Librarian X With great power comes great bibliography.

Online degrees

I had occasion to chat with the director of a large academic library this week, and we talked a bit about online vs. face-to-face degrees.  I was putting forth the proposition that earning my MLIS online had given me a better grasp on instructional technology because the only contact I had with my professors was via the technology provided by my library school.  In fact, I think it gave me a good perspective on teaching techniques in general, since the program caused me to think about what was (and wasn't) working well for me as a learner as a result of the online environment.  It's been valuable to me as a library teacher and particularly as regards my work with instructional technology.

She said that she had been asked as part of a survey whether, in a librarian candidate, she valued online degrees less than face-to-face degrees. She said if anything she considered online degrees more valuable.  If I remember her point correctly, among other things it requires a self-motivated and engaged student to succeed in an online degree program.

It was a good discussion and I'd be interested in talking about it here, if anyone cares to comment.