Teaching Music Librarianship Online

Sonia Archer-CapuzzoUniversity of North Carolina at Greensboro

smarcherdma@gmail.com

Background

UNCG UIUC

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Spring 2012 Students from UNCG

and UNC-Charlotte Library and Music

Majors 10 Students, 5

respondents to survey

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Spring 2013 Students from many

universities Library Majors 16 students (15

surveys), 7 respondents to survey

Focus vs. variety◦ Students tend to prefer practicality over theory.

“There was a fairly wide range of experience levels among the students, and finding the right level at which to pitch the material must have been challenging.” (UIUC student)

Challenges: Organization

Discussion boards◦ “...it was beneficial for students to take the lead

for topics.” (UNCG student)◦ “...some participants did not contribute to

discussions in a timely manner.” (UNCG student)◦ “...the fact that there was no regular posted

discussion meant that there was actually less interaction amongst classmates...” (UIUC student)

Challenges: Participation

Weekly classes◦ “I’m a big fan of regular collaborate sessions.

Online classes are isolating.” (UNCG student)◦ “...it was good to have regular interaction with the

teacher.” (UIUC student)◦ “Making the online course (as weird as this can

be) more discussion based and less chat based would be really helpful.... The added benefit is building interpersonal relationships (as much as one can) with the other student who may be potential colleagues or friends in the future.” (UIUC student)

Challenges: Participation

In person meetings & field trips

Guest speakers◦ “Guest lectures were informative and contributed

a “from-the-field” perspective.” (UNCG student)◦ “The online course made it easier to bring in

guest speakers from across the country.” (UIUC student)

Successes: Connections

Music Library Profiles (UNCG & UIUC) Information Literacy Lesson Plan (UIUC) Project Funding Plan (UIUC) Bibliography wiki (UNCG)

◦ “...I especially enjoyed being able to compile other readings we found as supplement materials in the bibliography assignment.) (UNCG student)

Open-ended project (UNCG, some UIUC)◦ “The final project was extremely helpful for me. Given the

freedom to pursue an aspect of music librarianship I was extremely interested [in], I was able to develop a project that increased my knowledge exponentially in that area, which I believe helped me land an internship and then my current full-time job in this area of music librarianship.” (UNCG student)

Successes: Assignments

Utilize and emphasize a variety of types of interaction

Bring in guest speakers Respect student diversity in backgrounds,

learning styles, and career paths The standard suggestions:

◦ Be clear◦ Be available◦ Be flexible

Suggestions

Thank you!Sonia Archer-CapuzzoUNCGsmarcherdma@gmail.com