Professional Development Studies News

Melanie Andrich, director of SCILS' Professional Development Studies program, has received the Excellence in Online Education Award from Pearson eCollege.

Under Andrich's leadership, Professional Development Studies is home to a 'virtual office' for online advising -- a student-led, peer mentoring program managed through a Ning network, dynamic advising wikis, electronic newsletters and student-generated "how to" screencasts -- all of which provide academic and student life resources and interactive support for learners.

"We're being recognized as not just making faddish use of social media, but going very deep with particular forms of those media," Andrich says.

Professional Development Studies is the off campus outreach and continuing education program SCILS. PDS offers a variety of certificate programs designed to help students update or expand their professional skills and interests, meet licensing requirements, or even change careers.

PDS also supports the online Master in Library and Information Science program. Established in 2005, the program graduated its first cohort last year and is the virtual parallel to the traditional MLIS -- the only library program in New Jersey accredited by the American Library Association.

The key to providing a rich experience online, Andrich says, is keeping classes small and giving students the tools they need to avoid feeling distant and isolated.

"Students were looking for more feedback consistently and over time," Andrich says. "It's a matter of creating a community feeling and a sense they have access -- a sense that they are not alone."