1. Engaging Medical Professions Beyond Borders in Executive MBA Distance Program P. Judy Li University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville judyli@utk.edu Difficulties in addressing this specific group’s business information needs On the student side: User proximity issue, time zone difference. Students without a bachelor degree in business and no knowledge of common business jargon. Different users’ levels of technological expertise and experiences in using library services. On the librarian side: The librarian has no knowledge of medical jargon. The general academic library, by nature, is limited in healthcare specific library collection e.g. expensive reports from medical organizations such as American Hospital Association. Students’ cultural differences. Students’ country specific information and their healthcare systems. Innovative solutions to provide reference services to engage this unique group Database Spotlight - Online group database instruction sessions using BlackBoard. Individual research consultation using screen sharing conference tools such as Skype, Zoom.us Handouts and tutorials stored in cloud computing platform such as DropBox. Specific subject Libguide in healthcare industry; collaboration with Healthcare Librarian and UT Medical School Library in answering research requests. Virtual business library on general business subjects (with QR code on the business librarian’s business card for students’ easy access). Engaging students in professional style social networking such as with LinkedIn. Avoid using common community social networking tools such as Facebook and Google+ Using free mobile VOIP calls and text services with students such as Google Voice, Viber and Talkatone. Introduction The convenience of advanced instructional technologies make taking online degrees attractive to adults who go for advanced degrees in other discipline areas. The Sloan Consortium 2013 survey: student number taking at least one online course continued to grow at a rate far in excess of overall enrollments (Allen and Seaman, 2014). As library services are attached to academic programs, online education also changes users’ expectations of library instruction delivery (Dewan and Steeleworthy, 2013). PEMBA at University of Tennessee, Knoxville The Physician Executive MBA (PEMBA) program is nationally ranked and exclusively for physicians. This program is composed of physicians from around the globe. It is a blended-mode study combining distance learning with short residency periods, focusing on healthcare with a range of business disciplines. Student Demographics Students/graduates have been from all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Saipan. Internationally, students/graduates are from: Canada, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Age Range: Max = 75, Min = 28, Average = 45, Mode = 46. Ratio of males to females is 81% to 19%. The classes have been comprised of 57% white/ Caucasian students and 43% students from minority backgrounds. The minorities are broken down as follows: American Indian 0.05% Asian/Pacific Islander 22.95% Black 14.00% Hispanic 6.00% Required features for flipped classroom innovative e-instruction Screen sharing VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) Audience interaction tools Compatibility with mainstream operating systems Easy-to-use and clear user interface File sharing, storage and security On-Demand Record and Play Back features Customer/Technical Support from vendors Best practices in selecting e-learning tools for library instruction Identify your particular needs Ask for recommendations from your peers Make use of trials from vendors Create comparison forms to fill out when conducting test drives Ask questions and request live training demos from vendors Reference Allen, I. E., and J. Seaman. (2014) Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the United States. (http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/grade-change-2013) Dewan, Pauline, and M. Steeleworthy. (2013) Incorporating Online Instruction in Academic Libraries: Getting Ahead of the Curve. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 7(3),278-96 Li, Judy. (2014) Greeting You Online: Selecting Web-Based Conferencing Tools for Instruction in E-Learning Mode. Journal of Library & Information Services in Distance Learning, 8(1-2), 56-66 Types of library services for distance learners Remote access to all online databases Inter-library services: book mailing services for students in North America; document delivery and book scanning services for students in both North America and other regions. Online instruction and reference services (chat, IM, phone and email)