Online Instruction: Lessons Learned from Distance Education

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Online Instruction Lessons Learned from
Distance Education

• Kim Duckett
• Instruction Librarian for Distance Learning
  Services
• North Carolina State University
• Please View in Internet Explorer

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Overview

• Challenges in instruction for distance learners
• What matters to distance learners
• Examples of online instruction
• What we can learn from DE instruction

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Distance Education Statistics 2000-2001

• 90 of public 2-year colleges
• 89 of public 4-year colleges / universities
• 2,876,000 enrollments in college-level,
  credit-granting distance education courses
• 82 undergraduate
• From the Distance Education at Degree-Granting
  Postsecondary
• Institutions 2000-2001 study conducted by the
  National Center for
• Educational Statistics Postsecondary Education
  Quick Information System -http//nces.ed.gov/surve
  ys/peqis/publications/2003017/

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Challenges in DE Instruction

• Often dont see students face-to-face
• Who are they?
• Where are they?
• How do they use the librarys website and
  resources?
• Will they ask for help?
• We can ask these questions about all users.

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What Matters to DE Library Users

• Online! Online! Online!
• Being able to get print materials easily
• Easy-to-use website and electronic resources
• These issues matter to all users.

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Thinking About DE Helps All Library Users

• Website library to most DE students
• Same for other users
• Library must make off-campus access and use of
  electronic resources as simple as possible

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At NCSU Distance Learning Services has led to

• EZProxy
• E-journal Finder
• SFX Reference Linking
• What about instruction?

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Training and Development Online

• NCSUs first completely online graduate program
• Started in Fall 2002
• Began with a cohort structure
• Current number of students 18
• Proactive, library-friendly faculty
• http//tdonline.ncsu.edu

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T D Students

• Adult learners
• Work in industry and corporate world
• Most are full-time professionals and
• full-time students
• Express concern about using the library

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Reaching the Students

• 30-minute library instruction session during
  on-campus orientation
• Online support
• Library portal
• ERIC Animated Tutorial
• Group chat sessions
• Individual contact email, phone, chat, IM

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Library Portal

• Library Central concept
• Linked from TD Online Student Portal and in
  WebCT course sites
• Piggybacked on Librarian for Educations work
• DE-centric library services
• Expanded library subject/course guide concept
• www.lib.ncsu.edu/distance/tdonline

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Flowcharts

• How to get your hands on
• the articles you need
• http//www.lib.ncsu.edu/distance/instruction/getti
  ngarticles_distance.html

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ERIC Animated Tutorial

• Surrogate for real-time instruction session
• Serves double-purpose reaches both
• DE and on-campus users
• Short web pages with animations
• Used Qarbon ViewletBuilder
• www.lib.ncsu.edu/tutorials/eric

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Group Chat Sessions

• Offered library workshops for two first-year
  classes
• Evening times to accommodate schedules
• 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours
• 1 to 6 students
• Used LSSI/Tutor.com Virtual Reference Toolkit
  meeting room
• Demonstrated use of databases and library catalog

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Individual Contact

• Provides support after library
• Email, phone, chat
• In some cases, replacement for library workshops
• Outreach emails sent to students and faculty

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Challenges

• Keeping online information up-to-date
• Usability of viewlets
• Knowing how students access library resources
• Getting a handle on the best times during the
  semester to offer instruction

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Future Projects

• Usability test of ERIC Animated Tutorial
• General library research tutorial
• plan to work with T D faculty member
• students are not prepared for research before
  beginning program
• peer-reviewed / trade publications
• Animations for business databases
• Exercises to build skills

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Learning from DE Instruction

• Website usability must be prime concern
• Inclusion of instruction into web pages, subject
  guides, course pages
• Integration of library into learning management
  systems WebCT, Blackboard
• More web-based instructional objects providing
  point-of-need help
• Group online instruction via virtual reference
• Flexible Ask a Librarian hours

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Your Ideas?
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Kim Duckettkim_duckett_at_ncsu.edu