Professional Development for Online Instruction Librarians: Professional
Development

Question 6B:  What additional resources would be helpful if you do not feel that all of your professional development needs regarding online instruction are being met?

Results A total of 288/760 (37.9%) respondents answered this question.  Three of these respondents responded to this question only with “n/a,” so the number 285 is used throughout this summary as the actual number of respondents. 
Responses can be organized into 18 different categories.  The five most popular responses are bolded: 
·         Free online tools & training (15/285):  5.26%
·         More funding/more affordable options (41/285):  14.39%
·         Best practices (20/285):  7.02%
·         Examples from and communication with other institutions (38/285):  13.33%
·         Repository/central location of examples (14/285):  4.91%
·         Administrative support (22/285):  7.72%
·         How to promote, market, and get faculty buy-in (4/285):  1.40%
·         More literature on the topic (7/285):  8.24%
·         More time for research, learning, and training (48/285):  16.84%
·         Workshops and webinars focused on specific skills and concepts (93/285):  32.63%
·         Immersive workshop experiences (8/285):  2.81%
·         Pedagogy and instructional design (ID) training (35/285):  12.28%
·         Push technologies (RSS feeds, blogs, etc.) (3/285):  1.05%
·         Technical support and access to technology and software (13/285):  4.56%
·         Local support for technology training (17/285):  5.96%
·         Hands-on/interactive training (19/285):  6.67%
·         Mentorship (7/285):  2.46%
·         Not sure (9/285):  3.16%

Trends

Overall, it’s clear that time, funding, and access to quality training options are the major barriers to online instruction librarians receiving the professional development that they feel they need. 

Free online tools & training

Many respondents felt that free, online training options provide a solution to the situation that many online instruction librarians face:  nonexistent or very small travel and professional development budgets. 

More funding/more affordable options

Again, many respondents do not receive much (or any) professional development funding.  This ties into administrative support, but clearly remains a huge impediment to many online instruction librarians. 

Best practices

Many respondents felt that a best practices document would provide helpful guidelines in developing engaging, meaningful online instruction.

Examples from and communication with other institutions

Interestingly, many online instruction librarians suggested that collaboration with other institutions might be a solution that might many different needs at one time.  By forming local collaborations, the need to travel in order to gain professional development would be alleviated; similarly, local collaborations among institutions would also provide online instruction librarians with new examples and offer an inexpensive way of sharing expertise.

Repository/central location of examples

Many respondents recognized the need for a repository or central location where universities could share online instructional material.  No one mentioned the existence of PRIMO, which may indicate that PRIMO either does not meet the need for instructional material or that PRIMO needs to publicize its existence. 

Administrative support

While the time and funding issues could certainly fall under this “administrative support” section, many respondents suggested that university and library administrators do not really understand how online instruction fits into the strategic plan, mission, and vision for the library. 

How to promote, market, and get faculty buy-in

While many respondents indicated that they would like to see more workshops and webinars on “specific” skills, other respondents listed those specific skills; this topic is one of the specific skills that was listed. 

More literature on the topic

Many respondents noted that there is a lack of library or information literacy specific literature on the topic of online and distance instruction.  While the field of education has pursued this research topic for some time, and continues to pursue it, the library field remains behind. 

More time for research, learning, and training

Again, this particular topic might also fall under the administrative support area.  However, so many respondents were listing time as a major barrier to true professional development, it might be best to explore that on its own. 

Workshops and webinars focused on specific skills and concepts

Many respondents noted that more workshops/webinars on specific skills would be most helpful.  Some of the specific skills were mentioned frequently enough that they earned their own category.  Some of these skills included promotion/marketing skills, pedagogy and ID skills, and software/technical skills.  Some of the specific skills that were mentioned a few times included assessment skills and learning management system (LMS) skills. 

Immersive workshop experiences

In addition to indicating that more workshops and webinars would be helpful, many respondents touched on the fact that an immersive experience, like a bootcamp or the ACRL Immersion programs, would be helpful.  This seems to also relate to the time issue; if librarians were able to attend an immersive, multiple-day workshop, they would be setting aside that amount of time to focus just on learning about online instruction methods, strategies, and philosophies.

Pedagogy and ID training

Pedagogy and ID training is another specific skill/concept that could have fit under the category of focused workshops and webinars.  However, so many respondents mentioned this as a true area in which they felt they were lacking, it made sense to discuss it separately.  Most librarians felt that they did not receive this sort of information or training in graduate school, and need it to truly succeed in their current online instruction roles.  Interestingly, several respondents mentioned that having a staff member dedicated to instructional design, with expertise in that area, was extremely helpful in many ways.

