The results from a survey of students distributed in the spring of 1999 are reported below. Fifty-six Master's students responded.Curriculum. Students were asked whether they were satisfied with class size, frequency and number of course offerings and their opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of the curricular offerings. Their summarized responses and comments appear below.
Class Size Too Large Too Small Just Right Of Required Classes (n=56) 15 0 41 Of Elective Classes(n=54) 9 2 43 Seventy-three percent of the students report satisfactory with required class size and 80% with the size of elective classes.
Class Offering Frequency Insufficient Adequate Of Required Classes (n=55) 4 51 Of Elective Classes (n=55) 29 26 Students are generally satisfied with the frequency of required class offerings (93%) but not as satisfied with the frequency of elective offerings (47%).
Students were asked to identify knowledge and skills essential to student in their degree programs in an open ended question. Fifty-four students responded -- 15 IS students and 39 LS students. Responses for each group appear below:
Skills and Knowledge Identified as Necessary by IS Students (number identifying each in parenthesis following the concept):
- Programming - 6
- Computer Skills - 5
- Database - 5
- Communication Skills - 4
- Information Retrieval - 4
- Web Design and Development - 4
- Internet - 3
- Networking - 3
- Software Applications - 3
- Systems - 3
- Systems Analysis - 3
- Trends in Technology and the Business World - 3
Mentioned once were design skills, organization and management, project management, reference, and awareness of librarianship and library services.
An example of one fairly detailed response was, "General computer skills, knowledge of at least one operating system, low level programming language (at least one, e.g., C), high level language (at least one, e.g., Visual Basic).
Skills and Knowledge Identified as Necessary by LS Students (number identifying each in parenthesis following the concept):
- Computer Literacy/Technology Skills - 15
- Reference/Research Skills - 10
- Communication Skills - 9
- Cataloging - 9
- Collection Development - 7
- Management - 7
- Database Skills - 3
- Information Retrieval - 2
- Service Orientation - 2
Mentioned once were various character traits such as resourcefulness, enthusiasm, persistence, adaptiveness, judgment and other topic areas, such as project management, online searching, website design, definition/philosophy of the field, the core requirements, and trends. One person emphasized the important of practical work experience; another valued a liberal arts background. On person said, "The skill of knowing how to read the professor's attitude is most essential. Many look past your work and judge you on a personal basis." Another said, "I don't think this needs to be as rigid as the question implies. People will regard different skills as essential, depending upon their concentration." One person commented negatively on the requirement for management and communication asserting that "they take time from other courses that are more useful."
Coherent Program of Studies. One question on the survey was,
"One of the funamental purposes of the curriculum is to help you construct a coherent program of studies. What suggestions do you have for helping the School support your achievement of this coherence (e.g., requirements, specializations, instructional methods, course offerings, time of offering, field experience, independent study)?"Forty-three students responded with various comments -- 14 IS students and 29 LS students.IS students offered the following:
- On requirements,
- Make management course more useful - 2
- Do away with communications course - 1
- Trim down
- Add programming requirement - 2 plus specifically Visual Basis and Java
- Reduce emphasis on theory and increase on practice
- Add intro to reference for IS folks
- On field experience,
- A useful addition - 2
- On specializations,
- Lay out suggested courses in catalog - 3
- Offer recommended courses
- Do pre-enrollment counseling and create a 2 year course plan
- Provide more information on careers.
One said, 'Get rid of "fantasy" courses listed in the catalog. Develop a curriculum that "starts here" and "ends there" with opportunities for "side trips."'
LS students offered the following:
- On requirements,
- Management and communication too vague, waste of time - 2
- Bring in adjunct from Business school for business courses - 2
- Requirements are good - 2
- Eliminate communication - 2
- Put a tech-focused course in basic requirements
- Make systems analysis a prerequisite for everybody
- Offer core courses in the summer
- On field experience
- Very important part, perhaps should be requirement - 6
- On independent study
- Valuable - 2
- On specializations,
- Provide sample schedules
- Create themes across the curriculum, e.g. networks, public libraries, library effectiveness
- Not all electives offered in two years
- Offer courses in concentrations more evenly over semesters
- Survey students and offer needed courses based on demand
- Advisor should help
Several areas were singled out with suggestion to offer more courses, such as public libraries (2), academic libraries, youth services, archives, special collections, rare books. One student said, "I don't feel qualified to comment on this. I wonder about the system of a "core" or "block" -- I know the program used to be this way. Some benefits in groups of students going through required classes as a community: less fragmentation and better coordination/synthesis by faculty. Even discretionary courses could be "bundled," perhaps. May yield more effective delivery of content -- e.g., a reference "bundle," an IT "bundle." Team teaching?"
