Week+3+report

=LEEP Online Program= =Institutional Issues=

Introduction
Departments within an institution function with varying degrees of autonomy; however, all initiatives of the department must fall within the strategic vision of the institution as a whole. They must be aligned with the goals and long term objectives that the institution seeks to attain. In 1996 the Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences (GSLIS) introduced the Library Education Experiment Program (LEEP) online scheduling option for those students who do not have on-campus access to their well-known Master of Science (MS) degree and their Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) program. In this report, we have brought to focus some of the issues at the institution level that needed to be addressed during the launch of this e-learning initiative.

Administrative Affairs
A) Needs Assessment According to Khan (2005), the purpose of a needs analysis is to “help institutions match the needs of their target audience with the e-learning courses and programs they plan to market” (p. 24). GSLIS did not conduct a formal needs analysis for e-learning prior to proposing LEEP, which was not a new course or program, but an online scheduling option for its already-established Master of Science degree. The program was identical to the on campus degree program in admissions requirements, curriculum, and tuition structure (Estabrook, 2001). The proposal for LEEP followed a decade of working to respond to “strong pressure from librarians around the state who wanted library and information science education brought to their geographic region” (Estabrook, 2001, p. 72) and multiple proposals to the Illinois Board of Higher Education to open an additional physical site in the Chicagoland area were turned down. In an interview, GSLIS Assistant Dean Rae-Anne Montague notes that LEEP "was never intended to emerge as an online option." The School selected online delivery as the only viable option for meeting the need for additional library and information science degree programs in the State of Illinois.

Although the school conducted no formal needs analysis, the eight month period between the approval and launch of the program was filled with intense discussion and planning. GSLIS faculty initiated the proposal and were central to its development, "call[ing] out all the possible ways it could fail" (Montague, interview, January 27, 2011). From the beginning the initiative was as seen as an “experiment” (Library Education Experiment Program) and the School described its preferred students as “willing to collaborate with GSLIS faculty in designing and refining new ways to deliver instruction” (Estabrook, 1997, p. 158).

Since the first two years when the school spent $10,000 on a independent consultant’s review (Estabrook, 2001), the program has embraced formal and informal opportunities to assess student satisfaction and needs: Committee of Extended Education and Degrees (every 5 years), ALA accreditation (every 7 years), WISE consortium (every year), ISIS review of each course (end of the semester), and alumni surveys (1,093 LEEP alumni) (Montague, interview, January 27, 2011) In addition, GSLIS participates in corporate round table meetings two to three times each semester to learn about LIS issues facing their graduates.

B) Readiness assessment: Infrastructure
 * Senior administrative staff.** In a 1997 article discussing the LEEP experience, Dean Leigh Estabrook (1997) wrote that the LEEP program had “strong support” from the University. (p. 160). In a 1996 letter to Vice President for Academic Affairs Sylvia Manning, Provost Larry Falkner wrote, “The masters program curriculum adapted to the Internet and combined with an on-campus intensive sessions in the summer promises to be an important pioneering step for the University in utilizing our knowledge about networks and the world wide web in meeting the educational goals of both the university and the students we can serve” (Estabrook, 2001, p. 72).


 * Financial readiness.** In 1996 GSLIS received $600,000 in campus funds to cover start up costs. (Estabrook, 1997; Estabrook, 2001; Montague) The university also allocated the tuition revenue generated by LEEP to GSLIS (Estabrook, 1997, 2001). In 1997 LEEP received a grant from the Sloan Consortium for special equipment (Estabrook, 2001).


 * Human resource readiness.** Start-up funds from the University provided for an increase in the School’s human resources needed to support the online initiative. Because of the program's design as a scheduling option rather than separate degree program, the school gained five additional faculty members, who would teach both online and on-campus classes. Faculty received release time to convert their face-to-face class content into online courses and the first time faculty taught an online class, the course comprised their entire teaching load. The School also recruited two full-time staff to assist faculty and students with technology issues. One faculty member was appointed to have administrative responsibility for LEEP (Estabrook, 2001). GSLIS also received support from Continuing Education to manage administrative issues like student registration (Montague, interview, January 27, 2011).


 * Technological/equipment/instructional design readiness.** LEEP was the first online degree program offered at UIUC. At a time when dial-up connections were used, no infrastructure existed for online learning (Montague, interview, 2011). GSLIS spent $330,000 on software and equipment in the first six years of LEEP (Estabrook, 2001). Today, GSLIS has its own servers, technical staff, and SCN software. They have also developed their own LMS.

When the decision to launch LEEP was taken, there was a six to eight month ramp-up period to extract the on-campus curriculum and convert it to an online learning format. GSLIS has a dedicated team of in-house instructional designers that took up the task of bringing the master’s program to the online setting. The in-house instructional design team continues to work on changes to course content when needed, working hand-in-hand with instructors.