Push technologies

Because time is an issue noted by many of the survey respondents, many of them also suggested that “easy” ways to stay up to date with trends, news, and hot topics in the area of online instruction.

Technical support and access to technology and software

Limited access to new technologies and the infrastructure to support them (e.g., IT staff and updated systems) is another area that many respondents noted.  This category could also fall under administrative support, but focuses on the technology tools that many librarians would like to have access to, or would like more support for.  Technologies and software mentioned include Camtasia, Adobe Captivate, Adobe Connect, LibGuides, and learning management systems. 

Local support for technology training

Limited access to local training and technology support.  This differs from the previous category because it seems to deal more with the training and development librarians can receive, versus the technology and technology support available through the campus infrastructure.  Skills that were specifically mentioned in relation to local support for technology training include web authoring skills and specific software skills (see above). 

Hands-on/interactive training

In addition to workshops that are focused around a particular skill or concept, many of the respondents felt that workshops, particularly those delivered online, often needed to include more of a hands-on or interactive element.

Mentorship

Finally, a small number of respondents indicated that mentorship would be a potential area for meeting their professional development needs. 

Free Online Tools & Training

Our school is on a very tight budget. I am able to attend webinars only if they are free or have a very minimal charge (less than $20). There aren't many webinars with information I need at this price.

Funding

Honestly, it's institutional funding, i.e. not having the ability to enroll in courses or attend conferences. Sadly, I do not think ACRL can assist with this issue.

Probably the biggest hindrance is that I don't have funding to do all that I want to do and allow my staff to do for professional development.  Low cost/free online resources that I would not have to pay travel and more of us could benefit.

Best Practices

Summaries of current and accepted research, in a literature review format or executive summary format, that I could present to colleagues to create consistent instructional policies and practices

Best practices documents - tutorial scripts, lists of best software tools, online tutorials in the use of software tools.

Communication with Other Institutions

Regular communication with other institutions like our own.  My institution reinvents the wheel, over and over.

Repository/central location of examples

A central location where I can see what is available, what's free, where webinars or speakers have been rated so I know it's worth my time.

Additional collections of re-purposable activities, lesson plans, tutorials, modules, etc., such as the information literacy section of MERLOT.

Administrative Support

Better education for all especially administrators and colleagues about what is online education and that it's not just being an instructor in the blackboard class.

Marketing

How to negotiate integration into learning management systems.  Getting faculty to share the "stage" so to speak.

Faculty agreeing to allow librarian presence in their online courses

More Literature on the Topic

A book with techniques for setting up online information literacy courses.

I have been an online student because of this I think I know what our online students need, however, there seems to be little material available on how to develop it and set it up.  I am looking for a step by step process.

Time

I think the opportunities exist, but many librarians just don't take advantage of them, especially with all the competing needs-- they put that low on priority-- So some sort of motivation for them to see why they should put this type of development higher on their list might be needed (comparing results, end products, testimonials)

More time in my job to do it, more staff here so I had a lighter workload. You'll get right on that, yes?

Time to experiment, fail, learn

Immersive Workshop Experiences

I searched and searched for a instructional design camp.  I can use the technology, or figure out how.  I can read instructional design books/blogs etc.  But I would love to hole up for a few days with a couple of instructors that know how to teach instructional design well, and do it with a cohort of other DL librarians.  I haven't been able to find that yet....

It would be nice to have a mini-class or bootcamp to learn about instruction from nuts-to-bolts.

More depth, maybe a class, that will explain the technological aspects of teaching and networking.

Pedagogy and Instructional Design Training

I went to two sessions at LOEX purporting to be about instructional design and they were not about that at all. Having known some actual instructional designers, I see a total lack of expertise in this area within the profession of librarianship. It's hard for me to learn something new within the profession because I find that I know more than most people, but I am self-taught just from comparing notes with a lot of different people (both in and out of librarianship).

Teaching librarians (and their managers) how to teach.

Better pedagogical background; more techniques for specific online instruction vs. in person.

Release time dedicated strictly for skill development in instructional design.

Interactive Training

Real training sessions after a new "product" or cloud application is introduced.  We have someone install the software/app, if appropriate, usually have an announcement that it is available and SOMETMES someone will take a half hour to give a brief overview of the app and call that good for "training."  We need hands-on training, with documentation and other backup information, e.g., troubleshooting tips, online and easily available or to have someone responsible for answering questions we instructors may have about online resources.

Need hands on training in building, deploying, evaluating and maintaining materials