Discrepancies Identified. Students were asked if there were discrepancies between what they expected and what they found the curriculum to be. Twenty-three students said yes, 9 IS students and 14 LS students.
IS students said:
- Classes listed in catalog weren't offered - 2
- Technical courses not rigorous enough - 2
- Expected more programming
- First semester too theoretical, esp. 150 and 172
- Required courses not very useful
- Required courses too geared to LS and not balanced
- School needs to realistically evaluate course offerings and frequency
One suggested an open house for prospective students with an opportunity to drop in on classes.
LS students said:
- Course descriptions not descriptive of class
- Disappointed in aspects of required courses (111 and 131) - 2
- Program should be shorter and emphasis breadth
- Course frequency should be included in catalog
- Absolute reliance on computers needs to be more clear -- offer more courses like INLS 50
- Erratic timing of courses is a problem.
- Curriculum is OK but it's hard to work and take a full load
- Revise courses to reflect information searching, retrieval technology
- Some adjuncts not very skilled.
One said, "Internet applications should be required and undergrads should not be allowed in graduate level courses, or let future students know that undergrads are allowed in classes and to be prepared for their lack of discipline."
Future Curriculum Initiatives. Students were invited to identify curriculum initiatives for the future that may be important in helping students be competitive in the job market. Thirty-five students offered suggestions -- 12 IS and 13 LS.IS students said:
- More programming (2), software specialties (Oracle, SAP), network-related courses; more information technology; web development skills, archiving, computer and internet knowledge
- Offer course in the Business ($) (not management) of IS
- Continue traditional library skills
- Strengthen preservation and intellectual property issues
- Focus on real-world application of topics. Use speakers to describe daily job activities
- Add practical labs (e.g., DBA lab for database course)
- Know what job market will demand
One student said, "I think SILS recognizes that it will be very important to keep pace with changing/evolving technological developments and how they affect librarianship and IS."
LS students said:
- Add an in-house career advisor and get more feedback from employed grads
- More student involvement in ongoing faculty research
- Make required courses consistent in content (131 singled out as bad model)
- Offer more management, human resources, leadership, marketing, competitive intelligence, knowledge management, data warehousing, human computer interface (several responses combined here)
- Offer more reference courses/experience -- more children's courses (2), more international focus (2), more archives and special collections
- Continue electives in law, business, reference
- Establish stronger relationship with grad business school and with computer science
- Organization more opportunities for work in the field
- Offer a next level internet applications course
- Offer bibliographic instruction, technical services
- Offer "free" Friday seminars on trends in job market
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Curriculum. Two final questions on the student survey asked students to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the curriculum. Forty-one students identified strengths -- 13 IS and 28 LS students. Thirty-three students identified weaknesses -- 12 IS and 21 LS.
IS students identified as strengths:
- Broad overview of field - 3 -- one said "broad and deep"
- Knowledgeable faculty - 2
- Comprehensive core curriculum and good courses - 3
- Particular courses mentioned favorably: 150, 111, 201, information theory, programming, Internet applications, management, analysis of information
- Ability to choose electives and design one's own program
- Flexibility
- Good equipment
- Strong LS program
- Emphasis on developing complete information systems with user needs in mind
LS students identified as strengths:
- Breadth - 5
- Technology and computer options - 5
- Required, solid core - 5
- Balance of LS/IS and flexibility between - 5
- Plenty of choices, variety - 5
- Lots of interesting electives - 3
- Great instructors - 5 -- one said, "Faculty are passionate about students"
- Freedom to create own's own program, follow interests - 2
- Length of program (proper coverage, ability to specialize) - 2
- Specializations well covered
- Diversity in courses offered
- Theory a strength of the school
- Focus on research (theory) and practical requirement (Master's paper)
IS students identified as weakness:
- Hard to get electives in
- Lack of guideline of recommended coursework relative to career goal
- Many adjuncts not effective teachers
- Some courses not practical
- Surprised there was no technical writing course
- Would like to see more crossover between SILS and CS, esp in programming
- Curriculum
Others mentioned aspects already mentioned above --some courses not offered; communication and management courses less strong, lack of programming course, insufficient technical orientation, too little emphasis on design.
LS students identified as weakness:
- Too theory-based - 2
- Unreasonably long program
- Hard to get everything in in only 48 hours
- Would like to see a LS/IS foundations course addressing big issues or generalist class in history/philosophy, library in society - 3
- Grading system is screwy
- Emphasis on group work
- IS and LS should be more tied together
- No class in foreign language librarianship
- Second reference course not current
- Stress more the decay of information, what types of knowledge are useless after a certain time period and why
Others mentioned things mentioned before -- infrequent course offerings, too few public/children/YA courses, problems with management and communication courses, poor adjuncts.
Revised 9/26/99