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Students/Alumni..... Handbook | SLIS List | LISSO | Careers | Alumni Directory Student
Handbook At the time of admission to the program
you are assigned a faculty adviser to offer guidance in the selection
and sequencing of courses, in clarifying professional objectives, and
in other matters. Your adviser
must approve any transfer credits and courses taken outside the department,
if you plan to apply them toward your 36-semester-hour program.
If you are not satisfied with a decision of your adviser, the
matter can be taken up with the director of the School.
It is also possible to change advisers.
See the director if you wish to do so.
The School has a personal interest in each student, and the advisers
are eager to help you.
Top
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| UI Home General Statement The independent study (021:292) is
intended to provide the student with a specific knowledge and/or competency
compatible with his or her career plans and professional development
goals and which is available through no other University offerings or
mechanisms. It is to be as academically rigorous and demanding
as a regularly enrolled course. A.
A
formal proposal that includes the following: 1.
Statement
of purpose, goals, and objectives. 2.
Bibliography
extensive enough to indicate prior investigation of the proposed topic
or area of study. 3.
Schedule
of topics, activities, and meeting times with instructor. 4.
Description
of outcome or product (e.g., paper of rigorous quality, handbook or
manual, multimedia production, substantive web project, programming
project). B.
Approval
of the proposal by the instructor prior to registration. C.
Credit 1. For one semester hour of credit, the effort should represent
45-50 hours of work during the term. 2. For two semester hours of credit, the effort should represent
90-100 hours of work during the term. 3. For three semester hours of credit, the effort should represent
135-150 hours of work during the term. Top
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| UI Home Master’s
Thesis Policy A student may opt to write a thesis
(021:299) in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the M.A. in
library and information science. The
thesis carries 6 semester hours of credit and has these prerequisites: 021:101, 021:120, 021:122, 021:202, 021:260,
and consent of the director. The thesis option requires the following: 1.
The
student will identify a thesis adviser and two thesis committee members. One committee member may come from a relevant
department outside of LIS. Two
members must be from within the department, including the thesis adviser. 2.
The
student develops the research problem, completes a comprehensive literature
review, and proposes a method for study, with advice and counsel from
the adviser and in consultation with the other committee members. The proposal should be written using the following
format as a guideline: Research
Problem, Literature Review, Proposed Methodology. 3.
Upon
recommendation of the thesis adviser, the student arranges a meeting
of the thesis committee to review the proposal.
Copies of the proposal will be delivered to the committee members
no less than one week before the proposal meeting. 4.
The
purpose of the proposal meeting shall be for the committee to make suggestions
and recommendations to the student for the study. The student will be responsible for recording the suggestions and
recommendations of committee members. 5.
After
the proposal meeting, the student and adviser will confer and review
the outcome of the proposal meeting. 6.
The
student will proceed to carry out the study, conferring with the adviser
and other committee members as he/she deems necessary. 7.
Once
the major portion of the research has been completed (for example, the
data have been collected), the student will write the thesis, including
the information written for the proposal as well as the results and
conclusions of the study. 8.
The
adviser will review the thesis and will determine its readiness for
defense. 9.
The
student will be responsible for convening the defense meeting with the
thesis committee. 10.
The
student will deliver the thesis to all members of the committee no less
than five working days before the defense. 11.
After
the defense, the student will make any necessary corrections; the adviser
will be responsible for ensuring that required revisions are completed. 12.
The
student will be responsible for following the formatting guidelines
of the Graduate College. 13.
Once
the thesis has been corrected and signatures are obtained from all committee
members, the student may proceed to deposit the finished work in the
Graduate College Office. 14.
Dates
for preliminary and final deposit in the Graduate College Office must
be followed; these dates are a part of the University’s Official Calendar. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure
that all deadlines are met. Top
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| UI Home
IV.
Comprehensive Examinations All master’s degree programs in The
University of Iowa require a final, or comprehensive, examination. The exam for SLIS students is in two parts:
a written take-home test and a one-hour oral exam. The questions are designed to test your general comprehension of
the library/information science discipline, as well as specific aspects
of your own preparation. The
exam is not intended to duplicate course examinations, and emphasis
is given to the ability to synthesize knowledge across the curriculum. Comprehensives are normally taken in
your final term. They may, however,
be taken in the previous session if you will have completed 30 semester
hours and all required courses by the end of that term. Selection
and Role of Committee The examination committee consists
of three members of the SLIS faculty.
Early in your final semester, you will be invited to request
three committee members and an alternate.
