1.
MOOCs for Professional Development:
Transformative Learning Environments
and Roles for LIS
Michael Stephens, PhD
SJSU School of Information
IFLA World Library and Information Congress
80th IFLA General Conference and Assembly
16-22 August 2014, Lyon, France

2.
Tame the Web | Michael Stephens | SJSU SLIS | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Learning

3.
Tame the Web | Michael Stephens | SJSU SLIS | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
“Being adaptable in a flat world, knowing
how to ‘learn how to learn,’ will be one of the
most important assets any worker can have,
because job churn will come faster, because
innovation will happen faster,” writes Thomas
Friedman in The World Is Flat.

4.
Tame the Web | Michael Stephens | SJSU SLIS | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Learning Organization

5.
Staff Development Days
Conferences
Webinars
Workshops
Training Departments

6.
Tame the Web | Michael Stephens | SJSU SLIS | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
I’d argue for continuing staff
development days, but I’d also
urge administrators to promote a
culture of learning all year long.

7.
Tame the Web | Michael Stephens | SJSU SLIS | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0
Learning 2.0
Mobile 23 Things
MOOCs
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2011/11/opinion/michael-stephens/lessons-from-learning-2-0-office-hours/
http://23mobilethings.net/wpress/
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/04/opinion/michael-stephens/lessons-from-hyperlibmooc-office-hours/

8.
Confidence
Comfort
Willingness to explore

9.
Tame the Web | Michael Stephens | SJSU SLIS | Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0

10.
http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2014/04/opinion/michael-stephens/lessons-from-hyperlibmooc-office-hours

11.
cMOOC for
LIS
Professional
Development
Connectivist Theory

12.
#hyperlibMOOC
Background

13.
Stephens, M. & Jones, K. M. L.(2014). “Emerging Roles: Key Insights from Librarians in a Massive Open Online Course,”
proceedings of 16th Distance Library Services Conference, Denver, April 2014.

14.
http://
mooc.hyperlib.sjsu.edu

15.
The MOOC Structure
• 10 modules of content over 12 weeks
• Primary lectures provided by Michael & Kyle; guest lectures
provided by leading professionals in the field
• All course readings and media were open and accessible,
including the textbook (Library 2.0: A guide to participatory
service)
• 11 LIS students–some from SJSU and some from other
programs–worked as leaders of homerooms in which
students were placed to support course logistics and act as a
go-to resource for students
15

16.
Statistics
• 2 instructors
• 9 guest lecturers
• 363 registered students
• 310 blogs
• 10 homerooms
• 3,929 blog comments
posted
• 3,788 instances of badges
unlocked
• 2,099 status updates
• 1,246 public blog posts
published
• 80 Tribes (groups)

17.
Recent Findings

18.
Their Expectations
Going In
Students wanted to…
• Understand MOOCs better:
their design, their structure, our
approach
• See the LIS & MOOC
connections: they wondered if
MOOCs held any opportunity
for their own institution and
relationship to their professional
practice
• Take advantage of the
convenience: in terms of time,
duration, portability, and ease of
access
20
© http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohiouniversitylibraries/3507674990/

19.
After #hyperlibMOOC
• 53 participants
earned certificates
(15%)
• Alumni formed
Facebook groups
• Meet ups & sharing
on Twitter

20.
76% of survey
respondents indicated
that they felt successful.

21.
Measuring Their Own
Success
Students spoke of their success in
terms of…
• Completion: they viewed all the
lectures, read the materials,
completed the assignments, and
stuck with the course to the end
• Interaction: they felt that they had
engaged and interacted with their
peers
• Time: their lack of it interacted with
their level of participation
• Content: they felt they had
knowledge of core concepts and
models and could apply them in
their professional setting
23
© http://www.flickr.com/photos/picas_and_points/316100209/

22.
Ideas

23.
Networking

24.
Self

25.
Renewed
Outlook

26.
Roles for LIS
Professionals

27.
Reflecting on your MOOC
experience, what roles do you
think librarians might play within
MOOCs?

28.
Guide

29.
For example, one respondent envisioned librarians as
“learning mentors” in a MOOC, by acting as real-life
educational resources, who would help students, through
conversation and resource connection, understand the
course’s concepts. Another respondent saw librarians
supporting MOOCs with “resources, space, and additional
materials” to aid student learning.

30.
Access
Provider

31.
Same role“we play in supporting all learners–
connecting them with materials and support
that will help them achieve their educational
goals.”

