Online Classes

Posted June 19, 2012 by Katie Olivo

Now that it’s the end of June, my classes are certainly keeping me busy. I have just a week and a half left of my history course on Race and Media, and I’m in the full swing of my online course – LIS 440: Archival Access and Use.
Taking an online class certainly requires some adjustment.  Our system, Moodle, is a very easy system to adapt to, but the online environment is a bit different.  For the first time, I feel like I am truly in control of how much I learn. Granted, I was always in control of the amount of information I digested or whether or not I did the readings, etc., but this time no one is lecturing to me and I have to read and record the information in a way that I will learn it on my own. It requires more responsibility and thus far, I’m not that sure how I feel about it.

First of all, I know that all of you understand the trials of group work. Well, group work online is far worse than in a traditional classroom. Also, there are some days on the weekends when I like to avoid doing work and that just is not as feasible with an online class. For the past few weeks, we’ve had discussions that had to be done on Saturdays and Sundays, and some assignments due by Friday night. And, yes, those assignments were group oriented, so even if I wanted to get some of it done ahead of time, my group members were not always of the same mind.
But, I’m not writing this post just to complain. I’m actually enjoying the class quite a bit despite these inconveniences. We’re debating the intricacies of MPLP – More Product, Less Process. If you’re thinking about entering library school, I suggest you google this and read up – it will be a major issue in archival institutions in the foreseeable future.
On a more fun note, I’m attending a beer festival this weekend in Worcester. I’m hoping that it is as awesome as it sounds – http://www.the-festival.us/tickets/. There are going to be some top-notch cider, mead, and beer brewers there from all around the world and I’m pretty stoked. Nothing like talking to people about good cider all day long. I love the Northeast.