Final selection is made by the director, with an attempt to equalize
the load among the faculty. Each member of the committee reads
and evaluates the written exam prior to the oral exam. All three members attend the oral exam, participate
in the questioning, and evaluate the responses. The
Written Exam The written portion is a take-home
exam. Your questions will be
prepared by your committee, taking into account the focus of your program. Questions will be distributed shortly after
mid-terms, with a two-week period allowed for completion of the written
exam. A comprehensive examination
typically contains two questions. Five
double-spaced pages and an additional bibliography of readings are expected
in response to each question. A
set of guidelines for these responses will be given to you. The Oral Exam Oral exams are held one week after
the written exams are turned in. The
oral exam is one hour in length. It
covers the content of your written paper, but can include other questions
as well, since it is intended to measure your comprehensive knowledge
of the field. Evaluation
and Notification Upon completion of the oral exam, each
committee member rates the entire exam (both written and oral) by voting
in one of the following ways: Pass,
Pass with Distinction, or Fail. Two
Pass votes are needed to pass. Those
receiving two or more votes of Pass with Distinction are awarded this
honor, which becomes part of the student’s permanent record. If a student fails the exam, permission to retake the examination
may be given, at the discretion of the committee. The reexamination may not be held sooner than the next regularly
scheduled examination period in the following session. Notification is made by letter from
the committee chair after all the exams for that term have been completed. Preparation
for the Exam A meeting is held near the beginning
of each term, to discuss the format and intent of the exam and to suggest
productive methods of preparation.
You will be given a set of guidelines for the written responses. Top
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| UI Home The M.A. in LIS requires 36 semester
hours of graduate credit. At
least 24 semester hours must be completed under the auspices of The
University of Iowa after formal admission to the degree program, and
at least 8 of these 24 hours must be completed on campus.
Transfer credits from other institutions must be approved by
the student’s adviser and by the director of the School.
Approval is given on a course-by-course basis and is determined
by evaluating the course’s content, currency, and applicability to the
student’s program Students admitted to the School of
Library and Information Science are expected to enroll continuously
on a full-time or part-time basis until completing the degree. Prior approval should be sought from the adviser
before interrupting the program. Leaves of absence are granted on a
semester-by-semester basis up to a total absence of 36 months. In accordance with Graduate College policy,
students who fail to register for a period of 36 months or more must
apply for readmission. Consideration
of the application for readmission will be governed by the departmental
and Graduate College admissions standards in effect at the time of reapplication. Top of Page | SLIS Home | UI Home
Graduate students in library and information
science must maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.00 in courses
leading to their M.A. degree. A
student whose grade-point average after 8 semester hours falls below
3.00 is placed on academic probation and notified in writing. If the average is raised
to 3.00 after completing 8 additional semester hours of graduate credit,
the student will be restored to good standing.
However, if the student’s cumulative grade-point average remains
below 3.00 after completing 8 additional semester hours, the student
will not be permitted to reregister.
Students on probation may not take the M.A. comprehensive examination,
defend a thesis, or receive the M.A. degree. Top
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| UI Home
VIII.
Evaluation of Instructional Staff In addition, the School complies with
the University policy on oral communication competence of instructional
staff. Students who wish to
lodge a complaint about the oral communication competence of an instructor
or teaching assistant are advised to bring it to the director of SLIS,
who will take action to verify the complaint, discuss the complaint
with the instructor if warranted, and take responsibility to see that
the problem is addressed in a way that will ensure that adequate standards
of oral communication competence are maintained. IX. Library and Information Science Student Organization
The
Library and Information Science Student Organization (LISSO) is composed
of all students currently enrolled in the program.
LISSO’s Executive Committee includes the President, Vice-President,
Secretary, Treasurer and the chairs of the four standing committees
(Events/Speakers, New Student Orientation, Kitchen and Social). The President and Vice-President are elected
at the end of the preceding semester and the balance of the Executive
Committee is selected at the beginning of each semester.
Prior to the election, LISSO officers will meet with the new
class to explain the purposes of the organization and the procedures
of selection of Executive Committee members. Top
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| UI Home
X. MAILBOXES, TELEPHONES, AND LOCKERS As soon as possible at the beginning
of each term, a student directory is prepared and individual mailboxes
are assigned to each student. These
mailboxes are located to the immediate left of the entrance to the administrative
offices. Written messages can
thus be sent easily to any student in the school. The mailboxes may also be used for distribution
of material for a class of students or for the entire student body.
Such items should not be of an anonymous nature but should be
identified by the name of the writer. It is suggested that telephone messages
be directed to the student’s home phone, listed in the student directory.
Those needing to place telephone calls may make local calls from
the Technology Lab. A pay phone is located just outside the School’s
quarters on the third floor. Ninety lockers have been provided for student use.
To claim a locker for yourself choose any one available, provide
it with lock, and register the number in the SLIS office. Top
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| UI Home XI. SLIS Mailing List and Website The School maintains an electronic
mailing list, which is referred to as the SLIS list.
It is used to notify students of local job opportunities, scholarships,
events, scheduling changes, etc. All
students should sign on to this mailing list.
Instructions are sent to all new students.
The instructions are also posted on the School’s web site http://www.uiowa.edu/~libsci. The web site is a comprehensive resource for
up-to-date information on the School – its curriculum and course schedules,
faculty, student resources, etc. XII. General University Policies A comprehensive guide to student rights
and responsibilities, Policies and Regulations Affecting Students,
is issued each fall. Copies
are mailed to each registered student and are also available in the
office of the Dean of Students, 114 Jessup Hall and at the IMU Campus
Information Center. -- Revised August 2001
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School of Library and
Information Science
The University of Iowa, 3087 Main Library Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1420 1-800-553-4692 (Ext. 5707) or 319-335-5707 Fax: 319-335-5374 slis@uiowa.edu |