ERIC EJ1073547: International Perspectives in LIS Education: Global Education, Research, and Collaboration at the SJSU School of Information

2015·2.3 MB·English

by  ERIC

International Perspectives in LIS Education:
Global Education, Research, and Collaboration
at the SJSU School of Information
Sandra Hirsh*
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Michelle Holschuh Simmons
Education Studies Department, Monmouth College, Email: [email protected]
Paul Christensen
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Melanie Sellar
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Cheryl Stenström
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Christine Hagar
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Anthony Bernier
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Debbie Faires
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Jane Fisher
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
Susan Alman
School of Information, San José State University, Email: [email protected]
The IFLA Trend Report identified five trends that will impact the information environ-
ment (IFLA, 2015), such as access to information with new technologies, online edu-
cation for global learning, hyper-connected communities, and the global information
environment. The faculty at San José State University (SJSU) School of Information (iS-
chool) is engaged in a wide range of activities that focus on these trends—benefiting
students, enhancing faculty professional development, and extending the school’s im-
pact on the global information environment. The importance of incorporating global
perspectives in the curriculum to reflect changes in the way that communities around
the world access and share information is the focus of numerous studies. The SJSU
iSchool has been an early adopter of various practices to increase the range of interna-
tional education, outreach, and research initiatives. This article provides examples of
curricular, research, and collaborative projects that our faculty has developed, both for
our students and for the global community of information professionals. Key initiatives
presented include virtually abroad global projects, globalization of LIS curriculum, in-
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sandra Hirsh, School of Information, San José State University, One Wash-
ington Square, San José, CA 95192-0029. Email: Sandy Hirsh: [email protected]
J. of Education for Library and Information Science, Vol. 56, Supplement 1
ISSN: 0748-5786 © 2015 Association for Library and Information Science Education S27
doi:10.12783/issn.2328-2967/56/S1/5
S28 JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
ternational LIS internships, international project-based learning, faculty professional de-
velopment, and international collaborations. Collectively, these initiatives demonstrate
the diverse ways the iSchool is addressing the need in higher education to reach across
national borders, especially in the information field.
Keywords: new technologies, online education, global learning, hyper-connected com-
munities, global information environment, international internships, curriculum, School
of Information, San José State University
Introduction 50 states and 18 countries, and with facul-
ty members hailing from across the United
As educators and researchers, the San States as well as Canada, the United King-
José State University (SJSU) School dom, New Zealand, and others, our pro-
of Information (http://ischool.sjsu.edu/) gram truly is global.
faculty is engaged in a wide range of ac- The iSchool is a unit of the College of
tivities that focus on key trends impacting Applied Arts and Sciences (CASA) at San
the information environment, including José State University, which is part of the
access to information with new technolo- California State University system in the
gies, online education for global learning, United States. The iSchool offers the fol-
hyper-connected communities, and the lowing degree programs:
global information environment (IFLA,
• Master in Library and Information Sci-
2015). The importance of incorporating
ence (MLIS)
global perspectives in the curriculum to
• Master in Archives and Records Man-
reflect changes in the way that commu-
agement (MARA)
nities around the world access and share
• Post-master’s certificate program for
information is the focus of numerous stud-
working professionals
ies. The SJSU iSchool has been an early
• Gateway Ph.D. program in cooperation
adopter of practices to increase the range
with Queensland University of Tech-
of international education, outreach, and
nology in Queensland, Australia.
research initiatives. This article provides
examples of curricular, research, and col- All of these degree programs prepare
laborative projects that our faculty has de- graduate students for careers as librarians
veloped, both for our students and for the and information professionals who work
global community of information profes- in a wide variety of environments and po-
sionals. Together, these sections show the sitions.
diverse ways the iSchool is addressing the The American Library Association
need in higher education to reach across (ALA) has accredited the MLIS program
national borders, especially in the infor- continuously since 1969, with full ac-
mation field. creditation through 2021. The MLIS pro-
gram at the SJSU iSchool was the first
SJSU School of Information fully-online program to receive full ac-
Overview—Michelle Holschuh creditation from the ALA, having earned
Simmons reaccreditation in 2014. The SJSU iSchool
is a recognized leader in online learning,
The SJSU School of Information (iS- earning the 2013 Sloan Consortium Effec-
chool) has been 100% online since 2009, tive Practice Award (http://ischool.sjsu.
