Standard II. Curriculum

II.4. The curriculum provides the opportunity for students to construct coherent programs of study that allow individual needs, goals, and aspirations to be met within the context of program requirements established by the school and that will foster development of the competencies necessary for productive careers. The curriculum includes as appropriate cooperative degree programs, interdisciplinary coursework and research, experiential opportunities, and other similar activities. Course content and sequence relationships within the curriculum are evident.

To assist students in planning a coherent program of studies, the School lays out an academic plan for the specializations as well as an individualized program of study. The LIS program has developed program planners for each specialization, a set of tools available on the School’s web site that help students to map out their course of study. With the program planners, students can see at a glance which courses are required and recommended within each specialization. (See Appendix CUR 5 for examples of program planners.)

In order to assure a strong foundation, all students in the MLIS program must complete four-to-six required courses, depending on the specialization, as outlined in Standard II.2. (See Standard II.5 for a more complete description of each specialization in the MLIS program.)

The MLIS program allows for substantial customization. The Individualized specialization, as mentioned above, permits students to construct their own program, in collaboration with their faculty adviser. The specializations also offer a wide array of relevant electives. For example, students in the Children and Youth specialization may choose from six electives related specifically to services and information needs of young people. As well, the LIS program has initiated a series of 1-credit modules on specialized topics during the summer term. Students can mix and match these modules in multiples of 3 credits to suit the needs of their academic program. The modules cover a wide range of topics including exploring MAKERSPACES, acquisitions and electronic resource management, user-centered advisory services, local resources, fiscal management, academic resources, open access and institutional repositories. The topics are selected by a team of LIS faculty based on their knowledge of the field, their prior experiences as practitioners, and student demand. As this is a relatively new development (introduced in Summer 2012), the initiative’s successes and challenges are under continuing consideration by the lead faculty for this effort, Elizabeth Mahoney. The APRM specialization, in direct response to students seeking more electives, is now offering more electives during the summer term (generally the final term in the 36-credit MLIS). The School is a member of the WISE consortium, a collaborative distance education model that expands the depth and diversity of course offerings to MLIS students. Students also have the option to pursue a course of individual research, for one term or two depending on the scope of the research project (LIS 2901 and LIS 2902, Individual Research). The research projects are developed under the guidance of a faculty member.

To ensure that students follow a clear path through their degree, beginning with the four foundational (required) courses and ending with electives that allow for more specialization, the LIS program instituted a policy in Fall 2012 that students will be admitted in the fall term only. A wider array of electives (including the 1-credit modules and new electives in the APRM specialization) are offered in the summer. The field experience and practicum, capstone experiences for students, are completed only after 12 credits of coursework (preferably the core courses) are completed, thus guaranteeing that this experience in the field provides a rich opportunity for students to apply their newly-acquired theoretical knowledge and professional skills. The impact of this change will be assessed over the next three years.

Hands-on approaches to learning are embedded throughout courses. The MLIS program bridges the theory-practice divide by asking students to design, plan, and build information systems and services that are framed by the theory and principles of LIS. Examples of the range of experiential opportunities embedded in curriculum include:

In LIS 2335 Services for Early Childhood, students prepare a program portfolio based on a needs assessment in a real children’s library. The program portfolio includes a proposal which links specific actions to a theoretically-grounded rationale, a program plan, a curriculum, and list of resources, as well as promotional materials. Students are encouraged to share their program portfolios with the library that inspired its development.
In LIS 2633 Technology in the Lives of Children and Youth, students create an original digital story that uses narrative to teach an information and media literacy skill using freely available web-based tools. This exercise serves as a model for programming with teens and tweens in public libraries.
In LIS 2670 Digital Libraries, students participate in a team project to design and build a functional digital library system to resolve a real world problem.
In the APRM specialization, students read case studies, work in group projects applying what they have learned to real-life scenarios, or are involved in field experiences. While the APRM program does not require a field experience, at least two-thirds of the APRM students normally engage in it.
In LIS 2586 Health Sciences Information Sources and Services, students complete individual MEDLINE searching problems and one group project on accessing MEDLINE via a minimum of three different portals.

