Search results

The purpose of this paper is to know the personalized online student support system provided by e-learning centers, to find out academic advice as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out career counseling as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out technical support as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out registration assistance as Student Support Services provided by institution running e-learning programs; to find out methods used for paying fee for e-learning programs for LIS education; and to find out financial aid available for students for e-learning programs in LIS education.

The present study is exploratory in nature. In the study, the attempt was made to explore the Student Support Services provided by e-learning institution. It focuses on the various online Student Support Services. Data collection was made through following methods: through Web pages of related departments; by contacting the departments and by sending questionnaires.

Student Support Services provided by institutions – academic advice: it was observed from Table I that the data were significant (p < 0.05) and that high percentage (60.9 per cent) of universities/institutes provide support systems like academic advice to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs; career counseling: it was observed from Table II that the data were significant (p < 0.05) and that high percentage (60.9 per cent) of universities/institutes provide support systems like career counseling to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs; technical support: it was observed from Table III that 100 per cent universities/institutes provide technical support to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs; and registration assistance: it was observed from Table IV that 100 per cent universities/institutes provide registration assistance support to the students opting LIS courses through e-programs. *Mode of payment of fees for e-learning programs for LIS education: it was apparent from the information (Table V) that mode of payment of fees such as credit card, check and purchase order or money order is available for majority of e-learning courses. *Financial aid available for students for e-learning programs in LIS education: it may be concluded on the basis of the study results (Table VI) that for significantly (p < 0.05) high percentage of LIS courses, the financial aid is not available.

The research work, especially Student Support Services, was limited to only 23 institutions which are running courses in LIS education by e-learning technology.

The present study shows that there is a need to strengthen more Student Support Services. The successful implementation of such a system would need efforts by the concerned management of the institutions and substantial support from the apex statutory organizations. The stakeholders have strongly reinforced the necessity of support strategies which need to start from the time the student enrolls to completion of course. Feedback from students, teachers and researchers should be taken for improving the services. It is useful for those who are running e-learning courses.

Students who are taken and studying online courses would be aware of Student Support Services.

This research work is valuable and original, and no prior research has been identified for Student Support Services for e-learning programs in LIS.

The paper aims to establish the use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in education and training of undergraduate library and information science (LIS) students in two selected Kenyan universities and suggest recommendations to improve ICT education and training in the country.

The study utilised a qualitative method. A survey research design was used to collect data from various categories of respondents in LIS including lecturers, undergraduate students, information professionals and employers. Interviews and document analysis were also used to collect data from the respondents.

Findings show that the graduates lack preferred ICTs knowledge, competencies and skills important in the modern information environment such as web technologies, information programming skills, software development, distributed systems, virtual libraries and digital information systems. Information sciences education in Kenyan universities and other institutions of higher learning need to review the curriculum and provide ICT education and training that address the needs and demands of the current job market and performance requirements.

The study was effectively carried out at Kenyatta and Moi Universities being the leading universities offering LIS programmes in Kenya.

In the twenty-first century and beyond, students can no longer be confined to traditional practices of LIS education. Information sciences programmes from around the global have recognized the importance to fully integrate ICTs education and training in order to meet the needs and demands of students and employers.

Present employment and career opportunities favour information professionals with intensive technological competencies and skills.

The purpose of this paper is to explore students' perceptions and views of the instructors, in relation to information and communications technology (ICT) education in library and information science (LIS) programs.

A questionnaire survey was carried out among students from the two LIS departments in Kuwait. A focus group was conducted with faculty members of the two institutions, who provided qualitative input about the instruction of ICT, needed changes, and relevance of market needs.

Participants showed dissatisfaction with the currently available ICT courses in the LIS programs. Students pointed out deficiencies and inadequacies in ICT resources and facilities, and suggested upgrading software and hardware. They appeared to be satisfied with the ICT skills being targeted by LIS programs. They also appeared to be satisfied with the ICT instructors. The study pointed out a need for collaboration with professional forums for continuing education programs and the need for revisions in curricula to introduce more focused courses that meet the needs of the ever‐changing market requirements and give the students access to professional bilingual materials. The faculty members noted the demands of the job market and proposed measures for addressing them through enhanced course content and improved opportunities for hands‐on instruction.

Earlier studies reported in the literature have discussed ICT education in broader terms. This study reports the situation of ICT education in IS programs in Kuwait, focusing on specific areas such as resource, curricula, and instructors.

