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Sorry it has taken me so long to post this hit.  Thank you to the
many people who shared their experiences with distance learning
programs.  The feeling was generally positive, though many expressed
the thought that distance learning takes more time than being in an
on-site classroom.  Other cons included equipment incompatibility and
the difficulty in clarifying assignments with professors on-line vs.
in an on-site classroom discussion.
Many people have included websites for their on-line programs.  For
comments on specific programs and more detailed discussion of the
pros and cons, please read the individual responses below.     Cheryl
______________________________________

I began working on my MLS a few years ago in a more traditional
setting but when class offerings became fewer and less convenient,
transferred to a program offerred at the University of North Texas
which is available entirely via the Internet.  I LOVE IT! I can "go
to school" at my convenience.  I feel the Internet and computer
experience I am getting is invaluable and I think the education I am
receiving is top notch. But there are drawbacks.  I miss the more
personal interaction of a classroom and classmates, but if you stick
with it you do begin to recognize your web classmates too. On the
down side, sometimes the technology fails and you MUST be a self
starting kind of person who is not afraid to ask questions. You must
recognize from the beginning that you will have to take care of
yourself, and getting support materials is not as easy as if you are
on campus. But I have compared notes with others who have taken
classes on line and I would suggest that you enroll with a program
that is VERY experienced with web courses.  These programs have
already worked out the bugs and know how to best deliver on line
classes.  Those I have talked to who are unhappy with their web
courses have generally been from schools just beginning to offer
these types of classes.  You don't want to be a guinna pig.  It may
cost more, but go with a proven program. Feel free to contact me if
you want more info.
___________________________________________________

  I enrolled in Syracuse University's distance program and it was
terrific.  I did 5 on site visits but you could it in 3 if you really
pushed it.  THe visits were for a week in Sept and Jan and then  2 or
3 weeks for 2 summers.  The program is outstanding,  the people I
met, teachers, students were unbelievable.  We spent the rest of the
semester working on the classes we had in the fall and spring.  I
know the problem with distance from Guam, University of Washington is
now starting a similiar distance program led by Mike Eisenberg, one
of my Syracuse professors, author the Big Six.   So that is a bit
closer to home.  What does UH offer for distance?  Anyway Syracuse is
wonderful,  for a distance program.
  Take a look at this website for UW
www.ischool.washington.edu/dmlis
__________________________________

I am currently enrolled in an MLS program with the University of
Missouri - Columbia, MO.  I live in St. Louis (a couple of hours away
from Columbia) and can take some traditional extension courses in the
St. Louis area as well as Internet courses. MU also offers something
called web-based classes in which most of the work is done over the
Internet, but there are 2 or 3 class meetings. I have been a school
librarian for ten years, already have my certification but decided to
complete the MLS. There are definitely pros and cons to distance
education.
pros - It's nice to be able to access the web site and contribute to
the discussion board any time of the day or night. I have enjoyed
working the class around my personal schedule rather than vice-versa.
If you are a disciplined, independent learner, this is a great
environment. There is a wide variety of students in the class, and
you do get to know them  pretty well as you go along through the
discussions.
cons - I do miss class discussions and meeting with people face to
face. You feel like you are in a vacuum sometimes. In my first
Internet class, there was a compatibility problem between my computer
and the professor's, which I didn't find out about until a week after
the assignment was due. This caused a lot of stress, and I finally
had to fax all my documents to her. Relying on networks and
technology entails a higher stress level, I think.
I would have trouble envisioning a program that is totally online,
but if that is all that is available, I guess you can make the best
of it.
______

I live in a small town in central Texas.  There are only three schools
in this state that offer MLIS degrees.  One is south of here (140 miles
away), which is the University of Texas.  The other two are northeast of
here, also 140 miles away, and are Texas Women's University and the
University of North Texas.  Whichever one I would choose, driving to
attend classes would have been impossible.  UNT offers the courses
online and while I am getting my masters I am also getting my public
school librarian certification.  I have really enjoyed taking the
classes this way.  It is by no means easier than attend class in person,
except that I have found myself participating in discussions more
because people "cannot see me".  I think this is a bonus to the distance
program.  I really like the flexibility with taking courses online.  One
does have to become quite disciplined to get the coursework done on
time.  I was worried about my computer skills, but have increased them
as I have taken more courses.  Also, there is always a TA in each class
to assist us.  I am currently taking my 6th and 7th classes online.  I
hope this helps,
______________________________________

