Role of academic libraries in Open, Distance and e-Learning 14TH UN/UNIVERSITY LIBRARIANS MEETING/WORKSHOP - 19TH MAY 2011 AT KCA UNIVERSITY Lwande Omondi Charles e-Learning, University of nairobi

1. 14TH UN/UNIVERSITY LIBRARIANS
MEETING/WORKSHOP - 19TH MAY 2011
KCA UNIVERSITY
Lwande Omondi Charles
e-Learning, University of nairobi
Role of academic libraries in Open,
Distance and e-Learning

2. Introduction
There are educational needs that the conventional
educational practices cannot meet easily considering
time and place of offer in relations to the learners'
location and commitment.
The cost of education has reached an alarming
proportion in the National Budgets against the other
essential social demands requiring state provision
which makes it difficult for governments to allocate
more resources to education.

3. Distance Learning
Distance learning - the Student/Learners and
Teachers/Lecturers are separated from one
another most of the time
Separation of teacher and students;
Uses technical communication media;
More of individual learning with less group
learning;
Involves privatization of learning;

4. OPEN LEARNING
‘Open learning’ suggests that anyone can enroll and start and
finish when they like.
Open learning,
an organized educational activity,
based on the use of teaching materials,
constraints on study are minimized in terms either
of access, or of time and place, pace, method of
study, or any combination of these

5. OPEN AND DISTANCE LEARNING
‘Open and distance learning’ - educational approaches
that:
 reach learners in their locations
provide learning resources for learners
enable learners qualify without attending college in
person
open up new opportunities for keeping up to date
no matter where or when they want to study.
makes use of several different media.
Students may learn through print, broadcasts, the
internet and through occasional meetings with tutors
and with other students.

6. Open Learning Technologies
 Information Communication Technology has
been used to support Open and Distance
learning
 This concept is referred to as (electronic
Learning)eLearning
 Content delivery modes include:
1. Audiovisual tools
2. Email and WWW
3. CDs and DVDs
4. Video Conference
5. eLearning Platforms

7. Video and Audio
document topics that cannot otherwise be shown
Sound recordings of historic speeches
Appropriate use of music sound effects and speech
(commentary) can increase attention and improve
intelligibility
Video, graphics and still images can show events
that cannot otherwise be made visible e.g. growth
process in plants, development of building under
construction
Video allow for display of events that are hard to
observe

8. CDs and DVDs
Compact Discs and Digital Versatile Discs can
be used to make Distance Learning Content
available on a local computer
CD author ware tools like eLearning XHTML
editor (eXe) can be used to make materials
available in a portable media
These can be used where internet access is a
problem where a distance learning student
reads the content on a local computer

9. Video Conferencing
Electronic meeting where people in geographically
different locations can see and hear one another,
present documents and take part in meetings as if
they were all in the same location
Conducting conference between two or more
participants at different sites by using
telecommunication networks to transmit video and
data both ways
Telepresence - connected although located in
different place and synchronous (same time)
Can reduce travel costs, reduce geographical
isolation to a distance learner

10. Electronic mail
Exchange of computer stored messages over the
communications network
Mailing list servers allow administrator to create a
list of email addresses and attach to a single email
address
All messages that are emailed to the list are
redistributed to all learners who are subscribers
Important for internal amongst learners registered
for a given course
Online tutors can also use this to communicate with
learners

11. e-Learning platforms
Integrated electronic digital environments
where learning activity takes place
Applications used to deliver learning content
and facilitation of learning process
Also called virtual learning environments
They can be used to electronically connect
learners and training departments whether at
the same location or dispersed over wider area

12. e-Learning platforms
A web application, meaning it runs on a server and is accessed
by using a web browser.
LMSs:
 Give educators tools to create a course web site and
provide access control so only enrolled students can view
it.
 Offer a wide variety of tools that can make a course more
effective.
 They provide an easy way to upload and share materials,
hold online discussions and chats, give quizzes and
surveys, gather and review assignments, and record grades.
 LMSs can be used to enhance teaching by taking
advantage of the Internet without replacing the need for
a teacher.

13. e-Learning platforms features
News (forum) and Events (calendar)
Students know the upcoming events, such as
deadlines and submission dates. Also students can
be informed on any course news through a forum,
in which they can respond.
 Add Resources:
Compose a Text Page or Web Page
Allows you to created sophisticated documents
which can be displayed in any web browser. The
editor works like a word-processing which used
the formatting tools to customize text.

