching.” Desktop “The main challenge is how to deal with a large and ever increasing number of files.” “Many years of accretion make it difficult to maintain consistency over time.” “I don't back up nearly as often as I should.” Web “The biggest challenge is figuring out a strategy to begin with. Right now it’s hit or miss.” “I have different bookmarks saved on the toolbars of my different computers.” “Sometimes I just hope that I’ll remember the website.” “Passwords…grrr.” LMS “Never seems to have the tools I need integrated in a way that I need them integrated.” Cross-Context “I try to be consistent, but sometimes I'm in a rush and that doesn't happen.” “I slog on and upward, ever reaching for the (seemingly) unattainable goal of organization.”