SIS’ Online Master’s Program Graduates Its First Class

By Ron Cichowicz

When the first 35 students signed on two years ago for FastTrack (FT), Pitt’s pioneering online master’s degree in library and information science program, it’s likely no one was quite sure what to expect.

Would the quality of education delivered online uphold the high standards of the University and its School of Information Sciences (SIS)? Could the program offer both sufficient flexibility and interaction between faculty and students from around the country to provide a well-rounded learning experience?

Attending one of the initial on-campus sessions of the School of Information Sciences’ FastTrack program were Daniel LaValla of Hatfield, Pa., and Randi Kepecs of Ithaca, N.Y. Students in Pitt’s first FastTrack class—a pioneering online master’s in library and information science degree program—graduate today.

Today, those 35 individuals—some of whom are attending Pitt’s commencement ceremony—collectively represent FastTrack’s first graduating class. By all indications, the experiment is a grand success.

A key concept to the program is that the class, or cohort, does not become individual students with computers but an online community of learners. This allows students to draw upon their peers as well as their instructors for support.

A FT student can earn the degree in two years. During the first summer term, the students come to Pittsburgh for five days to complete course requirements, get hands-on computer training, and become acquainted with faculty, staff, and each other. In each of the subsequent five terms, they return to campus for a weekend.

“What attracted me to the program was the fact it was the University of Pittsburgh,” said Marycatherine McGarvey of Norristown, Pa., who directs the Conshohocken Free Library. “I work with many graduates of the MLIS program, and the library school’s reputation is excellent.

“I also work full time and did not want to sit in traffic trying to get to the program that is offered in my area. The fact that I can do the work at my convenience was a real plus. I have three children and need to be home for them when I am not working.”

The first FastTrack cohort consists of 30 women and five men from Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. Since they enrolled in the program, three students have relocated—one to Delaware (click here for accompany article), one to Utah, one to Montana. Their average age is 39. Many have undergraduate degrees in various disciplines, five students also hold advanced degrees, and the average library work experience is five years.

“I was looking for a program that I could start and finish while staying home to raise our three young children,” said Moira Tyrell, who now resides at Hill Air Force Base in Utah. “At the time we were living in Pittsburgh, so I called Pitt and discovered they were going to offer this program. The instructors were very professional and were very knowledgeable about the various subjects they taught. I think this comes from the fact that most of them actually worked in the field and had firsthand knowledge.”

Another FT student, Bill Yurvati of Kutztown, Pa., who works in Kutzown University’s Rohrbach Library, added, “Since I work full time as a library technician, the distance education program gave me an opportunity to earn the professional credentials needed to get a job as a professional librarian in an academic library while keeping my present job. I also enjoyed the on-campus weekends with my fellow FastTrack students and developed several good relationships.”