Why I am Thankful I Enrolled in the SJSU iSchool’s MLIS Program
My time here at the San José State University School of Information is soon coming to an end. I will be graduating with a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science in the spring, and as the end to my grad school career comes closer, I keep thinking about how much I have enjoyed being an iSchool student. That is not to say it has been easy. Graduate-level studies plus a full-time job have kept me pushed to my limit most of the time, add in some major life events, and I have come close to my own breaking point. But I held it together because I have never felt alone, abandoned, or uncared for by my fellow students, or the faculty of the iSchool. Everyone has been very open and encouraging starting from day one.
When I started the MLIS program at the iSchool, I was very nervous about jumping back into academia. I had been out of school for eight years. In that time, a lot had changed, and the online learning environment was completely new to me. I was not sure what to expect for workload, assignments, or lectures. Lucky for me, unlike some other schools, the iSchool has a technology course that all students take before the semester even begins.
When this course opened for me, I jumped in and got to work right away thinking it would take me a long time to figure out the learning management system. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by the content and course work for INFO 203. It was easy — almost too easy. I breezed through most of the work fairly quickly. The more work I did, the more confident I got with Canvas, the library site, and APA. I was also really nervous about how lectures and group work would work in an online environment, but as a part of INFO 203, I also got experience in those areas, as well. Having a professor available to answer my questions was helpful, but I really appreciated the peer mentor. I was able to ask her questions about course loads and time management and anything else I could think of. Hearing about her experiences helped to ease some of my own fear. After completing the course, I moved on to my next classes and never looked back.
This semester, I was given the opportunity to be a peer mentor for INFO 203, and I jumped at the chance. Not only would it help me meet the course competencies that I needed, but it would also allow me to get my credits finished early so that I have more time to spend on my e-portfolio culminating project next semester. I was excited to be there to support new students coming in to the iSchool. I already knew how helpful a peer mentor could be, and I wanted to try to make other students’ transitions as worry free as possible. INFO 203 gives us as students a means to get to know each other before any of the more difficult courses started. It was a “safe” environment to learn what our futures would be like.
Online Learning is Not Created Equal
I know quite a few other people who are doing an online degree program in library science. They are attending a variety of schools, and I always find it interesting to hear how their course work is going and what they are working on. One of my acquaintances just began her studies at a different school’s online MLIS program. She has been really struggling in the courses she is taking. Unlike my experience at the iSchool, she didn’t have an INFO 203. It is her first time in an online learning environment, and she’s having to learn the software and other technology that she uses for her courses and is having to do online group work without any guidance or help from the faculty.
Because I was a peer mentor, I felt like I not only understood her frustrations but I also tried my best to give her advice that could help make her time in her own program more pleasant. The more we talked, the more I realized that the problems she was having were because she and her classmates were not given an introduction to their school’s online environment like I was with INFO 203.
She was not introduced to the learning software her school uses. She was told to login and expected to either already know how to use it or find the time on her own to learn the software all while being expected to keep up with her course work. There are no peer mentors there to answer questions, and the professors may or may not be willing to help students with technology issues because it is outside the scope of the course.
This acquaintance also has group projects in all of her courses. She and her group members were not given instruction on how to form teams, assign roles, create group rules, set deadlines or what to do if things are not working out. They were instead thrown together and told to complete tasks. The only deadline for these projects is at the end of the semester. They were not given strategies and tools for coordinating schedules or sharing work. This has been my acquaintance’s biggest challenge because she keeps running into the same issues over and over again.
The True Benefit of the iSchool’s INFO 203
My time in INFO 203 and my experience as a peer mentor have prepared me well. As a result, I have not had to deal with the challenges my acquaintance is experiencing. Because all iSchool students complete INFO 203, they come into their other courses with an understanding of what is expected in their courses and how to work with others in an online environment.
After sharing some of the lessons learned from taking INFO 203, my acquaintance has been able to slowly start to incorporate the tips into her own studies. Hopefully, her future course work will benefit. I am very thankful that my own experience has been nothing like hers. I am thankful that the faculty of the iSchool chose to require everyone to begin with INFO 203 to help prepare us for the rest of the MLIS program.
The planning that goes into INFO 203 helps to ensure that all students start their iSchool journey on the right foot. They are given the opportunity to experience what their courses will be like in a low-pressure environment and are given knowledge and tools that will help them throughout their time at the iSchool. It is unfortunate that all online programs do not offer technology support comparable to this, but it makes me that much more thankful that I chose to earn my MLIS degree at the SJSU iSchool.
