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The INSC 330 undergraduate course Books and Related Materials for Children has undergone a transformation designed  to comply with the Provost's office directive to alleviate its bottleneck problem and to accommodate student needs for increased scheduling flexibility. These two objectives directly support a key goal of the university:  to do everything possible to help undergraduates to finish their degrees in four years. To address the Provost's mandate, beginning in the summer of 2012, the delivery model for 330 was changed  to offering 50-seat sections, four in the spring and fall semesters, and up to 2 in the summer. The  design has been to offer one face to face section each semester, in order to observe  student  preferences and accommodate other learning styles, while offering the other sections asynchronously online to provide more scheduling flexibility.  

 

The new delivery design instantly solved the bottleneck issue, as waitlists were eliminated. A consistent pattern has emerged: when all of the sections of both types were made available for registration at the same time, the online sections attracted registrations much more quickly, and reliably filled to near or complete capacity, while the face to face sections have excess capacity. Whether this reflects a true preference for the online format, or the limitations of the fixed schedule for the face to face course, the effect on registration levels and student credit hours  is consistent. 

 

In light of the overarching goal of meeting the demand for this course for as many students as possible, SIS will be experimenting this spring by offering all four sections online, to see if the total registration level for the course is meaningfully higher than when one of the sections is in-person. The results will help to inform the decisions for the continued evolution of the course, and whether maintaining a face to face section in both regular semesters is sustainable. As always, SIS seeks to comply with the directives of the University to address crucial student needs on macro-level issues, to maintain high standards for  content quality and pedagogy, and to find the right balance as necessary to make this highly valued course available to all who need or seek it.

 

Ed Cortez, PhD

Professor and Director

School of Information Sciences

University of Tennessee

451 Circle Park Drive

Knoxville, TN 37996

(865) 356-9756

 

"Animals are reliable, many full of love, true in their affections, predictable in their actions, grateful and loyal. Difficult standards for people to live up to." — Alfred A. Montapert