Praktikum kot del študijskih programov na področju bibliotekarske in informacijske znanosti

In Library and Information Science (LIS) courses, practicums serve as a specific bond between theory on the one hand and practical work and the profession on the other. In seeking to prepare graduates for the profession and for professional work, LIS programmes use practicums as a model to enhance the library school curriculum. During the traditional LIS practicum, one already makes use of the many advantages online tools provide, building online portfolios or keeping student work diaries online while undertaking the practical part of one’s practicum. This enables easy and constant communication among all three stakeholders: host institutions, educational institutions, and students. Whilst it is important to engage actively with industry to provide students with opportunities to participate in ‘experiential learning’ and in building practical skills and knowledge, it is also important to ensure this is done in a systematic manner, and with a genuine desire on the part of the employers for a collaborative partnership. Striking similarities regarding practicums and placements between geographically distant countries such as Australia and Slovenia, and the opinions and attitudes that all three stakeholders – students, host institutions and educational institutions – share, indicates that traditional practicums, undertaken in a physical workplace, are still a key component of an LIS education.In Library and Information Science (LIS) courses, practicums serve as a specific bond between theory onthe one hand and practical work and the profession on the other. In seeking to prepare graduates for theprofession and for professional work, LIS programmes use practicums as a model to enhance the libraryschool curriculum. During the traditional LIS practicum, one already makes use of the many advantagesonline tools provide, building online portfolios or keeping student work diaries online while undertakingthe practical part of one’s practicum. This enables easy and constant communication among all threestakeholders: host institutions, educational institutions, and students. Whilst it is important to engageactively with industry to provide students with opportunities to participate in ‘experiential learning’and in building practical skills and knowledge, it is also important to ensure this is done in a systematicmanner, and with a genuine desire on the part of the employers for a collaborative partnership. Strikingsimilarities regarding practicums and placements between geographically distant countries suchas Australia and Slovenia, and the opinions and attitudes that all three stakeholders – students, hostinstitutions and educational institutions – share, indicates that traditional practicums, undertaken in aphysical workplace, are still a key component of an LIS education.V visokošolskih programih s področja bibliotekarstva in informacijske znanosti praktikum služi kot posebna vez med teorijo na eni strani ter praktičnim delom in stroko na drugi strani. Pri pripravi diplomantov za poklic in strokovno delo ti programi uporabljajo koncept praktikuma kot modela za izboljšanje. Tudi pri klasičnem praktikumu so izkoriščene številne prednosti, ki jih zagotavljajo spletna orodja, kot sta na primer izgradnja spletnih portfeljev ali vodenje spletnih dnevnikov dela, medtem ko študent opravlja praktični del praktikuma. To omogoča enostavno in neprekinjeno komunikacijo med vsemi udeleženci procesa – ustanovami gostiteljicami prakse, izobraževalnim ustanovami in študenti. Čeprav je pomembno zagotoviti študentom, da med prakso aktivno sodelujejo v »izkustvenem učenju« in vzpostavljajo praktične spretnosti in znanja, je pomembno tudi to, da je to izvedeno na sistematičen način in ob iskreni želji po sodelovalnem partnerstvu s strani delodajalcev. Presenetljive podobnosti glede izpeljave praktikuma in namestitve študentov med geografsko tako oddaljenimi državama, kot sta Avstralija in Slovenija, ter mnenj in stališč vseh treh udeležencev procesa – študentov, ustanov gostiteljic prakse ter izobraževalnih ustanov – kaže, da je tradicionalni praktikum, ki se izvaja v fizični obliki in na delovnem mestu, še vedno ključni sestavni del izobraževanja s področja bibliotekarstva in informacijske znanosti

Using Etherpads as platforms for collaborative learning in a distance education LIS course

This poster presents findings of a scholarship in teaching project which explored the online collaborative learning experiences of distance education (DE) students undertaking an undergraduate information studies program in an Australian university. The School of Information Studies (SIS) at Charles Sturt University is a leader in the provision of library and information studies education by distance. A recent curriculum review of undergraduate and postgraduate courses resulted in greater integration of Web 2.0 technologies to support DE teaching and learning. This included the redesign of the collection management course which serves approximately 100 undergraduate students per year. The aim of this project was to encourage greater communication and collaboration between students in this course to address challenges of isolation and lack of student community reported by previous cohorts. The researchers found the use of Etherpad as a collaborative document sharing platform successfully supported group-based assessment tasks and the development of students’ skills in critical thinking and collaborative practice, leading to an enhanced DE learning experience.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Real Learning in a Virtual World: A Case Study of the School of Information Studies’ Learning Centre in Second Life / Lyn Hay and Bob Pymm

Following a review of the online delivery of distance education programs within the School of Information Studies (SIS) program at Charles Sturt University, a team of academics worked with an external consultant to design a purpose built SIS Learning Centre in Second Life (SL), a 3D virtual world environment in which people (via their avatars) may act as if in the ‗real‘ world. This paper discusses the design and implementation of a variety of teaching and learning activities in this virtual world environment, examining both student and faculty experiences throughout the teaching sessions, and exploring the affordances provided by the 3D virtual world of Second Life. Findings suggest that most students see this approach as providing a valuable opportunity to interact with each other and with faculty. For academics, the benefits provided by Second Life are acknowledged but the time commitment required to establish and manage the class in this virtual world need to be considered when adopting this approach