LIS Program Expectations of Incoming Student Technology

Knowledge and Skills

Bill Kules and Jennifer McDaniel

2010 SLIS Symposium - Bridging the Spectrum

January 29, 2010

Introduction• Changing technical demands in LIS

education

• Students with diverse technology backgrounds and competencies

• Little research in program expectations

(Anderson, 2002; Markey, 2004; Pettigrew& Durrance, 2001)

Research Questions

1. What technology competencies do programs expect incoming students to have?

2. What techniques are used to assess incoming students’ technology competencies?

3. What supports are being provided to help students fill competency gaps?

4. What differences exist between online programs and face-to-face programs?

Methodology Content analysis of 57 ALA-accredited

schools’ websites Started with 17 categories from NRC and

ALA 4 rounds of analysis to refine and expand

categories Focused on program admissions and

technology pages

(National Research Council, 1999; McKinney 2006)

Results – Competencies

• Knowledge

• General Computing Skills

• Programming Skills

• Software Skills

• Internet Skills

Knowledge

Total of all schools (N=57)

Percentage of all schools

General working knowledge of an operating system

15 26%

Ability to define computer terminology 5 9%

Knowledge of IT terminology 5 9%

Identify and use icons 3 5%

Upgrading software 3 5%

General Computing

Total of all schools (N=57)

Percentage of all schools

Folder manipulation 17 30%

Install and uninstall software 10 18%

Compress / uncompress files 8 14%

Log on/log off 7 12%

Upload/download files 6 11%

Use removable media to save files 6 11%

Programming Skills

Total of all schools (N=57)

Percentage of all schools

Hand code a simple web page using HTML

6 11%

Java, C++ 2 4%

Software SkillsTotal of all

schools (N=57)

Percentage of all

schools

Use a word processor to create and edit a text document

31 54%

Create a spreadsheet using spreadsheet software

22 39%

Web browser 18 32%

Use presentation software to create a presentation

17 30%

Database Software 13 23%

Internet SkillsTotal of all

schools (N=57)

Percentage of all schools

Setup    

Able to transfer files to a remote server using FTP

6 11%

Set up an internet connection and connect to the internet

5 9%

SSH 4 7%

Communication    

Open, compose and send email 24 42%

Add and open attchments to email 15 26%

Use email lists, listservers 8 14%

Internet Skills (cont’d)

Resources Total of all schools (N=57)

Percentage of all schools

Use of a search engine 13 23%

Research subject and locate resources using an OPAC

7 12%

Knowledge of online information resources

6 11%

     

Web 2.0, Social Networking Technologies

Blog 3 5%

Create wikis 1 2%

Assessment Techniques

Total of all schools (N=57)

Percentage of all schools

Admission requirement 4 7%

Requirement for first day of class 22 39%

Diagnostic 14 25%

Remediation 25 44%

Assessment & Remediation

Total of all schools (N=57)

Percentage of all schools

Admission requirement 4 7%

Requirement for first day of class 22 39%

Diagnostic 14 25%

Remediation 25 44%

Assessment Techniques

Diagnostics:– Checklists or self-assessments– Pre-admission tests– Post-admission tests

Remediation Support

• ICT Workshops offered by school or university

• ICT Workshops through local schools

• Online tutorials

• Required courses on technology

• Providing list of software and/or competencies

Online v/s Face-to-Face

• Online programs listed more technology expectations than face-to-face programs

• Online programs did not have a core set of ICT expectations

• Most common:– Use word processor (62% online vs

47% non-online)– Read & send email (50% vs 34%)– Create spreadsheet (50% vs 28%)

Limitations

• Only looked at published web materials

• Focused on admissions and technology pages

Conclusions

• Few common ICT expectations between programs

• Clearer expectations could benefit incoming students

• Research yielded 33 technical competencies for incoming students- http://slis.cua.edu/tech/base-tech.cfm

Questions?

References (1)Andersen, D. (2002). Teaching analytic thinking: Bridging the gap between student skills and professional needs in Information Science. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 43(3), 187-196.

 Kules, B., McDaniel, J., Banta, M. (2009) LIS Program Expectations of Incoming Student Competencies with Information and Communications Technology. Poster presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE 2009). Retrieved July 15, 2009 from http://faculty.cua.edu/kules/Papers/KulesALISE2009Poster.pdf.

 Landis, J.R., & Koch, G.K. (1977). The Measurement of Observer Agreement for Categorical Data. Biometrics, 33(1), 159-174.

 Markey, K. (2004). Current educational trends in the Information and Library Science curriculum. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 45(4), 317-339.

 

References (2)McKinney, R. (2006). Draft proposed ALA core competencies compared to ALA-accredited, candidate, and precandidate program curricula: A preliminary analysis. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 47(1), 52-77.

 National Research Council. (1999). Being Fluent with Information Technology. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

 Pettigrew, K., & Durrance, J. (2001). KALIBER: Introduction and overview of results. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 42(3), 170-180.

 Stemler, S. (2004). A comparison of consensus, consistency, and measurement approaches to estimating interrater reliability. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 9(4).