Professional Development and

Lifelong Learning Opportunities for

Library & Information Science

Professionals through E-learning

Portals

S.C. Kumaresan

Head Librarian,

Academic Bridge Program, Qatar Foundation

sckumaresan@yahoo.com

Objective of the paper

To sensitize professional associations, policy makers of

government, university authorities and the library professionals,

especially in the developing world, on the need to create a

professional development program through e-learning portals.

What is the Need?

Professional development (PD) opportunity for library professional

are very limited in the developing countries.

Mandatory only to certain categories of employment, where career

advancement is linked with professional development.

Professional development through e-learning portals can bridge the

gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’.

Why E-learning Portals?

◦ Portals organize information and courses from various locations

on a single website.

◦ Anywhere – Anytime.

◦ Self-paced learning.

◦ Reduced costs in terms of travel and lodging.

Types of e-learning courses

Text based courses – contents usually are text based with hyperlinks

to glossaries and other materials.

Animation bases courses – contents usually are moving

illustrations or diagrams coupled with audio.

Video based courses – contents usually are full-motion video clips

of a lecture or a dramatized sequence.

Web based courses – contents are combination of all the above.

Human

Factor

Technology Design

Factor Factor

Human Factor – includes trainers/instructors and learners.

Technology Factor – includes technology for preparation & delivery of contents.

Design Factor – includes content management, assessment & evaluation and

feedback.

Factors affecting web-based courses

Government, Academia & Professional

Bodies – What are their stakes? Government

◦ Recognition & accreditation

◦ Capacity building

◦ Building strong regional teams

◦ Publicize

◦ Provide appropriate infrastructure

Academia

◦ Designs and delivers Online Professional Development (OPD) programs

◦ Certification

◦ Work with professional bodies in creating portfolios at all levels

Professional Associations

◦ Promoting and motivating

◦ Needs-assessment of members

◦ Provide feedback and inputs to the academia

Model E-learning Program

Integrated Online Professional Development with face-to-face

meeting

◦ At the beginning as a Kick-starter for the program

Why?

◦ Orient the learners about the online program

◦ Provide hands on experience on the technology & course content

◦ Build a strong rapport with trainers and peer learners

◦ Answer questions from learners

Course Design

Courses Types

◦ Courses to be taken in isolation

◦ Courses to be taken in concert – webinars

◦ Blended courses – face-to-face & online interactions

Course Design & Content Management

- Challenges Course Design

◦ Ability to disseminate & share learning materials, modules

◦ Oversee performance of learners online

◦ Provide interactivity between trainers & learners

Content Management

◦ Pedagogical and technological aspects for content delivery

◦ Ability to provide a wide range of learning tools and resources

◦ Ability to submit assignments and reports online

…challenges

Operations & Administration

◦ Ability to have a control over the technology used for course

delivery

◦ Ability to manage the end-users – learners & trainers

◦ Ability to administer access control rights to learners & trainers

◦ Ability to generate adequate reports, transcripts, certificate of

course completion etc.,

Assessment & Evaluation

◦ Ability to administer formative as well as summative assessments

modules and evaluate learners

◦ Ability of get feedback from the learners and trainers

Design Cycle of E-learning Portals

E-Portals

Course/Content Technology Design

Management Management

Pedagogy

Assessment

Evaluation Feedback

Advantages & Disadvantages of

E-learning PortalsAdvantages

◦ Ability to pursue a PD program from anywhere and anytime.

◦ Self-paced learning and training.

◦ Availability of vast resources through hyperlinks in different formats.

◦ Efficiency and consistency in the delivery of course and content.

◦ Reduced costs in terms of travel and lodging on the part of the trainer and learners.

◦ Quick feedback and evaluation of learner performances.

◦ Use of multimedia-rich resources for teaching and learning.

◦ Generate additional revenues from advertisements in portals.

Disadvantages

◦ Non availability of infrastructure in rural areas of developing countries.

◦ Initial investment in technology and infrastructure.

◦ Authenticity of learner’s work cannot be verified in online assessments.

◦ Technological snags & security threats.

◦ Reduced social and cultural interaction with peers and trainers.

Questions?

Thank You!