32.
Creator

33.
Libraries are places “of learning [that are] only
going to grow,” and creating MOOCs seems like
a part of that natural evolution. By running and
hosting MOOCs, librarians could create learning
environments tailored to the needs of their
communities.

34.
Instructor

35.
Librarians, to one respondent, have a
professional inclination to teach, which makes
them an asset to MOOCs “as a course leader
or as a contributing voice.”

36.
Learner

37.
“Librarians would be well-served to participate
in MOOCs to gain understanding of that type
of learning experience as well as information
presented for their own professional growth.”

38.
Implications

39.
Emerging Thematic Areas
• Large scale professional
development can engage,
educate, and enhance
current continuing
education models.
• The learning platform
matters: participatory and
connected design results in
increased opportunities for
professional networking
and information sharing.
© http://www.flickr.com/photos/61032550@N03/6112321994/
• This model, after further
refinement, could be
replicated for other courses
and initiatives. It offers a
low cost means to create
professional development
learning communities, and
it could be adopted by
other LIS programs,
organizations, and
consortia for similar
educational purposes.
43

40.
Potential Benefits
• Large scale professional
development offers global
opportunities for
networking and sharing.
• Learning is active and
production-centered, and
groups may work together
to create something new.
© http://www.flickr.com/photos/61032550@N03/6112321994/
44
• Cultural awareness is
enhanced in the global
“MOOC” classroom.
• Professionals can have
access to experts from all
over the world.

41.
45
MOOCs provide a way to engage with other
professionals working on the same issues in
other libraries and for a reasonable cost and
time-commitment.

42.
Implications
!
• Make time for continuous learning & PD
• Organizations & associations should explore these
models of open online learning.
• Grass roots efforts and official partnerships may
yield some new opportunities.

43.
A deeper understanding of creating a
learning space, argues Morville (2012),
may lead to educators and LIS
professionals becoming influential
architects of learning environments.!

44.
!
References & Further Reading! !
Barnes, C. (2013). MOOCs: The challenges for academic librarians. Australian Academic & Research Libraries, 44(3), 163-175. doi:
10.1080/00048623.2013.821048 !
DeJong, R. (2013, November 10). Why do students drop out of MOOCs? [Web log post]. Our Essays. Minding the Campus. Retrieved from http://
www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2013/11/why_do_students_drop_out_of_mo.html !
Educause. (2011). 7 things you should know about MOOCs. Retrieved from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7078.pdf !
Haggard, S. (2013). The maturing of the MOOC (Research paper number 130). Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/
government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/240193/13-1173-maturing-of-the-mooc.pdfDeJong, (2013) !
Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Ludgate, H. (2013). NMC Horizon Report: 2013 Higher Education Edition. Austin, TX: The
New Media Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-horizon-report-HE.pdf !
Kendrick, C., & Gashurov, I. (2013, November 4). Libraries in the time of MOOCs [Web log post]. Educause Review. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/
article/libraries-time-moocs !
Mahraj, K. (2012). Using information expertise to enhance massive open online courses. Public Services Quarterly, 8(4), 359-368. doi:
10.1080/15228959.2012.730415 !
Morville, P. (2012, December 18). Architects of learning [Web log post]. Semantic Studios. Retrieved from http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/
000662.php !
Pappano, L. (2012, November 2). The year of the MOOC [Web log post]. Education Life. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/
education/edlife/massive-open-online-courses-are-multiplying-at-a-rapid-pace.html?_r=0 !
Penn GSE. (2013, December 5). Penn GSE study shows MOOCs have relatively few active users, with only a few persisting to course end [Press release].
Retrieved from http://www.gse.upenn.edu/pressroom/press-releases/2013/12/penn-gse-study-shows-moocs-have-relatively-few-active-users-only-few-persisti !
Stephens, M. (2013a, October 23). Infinite learning [Web log post]. Library Journal. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/10/opinion/michael-stephens/
infinite-learning-office-hours/ !
Stephens, M. (2013b). MOOCs for LIS professional development: Exploring new transformative learning environments and roles. Internet Learning, 2(2), 71-88.
Retrieved from http://www.ipsonet.org/images/Westphalia_Press/Internet_Learning_Journal_2-2/5.%20Stephens%20-%20MOOCS%20for%20LIS%20Professional
%20Development.pdf !
Yeager, C., Hurley-Dasgupta, B., & Bliss, C. A. (2013). cMOOCs and global learning: An authentic alternative. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(2),
133-147. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/jaln/v17n2/cmoocs-and-global-learning-authentic-alternative