and the virtual nature of the program edu/about/news/detail/sjsu-slis-receives-
provides incomparable opportunities for sloan-c-award-honoring-innovation-on-
global outreach and partnerships. With ap- line-learning) for innovation in online
proximately 1800 students spread across education and the 2014 Online Learning
International Perspectives in LIS Education S29
Consortium Award (http://ischool.sjsu. the interconnectedness of information
edu/about/news/detail/sjsu-school-infor- work and professionals elsewhere and the
mation-wins-outstanding-online-program- diversity of language and cultures Stu-
award-online-learning) for Outstanding dents provide evidence by submitting one
Online Program. or more artifacts that serve to demonstrate
The iSchool’s mission incorporates a their ability to do the following:
global perspective: “In support of the Uni-
• Think globally and consider issues
versity’s mission, the School of Informa-
from a variety of perspectives;
tion educates information professionals
• Apply international standards and prac-
who are highly competent in virtual and
tices within the discipline or profes-
physical environments and who contribute
sional area;
to the well-being of our global commu-
• Appreciate the relationship between the
nities” (SJSU iSchool, n.d., Mission and
student’s field of study and professional
Governance). This mission has several
traditions elsewhere; and,
strategic directions, with Strategic Direc-
• Value the diversity of language and
tion 1.8 directly relating to global perspec-
culture.
tives: “Identify and implement ways to
build in internationalization and global-
Evidence can be provided in a variety
ization components into the curriculum”
of ways, such as through:
(SJSU iSchool, 2015, January).
The mission statement and the strategic • Transnational virtual internships
direction are made concrete for students (https://ischool.sjsu.edu/current-
in the iSchool’s core competencies of the students/courses/internships/virtual-
MLIS degree; these core competencies internships);
serve as our program learning outcomes. • Volunteer projects with an international
The relevant core competency states, focus;
“Each graduate of the Master of Library • Standby Taskforce (http://blog.standby-
and Information Science program is able taskforce.com/) ;
to contribute to the cultural, economic, • International projects (see example at
educational, and social well-being of our http://blogs.sjsu.edu/today/2014/apply-
global communities” (SJSU iSchool, n.d., ing-what-shes-learning-to-the-hunt-for-
State of Core Competencies). As part of mh-370/2);
their culminating project for the master’s • Librarians Without Borders (LWB)
degree, our students provide artifacts that projects (http://lwb-online.org/) (see
demonstrate their competence in all fifteen more details below);
core competencies. • Grant funded projects with an interna-
Our university division, the College tional focus; and,
of Applied Sciences and Arts (CASA), is • Participation in international confer-
also making moves toward globalizing the ences: in person and virtually.
curriculum. In 2014, CASA introduced an
iSchool students can also gain evidence
initiative for all students to participate in
as part of their academic curriculum by fo-
an international experience prior to gradu-
cusing on specific courses or pursuing an
ation. This University directive supports
internationally-focused assignment.
the iSchool’s global perspective, and iS-
chool graduates are required to demon- • Coursework: iSchool students have
strate as a core competency their ability several opportunities to gain inter-
to identify and understand global issues national experience through course
within the field of information, apply in- selection. These experiences may be
ternational standards and practices to their completed through specific courses or
work, and build an appreciation for both onsite participation in remote locations
S30 JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
or in a virtual environment. (Examples program encourages students to recognize
of courses and projects are noted be- and participate in the global workforce.
low.) The student’s educational experience with
• Internationally focused assignments: the iSchool mirrors the nature of a global
Evidence can also be assignments or workforce. The results are professionals
class projects that examine the opportu- who can work virtually in many parts of
nities, issues, and problems associated the world. Two courses are described in
with increasing world interdependence. this section that help prepare our iSchool
Many classes contain some of follow- students to succeed in this increasingly
ing components as part of the class: the global environment: International and
use and analysis of international case Comparative Librarianship, and Virtually
studies, a study of professional practice Abroad.