 * Cultural readiness.** Although LEEP was the first online degree program at UIUC, a university at the time strongly focused on undergraduate traditional face-to-face instruction, the GSLIS environment was well-primed for the initiative. The LEEP program model was an extension of work already being conducted by GSLIS faculty (Montague, interview, January 27, 2011). In 1988 the school began offering a “Friday’s only” scheduling option where students could receive a master’s degree while attending classes only on Fridays and in the 1990s GSLIS faculty began using technology to teach at multiple sites (Estabrook, 2001). LEEP was a logical next step. The LEEP program model, which called for the use of technology to make resources more open and accessible, was well-aligned with the GSLIS's mission as a professional school of library and information science.

C. Program and course information LEEP follows a blended learning instruction format. Though the program is predominantly delivered online, master’s students are required to be on campus for 10 days at the start of the program. During this time, students take one of the core courses, LIS 502 (Libraries, Information and Society), which is taught only on-campus. GSLIS believes that this initial face-to-face interaction serves as a good starting point for peers and faculty to get introduced and get to know each other.

Each LEEP course also requires students to spend one day on campus every semester. This helps students deliver presentations, attend non-technology workshops, use materials that are otherwise unavailable online, and also continue the sense of community building among peers and faculty. The on-campus portion of the program continues to receive widespread approval among LEEP students as it helps build a strong sense of camaraderie and makes this online program on par with the on-campus program.

The online component of the program consists of a two-hour weekly synchronous session and asynchronous discussions via the electronic bulletin board. As per the 2006 GSLIS Strategic Plan goal of migrating to an open source system, LEEP courses now use Moodle as their CMS along with Elluminate, wikis and other tools as needed. Other non-degree students can join LEEP courses if there is space, including students from WISE member schools. These non-degree students can arrange for other options for the on-campus requirements for their course.

D. Tuition The tuition cost for an Illinois resident to the LEEP program is approximately $24,000. Non-Illinois residents pay tuition close to $43,000 to complete the Masters program. This is very similar to the tuition one will pay for an on-campus Masters program at GSLIS. Both LEEP and the on-campus program share the same faculty, resources and continue to deliver the same quality of instruction, hence the similarity in tuition rates.

Comparing LEEP to some of its top contenders shows that the out-of-state tuition rates for LEEP are very comparable with universities like Syracuse University (Ranked No 3 by US News and World Report) which charges a tuition close to $42,000 and University of Washington (Ranked No 4 by US News and World Report) which charges a tuition close to $39,000. Rutgers State University, NJ (Ranked No 6 by US News and World Report) charges an in-state and out-of-state tuition that is again very comparable with LEEP ($22,000 for In-State students and $34,000 for out-of-state students). All of these universities mirror a course format very similar to LEEP. They all contain an on-campus component and have adopted a blended learning model.

E. Institutional challenges, policies and successes Even though LEEP is a smaller program compared to many at UIUC, its faculty and students must be aware of institutional changes in policies. GSLIS has been successfully sharing their objective of meeting the challenges of the distance learner with other programs, sometimes with the help of other groups, such as Academic Outreach, to streamline requirements such as those from the Graduate School. For instance, where there was previously a paper sign-off form for students, the form is now digital, making it possible for both on-campus and online students to complete. In fact, in some instances on-campus students have benefited from this electronic conversion, as they now have the digital sign-off form available to them too.

On-campus students are also benefiting from resources that were originally designed for online learners. For example, all GSLIS on-campus courses are now in Moodle, not only the LEEP courses, as happened at the program’s inception. This way all instructors and learners can take advantage of the online enhancements for engagement, such as forums, handout repositories, and electronic assignment submissions and grading, to name a few.

F. Intellectual Property Based on the UIUC intellectual property rights policy, GSLIS owns the LEEP e-learning courses as "works made for hire." However, through undivided co-ownership the creator(s) can use and reproduce the original course materials and write derivative works from them, although UI retains the right to use, revise and distribute the original version within UIUC. The GSLIS faculty is satisfied with this policy as there have not been any cases to date that express disagreement with the policy.

Academic Affairs
A. Accreditation The Committee on Accreditation (COA) of the American Library Association has voted to approve continued accreditation of GSLIS’s Master of Science degree program through 2011. GSLIS is preparing for their next accreditation now as it’s done every seven years. Since LEEP is considered a scheduling option for their Master’s degree program, there is no separate LEEP accreditation.

