How It's Done: Examining Distance Education Library Instruction and Assessment

ABSTRACT

While articles on individual studies, surveys, and programs abound, there is a lack of baseline data regarding what and how libraries provide instruction for their distant populations. Do libraries generally provide information literacy or library instruction to students at a distance? How is instruction usually provided? Is instruction generally assessed? If so, how is instruction assessed? These questions were asked of librarians in an online survey of 143 institutions offering distance programs, randomly sampled from the College Blue Book. With a 55% response rate, data about instruction offerings and assessment were correlated with information about library staff size, budget, and student enrollment. The expectation was that larger libraries with more money and students would provide more and better services, but interestingly these factors had far less influence than anticipated. It seems that the individual efforts of librarians were the major determinants for services offered by libraries at institutions with distant students.     

Collaboration Between Distance Education Faculty and the Library

Abstract

At a university with no centrally administered distance education (DE) program, the library is faced with the challenge of not only identifying but also supporting a rapidly increasing number of disparate DE initiatives. In this environment, a one-size-fits-all approach to inviting and encouraging faculty collaboration in the integration of library research into the DE curriculum was not sufficient. This presentation will discuss various methods used at one university to increase the level of collaboration between the library and distance education (DE) faculty.     

Assessing the Library Needs and Preferences of Off-Campus Students

Abstract

In order to have a successful library program for distance education students, librarians must understand who their students are, as well as what their students want and need. Of course, the best way to get this information is to ask the students. The ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services emphasize this point, encouraging librarians to regularly survey students involved in distance education and off-campus programs. This paper is based on two student surveys, one conducted by the Coordinator of Library Services for Distance Education at the University of Iowa and the other conducted by the Distance Librarian at University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. The paper focuses on the issues that librarians confront when they conduct a survey of distance education students. In addition, it covers details on writing and developing a survey instrument, including the need to ask the right questions in a proper manner and the need to arrange the questions and information in a user-friendly format. The results of the two surveys are presented, including a comparison of some data between the two programs.     

Graduate Students' Perceptions of Library Support Services for Distance Learners

Abstract

A survey was conducted in Spring 1999 to assess the library support services for distance learning within the Texas A&M University System. Graduate students actively enrolled at remote sites in one or more courses taught on the system's interactive video network were surveyed. Results of this survey provide insight for improving library services.

“People want what they want when they want it. They don't want something else, they don't want less than they want, and they certainly don't want it at some other time” (Forsha, 1992).     

Closing the Distance: Bringing a Personal Librarian Program to Online Learners

ABSTRACT

In an effort to bridge the gap between the one-on-one attention that students receive when they come into the library and the attention given to online learners, the University of West Florida Libraries added an online learner component to its Personal Librarian Program. Personal librarian programs provide an opportunity for individualized outreach to students and can be particularly beneficial to online learners who may not receive it otherwise. While much of the literature on outreach to online students focuses on embedded librarianship, a personal librarian program emphasizes a direct connection and fosters an independent and strong relationship between the librarian and the student. The implementation of a personal librarian program for online learners by the University of West Florida has had successes and challenges that illuminate lessons for other institutions considering implementations of similar programs.     

Going the Extra Mile: Supporting Distance Education at University of Alaska Fairbanks

ABSTRACT

The Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has a long history of supporting distance education through state-of-the-art, remote access services. Harsh climate conditions (heavy snowfall and icing, high winds, and extreme temperatures), rugged terrain, limited road and telephone systems, and permafrost that prevents the installation of communications networks, all contribute to the challenge of delivering distance education. This article describes and explains the library's services while discussing the challenges of providing information access to a diverse student population living in an area covering over 500,000 square miles.     

Embedded Librarians: MLS Students as Apprentice Librarians in Online Courses

ABSTRACT

Master of Library Science (MLS) students at one university are serving as apprentice “embedded” librarians in nursing courses at another university. Results of surveys of nursing students at the end of the class and reflections of the MLS students after this experience will be shared from the first semester iteration of this project. A comparison of this project with past iterations of the project will be made in the hope that the information gleaned from these interactions will help in the design of library services. Furthermore, this premise of the development of relationships in the provision of library services for distance learners will be further examined.     

Improving Library Services for Distance Learners: A Literature Review

Academic libraries offer many services to distance learning students. The sources of literature reviewed here offer information that shows relevant similarities and differences between library services offered to traditional students and distance learning students. Likewise, the associated findings from the literature offer insight that is applicable for a project to modify and improve library services for distance learners in higher education.     

Showing Students We Care: Using Empathetic Marketing To Ease Library Anxiety And Reach Distance Students

Marketing to distance students can be particularly challenging, but a new marketing trend called empathetic marketing provides academic libraries with a new and innovative way to reach these students. Empathetic marketing focuses on the core emotional needs of students and demonstrates how the library’s staff and services can help meet those needs. This article explores how using empathetic marketing in outreach efforts to distance students builds a connection between the library staff and distance students and can help alleviate library anxiety for distance students.     

External Funding for Library Education

No abstract available for this article.     

