UWM Online Graduate Program Top Ranked Nationally

Wilfred Fong delivers a lecture to his cyber-students

MILWAUKEE - U.S. News and World Report ranks the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's online master's degree program in library and information studies as one of the best in the nation in a recent special report on e-learning.

UWM's School of Information Studies currently has approximately 150 students enrolled in the program, which allows students to complete all the coursework for the MLIS (Master's in Library and Information Sciences) completely online, according to William Kopycki, coordinator of the program.

"We are extremely proud of the recognition U.S. News and World Report has given this program," says Mohammed Aman, dean of the School of Information Studies. "This program is a key part of our efforts to use new technology to serve students in new ways."

Although the students can complete the degree without coming to Milwaukee, that doesn't mean they have to take all the courses online, says Aman. "We are delighted if the students can come to campus for some courses during the summer or the academic year."

The online program started five years ago as a way of offering courses to students at other Wisconsin campuses in the university system. Now enough courses are available for students to complete the degree online, and 60 percent of the students in the program are from outside Wisconsin, Kopycki says. For example, students from as far away as Japan, Hong Kong, and Germany are enrolled in the program.

Students choose the online option for a variety of reasons, says Kopycki. For some, it fits into their schedules better or saves commuting time. Others may find that comparable master's degree programs aren't available in their home area or state.

Warren Jacobs, an MLIS student from California, says (via email, of course) that he chose UWM's program so he would have time to continue with his volunteer and paid work at his local community college library. "The nearest ALA- (American Library Association) accredited school to my home, San Jose State, was at least a five-hour, round-trip drive on a good day of commuting. I thought my time would be better spent learning and working."

After experiencing corporate downsizing several years ago, Jacobs decided to pursue a lifelong interest in becoming a librarian. (His undergraduate degree is in business administration.) While exploring his options at a local community college, he worked in the college library and tutored students in the library's information literacy courses. The library faculty encouraged him to pursue the MLIS.

He chose UWM's program after researching all the ALA-approved programs. "UWM offered the only online program that did not require residence," and was also ranked in the top 20 of such programs in the U.S.

Students in the online program use online video conferencing, email, chat rooms and other web-based technology to attend lectures, communicate with professors and with each other, and complete assignments. They can attend the classes "live" as they're being taught, or retrieve them from the archives and view them later, says Kopycki. Some faculty teach distant and local students together; others do a separate class for online students.

The School of Information Studies works hard to give students the feel of being in class, says Kopycki. For example, students can type in a question in a chat room and have the professor respond on camera. The camera is also left on during breaks so students can listen to conversations among students who are actually in the classroom, hear doors open and shut, join in break-time chatter, and generally feel included.

Classroom discussions take on new perspectives when students from Europe, Asia and the U.S. are participating, says Wilfred Fong, assistant dean of the School of Information Studies, who teaches an online course.

Jacobs would like to see the online program offer more electives online (Kopycki says they're working on it) and provide a toll-free number and email specifically for distance education students with administrative questions. "It's hard to resolve billing and registration problems long distance," he says.

And, he adds classes tended to be offered with Central Time Zone students in mind, which can pose a challenge for working students in other time zones.

Jacobs would like to have completed the program without ever traveling to Milwaukee, but he did need to take the required comprehensive exam here. However, the faculty just approved a change that will allow distance education students to take the exam at an approved testing center near their home, according to Tomas Lipinski, head of the comprehensive exam committee for the School of Information Studies. Students will need to locate a testing center at a university or government human resources department that provides exam proctoring, and they will have to take it the same day as other students.

Jacobs says online programs work well for students who are self-motivated and can organize their time. "As distance education student, you have to be a self-starter."

Jacobs, who graduated this month, already has started a job as a librarian.

"Earning a degree online gave me the flexibility to work around the clock if I chose to do so, and to incorporate the theory of my MLIS program with the practical experience of working in an academic library."

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