Distance education: changing formats
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470210447856 |
| Published date | 01 October 2002 |
| Date | 01 October 2002 |
| Pages | 420-424 |
| Author | Blanche Woolls,Ken Dowlin,David Loertscher |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Distance education:
changing formats
Blanche Woolls
Ken Dowlin and
David Loertscher
Introduction
The School of Library and Information
Science (SLIS) at San Jose State University
(SJSU) has been offering distance education
instruction using interactive television for the
past ten years. Under the leadership of Stuart
A. Sutton, the SLIS at SJSU began to offer
distance classes in an interactive video mode
as a test to see if a state-wide program in
Library and Information Science was possible
(Sutton, 1996). The LIS program at the
University of California at Berkeley had
closed and the University of California at Los
Angeles was moved into the School of
Education and Information Studies and
remained small, thus creating an opportunity
for an expanded program at SJSU.
California is the third largest state in the
nation and has the largest population. With
only two schools, University of California at
Los Angeles (UCLA) and SJSU, in California
offering programs accredited by the American
Library Association's (ALA) Committee on
Accreditation, the challenge to provide
enough information professionals to meet
needs is daunting. Both programs are state-
supported with funding from California's
legislature. Both are members of systems with
UCLA one of nine schools in the University
of California (UC) system and SJSU one of
23 in the California State University (CSU)
system. The sheer magnitude of offering
library and information science education
demands a mechanism to move from the
traditional classroom into distance education.
Three ``levels of learning'' were available to
accomplish this.
The phrase, ``first level learning'', describes
the development of correspondence courses
and ``second level learning'' as multi-media
resources with the ``third level'' the heavy
reliance on newer technologies such as
interactive television transmission (ITT) and
Web-based or Web-assisted instruction.
Within each model, varying levels of
opportunities arise.
Correspondence courses, first level
learning, offer the option to provide course
outline and assignments for students with
their responses returned for correction and
assessment of progress. This is a very slow
process depending upon mail delivery delays
and student time to complete assignments.
Teacher time to review and return comments
also varied. Telephone and two-way radio
transmission make it possible to have
The authors
Blanche Woolls and Ken Dowlin are both Directors and
Professors of the School Library Media Teacher Credential
Program, and David Loertscher is Director of Distance
Education, all at the School of Library and Information
Science, San Jose State University, San Jose,
California, USA.
Keywords
Higher education, Libraries, Information management,
Education, Distance learning, Internet
Abstract
Beginning with interactive television transmission (ITT) to
an offsite campus at CSU Fullerton, the School of Library
and Information Science (SLIS) at San Jose State
University (SJSU) has been providing distance education
to students in California for more than ten years. While
ITT continues to be employed at SLIS, faculty members are
moving into Web-assisted and Web-based courses in the
Master of Library and Information Science degree
program. This article provides background information,
the current program, and compares research conducted
elsewhere with research undertaken at SJSU. The
problems to be overcome and their solutions both
proposed and actual are given.
Electronic access
The research register for this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregisters
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
420
The Electronic Library
Volume 20 .Number 5 .2002 .pp. 420±424
#MCB UP Limited .ISSN 0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/02640470210447856
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