University Library fails to meet needs of online students
Helen Cather, a 37-year-old Registered Nurse, said that going back to school for her Bachelorís in nursing was like having a mild identity crisis. Cather has worked in the medical field for 15 years. Sheís been a nurse at a summer camp, a military base, and an isolated Labrador fishing community. Sheís also raised two kids, a mischievous beagle named Ralph, and, she jokes, one husband.
She signed up for an online RN to BSN program through Excelsior University because there werenít any colleges in her area that offered nursing classes. She hopes that having her BSN will help her advance her career and increase her salary.
ìWeíre going to need it when this one goes to college,î she says, pulling one of her daughterís black pony tails.
Rosa, 14, rolls her heavily made up eyes and twists the huge mood ring stuck on her finger.
ìRosa had to help me figure out how to use the website they use to teach a class,î Cather said. ìAll those years I spent helping her with multiplication tables and vocab words and now she has to teach me.î
But one thing Catherís kids canít teach her is the online searching skills she needs to find medical information and journal articles. Some of her classes, like Nursing Research and Ethical Issues in nursing, require her to use and evaluate online resources that she never used in her day-to-day work. Cather now works at a not-for-profit health facility. The facility doesnít have a library, and even if it did Cather said she wouldnít have time to do research during work hours.
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Her family computer sits in the corner of the living room, next to a floppy bean bag chair and a huge stereo system. Cather said she put the computer in the living room, because she wanted to be able to monitor what her kids were looking at online. But that means she often does her school work with the dog yapping and the radio blaring in the background.
ìSometimes I canít get on the computer at all,î Cather said. ìWhat am I going to do ñ tell my kids to get off so I can do my homework?î
Damien Chancel, the health services librarian at Excelsior University, says that the University Library is committed to providing resources for students like Cather. But the nursing program is new, and the library needs information from faculty about how the courses are structured and what support students need.
ìWe have an excellent set of electronic databases through NML and Ovid,î Chancel said, ìBut our use statistics show no one is accessing them.î
Shelly Quintanilla, the dean of the college of nursing, says that sheís been partnering with the computer help desk and the library to provide support for students. The nursing programís website has lists of recommended hardware and software, troubleshooting tips, and guides to WebCT, the program used to administer online classes.
But Chancel says itís not enough to give people tools without telling them how to implement them.
ìItís not just about using the technology,î he said. ìItís about using it wisely. We need to teach people how to narrow their searches so they can find things quickly. I know adult students donít have time to waste on broad keyword searches that return as many results as Google. But that requires a better understanding of how online databases are structured.î
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Quintanilla says that right now, sheís focused on making sure that students have the hardware and software they need to be successful.
But Cather isnít the only student struggling. Ellen Anderson is 28, single, and web savvy, but she says sheís had problems completing assignments because some of the library databases donít provide full text, so she still has to go to the city library to get resources.
Anderson doesnít have time to spare. Her commute to and from the Boston hospital where she works can be up to two hours in bad traffic.
ìI can deal with it,î Cather says. ìI listen to this electronic Indian music I they play at my yoga studio. But I canít add another errand to my afternoon schedule.î
She says the hospital were she works does have a library, but she never uses it.
ìI think itís just for physicians,î she said. ìAnyway, theyíre the only people I know of who ever are in there.î
Anderson says she doesnít need the help of librarians ñ she just needs a better electronic resource.
Connie Maxson, an expert on adult learning styles, says that many adult learners are reluctant to ask for help if doing so will make them feel patronized. She says that itís important to respect the life experience of non-traditional students, and build on the skills they already have.
ìWeíre supposed to call them ënon-traditional studentsí now,î Maxson said. ìBut thereís a reason I call them adult learners ñ it reminds us not to treat them like babies.î
However, Maxson says that online learning can actually be better for adult learners than traditional classroom experiences. Online learning is self-directed and the schedule is flexible ñ students can access lessons and assignments 24/7.
Audrey Deveneau, a 51-year-old RN, has been happy with her online education experience. She says itís helped her improve her technology skills and allowed her to continue working full time while getting her BSN.
But when asked if she expects to continue to use online sources in her day-to-day work once she completes her degree, she laughed.
ìIím not making any promises,î she said. ìIíll just be glad when Iím done and I have my degree.î
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Kirsten Rundquist: Information Theory