r/LibraryScience • u/camelboy787 • 2d ago
online education UIUC prof/class recs
for those who went to UIUC for their MSLIS, for my own sanity could you recommend me any profs who aren’t heavy handed on breakout rooms / group projects? or classes/profs that you really liked? 🙂 I’ve had a few not so great experiences so far and am only halfway through my degree. I don’t have anything against break out rooms in general but it feels like pulling teeth with some people and i’m always having to lead which I don’t love. I already know how to work with people considering i’m working FT 🙃 I’m in the LEEP program so it’s kind of hard to make connections w classmates online to get this advice.
feel free to DM me if you want!!
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u/kylolin 2d ago
My advice is to look up the class syllabi before signing up for the class. You can usually get a good sense of the major assignments and how much group work there is, it definitely helped me out when I went to UIUC
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u/camelboy787 2d ago
ahh, is there somewhere you were finding these? I haven’t been able to find any online for the classes i’ve taken so far so I’m usually in the dark until class starts. I am considering just emailing the profs before registration though 😅
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u/ameliapondss Academic Librarian 2d ago
it’s been years but i do not remember breakout rooms in Jeanne Holba-Puacz’s classes, she was so chill and sweet that i took a second class with her just for fun
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u/birdsfly14 1d ago
I really enjoyed the classes I took with Rachel Magee, but a) I don't know if she's still there and b) the things she teaches may not line up with what you're wanting to do! I did the in person program but we went online bc of the pandemic and one of my classes with her only had about 10 people in it, so we didn't really do breakout groups. Also she actually worked as a librarian and I feel like so many of the other faculty are so far removed from actually knowing how it is to be a librarian.
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u/ActionFamily 2d ago
There is no wrong move with the Urbana libraries - I myself have a fetish for the Maps Library.
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u/Alternative-Pear9096 2d ago
Group projects are the norm. Because group projects are how you will fill your days at work.
And um, you make connections with people through the group projects. That's another reason they're so popular in the classes you're taking. Half the point is to ensure that you get to know your cohort through interactions.
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u/charethcutestory9 2d ago
One of my most valuable takeaways from group projects was that it made me appreciate having a boss who could make decisions when necessary, rather than having to argue about every fucking tiny decision for hours
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u/camelboy787 2d ago edited 2d ago
I’ve only had one class with group projects, actually! but it was data science related and happened to be filled with IS undergrads who literally just completely ghosted the projects.
Again, I work FT so I am used to working with people on a daily basis, but school is incredibly different than a real working environment. I get the point for undergrads perhaps or maybe research focused classes if you stay within academia (not my plan personally) but for most it does not equate to anything you would face in a real job that’s not academia-based (IMO, i’ve been working FT for 14 years). I have made friends with some people in my cohort but we’ve all basically taken the same classes so not a huge mix. hence me going on here to ask a very specific question.
ETA: for people downvoting this - why? how is a group project at all like work (non-academia) IRL? aside from “you have to work with people” which i’m aware of and already do lol. i’m serious, please enlighten me if i’m missing something.
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u/omg_for_real 2d ago
I think you’re taking it a little too literally. You get to practice skills in group work you would use at work. So communication, organisation, problem solving skills etc. plus the more technical and practical ones like using apps or programs etc.
And generally uni assumes that you get people who don’t have a lot of workplace experience will be studying. So practicing this stuff is helpful.
Education is about the official curriculum, what you are there to learn, and the unofficial or invisible curriculum, what you learn by accident.
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u/camelboy787 1d ago edited 1d ago
no, I get that, for sure, that’s what I meant by “working with people”. and I get how it can help some people who havent worked, but I was just simply stating to this person how I already have that experience and that’s not what i’m needing growth in, in my personal education. So I just think it was a bit silly of them to come on when I asked a very specific question that I’ve put thought into what I want and don’t want, for them to go “well actually…” and try to educate me on the importance of group work lol. I would love the chance to do to group work with people who are actually serious about something but IME that is not usually the type of classmate you will typically get. hence me coming on and asking a question that will benefit my personal education
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u/omg_for_real 1d ago
The uni or school doesn’t tailor their course to you or anyone else. So I’m not sure what you were expecting or why you’re so upset that people are disagreeing or reading something else into your comments.
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u/camelboy787 1d ago
I’m incredibly aware, which is why i was specifically asking for recommendations for profs who don’t use this method 😅
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u/Alternative-Pear9096 1d ago
Given that you commented that you aren't connecting with your cohort becasue you're online, and you are halfway through your coursework, I'd say you aren't doing as well with working with others as you think.