14. e-Learning platforms features
 Create Link to File or Web Site
Allows you to upload a Word document, a powerpoint
presentation, a spreadsheet or any other file type. In
addition you can also easily add links to other web sites
to give your students access to important web resources.
 File Formats that can be uploaded:
RTF
HTML
PDF
PowerPoint (ppt)
Pictures (pict, tiff, jpeg , gif, png)
Audio files (wav, mp3, ram, mov)
Video files (mov, wmv, rv)

15. e-Learning platforms features
Chats
 The Chat module allows participants to have a real-time
synchronous discussion via the web. This is a useful way to get a
different understanding of each other and the topic being discussed -
the mode of using a chat room is quite different from the
synchronous forums. The Chat module contains a number of features
for managing and reviewing chat discussions.
Forum
 Forums are the primary tool for having a discussion
online and are the central organizing feature in the Social
course type.
Forums allow a teacher and students to communicate
with each other at any time, from the Internet.
Students can also log in and communicate with one
another independent of teacher.

16. e-Learning platforms features
Glossary
 The glossary tool has a number of features that make it easy for you and
your class to develop shared vocabulary lists add comments to
definitions, and even link every appearance of a word in a course to its'
glossary entry.
 Survey
 The survey module provides a number of predefined survey
instruments that are useful in evaluating and understanding your
class. They can be given to students early in the course as a
diagnostic tool and at the end of the course as an evaluation tool.

17. e-Learning platforms features
 Wikis
 A wiki is a collection of collaboratively authored web documents.
Basically, a wiki page is a web page everyone in your class can create
together, right in the browser, without needing to know HTML . A wiki
starts with one front page. Each author can add other pages to the wiki
by simply creating a link to a page that doesn't exist yet.
 Workshop
 A Workshop is a peer assessment activity with a huge array of options.
It allows
 participants to assess each other's projects, as well as exemplar projects,
in a number of ways. It also coordinates the collection and distribution
of these assessments in a variety of ways.

18. Electronic learning platforms…
Examples include
Chisimba (avoir.org)
Moodle (moodle.org)
webCT
Dekeos
Claroline(claroline.net)

19. Communication technologies
Asynchronous - participants engage in the
exchange of information without the
involvement of each person at the same time.
Electronic mail (Email), bulletin board, blogs
are examples of asynchronous communication
Synchronous – all participants joining in at
once, as with an online chat session. A face to
face discussion, chat forum, virtual meeting
are an examples of synchronous
communications.

20. Libraries and open learning
Growth in distance learning means
libraries must support the increasing
number of remote users
Distant learners must be given the same
services and opportunities on campus
students
Distance learners do not have ready
access to campus facilities

21. Virtual Library for open and distance learning
Using a web based e-Learning platform
bring together the e-resources of various
libraries and information services, both
internal and external , all in one place, so users
can find what they need quickly and easily
This will create a virtual library where all
academic institutions can share e-resources

22. Virtual Library for open and distance
learning
An environment with digital/electronic contents
must be created
Powered by e-Learning portal
Internet technology used to connect users with
the library
Students can login, access materials
Necessary course materials format – text, data,
graphics, images, animations, sound can be accessed
by students

23. Virtual Library for open and distance learning
User support become interactive by providing links
to discursion forums, email and file transfer thus
allowing communication between users and librarians
Virtual/digital library provide environment in which
librarians and users are not physically present
They access library resources from remote site an
individual’s convenient time
With provision of interactive tools like chat and for
a, librarians and users can virtually meet online

24. Benefits
• Saves physical space taken by physical library
materials
• Adds enhanced searching facilities in digital format
• Users can access materials regardless of location
• It provides the user with the capability to download
materials – if permission allows
• Allows for multiple or concurrent users accessing
same materials
• It eliminates the problem of book missing or off-the
shelf
• It is less labor intensive

25. Factors to consider
• Scope and quality of the content must fit within the
existing library collection development policy
• Content must be regularly updated
• Ease of use - help or documentation must be provided
through Printed manuals, Online tutorials
–What kind of searching facilities does the product
have
–Can searches be modified, saved and rerun
–Can information be browsed as well as searched
–Can users download and print documents easily
–Can copies be made and disseminated

26. Factors to consider
Cost
Implementation and support
What is the cost of having users
Can you add a single user or do you have to
add users in predetermined sequence?
Will it require additional computer
hardware and software upgrades
Does the library staff need training to
acquire new skills

27. The future
If academic libraries go paperless:
1.Will academic libraries exist?
2.What will the academic library of the
future look like?
3.Will librarians have roles to play?