in other nations or cultures, or linked
assignments where students can take International and Comparative
an existing assignment and link it to a Librarianship
new outcome with an international or
intercultural dimension. In 2009, the SJSU iSchool developed a
course in International and Comparative
Because many of the students and fac- Librarianship (http://ischoolapps.sjsu.edu/
ulty in the iSchool already are residents of gss/ajax/showSheet.php?id=5110 ), which
countries other than the United States, be- emphasizes the theory, history, and prin-
cause of our online environment, and be- ciples of international and comparative
cause ours is a graduate only program (no librarianship. This course and its assign-
undergraduate students), our implementa- ments focus on helping students develop
tion of this new initiative was necessarily an appreciation for and understanding of
different from that of our sister depart- how library development and practices re-
ments as noted above. Additionally, be- flect the cultural, economic, educational,
cause the iSchool’s global initiatives had political, social, and technological devel-
already been well established, this new opment of nations and regions. The Inter-
direction from CASA did not require us national and Comparative Librarianship
to institute new programs, but rather to ar- course has been offered regularly since
ticulate the innovative programs that were 2009. The culminating project for the class
already underway. is a group project that focuses on students
The iSchool continues to expand its using their skills in a “real” international
focus and integration of international per- project.
spectives, content, and educational experi- Students in this course have come from
ences at both the masters and doctoral lev- most regions of the United States and
el. The sections that follow highlight many Canada, with some students residing in
of the programs mentioned above and pro- Asia, Europe, and Russia. Communication
vide examples of specific programs that with and between students includes exten-
are currently in place for iSchool students sive use of email, Skype, and Blackboard
to gain an understanding of international Collaborate. Blackboard Collaborate al-
issues through academic coursework and lows the class to meet virtually to talk
internships. and share as if in a live classroom setting.
With classes of between 15–20 students,
Virtually Abroad: Global Projects— multiple groups are formed of between
Paul Christensen 4–5 students in each group. The groups
are self-selected based on topical interests,
We live in an increasingly intercon- previous travel, international connections,
nected world and the SJSU iSchool MLIS and experiences and language abilities.
International Perspectives in LIS Education S31
One of the early class assignments enables Following are some of the group proj-
students to become acquainted, assisting ects completed in the International and
them in forming a group. Once formed, Comparative Librarianship courses:
the group works with an identified interna-
tional organization and point of contact on 1. Africa-based project: In an Ethiopia-
a specific project. Several times we have based project, an environmental scan
had a student living in the country where and needs assessment were performed
the projects were taking place, and thus for the international organization of
were able to provide an in-person contact the Children of Ethiopia Education
with the project’s administrator. Fund (COEEF) (http://coeef.org/).
These real-life projects require the Students proposed strategies for ad-
identification of the components of the dressing the problem area identified
problem, researching best practices, and through the project research, including
providing—in most cases—more than one implementation and evaluation plans.
solution. The projects require students to 2. Asia-based projects: Two separate
contact and work virtually with key peo- Asia-based projects were performed
ple in a selected client organization to re- benefiting the country of China and the
fine and finalize the details of a project’s country of Qatar. The China project in-
completion. The student groups have to volved an evaluation of the mobile li-
maintain contact virtually with the key ad- brary services of Southeast University
ministrator to make sure that they are on (http://nanjing.jiangsu.net/education/
track with the project. The projects pro- premier.php?city=Nanjing&id=9) in
vide students the opportunity to develop Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.
and apply their skills and interests and to The project consisted of multiple in-
put traditional classroom theory into real terviews with the international con-
practice for real clients. tact, a review of the literature, an
The students are required to develop online survey, and analysis of survey
and manage the details through to comple- results. The project resulted in a stra-
tion of the project. The instructor does not tegic plan that included an environ-
participate in the interactions between the mental scan and an implementation
students and their clients. While the proj- plan for the mobile library services
ects are not dictated or directed by the of Southeast University. The Qatar
instructor, there is an agreement and cor- project involved an analysis to inform
respondence between the instructor and a collection development plan for the
the international contact to make sure the library at Georgetown University’s
project is progressing. School of Foreign Service (http://qa-
The sources of the projects come tar.sfs.georgetown.edu/) satellite pro-
through a variety of avenues: gram in Doha, Qatar. The library was
established in 2005, but no collection
• Instructor’s personal and organizational development policy had been in place.
contacts and ideas gained through inter- This project involved an analysis of
national travel; the library’s situation and discussions
• Student’s personal and organizational with the Library Director, collec-
contacts and ideas gained through inter- tion development librarian, and other
national travel; staff via email and Skype. The direct
• Sister Libraries-ALA (see http://www. impact of this project was the identi-
ala.org/irrt/irrtcommittees/irrtsisterli- fication of three strategies for the key
brary/sisterlibrary); and, components of a collection develop-
• Sister Libraries-IFLA (see https://sis- ment plan.
