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Master’s Committee Meeting Winter Updates

 

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The December 6, 2017 Master’s Committee meeting focused mainly on the INLS 581-781-992 progression, and dual degree programs:

  1. INLS 581-781-992
    1. No decisions were made, but it was determined that there is a need to clarify what students should be familiar with coming out of Research Methods Overview (INLS 581) and going into Proposal Development (INLS 781). This will be discussed further in meetings in Spring 2018.
  2.  Dual Degree Programs
    1. A dual degree program with Environmental Science was discussed (BS in Environmental Science to MSIS). The goal of this would be to set up an accelerated program to identify, flag, recruit, and advise interested students early on.
      1. Undergraduates would be able to apply on paper, and take Foundations of Information Science (INLS 201) as freshmen or sophomores. With exposure to both environmental science and SILS, these undergraduate students would have the opportunity to double major (or minor) with SILS.
      2. In their senior year, they would apply to the MSIS program on the normal application cycle, but on paper.
      3. They would be able to take master’s-level SILS courses as undergraduates, and transfer up to 12 of these hours into the MSIS degree (although they wouldn’t be able to double-count those hours towards an IS minor). This would shorten their time in the MSIS program by approximately 1 semester, so the estimated length of their MSIS degree would be about 1.5 years.
    2. BSIS – MSIS accelerated program: This will be discussed more in January (Spring 2018). Lara will have some meetings to help determine which courses are necessary, and which core courses or electives can be taken by undergraduates to promote success as graduate students.

2018

The Master’s Committee held its first meeting of the Spring 2018 semester on February 7. The following topics were discussed:

  1. Special Topics Courses
    1. The special topics course Disaster Planning for Libraries (currently INLS 690-225) is proposed to become a regularly offered course. This passed through the Master’s Committee without any objections, and will proceed on to be discussed at the next faculty meeting.
  2. Beginning Cataloging (pre-/corequisites for INLS 721)
    1. The Master’s Committee was asked by course instructors to reconsider having Organization of Information (INLS 520) be a pre- or corequisite course for Cataloging Theory and Practice (INLS 721), with the thought that if students were able to take INLS 721 earlier in their degree program, they would be able to work in cataloging earlier. During the Master’s Committee discussion, it was determined that the material from INLS 520 was valuable for placing in context the material from INLS 721. Thus, INLS 520 was left in place as a pre- or corequisite course for INLS 721:
      1. A suggestion was made for Library Science advisors to recommend that INLS 520 and INLS 721 be taken at the same time (in the first semester), especially if the student will be on the tech side of library science, or if they want to start cataloging early (e.g. if they want to be able to work in cataloging earlier).
      2. INLS 721 course instructors still have the option to waive requirements for students who do not meet the pre- or corequisite.
  3. Continued discussion of Proposal Development (INLS 781)
    1. Faculty input regarding INLS 781 (and by extension, Research Methods Overview INLS 581) was reviewed. “Flexibility” had emerged from the faculty meeting as a desired aspect of the INLS 781-to-INLS 992 (Master’s Paper/Project) transition. The Master’s Committee will invite INLS 781 instructors Mary Grace Flaherty, Brad Hemminger, and Brian Sturm to the next Master’s Committee meeting to discuss the relationship between the INLS 781 instructor, the student, and the Master’s Paper/Project advisor.

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