28. The future
Will it even exist?
Will exist
Except electronic instead resources

29. The future
According to (Liz Burke, 2001).
Librarians will continue to be able to do and
provide more users than ever before with
advantages provided by virtual libraries
Will continue to provide users with seamless,
organized access to virtual library resources
Librarians will be in a position to share with one
another, both informally and through internet
discussion lists and discussion forum provided by e-
Learning platforms

30. role of the librarian in virtual
environment
To provide intellectual access to
information
Content in whatever form it is packaged
Content in the form of print, audio, video,
microforms, numeric, computer programs,
or multimedia
Within the virtual library - librarians will
be able to offer 'a range of services and
collections, linked together or made
accessible through electronic networks'

31. role of the librarian in virtual
environment
To provide intellectual access to
information
development of electronic reserve (e-reserve)
collections - digitize a printed document, video,
audio, or data, so that many students can access it
simultaneously without the limits of attending a
library building within opening hours
copyright and intellectual property ownership
laws for the digital environment must be put into
consideration

32. role of the librarian in virtual
environment
To evaluate sources of information
there shall be an increasing diversity of
information resources from which to choose
the most appropriate vehicle,
 librarians must widen their selection
processes in order to decide on the right
medium for each situation

33. role of the librarian in virtual
environment
• To organize information
– Traditionally, librarians have organized and managed
information resources through classification schemes
– Virtual information space as large and rapidly growing,
highly distributed, of varying quality, and dynamic
requires an understanding of traditional library
management issues,
– also the ability to adapt these to the new environment,
and even to go beyond these skills and develop news ways
to organize and structure information
– For librarians to effectively organize and structure
information available on the internet, they require more
than basic IT skills

34. role of the librarian in virtual
environment
To organize information
The organization and structure of
information within the virtual library is
critical to ensure the easiest path for the
library user to access and use resources
It is essential that users can access all of
these through a single interface, usually the
library's catalogue - ease of navigation and
access

35. Cost implications
the ability to network resources and
provide digital versions of previously
printed material provides the
opportunity to reduce the costs of some
resources and services

36. Cost implications
• expect increases rather than decreases in the human capital
needed to help people navigate the digital information
network
• the need for the skills of the librarian in seeking, accessing,
and evaluating information is likely to increase rather than
decline.
• The challenge for the library administrator is likely to be in
redeploying skilled staff into these new service areas,
reassessing the need for traditional library services, and
providing a fine balance of the 'old' and the 'new' in terms of
services and resources.

37. Conclusion
Librarians are specialists the acquisition, organization, retrieval,
and dissemination of information.
The librarian's role will still include selection, providing access
to resources, offering instruction and assistance to patrons in
using resources, and preserving information
 Librarians will still berepresenting issues of access to
information to governments and other decision-making bodies.

38. Conclusion
In providing access to information, the librarian in the virtual
library environment must consider the requirements of any
digital resources - any hardware or software necessary, the most
effective way to refer patrons to the resource, and whether
availability is limited to a defined user group

39. Conclusion
• In navigating access to knowledge, librarians in the virtual library
are confronted with the repercussions of the shift from
'ownership to access', and the resulting rights to access
considerations which must be specified and negotiated in
contracts and licenses
• New technical competencies shall be needed. Skills such as
creating web pages, building and maintaining computer
networks, designing search interfaces are sought after in today's
library employment market
• greater demand for professional staff with either computing or
librarian qualifications

40. Conclusion
Virtual library environment changes rapidly, and a key role
for the librarian in the future will be the ability to adapt and
to work effectively in such an environment

41. References
1. Liz Burke (2001). The future role of librarians in the virtual library
environment. The Australian Library Journal
2. George Lorenzo and Charles Dziuban(2006). Ensuring the Net
Generation Is Net Savvy. EDUCOURSE Learning innitiative.
Advancing learning through IT innovation
3. Liz Burke (2001). The future role of librarians in the virtual library
environment. The Australian Library Journal
4. Libraries and the Enhancement of E-learning. OCLC E-
LEARNING TASK FORCE. October 2003
5. The role of libraries in e-Learning – ELAG 2004 Workshop