It will, of course, depend on the instructor! I've taken 5 classes
on-line through the University of South Florida (Tampa, Florida, USA).
You'ld have to pay out of state tuition.
Some classes have lots of interaction through the communication system
on-line. Some don't. Some professors are very organized and quite
involved, others aren't. I think you end up "doing" more because you
check the site daily to check on student comments. It takes getting used
to but I've found it rewarding.
The hardest part is getting clear instructions from the teacher. In a
"real" class you can ask if you don't understand or listen as others ask
- on-line it's a little harder to get clear instructions (from some
professors).
USF has a system called Blackboard which is very easy to use. It's a
snap to send projects on-line with Blackboard.
USF is not a totally on-line program. Many classes are on-line. It would
work for teacher credits. I think FSU (Florida State University
(Tallahassee, Florida, USA) is totally on-line. I think you have to go
to Tallahassee for a two or three weeks session at some point but I'm
not sure.
Good luck.
___________________________________________
I live 250 miles from the Univeristy of Southern Mississippi so I
have taken advantage of distance courses of all kinds.  There was a
man that had lived in Guam when he began working on his Masters in
LIS.  He stayed summers on campus.  Since he started, there are more
courses totally online.  Also, one of the instructors worked with him
and let him take a couple of courses online that others had to meet
on campus or either a little of both.  She made the exception since
he was so far away.  Anyway, USM is working on getting their MLIS
program totally online.  I love them.  The only problem I have found
is in finding some of the sources they have on campus to do the
research project.  That too is changing because now you can go
through their library online and get more resources.  You can contact
thomas.walker@usm.edu and he will be very helpful with any questions
you have.  He is the head of the LIS department and a very nice
person.  I hope this is what you wanted to know.  If you have
different questions, just e-mail me back and I'll try to be more
specific.
_______________________________

Hi Cheryl,  I am currently enrolled in the MLS from Connecticut State
University, Southern campus.  I have taken three courses and I have
enjoyed them and learned.  There are expensive but everything is done
through the computer, no need to go.  Easy to register and friendly
professors.   This third course I am
taking is on reference is the one that the professor has best adapted to
my needs, the first one was overall knowledge on computer technology and
some research skills. The second course was related to situations
happening through ALA or events in the states which were interesting and
good knowledge but not entirely beneficial to my work area.

I pay $812. for one 3 credit course.  Plus books.
_______

I am currently taking two courses towards my MLS from OnlineCSU, the distance
learning component of Southern Connecticut State University in Hartford,
Connecticut, USA.  I previously took two courses at Pratt Institute in New
York City.

I think that OnlineCSU has done an excellent, thorough job of creating their
distance learning MLS program.  I have found the coursework to be much more
thorough (and more difficult!) that the on-site courses I previously took at
Pratt. The instructors are always available, we work in groups on projects
with other students, and there is constant feedback.  I would not hesitate to
recommend this program - one of my colleagues in a final project is in
Malaysia, and the rest of us are spread around the country and the world.

Here is the link, if you are interested in learning more:

http://onlinecsu.ctstateu.edu/index.real?action=Welcome

___________________________

I am a distance learning MLS student at Southern Connecticut State
University.  I am currently in my fifth course.  I would highly recommend
this format and this particular school to anyone.

There is no on-ground requirement.  The biggest pro is simply the
ability to get this education even though I live two states away.  After
that comes the flexibility to schedule my own time to work on the
school work.  (That sometimes means doing nothing BUT schoolwork
when I am not at one of my three jobs, but that's no different from
on-ground school, anyway).

The biggest con...there really isn't one, if you set your mind to mastering
the distance ed. ropes and taking advantage of the opportunity.
I have had far more interpersonal contact with fellow students and
professors than I EVER had in undergrad on-ground school!
The amount of contact is incredible.  Some students don't take advantage
of it, and that's their problem.

The professor for my current course seems to live in his office...we
get responses from him almost any time of any day, and he says he
only does school e-mail at the office.

This is an accredited school and I can tell you that the teaching
staff is very helpful, but they are also sticklers for quality, participation
and self-motivation.  It's not easy, but it is enjoyable and challenging.
________________

I am currently enrolled in my last semester at San Jose State University
which has a distance ed program.  Some of my classes have been taught
online, with only one meeting and I believe they actually have classes that
are totally online.

I have to say that I enjoyed my on-campus classes much more but the online
classes offer a solid educational experience when needed.  We used something
called "Blackboard" that allowed the teacher to make announcements and
monitor ongoing discussion by the students. This was supplemented by a
course web page with discussion topics and readings for each week. We did
have to submit papers by email and got responses back in the same way. I
just missed the human interaction.
________________________

I teach in a totally online M. Ed. media program here at the University of
Central Florida. Although I only teach one class, Cataloging and
Classification, if I can help, just let me know.