Two Thousand Students,One Librarian: Balancing Depth and Breadth of Library Instruction for Online Graduate Students

Many librarians struggle with how to balance scalable instructional offerings with more personalized instruction for online students—scale tends to come at the cost of personalization and vice versa. This paper will discuss three methods for connecting with online students that range from one-to-one personalization to widely scalable instruction: individual consultations, scaffolded instructional webinars, and asynchronous video tutorials. The student engagement with each type of instruction will be discussed, with ideas for future directions provided.     

A Literature Review Covering 20 Years of Research on Marketing Library Resources to Distance Learners

The literature on marketing library resources to distance students reaches back to at least the mid-1980s based on a simple EBSCOHost search across over 40 different databases. Authors of this study sought to develop a comprehensive understanding of what our colleagues have learned via research about this critical topic. Because the Web, as we know it, first materialized in the mid-1990s with the advent of Netscape Navigator, we chose to limit our research to two decades. According to Thorpe and Holt (2018 Thorpe, R., &; Holt, R. (2018). The SAGE dictionary of qualitative management research. London, England: SAGE. doi:10.4135/9780857020109[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), the systematic literature review helps researchers make sense of large volumes of information and allows for the translation and synthesizing academic research so that it can be utilized in policy or practical contexts (Para. 7). The current researchers considered this an ideal approach as we aim to develop a clear and comprehensive picture of the research on marketing library resources to distance populations.     

Proactive Outreach to Adult Students: A Department and Library Collaborative Effort

The number of adult learners in institutions of higher education is increasing, and these students' reasons for attending, ways of learning, challenges, and methods for overcoming challenges often differ from those of traditional-age students. Faculty and library personnel can support these students in their research efforts using several collaborative endeavors. One department and university library recognized the struggles of many of their adult students as they sought to conduct research for coursework, as well as theses or dissertations. Collaborative activities proved effective in reducing students’ anxieties and frustrations with using the library and its resources.     

Assessment from a Distance: A Case Study Implementing Focus Groups at an Online Library

Assessing library resources and services at a distance holds unique challenges in gathering data needed to make informed decisions. This article describes the complete process of piloting virtual focus groups—from planning and implementation through the analysis of results for a completely online student population. The virtual focus group method proved effective in getting qualitative feedback to spur library improvements, and it is transferable to many different library settings.     

Rethinking Library Service to Distance Education Students: Analyzing the Embedded Librarian Model

Since fall 2009, reference librarians at The George Washington University's Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library have been embedded in online classes through Blackboard within the School of Nursing and School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The authors sought to determine the types of questions asked of the librarian, with the goal of informing future interactions with distance education classes to help develop a standard “protocol” for working with this population of students. Eighty-two questions were categorized and qualitatively analyzed. The findings have prompted librarians to explore tools such as Elluminate Live!, a tool that allows librarians to provide synchronous instruction within the Blackboard environment.     

Ice Cream Seminars for Graduate Students: Imparting Chemical Information Literacy

SUMMARY

This article provides information on a chemical information literacy program designed primarily for new graduate students. The full implementation of this program is discussed, including defining its purpose, topics covered, content presented, methods of marketing, and evaluation. The result is a series of voluntary seminars given biweekly throughout the academic year. Seminars are based either around a particular resource or database or are centered on a topical problem that may be addressed using multiple resources. Evaluations show that graduate students are pleased with the seminars, including content covered and the format. Areas for future development and experimentation are also suggested.     

Online Tutorials and Effective Information Literacy Instruction for Distance Learners

As Internet and computer technologies have evolved, libraries have incorporated these technologies into the delivery of information literacy instruction. Of particular benefit is the ability of online tutorials to deliver information literacy instruction to students not physically present on campus. A survey of library and information science literature determines that while a variety of methodologies have produced mixed results, the majority of studies find online tutorials can often be as or more effective than face-to-face instruction. However, more consistent research methods are needed to draw meaningful conclusions regarding student preferences, satisfaction and performance in response to online instruction.     

Retention of Adult and Traditional Learners: Library Strategies for Student Success

Nontraditional adult learners are often treated as separate and distinct in their needs and desires from more traditionally-aged college students. As retention continues to be a critical issue for colleges and universities, academic units and departments turn their focus to student success. This review article examines strategies that institutions have taken to increase students' self-efficacy and engagement, and compares their usefulness for both nontraditional and traditional learners. These strategies are viewed through the lens of the academic library with suggestions for how distance librarians can support the institution in its retention efforts and the students themselves in their own success.     

A Comprehensive Plan for Library Support of Online and Extended Education

ABSTRACT

Acknowledging Arizona State University's (ASU) long-term goal of 100,000 students in online degree programs and recognizing the 8 new 100% online undergraduate programs slated to come online in 2010, ASU Libraries is planning for the continued integration and relevance of the library to online students and programs. During the summer and fall of 2009, the ASU Libraries Task Force for Online and Extended Education met to develop the elements of a Comprehensive Plan for Library Support of Online Programs. The plan includes: (1) guiding principles for library support of online and extended education; (2) a needs assessment and environmental scan; and (3) a sustainable and scalable plan for library support of the online programs. This article discusses the process of developing the comprehensive plan.