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LITA Distance Learning Interest Group Minutes 2004 Annual Conference

1. Panel program, LITA Distance Learning Interest Group, Monday, June 28,
2004, 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.

This was a three-person panel that included panelists Howard Carter,
Manager, Instructional Support Services, Southern Illinois University at

Carbondale; Rachel G. Viggiano, Reference Librarian, University of Central
Florida Libraries; Ramona L. M. Islam, Sr. Reference & Ed. Tech. Librarian,
Fairfield University, DiMenna-Nyselius Library; and (Moderator) Cindy
Kristof, Document Delivery & Distance Learning Library, Kent State
University, Libraries and Media Services.

After introductions and opening comments from the moderator, the panel was
presented with the following questions.  Panelists spoke in turn for 1
hour, 15 minutes, followed by questions from the attendees.

1. Tell us about your institution & name, geographical location,
enrollment, etc.

2. Based on your best estimates, how many students at your institution are
enrolled in distance learning programs? Percentage?

3. What programs at your institution have particularly strong DL programs?
Are there any in which students can complete an entire degree? Have any
programs been disbanded?

4. Is it difficult to differentiate from students enrolled in true distance
learning versus students who live close to or on campus who take online
courses? What challenges have you faced in identifying these populations

and their needs? What approaches have you taken?

5. What recent technologies are you using in your libraries/institutions

right now that are useful for both on-campus and distance learners?
(Ereserves, email/web reference, chat, web tutorials, electronic journals,
electronic document delivery WebCT, Blackboard, etc.) Do you have any
estimates on what percentage of distance learners vs. on-campus students

use these technologies?

6. In what ways have you had to refocus your efforts to serve distance
learners and the faculty who teach those courses? Have you added services?
What kinds of services?

7. Can you give us an example of a particular service (maybe document
delivery) in which your statistics increased or decreased?

8. Have you been able to eliminate any services to DL students due to an
introduction of new technologies? What factors do you think affected (or
are affecting) this?

9. Where do you see services for DL students in the future? Do you see
changes in pedagogy or enhancements in technology on the horizon that will
either allow for the elimination of services or create a need for new services?

10. Any final thoughts? Is DL passé??

Some of the ideas presented and discussed include:

- Strong programs at institutions represented include education, workforce
education, nursing, science/technology, optics, and military programs.

- Use of Camtasia to develop CD's as introductions/tutorials for the
library (grant - University of Central Florida)

- Pilot project for high-quality, synchronous sign-language transmission

(Southern Illinois University)

- E-portfolios (Fairfield University)

- OhioLINK Online Borrowing and ILLINET Online ease statewide book borrowing

- Information literacy incorporated into English I classes (Fairfield
University)

- Virtual reference software (RefWorks, Groopz, etc.)

- E-journals (OhioLINK EJC, etc.)

- Emailing of articles vs. posting scanned articles to a password-protected
web site

- Use of WebCT Vista (University of Central Florida)

- Usefulness of toll-free numbers for distance learners (University of
Central Florida; Southern Illinois University)

- Authentication issues/difficulties - OneLOG mentioned as a simplification
product.

- Use of public libraries by students

- Difficulty of defining and identifying distance learners

- Consensus is that D.L. is not passe; rather, need for services, both old
and new, is increasing.

2. 2005 chair will be Meg Tulluch, who has recently moved to a U.S. Army
Research Library in Heidelberg, Germany.  She may be reached at
megtulloch@yahoo.com.