Neal‐Schuman Electronic Classroom Handbook

Citation

Burton, L.M. (2002), "Neal‐Schuman Electronic Classroom Handbook", Program: electronic library and information systems, Vol. 36 No. 4, pp. 285-287. https://doi.org/10.1108/prog.2002.36.4.285.4

This publication is written from the perspective of an academic librarian who states that the electronic classroom will soon not be seen as a luxury but as a necessity. It has been written as a working resource manual divided into three sections and encompassing a number of worksheets. It is aimed at librarians or other professionals who are designing, managing or teaching in an electronic classroom:

1. 1.

   (1) Part one – planning and preparation. Chapter One defines the electronic classroom as: a separate room equipped with electronic devices for instructional purposes. The emphasis on instructional purposes distinguishes it from a computer lab and also from a bank of computers in the lab. There are two types of electronic classrooms – the demo and the hands‐on. By definition the hands‐on electronic classroom is infinitely more desirable and the chapter concludes with a section on justifying the case for an electronic classroom. Chapter Two is on planning an electronic classroom and stresses that in order for this to be successful there should be a project leader heading a planning team which includes students along with other relevant individuals. The next chapter continues to examine the planning process by assessing the current situation and identifying future needs in various forms. It underlines the need to investigate the instructional requirements very carefully and asks the vital question: what are the teaching and learning needs in this library? A series of questions which are helpful in focusing on the issues are cited for instructional needs assessment, these are also reproduced in a worksheet format or can be downloaded from the book’s Web site. This is followed by a practical section on the other factors to be considered such as financial and instructional and several worksheets are included here.

2. 2.

   (2) Part two – design and construction. The six chapters in this section are devoted to practicalities. Chapter Four is on space and considers the issues related to location, layout, size, flooring and security with seven figures illustrating possible classroom layout, it gives a lot of practical advice. Chapter Five deals with the infrastructure necessary for the operation of an electronic classroom and acknowledges the need to take expert advice as this is a very technical matter. The network connectivity is the overriding consideration here and there are details of other infrastructure requirements such as electricity and lighting. The next chapter discusses matters such as software requirements, operating systems, security and licensing agreements and Chapter Seven is on equipment and furnishings. These two chapters between them cover what is required to operate an electronic classroom – the core materials vital for its effective organisation. Of course the provision of an electronic classroom all hinges on the cost and Chapter Eight on budget and expenditure purports to examine the costs involved. First, however, the figures quoted are only in dollars and, second, of these figures, the most recent is for the year 2000 and other examples cited range from 1994‐1999 and it is therefore difficult to assess the present day costs involved. There are also suggestions for sources of grants and external funding but again this is not applicable outside the USA. Chapter Nine is a summary of what is actually involved in the construction of an electronic classroom covering architectural drawings, schedules, the bidding process, construction and moving in.

3. 3.

   (3) Part three – day‐to‐day operations. The final section deals with the day‐to‐day running of an electronic classroom once it has been constructed. Chapter Ten covers the administration of an electronic classroom and discusses the matters of personnel, policies, procedures, scheduling, finance and maintenance. To quote from this chapter “electronic classrooms are expensive, period”.  There are seven diagrams accompanying this section which include examples of a specimen policy, a shared use agreement and a promotional Web site of FAQs. Chapter 11 is about the teaching and learning strategies required in an electronic classroom such as proactive hands on collaborative learning and also the demo/lecturing method. Advice is given on classroom competencies such as the necessary teaching skills and classroom management in an electronic setting. The next chapter discusses evaluation and identifying the success of the classroom. A logbook, evaluation forms and surveys of instructors are included and the final chapter concludes by focusing on the future of instruction programmes in libraries and the implications of this for the electronic classroom.

There are seven appendices including one on laws, codes, regulations etc. for an electronic classroom and again these are only applicable in the USA as is the list of suppliers provided. Appendix D contains samples of library classroom Web sites, again these are all American. Other appendices include samples of instructional materials and the last appendix consists of case study worksheets. There are several pages of references and an index included.

It has to be said that this comprehensive publication is aimed at the US market and mainly the academic end of that market. Anyone considering purchasing this work outside the USA may like to think carefully, as the current UK price for a paperback copy of just over 250 pages is £63.50.