Estabrook (2001) explains that LEEP was first included in the school’s re-accreditation in Fall, 1997, and as it is an identical program in admissions and course requirements to the master’s degree program, it has never required a separate review by an accrediting body. Since at that time GSLIS was struggling with the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), which approves sites where programs are offered, the University was happy that LEEP avoided IBHE issues.

B. Instructional Quality In the 2009 //U.S. News and World Report// ranking of graduate professional schools of library and information science, GSLIS shared the number one spot with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and ranked highly in the following specialty areas: Services for Children and Youth (first); Digital Librarianship (second); and Information Systems (fifth). The 2006 GSLIS Unit Strategic Plan states that about half the master’s and CAS (Advanced Studies) students are enrolled in LEEP with a 95% retention rate and extremely high approval ratings from current and former students. Extensive student testimonials on the school’s website describe the LEEP program’s challenges and rewards.

Conclusion
GSLIS was successful in solving the institutional issues that the LEEP program faced at its inception when it was a unique online solution. The quality of the LEEP program as judged by outside sources today demonstrates that LEEP continues to proactively address institutional issues as it takes its place among a growing number of high quality online programs at the University of Illinois.


 * Resources (with notes by section) **

**Administrative Affairs**
D) **Tuition**
 * A) Needs Assessment**
 * Khan, B. H. (2005). Managing eLearning strategies: Design, delivery, implementation, and evaluation. Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing, pg 106.
 * Estabrook 2001 http://books.google.ru/books?id=yQ3v7kNDP5QC&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=Estabrook,+Leigh.+%E2%80%9CRethinking+Cost-Benefit+Models+of+Distance+Learning.%E2%80%9D+Elements+of+quality+online+education:+learning+effectiveness,+cost+effectiveness,+access,+faculty+satisfaction,+student+satisfaction.&source=bl&ots=07_ESwWylI&sig=n4XyDyIVf8r1tHgbWydIBVi14LM&hl=ru&ei=275DTbPvCoScOszLwI0C&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Estabrook%2C%20Leigh.%20%E2%80%9CRethinking%20Cost-Benefit%20Models%20of%20Distance%20Learning.%E2%80%9D%20Elements%20of%20quality%20online%20education%3A%20learning%20effectiveness%2C%20cost%20effectiveness%2C%20access%2C%20faculty%20satisfaction%2C%20student%20satisfaction.&f=false
 * Estabrook 1997 @http://www.jstor.org/stable/40324218
 * B) Readiness assessment: infrastructure**
 * Estabrook 2001 http://books.google.ru/books?id=yQ3v7kNDP5QC&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=Estabrook,+Leigh.+%E2%80%9CRethinking+Cost-Benefit+Models+of+Distance+Learning.%E2%80%9D+Elements+of+quality+online+education:+learning+effectiveness,+cost+effectiveness,+access,+faculty+satisfaction,+student+satisfaction.&source=bl&ots=07_ESwWylI&sig=n4XyDyIVf8r1tHgbWydIBVi14LM&hl=ru&ei=275DTbPvCoScOszLwI0C&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Estabrook%2C%20Leigh.%20%E2%80%9CRethinking%20Cost-Benefit%20Models%20of%20Distance%20Learning.%E2%80%9D%20Elements%20of%20quality%20online%20education%3A%20learning%20effectiveness%2C%20cost%20effectiveness%2C%20access%2C%20faculty%20satisfaction%2C%20student%20satisfaction.&f=false
 * Estabrook 1997 @http://www.jstor.org/stable/40324218
 * Montague, Rae-Anne. Interview with Nancy, Nandhini, and Celeste, January 27, 2011.
 * Change to open source CMS in the Unit Strategic Plan for the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, May 10, 2006 []
 * C)** Program and Course Information
 * Student Feedback on on-campus segment ( [] )
 * Comparing tuition rates of LEEP with other top institutions []
 * Syracuse University, NY []
 * University of Washington []
 * Rutgers State University, NJ []
 * E) Institutional challenges, policies and successes**
 * Montague, Rae-Anne. Interview with Nancy, Nandhini, and Celeste, January 27, 2011.
 * F) Intellectual Property**
 * University of Illinois Board of Trustees [] See Article 3: Intellectual Property

**Academic Affairs**

 * A) Accreditation**
 * Announcement about re-accreditation until 2011 - University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences []
 * History of LEEP see link above by Estabrook, Leigh S. 2001 Rethinking Cost-Benefit Model of Distance Learning, University of Illinois, Graduate School of Library and Information Sciences, pp 72-73.
 * B) Instructional Quality**
 * U.S News and World Report lists GSLIS as number one in 2009 []
 * Online education is one of the themes of the Unit Strategic Plan for the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, May 10, 2006, p 9 (printed on pdf)[]
 * Student testimonials about LEEP []