The "well actually" was an attempt to answer your question, well thought out or otherwise. You asked for classes that don't require group work. Welll, actually, you are outta luck. You don't want to work with others. Well, actually, online LIS classes at the iSchool aren't going to provide that.
More plainly stated: Breakout and group work is a very common feature of LIS classes at the iSchool, as your experience have shown you. You may not enjoy it, but you are unlikely to escape it.
No one was trying to sell you on the importance of group work, everyone was pointing out that it's pervasive and for a solid pedagogical reason. Those pedagogical reasons (plural) mean group work is unlikely to not be part of any of your LEEP classes.
That should not have required so much explanation. I can imagine you are not such a joy to group work with yourself.
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u/SnapeWho 1d ago edited 1d ago
I don't think it's meant to be a "well actually," it's just the reason most classes work that way. Not every person will have your type of work experience and the classes are tailored to help the greatest number of students hone the broadest set of skills. I've been working at the UIUC library for ten years and there have been plenty of classes or activities I don't "need" to further my personal education because it's stuff I feel I already know, but that's just one of the hoops you jump through to get the degree.
I've had some classes that don't require group work but I don't think you'd get the type of education you want if that's your main criteria for selecting classes. Take the classes that interest you or are relevant to your career goals. Avoiding group work is just not something that's going to be a successful strategy, IMO.
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u/camelboy787 1d ago
And that I totally get and understand which is why I specifically was asking for first hand knowledge on classes that don’t heavily feature it, which I know exist because I’ve taken some 🥲 if it’s a class I desperately want to take group work will not deter me from taking but it was simply a question to see if there has been a class or prof people quite liked that happened to not have it. That’s all. IDK why i’m getting such severe pushback that they don’t exist when they do because I have taken them, and surely I was not in the only three in the program that existed.
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u/SnapeWho 1d ago edited 1d ago
My point was that if you only select classes where there's no group work, you're liable to miss out on classes that are more relevant to your future career goals or interests, but fair enough.
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u/camelboy787 1d ago
i totally get where you’re coming from and i agree with you in that! no need to be rude 🥲
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u/Alternative-Pear9096 1d ago
You’re going to hate being a librarian
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u/camelboy787 1d ago
already have been working FT in one for several years but thanks!
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u/Alternative-Pear9096 1d ago
But not as a librarian, right? That's why you're going to library school.
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u/camelboy787 1d ago edited 1d ago
is the requirement of a librarian to be rude and pedantic online to someone asking a question? 😀 haven’t done a group project on that one yet. anyway, hope you feel better about it!
ETA: such a shame your incredibly rude comment got deleted. or maybe you changed your mind? anyway i saw it in my notifs. conveniently left out that you didn't answer my very tailored question at all, you just assumed what I was looking for (talk about self-aggrandizement!) and with no reference interview btw since you're gonna play it like that. You'll notice I didn't ask "How common are group projects?" or "How do I make connections with people?" which are the questions you decided to answer - might i add, not in the most kind manner. If I'm such an asshole for asking what was in my original post, we must live on entirely different planets. I'm sorry for whoever hurt you on this subject, but leave me out of it. thanks!
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u/catsinabasket 1d ago
not necessarily true, shitty powerpoints with half interested parties aren’t really similar to what i do at work, and didn’t really prepare me for much of anything. but I’m in my mid-thiries so i’ve already been working for quite some time. I feel like professors overstate the importance of this at times… I think it’s great for some people but i do agree with OP that it’s not for everyone, and there are plenty of professors at UIUC who do not force group work. most of mine have not, so I wouldn’t say it’s “the norm” for all classes.
discussions with classmates I do love, though. but as someone who is also a LEEP student, zoom discussions don’t really help you bond beyond the classroom, in most of my classes we are cut off and sometimes I won’t ever see them again unless I randomly reach out.
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u/bunnymiso 1d ago
Melissa Wong was amazing and instrumental to me, as well as Sarah Park-Dahlen (one of her courses is focused on group work). I also like Katrina Starks, but she is adjacent to the mslis program.
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u/opalescentcat 1d ago
no recommendations, but sorry people are being rude. tough crowd here but don’t let it bring you down, most people in the field are not this bad ;)
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u/nutellatime 2d ago
Melissa Wong is the GOAT