terlibraries.wordpress.com/). 3. Europe-based project. Three sepa-
S32 JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
rate European-based projects were three strategies to address those is-
performed benefiting the countries of sues. The Peru project evaluated the
Germany, Ireland, and The Nether- mission of UBiP (Una biblioteca para
lands. The Germany project involved mi pueblo: see also https://bibliocor-
an environmental scan of Deutsche responsal.wordpress.com/), which is
Digitale Bibliothek (German Digital an organization in Perú dedicated to
Library: https://www.deutsche-digi- creating and improving libraries for
tale-bibliothek.de/) including its in- the Peruvian community. This project
tended audience, market competitors, provided UBiP strategic suggestions
funding sources, legal issues, labor to become more effective in its mis-
issues, technology, and the socio- sion.
cultural factors impacting the project. 5. North America-based project: A proj-
Project outcomes included identify- ect based in Canada evaluated the
ing problems and proposing potential challenges faced by the Vancouver Is-
strategies to resolve the problems. land Regional Library (VIRL) (http://
The Ireland project involved a needs virl.bc.ca/) in British Columbia, Cana-
assessment survey asking patrons to da as it attempted to perfect its imple-
identify their genealogical research mentation of a floating collection sys-
needs. The impact of this project in- tem. Interconnected by a subsystem
volved students recommending three of both urban and rural branches, the
strategies to improve genealogical VIRL presently floats its entire collec-
offerings to American patrons of the tion to requesting patrons. A discus-
National Library of Ireland (http:// sion with an Assistant Director and the
www.nli.ie/en/homepage.aspx). In circulation librarian ensued via email
The Netherlands, a study of the role and telephone. The literature was re-
public libraries play in immigrant viewed for possible solutions current-
experiences was performed. Specifi- ly in practice in other national or inter-
cally, students focused on how public national locations. Students identified
libraries help immigrants become in- and discussed several issues inherent
tegrated into Dutch culture, and what in a complex operating environment
kinds of resources should be provided and proposed recommendations and
to immigrants to help ease their tran- strategies for possible solutions.
sition. This project investigated the
situation at the Bibliotheek Zonnehof Virtually Abroad: Global Projects
(http://www.bibliotheekeemland.nl/)
and proposed three strategies to help A second course, Virtually Abroad:
the library reach out to the immigrant Global Projects (https://sites.google.com/
community. site/virtualllyabroad/home) was created in
4. Central and South America-based 2013 as a natural extension of the Inter-
projects: Two Central and South national and Comparative Librarianship
American projects were developed course. This course allows a student to
benefiting Guatemala and Peru. work with a single organization on an in-
The Guatemala project involved ternational project for an entire semester.
developing a strategic plan for the It is part of the ongoing effort by the iS-
Biblioteca Comunitaria Rija’tzuul chool to encourage students to learn how
Na’ooj (https://www.facebook.com/ to harness technology to solve real-world
bibliotecarn?fref=photo) in the com- problems in our field, as well as to encour-
munity of San Juan la Laguna, Guate- age their personal commitment to global
mala. Students identified some of the service by facilitating new forms of en-
library’s main issues and presented gagement. The instructor assists students
International Perspectives in LIS Education S33
in identifying and partnering virtually with dents worked on projects with In-
global information partners, but it remains formation New Wave (INW) (http://
the students’ responsibility to work with informationnewwave.org/about/), a
the global partner to fully develop the non-profit organization that provides
project. Communication between the stu- developing countries with education-
dent and the organization’s key point-of- al opportunities. One of the projects
contact are carried out via email, Skype, focused on exploring learning man-
and Blackboard Collaborate. If a U.S. agement systems, virtual learning
contact is available, the use of telephone, environments, distance learning tech-
email, Skype and in-person interviews can nologies, and MOOCs to compile in-
facilitate the project development and re- formation regarding best practices for
view. the use of these learning systems.
The following are some of the projects
5. Ghana: Working with the organiza-
completed by students in the Virtually
tion Hand in Hand for Literacy (http://
Abroad: Global Projects class:
www.handinhandforliteracy.org/
1. Canada: A student performed a needs libraries/hand-in-hand-for-literacy-
assessment survey of the resource cen- community-library/) and the school
ter for the British Columbia Aborigi- librarian in Winneba, Ghana, an iS-
nal Child Care Society (BCACCS) chool student developed a guide to
(http://www.acc-society.bc.ca/) in help the librarian, teachers, students,
West Vancouver, British Columbia, parents, and community members
Canada along with an extensive analy- become more effective users of their
sis of the survey results. new school library. Multiple online
teaching resources were built for a
2. Malaysia: Working with the President
community/school library in Ghana,
of the International Association of
which was receiving its first library.