If it would help you to see information about how this program works,
here is the link to the main program page:
http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~edmedia/

We do not have residency requirements, and have students from all over
Florida. No travel to our campus is required.
__________________________

The University of Northern Iowa's Distance Learning Courses are found at
http://www.uni.edu/profdev/

The tuition for a 3 credit graduate course from UNI is $600.
_______

I am currently enrolled in southern Connecticut
University OnLine MLS program.  The courses are
totally online, no campus visits required and with 36
semester hours, an MLS degree can be earned. Taking
an online course requires more self discipline than
going to a class.  Face to face discussions are much
easier than "threaded discussions" where you type a
response & then have to wait to see what the next
person says. The website for SCSU is
onlinecsu.ctstateu.edu/
I hope this helps.
__________

I am doing my MApp. Sc in Teacher Librarianship through Distance -
through Charles Sturt University in Australia.
The course is fantastic and well supported online. The residentials
are all optional. I am living in Hong Kong so I too have the problem
of expense. Another distance  course is offered through the
University of Queensland.
If you visit any of these university websites you will find the
information req.
Hope this is of some help - and seeing you are pretty close to asia
this may be a viable option.
________________________

I am taking a second master's degree online from the U of Phoenix.  IT is in
curriculum and technology. My MLS is from U of Hawaii.

At first I didn't like the online in comparison to the real classroom.
However, as I continue in the program I am finding it is getting better and
I am starting to like it.  I wouldn't rec. online degrees for someone who
never attended college (i.e. your regular college freshman) because school
is more than just about academics...but if one is experienced and in the
workplace, online is a better fit.  It certainly is better than nothing.  I
am learning a lot about my subject, and we work in groups online so we
actually start to develop "friendships" and collaboration. If your
librarians need to keep updated, online is a perfect way to do it and I
would highly recommend it.  If you are new to librarianship, I would not
suggest it to be the best way, but it is probably adequate.
__________________________________
When I was going for my masters in educational media (NOT an ALA approved
course - but good for school media specialists in my state) it was all class
structured when I started.  About halfway through some of the classes were
on-line - and now the entire course is on-line only.  I prefer meeting the
people I am taking a class with - but I really feel that what I learned was
just as viable on-line as it was being in a classroom.  In your case I would
most definitely recommend it!  One plus was the teacher could not decide to
just forget teaching for a day (I never could figure out why some graduate
students, who are paying good money to learn something, thought they were
'getting away' with something when the teacher decided to cancel a class?!)

___________________________________
I've had a couple of web classes and they take a LOT of time!  Plus,
the professors may assume more computer skills than you have!  Use
caution.
__________________

I am taking a distance class at this time.  It's not online, it's a
GSAMS class which uses satellite technology to show the professor and
students with him on a television while we can communicate with them
using microphones and they see us on a television at their site.  I find
that this type distance delivery is the next best thing to being there.
(And it saves me a two-hour drive through the evening rush hour in
Atlanta!)
_________________________

The people I have known felt that they did more work, but didn't get that
much out of it.  I will say that the University of Montana distance library
courses cost the same for in state or out of state students, so they are a
bargain.  I think a 3 hour course is about $500.
_______________________

>  >I teach in a totally online M. Ed. in Educational Media program
>here at the University of
>  >Central Florida. Although I only teach one class, Cataloging and
>  >Classification, if I can help, just let me know.
>  >
>  >If it would help you to see information about how this program works,
>  >here is the link to the main program page:
>  >http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~edmedia/
>  >
>  >We do not have residency requirements, and have students from all over
>  >Florida. No travel to our campus is required.
_________________

Yes, I am taking a MA in Curriculum and Technology.  I think it is a good
adjunct to my MLS.  At first I didn't like the isolation, but now that I am
getting to "know" my classmates, it's much more fun. I can do it without
leaving home, and that is very nice. It is very time intensive, and if I had
small kids and a job I wouldn't try it. Also, if I were not familiar with
the library, I don't think it would be as good as being on site since there
are so many hands on things that a librarian needs to do.  This course is
working for me because I am an experienced teacher and computer person. UOP
has a lot of degree plans, but I don't think they have a MLS.  I know that
several other universities do. Good luck.
_________________


Here's the URL for information about the Distance ed program and San Jose
State University.

http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/slis/disted.htm
_______________________

Cheryl, you might not want to post this as part of your hit, but at UNT
we have a cohort option so that if you get 20 students in a group, we
can bring the on-campus portions TO YOU. It's a lot less expensive for
one of us to go there than for all of you to come here. Our online
courses are highly interactive, and they dispell the common conception
that online learning is like an electronic correspondence course.

I don't know what Guam requires to certify school librarians, but I'm
sure our program could meet that requirement. We primarily certify
school librarians in Texas, but we are also doing programs for teachers
in Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Alabama, New Mexico, Nevada, Minnesota
and Thailand. See our web page at http://www.unt.edu/slis and follow the
links for school library certification. Most of the requirements are
based on Texas certification, but as I said, they meet the requirements
in most other states/countries. Please feel free to contact us if you
have additional questions.
--
Cheryl King, Librarian
Agana Heights Elementary School, Guam
Telephone:  671-477-3550 (w.)  671-563-1005(h.)
Fax:  671-563-1006
E-mail:    cherylk@ite.net

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