Proportion of MLIS Students enrolled in specializations

Specialization	Fall 2009	Fall 2010	Fall 2012	Fall 2012
Academic Libraries (discontinued in 2010)	6.0%	0.0%	0.0%	0.0%
Archives	16.9%	17.1%	19.0%	18.7%
Digital Libraries	0.0%	0.8%	0.3%	1.7%
Individualized	0.5%	17.1%	35.0%	43.2%
Information Technology	0.0%	2.1%	6.4%	5.8%
Resources: Children	0.2%	4.0%	9.3%	11.2%
Resources: Health	0.0%	1.9%	2.9%	1.7%
Resources: Reference	0.0%	4.3%	10.3%	9.5%
SLCP	20.8%	16.3%	11.6%	8.3%
Undecided	0.0%	13.1%	5.1%	0.0%
Unknown	55.6%	23.5%	0.0%	0.0%

In addition to these hands-on, experiential activities, many courses incorporate visits to libraries and information centers in the Pittsburgh area (for example, LIS 2586 and LIS 2585 require a visit to an appropriate site).

Field Experiences and Practicums

A suite of field experience and practicum courses allows students in the MLIS program to extend their experiential learning. The field experience was reviewed by a sub-committee in LIS during the 2010 term, leading to a wider range of Field Experience options in order to serve the unique needs of each specialization. Although a general field experience course (LIS 2921) is still offered, students can now select a field experience that is more tailored to their specialization. (Students may register for only one field experience during their MLIS degree). The lead faculty in the specialization guides the development and implementation of the specialized field experiences. These include:

LIS 2921 Field Experience (General);
LIS 2924 Field Experience in APRM;
LIS 2925 Field Experience in Reference;
LIS 2926 Field Experience in Information Technology & Digital Libraries;
LIS 2933 Field Experience in Children’s and Youth Services;
LIS 2935 Field Experience Health Resources & Services;
LIS 2922 Practicum in School Library Media Programs;
LIS 2923 Practicum in School Library District Media Programs.

MLIS Enrollment (Proportion) in Practicums/Field Experiences

2006-2007	42.3%
2007-2008	34.0%
2008-2009	39.3%
2009-2010	50.1%
2010-2011	48.6%
2011-2012	50.6%

In addition to registering for Field Experience, students must submit a one- or two-page proposal outlining their goals to the faculty advisor, along with the Field Experience Application Form and signed Site Agreement. The proposal must be approved by both the faculty advisor and the site supervisor in the semester prior to beginning the field experience. Individual schedules are arranged between the student and the site supervisor; it is the student's responsibility to notify the faculty advisor of the schedule arrangements. Students are expected to plan on working a minimum of 150 hours per term for three credits. They must meet with the faculty advisor at least once a month, or as necessary, to discuss their progress at the site. It is recommended that students keep a written log of the placement experience to be examined by, and discussed with, the faculty advisor, who determines the appropriate final deliverables for the field experience, which may include a report or a project. Grading is based on performance as determined by the site supervisor and the quality of the final report/project as determined by the faculty supervisor. Field experiences receive pass/fail grades rather than letter grades.

The School has deep connections to libraries, information centers, and archives throughout Western Pennsylvania and beyond. Sites where students have been placed include:

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Museum of Art
Chatham University
Free Library of Philadelphia
Heinz Corporation
Senator John Heinz History Center
Internet Public Library (Digital Library)
Mount Lebanon Public Library
Pittsburgh Film Makers
The Andy Warhol Museum
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center: Children’s Hospital, UPMC Shadyside
University of Pittsburgh, University Library System
VA Hospital Library

This is a partial list of field sites. For more complete details regarding the Field Experience and the range of field sites available to students, please see the Field Experience Web page.

The program has tasked a staff member with administrative oversight for the Field Experience, Internships, and Partners Program. This staff member facilitates applications, matching, record-keeping, and follow-up. The course schedule for each term provides students with the names of each faculty member and the different Field Experiences that they are responsible for. It is the student’s responsibility to seek out the advisor and specific Field Experience course that best matches their goals for a Field Experience. See http://wwwint.sis.pitt.edu/~sisint/archives/index.html#courses.

Online students have the same options to do Field Experiences where allowed by Federal Law. Please note that internships are permitted in ALL states except Iowa, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Washington State, Maryland and Louisiana. The University is systematically working through the process to gain permission to offer Field Experiences in these states.