School Librarianship (IASL) (http://
The Hand In Hand for Literacy Com-
iasl-online.org/), who is a professor at
munity Library at Challenging Heights
the University of Malaya, Kuala Lum-
School in Winneba, Ghana officially
pur, Malaysia, a student researched
opened on April 15, 2014.
and developed a strategic plan for
the IASL based on the IASL mission 6. United States: A student from Cana-
statement, history and goals of the or- da carried out a literature review and
ganization. analysis for the S’Klallam tribal li-
3. Malawi: The Likuni Children Li- brary (http://www.jamestowntribe.
brary Project (http://www.nyasatimes. org/index.htm) of Washington State.
com/2014/05/29/care-malawi-fosters- The Jamestown S’Klallam tribal li-
reading-culture-hands-over-school-li- brary has an ongoing effort to record
brary/) of Lilongwe, Malawi consisted elder stories in the community and to
of a five-phase plan: a needs assess- publish them in a digital archive. The
ment survey, research on collection literature review provides information
building, identification of funding as a guide for future oral history proj-
sources, a plan for collection develop- ects and the basis for funding requests.
ment, and a series of online developed 7. Riecken Foundation: The Riecken
book talks. These book talks were re- Foundation (http://www.riecken.org/)
corded and delivered via a DVD be- has built over 60 community libraries
cause of their large file size and the in Guatemala and Honduras. It works
lack of consistent Internet connectiv- in partnership with local government
ity to access them. and communities to build libraries.
4. Information New Wave: Several stu- The student working on this project
S34 JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
prepared guides for the effective use the Canadian Library Association 2011
of Facebook and Twitter in both Eng- Annual Conference, “Service Learning:
lish and Spanish to be shared with Putting the World in LIS Education” de-
staff both in the United States and in scribes in detail two LWB service-learn-
Central America. It was expected that ing projects in Costa Rica and Guatemala,
through the use of the guides, the staff including student-reported and LWB-re-
in the community libraries could more ported learning outcomes (Doi, Sellar, &
easily be proactive in promoting their Walker, 2011). The 2013 article “Interna-
libraries through the use of social me- tional Collaborations: Librarians Without
dia. The student met personally with Borders and Librii in Ghana” published
both the CEO of the Riecken Foun- in the Canadian Library Association’s
dation when he was traveling in the Feliciter magazine features LWB’s work
United States and with a funding orga- in Ghana in-depth, including the role of
nization representative. student team members (Heesen & Sellar,
2013).
The completed projects for both the In- Since its inception in 2005, LWB’s
ternational and Comparative Librarianship partnerships have grown from a single
and the Virtually Abroad: Global Projects partnership in Angola, to five additional
courses provide SJSU iSchool students partners in Costa Rica, Ghana, Guatema-
with valuable lessons that cannot be dupli- la, and (emerging) Cambodia. The LWB
cated in a traditional classroom environ- program in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
ment. The projects serve real-world pur- has provided international experiences for
poses and have been deeply appreciated by more than 50 LIS graduate students from
the organizations with which the students various LIS programs through four service
have worked. Students develop and use a trips. Across its programs, LWB has ap-
variety of useful skills while completing plied volunteers’ professional expertise
their project challenges. The projects not remotely and on-site to a range of partner
only provide a unique point on a resume, needs that have included: designing and
but also a body of work completed, an or- equipping library spaces; funding, design-
ganization satisfied, and new international ing, and seeding collections; developing
contacts. cataloging systems; implementing IT in
support of library services; providing in-
Globalization: Librarians Without formation literacy training for teachers
Borders—Melanie Sellar and community members; recruiting,
funding, and training local librarians; and
In order to expand the range and depth developing policies and processes for op-
of internationalized experiences available erations.
for its students, the SJSU iSchool con- By working together, the iSchool and
tacted Librarians Without Borders (LWB) LWB saw an opportunity to increase the
to explore how the iSchool might become number and variety of international and
involved with their work. applied learning experiences available to
LWB is a librarian-run non-profit or- iSchool students, therefore positively im-
ganization with strong connections to LIS pacting students’ professional growth as
education through its founding history globally conscious LIS practitioners.
at the University of Western Ontario, its After extensive discussions throughout
formalized committees at six Canadian Spring 2014, the iSchool identified and
library and information science (LIS) selected three LWB-led opportunities for
schools, and, moreover, its methodology piloting in the 2014–15 academic year:
of enacting its mission using LIS students virtually abroad international internships,
in a service-learning model. Presented at a new international project-based learning
International Perspectives in LIS Education S35
course, and faculty professional develop- work and maximizes benefits to the com-
ment activities. For LWB, this formal in- munity partner by providing dedicated
tegration of its work into the curriculum of time and space for students to work on
a LIS school is first-of-its-kind. projects in-depth.
