Can't Live Without It: Use of Blackboard Collaborate and Instant Messaging at SJSU SLIS

Debbie FairesAsst. Director for Distance LearningSchool of Library & Information ScienceOctober 13, 2011

survey!

Top 10 Things We Can’t Live Without

1.Sunshine2.Internet connection3.Clean drinking water4.Fridge5.Facebook

Image by Cayusa.http://www.flickr.com/photos/cayusa/431036565/in/faves-36543201@N00/

Blackboard Collaborate

Blackboard Instant Messaging

San Jose State University

About SJSU SLIS

• 100% online graduate program (MLIS and MARA)

• 2,300 students• Accredited by the American Library Association and NCATE

• #1 e-learning provider in our field (U.S. News & World Report)

Our students live across the U.S. and in other countries.

Our faculty are distributed, too.

Web conferencing brings everyone together.

All new students are trained

Surprising Results

“It showed me I'm part of a community; Not an isolated student.”

Faculty Adoption (Fall 2010)

Student Group Use

How our faculty use Collaborate

Office hoursCollaborative class sessionsStudent presentations and projectsGuest speakersTechnology troubleshootingRecordingsAccessibility

How our students use Collaborate

Organization meetingsSpeaker eventsConferencesProjectsDrop-in Center

David Joyner’s WWII Session

Administrative uses of Collaborate

Gateway PhD Program with Queensland University of Technology

Online Writing CenterAdvisingLibrarian ConsultationsMeetings, interviews

Easy, quick communication

“I'm not an IM user, so I really had my doubts at first, but I've fully come around. It‘s makes group work so much easier and allows for spontaneous chats without the formality of setting up a [Collaborate] session. Two thumbs up!”

--SLIS student peer mentor

Peer presence

“Since I am often online very late at night, it's comforting to see my classmates' little green circles; I feel like I'm not so alone in cyberspace in the middle of the night.”

--SLIS student.

Instructor presence

“I think most students appreciate seeing their instructor's available status and take it as a sign that the instructor wants students to feel comfortable asking questions.” 

--SLIS student

Reasons for non-adoption

Lack of control over interruptions

Lack of control over contact from strangers (unknown classmates)

Technology/communication overload

Continued development

Help desksTraining sessionsFurther development of documentation

Launch of full web conferencing sessions

Thank you

Debbie.Faires@sjsu.edu