Independent Research

MLIS students may register for LIS 2901/2902 Independent Research, in which research is undertaken on a topic selected by the student and carried out with scheduled reports to a faculty member. Reports of the research may take various forms as determined in advance by the student and faculty member. Faculty member's agreement to sponsor required. A maximum of six credits may be earned in Independent Research.

There have been varying numbers of students who participate in this Independent Research option. As you’ll note in the table below, summer terms are the most popular times for such endeavors. The first time a student registers for an Independent Research course, they use the LIS 2901 number; for the second, they use the 2902 course designation. Therefore, you can see in the table below that several students actually register for two such learning opportunities.

MLIS Students Registered for Independent Research Courses

	Fall 2009	Spring 2010	Sum 2010	Fall 2010	Spring 2011	Sum 2011	Fall 2011	Spring 2012	Sum 2012	Fall 2012
LIS 2901: INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH	9	5	34	14	6	15	8	6	6	4
LIS 2902: INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH	1	0	4	3	1	2	1	1	4	0
Grand Total	10	5	38	17	7	17	9	7	10	4

Cross-listed Courses

There are a number of courses cross-listed within the School of Information Sciences, which permits students to easily take courses of interest that overlap the disciplinary boundaries between the degree programs. Such courses available to the MLIS student population include the LIS 2194 Information Ethics course, which is cross-listed across all three academic programs in the School. At the doctoral level, the seminar in Digital Scholarship was offered as a doctoral level course in the LIS program and as a masters and PhD course in the Graduate Information Science and Technology program (LIS 3970/INFSCI 2965/INFSCI 3150). This seminar was also open to MLIS students, who can take any number of courses listed for other programs within the school, as long as they do so in consultation with their adviser to make sure that the courses they take fit their program of study. WISE courses are considered to be iSchool credit-bearing courses as they are designated with a School course number and they have been vetted for credit parity.

Non-LIS courses available to MLIS students

MLIS students also have the option to take up to six credits of coursework from outside of the MLIS program and the School of Information Sciences. This permits them to take electives to meet their personal or academic career goals. The six credits of electives may be determined by the chosen specialization – the School Library Certification and Health: Resources and Services call for courses outside of the School of Information Sciences. These courses may be drawn from graduate studies at faculties and departments within the University of Pittsburgh or from other universities, if the following stipulations are met:

The courses have to be approved by the faculty adviser;
The courses must have been taken within four years;
The courses cannot be/have been applied to another degree
A grade of B or better must be earned in the course.

Number of MLIS Students enrolled in non-LIS courses

	Fall 2010	Spring 2011	Summer 2011	Fall 2011	Spring 2012	Summer 2012	Fall 2012
# of MLIS students	72	89	28	50	62	21	27

The numbers of students taking non-LIS courses has changed dramatically over the last three years due to changes to the Term of Entry and the demands of certain specializations. However, a significant number of students do take the opportunity to participate in courses outside of the MLIS program. Some of the more popular courses taken by MLIS students include Data Structures, Database Management, Information Storage and Retrieval, Human Information Processing, and many courses from the School of Education.

Graduate students from other University of Pittsburgh schools do take LIS courses at both the Masters and Doctoral level, including students from the School of Education, School of Nursing, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the Graduate School of Public Health.

Multidisciplinarity at the iSchool

The iSchool, by its nature, fosters multidisciplinary coursework, classes, research and faculty. This benefits students by exposing them to differing and enriching theoretical perspective. This is facilitated in a number of ways. For example, three iSchool faculty members hold joint appointments with other programs or departments and bring these diverse perspectives into their research and classrooms. Ellen Detlefsen has a joint appointment in the Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, and serves as a faculty member in the University’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Alison Langmead has a joint appointment as Director of the Visual Media Workshop in the Department of Art History and Architecture and as Lecturer on courses in the Archives, Preservation and Records Management specialization in the School of Information Sciences. Daqing He is a member of both the LIS and GIST programs at the School, as well as holding a joint appointment with the Intelligent Systems Program, a multidisciplinary program based in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, but which brings together faculty from several professional schools at Pitt. Hassan Karimi, a member of the faculty in the GIST program, developed and taught LIS 2695 Geographic Information Systems for Librarians, which will be offered again in Spring 2014. Leanne Bowler has worked with Jamie Skye Bianco, a professor in the English department at the University of Pittsburgh who specializes in digital composition, to develop a learning module on digital storytelling.