Virtually Abroad International International Project-Based
Internships Learning Course
The iSchool works with external orga- Beginning in Spring 2015, iSchool stu-
nizations to offer students virtual intern- dents are now able to enroll in a new 2-unit
ships for which they receive 3 units of online course with Librarians Without
course credit. In return, participating or- Borders: LIBR 281 Examination of Global
ganizations receive 135 hours of dedicated Library Issues Using Project Based Learn-
student work to help them advance their ing (http://ischoolapps.sjsu.edu/gss/ajax/
own projects and priorities. Given LWB’s showSheet.php?id=6514). Melanie Sel-
extensive experience managing students lar, LWB’s Co-Executive Director, led the
in virtual workspaces, creating formal op- first cohort of students through this unique
portunities for iSchool students to work curricular opportunity.
with LWB through LIBR 298 (Virtually Given LWB’s priority of mobilizing
Abroad Internships) was turn-key. MLIS students in its programs, this expe-
Beginning in Fall 2014, iSchool stu- riential approach to the classroom was a
dents could intern with LWB as Interna- natural choice. Project-based learning is a
tional Program Assistants or Communica- pedagogy that challenges students to learn
tions Assistants. International Programs through engagement in a real problem.
Assistants (http://ischoolapps.sjsu.edu/ The early weeks of the course establish a
internships/new/view.php?listing=1683) necessary conceptual foundation, and then
support work on LWB’s Guatemala and students undertake small group investiga-
Ghana programs by engaging in founda- tions of a specific issue derived from an
tional research projects related to open authentic community context of LWB.
source software, librarian training pro- The issues students might study in-
grams, digital collection development, clude: investigating alternative funding
literacy programming and grant research. models for libraries; proposing means of
Communications Assistants (http://is- supporting local publishing in indigenous
choolapps.sjsu.edu/internships/new/view. languages; designing programs that sup-
php?listing=1636) help to raise the vis- port early literacy habits in an emerging
ibility of LWB work by supporting a num- reading culture; evaluating the potential
ber of communications projects focused of participatory action research as a meth-
around LWB program areas, research in- odology to increase community owner-
terests, and programming efforts. ship of a library; designing assessment
All parties involved in the internships— measures to help a library demonstrate
the three students, faculty, LWB execu- impact to funders; devising virtual train-
tive, and community partners—reported ing programs for library staff; and evaluat-
this pilot to be highly successful. Con- ing open source software solutions against
sequently, another round of internships community partner system needs.
was offered for Spring 2015 and more
internships are forecast for the 2015–16 Faculty Professional Development
academic year. This success also provided
confirmation that offering credit options The idea of internationalizing a course
maximizes student learning by providing a can be daunting. The term itself can be neb-
motivating real-world context for student ulous and requires guidance from the insti-
S36 JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
Figure 1. Course Components in Internationalized Curriculum. Course components for internation-
alized curriculum. Adapted from Helms, R., & Tukibayeva, M. (2014). Internationalizing the cur-
riculum, part 3. American Council of Education. Retrieved May 18, 2015 from http://www.acenet.
edu/news-room/Pages/Intlz-in-Action-2014-March.aspx.
tution as to its local definition and imple- gies for Internationalizing Curriculum.”
mentation. Recognizing the need for that The goals were to (a) identify approaches
kind of support and to help faculty begin for internationalizing a course, from initial
thinking about how to address the interna- first steps to full immersion; (b) seed ideas
tionalization requirement in their courses, for internationalizing a course, taking in-
LWB and the iSchool collaborated to offer spiration from examples provided; and
a one-hour web workshop called “Strate- (c) view approaches/ideas in application
Figure 2. Four-Level Model of Internationalization. Outline the four level model of internalization.
Adapted from Helms, R., & Tukibayeva, M. (2013). Internationalization in action: Internationaliz-
ing the curriculum, part 1—Individual courses. American Council of Education. Available at: http://
www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Intlz-in-Action-2013-December.aspx.