INTRODUCTION

1. “Serving Distant Learning Business Programs and Students,” RUSA/BRASS, ALA Atlanta, June 15, 2002Marilyn Hankel, Associate Dean of Library ServicesUniversity of New Orleansmhankel@uno.edu

2. INTRODUCTION • BRASS Distance Education Guidelines Committee Survey Overview • Jamaica Executive MBA Program of the University of New Orleans

3. OVERVIEW OF SURVEY • Definition of Distance Education - ACRL’s “Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services,” www.ala.org/acrl/guides/distlrng.html • Based on survey results, decided there is NO need for separate guidelines for business distance education, but we developed a checklist. • Details can be found in article written by the BRASS DEG Committee in the Winter 2001 issue of Reference & User Services Quarterly, pp. 145-158.

4. SUMMARY POINTS FROM SURVEY • MBA most common program • Geographic locations - most in state, then out-of-state, in same city, another country • Methods of delivery - traditional format of instructors and students in room away from home institution, then web-based tutorial, correspondence, broadcast television, and video.

5. SUMMARY POINTS (cont.) • Services - circulation, reserve, ILL, document delivery, database access, email reference, online chat, instructional services • Coordinator - distance education librarian, business librarian, both, or no one • Challenge to get print-based information to distant students • Globalization is having a big impact

6. JAMAICA EXECUTIVE MBA (JEMBA) - UNO • 18-month program began in 1997 in Kingston, Jamaica and continues today • Classes held in hotel conference room • UNO business faculty fly to Kingston on weekends to teach classes • Classes held every other weekend • UNO established an office in Kingston • Students get laptops & internet service

7. ACCREDITATION - SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) • What arrangements have been made for ensuring that students have access to appropriate resources? • Are students making use of these resources? • Are these resources made available through technological means? • Are the resources adequate to support the program?

8. SACS (cont.) • Has the institution provided reasonable financial support for the learning resources and services to support these activities? • Are students in the distant learning activity adequately informed about available resources and how to access? • Is training available for accessing resources? • SACS web address - www.sacscoc.org

9. CHALLENGES TO MEETING SACS REQUIREMENTS • Technical issues with providing database access and document delivery from the home campus • Problems finding reliable Internet Service Provider in Jamaica initially • Contracting with local institutions for library services explored

10. UNO LIBRARY SERVICES PRIOR TO SACS VISIT, 1999 • Circulation of books - business faculty carried them down with them • Email reference, ILL, document delivery • Instruction - printed handouts about library services as well as sending information by email to registered students • Coordinator of JEMBA program provided some limited library instruction after working with the library before going to Jamaica

11. SACS RECOMMENDATIONS AFTER VISIT, 1999 • UNO must provide JEMBA students with life-long learning opportunities in information access • Recommends that librarians work cooperatively with business faculty in assisting students to use library resources • Suggests that a full-time librarian teach electronic library skills

12. FIRST TRIP TO JAMAICA, JULY 2000 • Library presentation scheduled during general orientation session for new JEMBA students • UNO’s College of Business made all the travel arrangements and paid for my travel expenses • Prepared a PowerPoint presentation • Also planned for live Internet demonstration • Visited UNO JEMBA office, and they provided me with a laptop and technical assistance

13. ACCREDITATION - AACSB • Accreditation visit in November 2000 for the College of Business, and no questions about the JEMBA program and library services • Although supplied statistics on library resources, only interested in usage • AACSB web site -www.aacsb.edu/accreditation

14. SECOND TRIP TO JAMAICA, JULY 2001 • Presentation again scheduled during general orientation session • Prepared a JEMBA web page that provided easier access to all of the library services and resources rather than just going through the main UNO Library web page

15. SERVICES USED • We know that some business faculty have brought library books to JEMBA students when they go down for classes • We get quite a few emails from the JEMBA students with reference questions and with access questions • Little ILL or document delivery requests probably because they don’t plan ahead

16. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE ACTIONS • The JEMBA program has resulted in better working relationships with the UNO EMBA faculty and staff involved including those on the main campus and in Jamaica • Need to do assessment of the effectiveness of the library instruction and all of the library’s resources and services for the JEMBA students • Requires regular communication with JEMBA students and staff when things change