This paper aims to explore the attractiveness of Library and Information Science (LIS) careers to students and alumni and examine their decision-making process and perceptions of the field with an eye on discerning the best ways to build and develop the recruitment narrative.

The authors reached out to 57 LIS graduate programs in Canada and the USA accredited by the American Library Association through a Web-based survey; the questions presented a combination of multiple-choice, short-answer and open-ended questions and generated a wealth of quantitative and qualitative data.

The online survey has disclosed that students may not have an in-depth understanding of current trends, the diversity of LIS professions and the wider applications of their education. A significant disconnect exists in how the goals of LIS education are seen by certain groups of practitioners, students and faculty members.

Creating a program narrative for the purposes of recruitment and retention, departments should not only capitalize on the reach of the internet and the experiences of successful practitioners. They should also ensure that faculty know their students’ personal backgrounds, that students empathize with demands of contemporary academia and that a promotional message connects pragmatic educational goals to broader social applications. By exposing and embracing the complexity of LIS education and practice, the paper chooses a discursive path to start a conversation among major stakeholders.

The purpose of this paper is to report findings of an action research on students’ perceptions of their area of study, Library and Information Science (LIS). The paper aims to demonstrate how an inquiry‐based learning (IBL) can help students to gain a more realistic view of their discipline and consequently become more involved in the active learning.

The data were collected in two phases during an academic year. The data collection tools were observation, interview, and questionnaire with open‐ended questions. In total, 38 first‐year LIS undergraduate students at Tarbiat Mollem University (TMU) in Tehran formed the target group. The study adopted a qualitative approach to seek a deep insight into the case and did not attempt to generalize the results.

At the beginning of the first semester, most of the students did not possess a clear and realistic view of their discipline and they had to cope with uncertainty and ambiguity about their future career. Employing IBL approach in teaching LIS modules was an efficient way to prepare students for deeper involvement with learning activities and it helps them to gain a better understanding of their discipline's scope, which consequently can prepare them for lifelong and independent learning in future.

LIS schools can use the suggestions in the paper to provide their students with more chances of enjoying IBL techniques. However, the paper is based on a small group of students in a specific context and the results cannot be easily generalized.

The effects of LIS students’ perceptions on their study progression have not been addressed before and this paper can enhance our knowledge on this issue.

This study aims to explore undergraduate students’ perceptions of teaching information and communication technology (ICT) courses in the library and information science (LIS) program in Jordanian universities. It also aims at investigating the correlation between the impact of some variables, namely, gender, the type of university, academic year and student GPA on and their students’ views.

Quantitative methods were adopted. A questionnaire with 40 items was distributed on a stratified random sample of 220 students from four LIS departments in Jordan and, of whom, 203 responded with a response rate of 92.3 per cent.

Research findings indicated that teaching ICT courses was considered highly important. Students stressed on the importance of incorporating ICT courses in LIS programs. They also pointed out the competence of the teaching staff and the efficacy of their teaching methods. On the other hand, student assessments of the curriculum content, the teaching pedagogy and methods of assessment were on an average level. In addition, the findings indicated that resources and facilities necessary to teach ICT courses were available and adequate. It was noted that the “university” was the only factor that affected results; the University of Jordan students showed a higher satisfaction. The other factors (gender, academic year and GPA) did not appear to affect student perceptions.

Previous studies investigated the importance of teaching ICT courses in general but did not consider students’ perceptions. Only a few studies discussed students’ perceptions of studying ICT courses but in a different context, i.e. Kuwait. This research focused on students’ perceptions of studying ICT in Jordan as a new geographic region. This would be beneficial for other developing countries to learn from this experience and refine their ICT curricula and LIS programs accordingly.

Using Bourdieu‐inspired sociological literature, this paper aims to report on a study that examines the educational choices of new entrants in the three library and information science (LIS) schools operating in Greece at the undergraduate level, with reference to their socio‐cultural characteristics.

Data were obtained through a questionnaire, distributed to 187 LIS students, aiming to address the question of what attracted them to the LIS field.

Analysis reveals three distinctive student groups in the sample and shows that these differ in respect to the reasons attracting them to LIS. The first group, with restricted cultural resources at their disposal, is attracted only by extrinsic reasons, namely the prospect of immediate employment. The second group, of middle level parental education, is attracted by intrinsic reasons, most notably the qualitative characteristics of the field as a future profession. This group seems to use these qualities to preserve the belief in an upwards moving and successful educational career. Qualities attracting the students of the third group, when examined with reference to their socio‐cultural characteristics, indicate that the choice of subject made is linked to their socially acquired ability to recognise what may be promising regarding possible future LIS career paths. This is in contrast to students from low socio‐cultural backgrounds, who seem not to have access to the high cultural resources the LIS field requires for “decoding” and understanding its hidden possibilities.

