“Serving Distant Learning Business Programs and Students,” RUSA/BRASS,

ALA Atlanta, June 15, 2002

Marilyn Hankel, Associate Dean of Library ServicesUniversity of New Orleans

mhankel@uno.edu

INTRODUCTION

• BRASS Distance Education Guidelines Committee Survey Overview

• Jamaica Executive MBA Program of the University of New Orleans

OVERVIEW OF SURVEY

• Definition of Distance Education - ACRL’s “Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services,” www.ala.org/acrl/guides/distlrng.html

• Based on survey results, decided there is NO need for separate guidelines for business distance education, but we developed a checklist.

• Details can be found in article written by the BRASS DEG Committee in the Winter 2001 issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly, pp. 145-158.

SUMMARY POINTS FROM SURVEY

• MBA most common program• Geographic locations - most in state, then out-of-

state, in same city, another country• Methods of delivery - traditional format of

instructors and students in room away from home institution, then web-based tutorial, correspondence, broadcast television, and video.

SUMMARY POINTS (cont.)

• Services - circulation, reserve, ILL, document delivery, database access, email reference, online chat, instructional services

• Coordinator - distance education librarian, business librarian, both, or no one

• Challenge to get print-based information to distant students

• Globalization is having a big impact

JAMAICA EXECUTIVE MBA (JEMBA) - UNO

• 18-month program began in 1997 in Kingston, Jamaica and continues today

• Classes held in hotel conference room• UNO business faculty fly to Kingston on

weekends to teach classes• Classes held every other weekend• UNO established an office in Kingston• Students get laptops & internet service

ACCREDITATION - SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and

Schools)

• What arrangements have been made for ensuring that students have access to appropriate resources?

• Are students making use of these resources?• Are these resources made available through

technological means?• Are the resources adequate to support the

program?

SACS (cont.)

• Has the institution provided reasonable financial support for the learning resources and services to support these activities?

• Are students in the distant learning activity adequately informed about available resources and how to access?

• Is training available for accessing resources?• SACS web address - www.sacscoc.org

CHALLENGES TO MEETING SACS REQUIREMENTS

• Technical issues with providing database access and document delivery from the home campus

• Problems finding reliable Internet Service Provider in Jamaica initially

• Contracting with local institutions for library services explored

UNO LIBRARY SERVICES PRIOR TO SACS VISIT, 1999

• Circulation of books - business faculty carried them down with them

• Email reference, ILL, document delivery• Instruction - printed handouts about library

services as well as sending information by email to registered students

• Coordinator of JEMBA program provided some limited library instruction after working with the library before going to Jamaica

SACS RECOMMENDATIONS AFTER VISIT, 1999

• UNO must provide JEMBA students with life-long learning opportunities in information access

• Recommends that librarians work cooperatively with business faculty in assisting students to use library resources

• Suggests that a full-time librarian teach electronic library skills

FIRST TRIP TO JAMAICA, JULY 2000

• Library presentation scheduled during general orientation session for new JEMBA students

• UNO’s College of Business made all the travel arrangements and paid for my travel expenses

• Prepared a PowerPoint presentation• Also planned for live Internet demonstration• Visited UNO JEMBA office, and they provided

me with a laptop and technical assistance

ACCREDITATION - AACSB

• Accreditation visit in November 2000 for the College of Business, and no questions about the JEMBA program and library services

• Although supplied statistics on library resources, only interested in usage

• AACSB web site -www.aacsb.edu/accreditation

SECOND TRIP TO JAMAICA, JULY 2001

• Presentation again scheduled during general orientation session

• Prepared a JEMBA web page that provided easier access to all of the library services and resources rather than just going through the main UNO Library web page

SERVICES USED

• We know that some business faculty have brought library books to JEMBA students when they go down for classes

• We get quite a few emails from the JEMBA students with reference questions and with access questions

• Little ILL or document delivery requests probably because they don’t plan ahead

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE ACTIONS

• The JEMBA program has resulted in better working relationships with the UNO EMBA faculty and staff involved including those on the main campus and in Jamaica

• Need to do assessment of the effectiveness of the library instruction and all of the library’s resources and services for the JEMBA students

• Requires regular communication with JEMBA students and staff when things change