MOOCs for Professional Development: Transformative Learning Environments

and Roles for LIS

IFLA World Library and Information Congress 80th IFLA General Conference and Assembly

16-22 August 2014, Lyon, France

Michael Stephens, PhDSJSU School of Information

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Learning

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“Being adaptable in a flat world, knowing how to ‘learn how to learn,’ will be one of the most important assets any worker can have, because job churn will come faster, because innovation will happen faster,” writes Thomas

Friedman in The World Is Flat.

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Learning Organization

Staff Development Days Conferences

Webinars Workshops

Training Departments

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I’d argue for continuing staff development days, but I’d also

urge administrators to promote a culture of learning all year long.

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Learning 2.0 Mobile 23 Things

MOOCs

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/04/opinion/michael-stephens/lessons-from-hyperlibmooc-office-hours/

http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2011/11/opinion/michael-stephens/lessons-from-learning-2-0-office-hours/

http://23mobilethings.net/wpress/

Confidence Comfort

Willingness to explore

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http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/04/opinion/michael-stephens/lessons-from-hyperlibmooc-office-hours

cMOOC for LIS

Professional Development

Connectivist Theory

#hyperlibMOOC Background

Stephens, M. & Jones, K. M. L.(2014). “Emerging Roles: Key Insights from Librarians in a Massive Open Online Course,” proceedings of 16th Distance Library Services Conference, Denver, April 2014.

http://mooc.hyperlib.sjsu.edu

The MOOC Structure

• 10 modules of content over 12 weeks

• Primary lectures provided by Michael & Kyle; guest lectures provided by leading professionals in the field

• All course readings and media were open and accessible, including the textbook (Library 2.0: A guide to participatory service)

• 11 LIS students–some from SJSU and some from other programs–worked as leaders of homerooms in which students were placed to support course logistics and act as a go-to resource for students

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Statistics

• 2 instructors

• 9 guest lecturers

• 363 registered students

• 310 blogs

• 10 homerooms

• 3,929 blog comments posted

• 3,788 instances of badges unlocked

• 2,099 status updates

• 1,246 public blog posts published

• 80 Tribes (groups)

Recent Findings

Their Expectations Going In

Students wanted to…

• Understand MOOCs better: their design, their structure, our approach

• See the LIS & MOOC connections: they wondered if MOOCs held any opportunity for their own institution and relationship to their professional practice

• Take advantage of the convenience: in terms of time, duration, portability, and ease of access

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After #hyperlibMOOC• 53 participants

earned certificates (15%)

• Alumni formed Facebook groups

• Meet ups & sharing on Twitter

76% of survey respondents indicated

that they felt successful.

Measuring Their Own Success

Students spoke of their success in terms of…

• Completion: they viewed all the lectures, read the materials, completed the assignments, and stuck with the course to the end

• Interaction: they felt that they had engaged and interacted with their peers

• Time: their lack of it interacted with their level of participation

• Content: they felt they had knowledge of core concepts and models and could apply them in their professional setting

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Ideas

Networking

Self

Renewed Outlook

Roles for LIS Professionals

Reflecting on your MOOC experience, what roles do you think librarians might play within MOOCs?

Guide

For example, one respondent envisioned librarians as “learning mentors” in a MOOC, by acting as real-life educational resources, who would help students, through conversation and resource connection, understand the course’s concepts. Another respondent saw librarians supporting MOOCs with “resources, space, and additional materials” to aid student learning.

Access Provider

Same role“we play in supporting all learners–connecting them with materials and support that will help them achieve their educational goals.”

Creator

Libraries are places “of learning [that are] only going to grow,” and creating MOOCs seems like a part of that natural evolution. By running and hosting MOOCs, librarians could create learning environments tailored to the needs of their communities.

Instructor

Librarians, to one respondent, have a professional inclination to teach, which makes them an asset to MOOCs “as a course leader or as a contributing voice.”

Learner

“Librarians would be well-served to participate in MOOCs to gain understanding of that type of learning experience as well as information presented for their own professional growth.”

Implications

Emerging Thematic Areas

• Large scale professional development can engage, educate, and enhance current continuing education models.

• The learning platform matters: participatory and connected design results in increased opportunities  for professional networking and information sharing.

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• This model, after further refinement, could be replicated for other courses and initiatives. It offers a low cost means to create professional development learning communities, and it could be adopted by other LIS programs, organizations, and consortia for similar educational purposes.

Potential Benefits

• Large scale professional development offers global opportunities for networking and sharing.

• Learning is active and production-centered, and groups may work together to create something new.

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• Cultural awareness is enhanced in the global “MOOC” classroom.

• Professionals can have access to experts from all over the world.

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MOOCs provide a way to engage with other professionals working on the same issues in other libraries and for a reasonable cost and

time-commitment.

Implications!

• Make time for continuous learning & PD

• Organizations & associations should explore these models of open online learning.

• Grass roots efforts and official partnerships may yield some new opportunities.

A deeper understanding of creating a learning space, argues Morville (2012), may lead to educators and LIS professionals becoming influential architects of learning environments.!

!References & Further Reading!!Barnes, C. (2013). MOOCs: The challenges for academic librarians. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 44(3), 163-175. doi:10.1080/00048623.2013.821048 !DeJong, R. (2013, November 10). Why do students drop out of MOOCs? [Web log post]. Our Essays. Minding the Campus. Retrieved from http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2013/11/why_do_students_drop_out_of_mo.html !Educause. (2011). 7 things you should know about MOOCs. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7078.pdf !Haggard, S. (2013). The maturing of the MOOC (Research paper number 130). Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/240193/13-1173-maturing-of-the-mooc.pdfDeJong, (2013) !Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Ludgate, H. (2013). NMC Horizon Report: 2013 Higher Education Edition. Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-horizon-report-HE.pdf !Kendrick, C., & Gashurov, I. (2013, November 4). Libraries in the time of MOOCs [Web log post]. Educause Review. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/libraries-time-moocs !Mahraj, K. (2012). Using information expertise to enhance massive open online courses. Public Services Quarterly, 8(4), 359-368. doi: 10.1080/15228959.2012.730415 !Morville, P. (2012, December 18). Architects of learning [Web log post]. Semantic Studios. Retrieved from http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000662.php !Pappano, L. (2012, November 2). The year of the MOOC [Web log post]. Education Life. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/education/edlife/massive-open-online-courses-are-multiplying-at-a-rapid-pace.html?_r=0 !Penn GSE. (2013, December 5). Penn GSE study shows MOOCs have relatively few active users, with only a few persisting to course end [Press release]. Retrieved from http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pressroom/press-releases/2013/12/penn-gse-study-shows-moocs-have-relatively-few-active-users-only-few-persisti !Stephens, M. (2013a, October 23). Infinite learning [Web log post]. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/10/opinion/michael-stephens/infinite-learning-office-hours/ !Stephens, M. (2013b). MOOCs for LIS professional development: Exploring new transformative learning environments and roles. Internet Learning, 2(2), 71-88. Retrieved from http://www.ipsonet.org/images/Westphalia_Press/Internet_Learning_Journal_2-2/5.%20Stephens%20-%20MOOCS%20for%20LIS%20Professional%20Development.pdf !Yeager, C., Hurley-Dasgupta, B., & Bliss, C. A. (2013). cMOOCs and global learning: An authentic alternative. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(2), 133-147. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/jaln/v17n2/cmoocs-and-global-learning-authentic-alternative