The Graduate School of Library and Information Science course "Introductin to Networked Information Systems" has undergone a number of changes over the last six years. It has gone from a lecture-oriented course offering with a few strategically interspersed hands-on lab experiences to a lab/lecture-oriented course offering, with equal exposure to lectures and hands-on labs. As a result, emphasis has moved from a more theoretical discussion of the topics to a more practical review of the materials while maintaining an overall goal of conceptual learning. However, equally significant has been change in the final project, from a virtual design of a networked information systems infrastructure to an actual design and implementation of such a facility in a community setting. This service learning aspect of the course, while requiring extra effort on the part of both instructor and students, has proven to be a very rewarding experience for instructor, students, and community recipients of the systems. The students come away with a great sense of accomplishment as skills gained throughout the semester are used practically to serve others in need. In addition to the sense of fullfillment service projects provide, the instructor also gains a valuable tool for skills instruction and assessment. As importantly, the community organization receives useful tools that they in turn use to serve their surrounding community.
This document is a reflection of how the development of the course Introduction to Networked Informatin Systems (INIS) led to a natural implementation of the final project as a service-learning activity. It also documents some of the outside influences that have been an important part in this development and implementation. Finally, it documents some of the lessons learned to date regarding successful implementation of the service learning projects. This document was written as a step towards further refining the service learning aspect of INIS. Howerver, as more emphasis is being placed on using service learning projects as part of class instruction, it is hoped that these reflections might also be useful for others who work towards such implementations.
The overall objective of INIS is to not only provide a clear technical understanding of the computer hardware, operating systems, and networks that make up networked information systems, but also to prepare students to take a lead as information technology managers. To this end, the course is structured to provide students with:
a basic working knowledge of computer hardware, operating systems, and networks through hands-on training;
insights into he strengths and weaknesses of computers and networks as tools used to meet the needs of "the community" in which they find themselves;
skills that allow them to assess more effectively the total cost of ownership, from planning, to implementing, to maintaining, different network information systems models;
facilitating their ability to design systems that will not only serve today's needs but setup an infrastructure for tomorrow's needs by anticipating tomorrow's technologies.
While the course has undergone considerable change over the 4+ years I have taught it, one constant has been that it has always included hands-on learning. These opportunities for students to come into direct contact with technology, helping to bring home the lessons of lectures and readings in very direct ways. The nature of the labs have changed, however. The structure of early labs would not have been condusive to the service learning projects now offered. However, as they have evolved, they naturally led to the implementation of service learning projects.
During my first offerings of INIS, isolated labs in a primarily lecture-oriented offering of the course was used. Labs focused on giving practical experience with basic computer tasks such as connecting up a computer, upgrading a hard drive and memory, installing Windows, and connecting a workstation to a server. Instructions for labs were provided during lecture and students signed up for lab time to work on each project with little supervision. While valuable, student reviews of the class strongly suggested increasing hands-on exposure in a more structured environment.
Eventually, most lectures involved moving chairs out of the way and setting up tables in the classroom to allow systems to be brought out and setup. Resources needed to be found to allow each student to have an opportunity to work hands-on with equipment. Generally, this meant having enough monitors, mice, keyboards, computers, and network equipment for students to work in pairs, as well as sufficient table space and tools to accomplish the tasks. Students gained a side benefit in learning all the problems that arise during setup and tear-down in a very dynamic environment.
While the course was now evolving to provide increased hands-on experience, the various lab projects were still fairly isolated tasks. Over time, the order of lecture materials was modified to allow for a more methodical implementation of the lab components of the course. An interlude with teaching INIS as a hands-on course for the distance education students at GSLIS further sped up the redesign of labs. Because the students were to have two full days, mid-semester, when they could have actual (as opposed to virtual) hands-on exposure to technology, considerable effort was placed in providing a highly methodical look the technology. Students were introduced to a working lab at the beginning of the two day period. They then set about tearing down the lab, observing the various components. Finally, they were tasked with building a new lab, building on what they had been learning to improve the setup. In a number of practical ways, this experience highlighted the value of intense hands-on exposure with the technology as it relates to the objectives of INIS as well as the challenges faced in preparing for and implementing such exposure.
The course next went through a formal redefinition, from a lecture format to a lecture-lab format, with a 2 hour weekly lecture and a 2 hour weekly lab. A lab designed for working with computers was used. The class was divided into 4 lab sections, each meeting at separate times. This was an important step as it allowed for more individualized interaction between instructor and students. This also helped formalize the role of the lab as an instructional tool. Lecture material was reduced or redesigned, and more instruction as opposed to just hands-on practice occurred during lab periods.
A number of INIS students went on to do practicums, independent studies, and assistantships with Prairienet. This highlighted the value of additional hands-on experience with the technology as a learning tool.
