Overview

Required Courses

Three courses are required of all students: 510, 520, 530. These courses address the evolving information environment; foundations of information sciences and technologies; information resources selection, acquisition and evaluation; information content representation; information access, and retrieval.

Innovative Course Delivery Options

Classroom
Some classes are taught in the traditional manner of an instructor and students meeting a classroom on the UT campus.

Virtual Classroom
See the distance education (DE) section on page 8 for more discussion of how the Centra software works.

Combined Classroom
Many courses are taught to both classroom students and distance education students via desktop to desktop delivery. Combining these two student groups online offers a unique form of faculty-student interaction that approximates communication methods used in many information environments. Students raise a virtual hand to get the instructor’s attention and speak into a microphone so that all students, wherever they are located, can participate equally in class activities.
SIS faculty are seasoned and comfortable using Centra software for online delivery of their courses, and students quickly become comfortable with this way to learn.
A persuasive benefit of taking classes from a distance or combined class is the opportunity to collaborate with students in other places. Students working as paraprofessionals in a local library system, for example, will have the opportunity to chat with classmates working in a library or information center in another state with different policies and procedures and different cultures.

Combined classes also ensure that specialized elective courses are offered to all students. Faculty use the features of Centra software to encourage student participation, interaction, and a sense of community resulting in high quality discussions with a rich diversity of perspectives.

The World as Classroom
Two study opportunities that exist outside of the classroom include Independent Projects or Research and the Practicum.
Whatever individualized curriculum is chosen, all students who complete the program receive an M.S. degree accredited by the American Library Association (ALA).

Advising
An advisor is assigned to each student admitted to the program. The advisor approves courses of study, offers guidance about career opportunities, and assists students in preparing placement credentials.

Students must complete the Student Planning Form (pdf) or Student Planning Form (doc) and submit it to their advisor in preparation for the advising session, which occurs before each new semester, and which may be transacted in person, by phone, or by e-mail.

Student advisement is an important aspect of the SIS program. Students may seek advice from any faculty member. Students may change assigned advisors via a request to the SIS coordinator of student services.