This paper uses socio‐cultural explanations of students' choice of LIS as a field of study, contributing methodologically and substantively to this area of research.

After the closing of four of the five historically Black college and university (HBCU)–based library and information science (LIS) graduate programs (leaving only that of North Carolina Central University), there is a need to revitalize HBCU-LIS degree program pathways to increase racial diversity in LIS education.

This mixed-methods study entails survey and interview research with HBCU librarians. The researchers explored participants’ professional experiences and perspectives on creating partnerships between HBCU institutions and LIS graduate programs.

Participants demonstrated substantial experience, expressed high levels of job satisfaction, viewed pipeline programs favorably and believed that LIS can be strengthened through the inclusion of HBCU educational practices and students.

This study provides recommendations and a model for forging culturally competent and reciprocal HBCU–LIS degree program partnerships.

Community-led knowledge of HBCUs can disrupt rescue and deficiency narratives of these institutions. Such prejudices are detrimental to HBCU-LIS degree program partnerships.

Past HBCU-LIS degree program pipeline partnerships did not culminate in research or published best practices. This paper presents literature-derived and community-sourced guidelines along with a model for future initiatives.

This study aims to assess the enrolment scenario of Library and Information Science (LIS) education in India offered through distance mode.

The scope of the study is limited to India, reflecting the trend of distance education in LIS in India. The study is based on the secondary data collected by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India (GOI) under All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE). It is to mention that Ministry of Human Resource and Development, GOI, is regularly collecting data from higher education institutions all across the country under AISHE project. The data in the study have been analysed for the period 2011 to 2018.

The findings of the study reveal that, of the total enrolments made in LIS education in India during the period 2011 to 2018, nearly one-fourth of students were enrolled through regular mode and three-fourth were enrolled through distance mode, signifying distance mode of education as the largest medium of LIS education in India. The enrolment figures through distance mode showed slight inconsistency with the result, a negative (−0.49%) average annual corresponding growth was recorded in the enrolment of LIS students through distance mode. Of the total students enrolled in different LIS programmes through distance mode during the period of study, the majority (67.78%) of students were enrolled in the Under Graduate programme (B.Lib.I.Sc.). Similarly, of the total students enrolled in LIS through distance mode during the period of study, 51.36% were female students and 48.63% male students. In terms of caste category, of the total students enrolled during the period of study, 10.12% belonged to the Scheduled Caste category, 4.7% to Scheduled Tribes category, 28.77% Other Backward Class and 56.08% to others, which include general category students as well.

Learning through distance education is a welcome step as long as the idea is to improve the society and to reach out to those who hitherto remained unreached. Sustainable means of enrolment and employability has to be the order of the day, mostly based on demand and supply principle.

This study is original and first of its kind covering enrolment of the students in LIS courses.

This study aims to investigate the challenges of developing information literacy (IL) competencies and approaches to overcome the challenges among library and information science (LIS) students in Iran.

Taking an exploratory approach, the study used semi-structured interviews to gather the data. Using the 2000 ACRL standards as a framework, the fieldwork questions were designed around the five areas of IL competencies. A total of 15 academics teaching 18 different LIS courses from six universities were interviewed. They were asked the challenges they faced in teaching these competencies and the approaches they took or suggested in overcoming the challenge(s). A thematic approach was used to analyze the data.

Some of the challenges for students mentioned by the interviewees were ambiguity about the discipline, inability to match subject relevance with appropriate sources of information and lack of familiarity with databases.

This study is limited to LIS academics; studying students’ reflections can bring broader perspectives to IL education in LIS programs. Owing to the nature of the design of this study, which is a single case study, the teaching experiences of IL are limited to the ones which emerged and were addressed in the context of the case. Although the case selection was made in a way that can be representative of the “general” in the “particular” bounded system of the case (Stake, 1998), studying more cases could certainly have brought broader perspectives to IL which could have been to wider contexts.

The results of this study contribute to our understanding of challenges in teaching IL in the LIS discipline, an area that has not been researched directly. This contributes to IL teaching in disciplinary areas and it brings new perspectives to the elements of IL teaching which emerged from the experiences of people who are directly experienced in the context of the discipline.