While the main evolution of the lab section of INIS was occurring, Prairienet was involved in an initiative to refurbish donated computers in order to distribute them to homes throughout the local community. Prairienet had also begun setting up Public Access Labs throughout the local community. The lessons learned from these experiences became an important part of the lessons taught throughout INIS. Indeed, the course offering slowly became a course in how to design, develop, implement, and manage the use of computer tools in such community settings. Again, while this progression had been occurring throughout the redesign of INIS, many of these ideas came into focus during the offering of INIS as a LEEP course. This was especially the case as Jen Ward, an independent study student, took on the task of understanding the steps used by Prairienet to refurbish computers in mass production and create clear documentation that could be used by LEEP students during their mid-semester hands-on exposure to the technology.
Once the lab sections were so closely intertwined with the techniques used by Prairienet to refurbish computers and setup Public Access Labs, it was a natural extension to begin having students actually apply these newly gained skills towards service projects for Prairienet.
The initial final project implemented for INIS was to break students into "consulting firms". Each consulting firm was allowed to choose a scenario describing a not-for-profit group that wanted to upgrade their technical facilities. Consulting firms were responsible for clarifying the needs and wants of their "clients", understanding the facilities currently available, and developing a plan for implementation and maintenance of a networked information system. Students presented their findings and plan both as a presentation and a formal paper.
In looking towards a final project that also served as a service project for Prairienet, it was important to keep the two core of the virtual project, the site survey and the design of a networked facility. Adding an actual implementation of such a planned network was the ultimate goal in selecting a new final project. While refurbishing of computers for distribution to individual homes would certainly be appropriate for the section of labs dealing with computer hardware, it did not meet the broader criterion of the desired final project.
At this time, ESLARP approached Paul Adams, director of Prairienet. They had been doing Action Research and service learning projects in East St. Louis, IL for 10 years. Research and Learning projects had centered around Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Architecture in order to help ESL residents revitalize the hard-struck urban area. Residents were now asking for help to take a step in implementing technology. A plan was developed to setup Computer Technical Centers (CTCs) in strategic locations throughout ESL and surrounding communities. The ultimate goal is to have a CTC available within 5 minutes walk of any residence in the community.
While considering strategies on how to implement such an aggressive goal, the efficacy of using this opportunity as a final project for INIS students began to evolve. It was eventually decided that each INIS lab section would be responsible for doing a site survey, designing a computer lab, and implementing such a lab using donated equipment, for one organization within ESL. With the current offering of 4 lab sections, this has meant that each semester 4 more organizations are able to receive functioning, custom-designed, computer labs in their building.
Structured labs: Skill development in conjunction with testing of donated equipment. Early lecture material and lab exercises are strongly geared towards teaching basic skills in computer technologies. Heavy emphasis is placed on basic terms and concepts through strategic coordination of readings, lectures, and labs. Further, during lab exercises, students perform initial tests on donated equipment as they inventory and perform basic upgrades of systems.
Site visit #1: Site survey and getting to know the community through non-technical service. During the 10th week of lab, students travel to ESL to visit their sites and perform a site survey. Each lab has two hours during which they sit down with the instructor and site coordinator at the site to gain an understanding of the vision and goals for the organization both broadly and as it applies to the use of the technology. They also make a careful assessment of the existing facilities in preparation for designing a computer lab. Surrounding the site survey, students are given a tour of the ESL area and are assigned to non-technical work projects happening in the ESL area. An important aspect of designing an effective computer lab for community use not only in the short term but for the long term is to have a good understanding of the broader community issues. The tour and non-technical work helps put the individual project in a broader context, helping to bring about a stronger computer lab design.
Open labs: Project design and resource preparation. Students return to Champaign for an intensive period of project design and resource preparation. With the fall and spring breaks also occurring during this period, only four weeks of open labs are available to the students. Required readings are reduced during this period as are written assignments. Still students time commitment to the course increases during this period in order to accomplish the tasks required for project design and preparation. Ongoing discussions are held within the lab group, between the lab group and the instructor, and between the lab group and the recipient site coordinator to create a lab design. Concurrently, final tests of computers, downloading and testing of possible software, and operating system and network installation are occurring. The goal during this period is to create a functioning computer lab that only remains to be transported to the ESL recipient site.
Site visit #2: Implementation of lab. Labs that were designed and prepared in Champaign are delivered to their target ESL sites. In spite of all the work in preparing fully functioning labs, many challenges are faced as the systems are installed in the field environment of the recipient site. This final application of skills and troubleshooting techniques in the field is the real capstone of the service learning project. Since each lab is working concurrently throughout the entirety of the day and a half site visit, the instructor and assistants use targeted site visits as well as telecommunications to coordinate and advise. Meetings Friday evening and Saturday morning are also critical in working through various the challenges encountered.
In redesigning the course as a lecture/lab offering, difficult decisions had to be made regarding what topics needed to be dropped to provide increased time for hands-on exposure. The need to further focus on fewer topics became doubly a problem as students now needed to be provided the skills need to successfully perform a site survey, systems design, and systems implementation within the time frame of the semester. Therefore, as the redesign of the course as a lecture-lab offering was being completed, a new redesign of the course to methodically provide students with the skills needed, when they were needed, to perform the final project. That is to say, not only has the service learning project become an important hands-on experience for students, it has become the primary focus of the entire class offering.
