McLean Dew

Providing Library Instruction to Distance Learning Students in the Twenty-First Century:Meeting the Current and Changing Needs of a Diverse Community: 

Providing Library Instruction to Distance Learning Students in the Twenty-First Century: Meeting the Current and Changing Needs of a Diverse Community Evadne McLean Mona Campus, University of the West Indies Stephen Dew University of Iowa

University of the West IndiesDistance Education: 

University of the West Indies Distance Education Mona, Jamaica, 1948 UWI Distance Education Centres, established in 1996 27 sites 2,486 students registered in distance education, 2002-03 669 students attached to Mona, 2002-03 Mona Library is responsible for services to ten intra-Jamaica sites and four sites in the Northern Caribbean—Belize, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands

University of the West IndiesUndergraduate Distance Education: 

University of the West Indies Undergraduate Distance Education Accounting Economics Management Studies Education Educational Administration Agribusiness Gender Development Studies

University of the West IndiesGraduate Distance Education: 

University of the West Indies Graduate Distance Education Construction Management Agricultural and Rural Development Counseling Family Medicine Education

University of Iowa Distance Education: 

University of Iowa Distance Education Guided Independent Study Bachelor of Liberal Studies Bachelor of Applied Studies Bachelor of Science in Nursing Master of Science in Nursing Master of Public Health Certificate in Public Health Master of Social Work Master of Arts in Library and Information Science Master of Science in Computer Science Master of Science in Electrical & Computer Engineering Master of Business Administration Certificate in Public Health Talented & Gifted Endorsement

Iowa and the West IndiesStudent Access to the Internet, 2003: 

Iowa and the West Indies Student Access to the Internet, 2003 Student access to the Internet (home, work, or public library, etc.) 95% in Iowa 55% in West Indies Student access to the Internet from home 90% in Iowa 37% in West Indies

Similar Concerns About & Approaches to Instruction Iowa & the West Indies: 

Similar Concerns About & Approaches to Instruction Iowa & the West Indies Wish to Promote Information Literacy Skills Wish to Accommodate & Serve a Variety of Learning Styles Market Instruction Services to Faculty

Addressing a Variety of Learning Styles: 

Addressing a Variety of Learning Styles Brown-Syed, Adkins, & Tsai: “Just as with classroom presentations, distance education programming demands the employment of a variety of teaching methods to accommodate a variety of learning styles.” Katherine Homes: “When we offer a diversity of learning approaches, we enable all students to choose the best environment (possibly multiple environments) for their learning.”

Similar Instructional Techniques & Technologies Used by Iowa & the West Indies: 

Similar Instructional Techniques & Technologies Used by Iowa & the West Indies Face-to-Face instruction Videoconferencing and Teleconferencing Web-based Tutorials Courses & Course Management Systems E-Mail & Telephone Assistance/Instruction Printed Instructional Materials

Conclusion: 

Conclusion The particular delivery method used for library instruction is usually determined by the nature of the particular program or course being supported. When institutions offer courses in a variety of formats utilizing a variety of technologies, instructional methods are necessarily offered in a variety of modalities. A full array of instructional services should be offered, from high-tech to low-tech.

Conclusion: 

Conclusion Johana Tunon: No particular instructional technique is a “silver bullet.” “Decisions about whether to offer library training online or in face-to-face format often are made by academic programs, and are based on the administrative and political constraints of those academic programs and curricula rather than fundamental pedagogical considerations.”

Conclusion: 

Conclusion Most distance education librarians are using a variety of teaching techniques and technologies. The University of the West Indies, the University of Iowa, and many other academic institutions are using the same teaching techniques and technologies to serve distance learners.

Conclusion: 

Conclusion The challenge to each distance learning librarian is how to use staff time and resources to provide a particular variety of instructional options that best fits his/her institution’s course offerings and student needs.