Are we there yet? eLearning in library and information science courses in Australia

Tertiary education in Australia has long been associated with the integration of developing technologies as a vehicle for distance education. As personal access to the Web has become more affordable, tertiary institutions have implemented wholly online courses to create flexible elearning spaces for students. While there are tangible benefits attached to online education programs, there are also disadvantages and high attrition rates. The results published in this paper are drawn from research conducted by the student sub-study group of the Re-conceptualising and re-positioning Australian library and information science education for the twenty-first century research project. The student sub-study group explored online learning and student satisfaction with courses, course materials and delivery modes, the emotional response to online learning environments, and some of the enablers and inhibitors experienced by students studying online. Findings presented in this paper indicate that both current students and graduates felt online LIS programs were definitely on the way, but there is still room for improvement. However, the findings of this research project also need to be considered in the context of the LIS demographic, which is distinctive to the profession.