Preparations for the final projects need to begin early and need to be ongoing. For the INIS final project, finding new sites to work with, getting the donated resources needed to implement the labs, and adopting techniques (and therefore training material) to match the upcoming sites and resources begins months before the semester begins. Early in the semester, a scouting visit sans students is made to each site to clarify their needs, wants, and current facilities. Students self-select their lab partners by choosing a lab section. Each lab group has a unique character and skill set. Matching lab groups with technical resources and sites is performed during the early parts of the semester. While matching technical skills of each lab with the anticipated challenges to be faced for each site is one criterion in paring up lab groups and sites, other factors such as the social makeup and overall interests of the lab group also play a critical part. Observations of the lab groups each week during lab exercises is matched with knowledge gained from the scouting session to optimize the degree of success students will experience in implementing the final project.
Successfully implementing the service learning project is facilitated by partnering with existing service-oriented organizations. Using existing entities like Prairienet and ESLARP has greatly facilitated the INIS final project. Prairienet, and it's parent organization the Graduate School of Library and Information Science, provides the underlying infrastructure for carrying out the technical implementation of the project. This includes lab resources, obtaining and storing equipment to be used, and the personnel infrastructure needed to carry out a large-scale service project. ESLARP does the bulk of the trip planning and implementation for the two site visits, from transportation to lodging, to food. They also greatly facilitate as the logistics of visiting 4 sites in a day and a half are worked out. Finally, they setup the opportunities for non-technical service the students are able to experience as they gain a better understanding of the overall community with which they will be working.
Successfully implementing the service learning project requires active participation by, and interaction with, the recipients of the project. Beyond just a fact finding mission, an important part of the initial scouting visit by the instructor is to help set the stage for a successful service project by preparing the site coordinators regarding their responsibilities during the project period. They need to have dedicated time set aside for the students during both student visits. During the first visit, they need to come prepared to present: 1) their vision for the overall facility and community as well as their vision for the technical facilities; and 2) they need to be prepared to clearly define their immediate, as well as long term goals regarding the technical facilities. Also during the first, visit, students need to have access to the building as they perform a site survey. Between visits, site coordinators need to be available to correspond with students as the students develop the project implementations. During the second visit, site coordinators are active participants as final details are worked out and accommodations are made as problems are encountered and solutions are sought.
Successfully implementing the service learning project requires buy-in from the students. Service learning projects require a greater commitment on the part of the students than traditional final projects. As implemented in INIS, the scope of the project has proven to be sufficient to give the students a real sense of accomplishment. It has proven to be an exceptionally effective final exam of the extent of knowledge gained by students. The scale of the project is also large enough that students will not be able to successfully carry it out unless the whole lab group puts in a concerted effort. Failure to do so would not only result in a lost lab in the community, but in real ways can have broader effects on other work performed by the partnering service-oriented organizations.
Successfully implementing the service learning project requires buy-in from the instructor and school. Carrying out the preparations and implementation listed above requires considerable effort on the part of the instructor. Adaptation of ongoing service projects by the service-oriented partners to provide a clearly defined, well organized, implement-able service project for students requires many hours of consultation with partner organizations and site coordinators at the recipient sites. At least some adaptation of the course material to best prepare the students for the upcoming projects is required. Preparing the students for the upcoming commitment required to carry out the service learning project is required. Considerable time is also spent coordinating the efforts of partner organizations with the work of the instructor during the semester as the work of implementing the project is ongoing. Observations of individual students and lab groups in order to effectively match students, resources, and sites is a critical part early in the semester. Keeping projects moving as students become frustrated because of the various challenges faced is critical. While teaching assistants can be very useful in carrying out a variety of individual tasks, for overall success, the instructor needs to take a hands-on role throughout the process.
Projects that have a narrow, clearly defined focus are much more likely to succeed than those that are broad in focus or those that rely heavily on students to define. Early attempts at service learning projects had students searching for recipients of the project and defining the scope of the project. As reviewed above, the amount of effort that is required for the preparation of a service project is beyond what a student can accomplish during the semester, let alone to carry out and implement. Indeed, it is beyond what the instructor themselves can accomplish. It requires broad support and a coordinated effort. Likewise, when instructor selected projects were broad in scope (e.g., develop a groupware package to be used on Prairienet), most of the semesters effort was directed towards defining what tasks needed to be accomplished to carry out the project. It was only when service projects were tied into ongoing, narrowly defined service projects did service learning become an effective teaching tool and fully rewarding activity.
Incorporating service learning into the Introduction to Networked Information Systems course has been a natural evolution rather than a simple add-on. As it is now designed, the entire course is a preparatory effort for the final project. This is possible because the selected service learning projects reflect a capstone of the course, wrapping up the course objectives and lessons learned into a clearly, narrowly defined activity. While requiring extra effort on the part of instructor and students, the results of the service projects have proven to be invaluable. These include:
an opportunity on the part of the students to review past lessons through putting them into practice;
a chance for the instructor to teach through practice;
a chance for the instructor to assess the skills gained by individuals within the class;
a very real and significant sense of accomplishment as an important service is provided to the community.