In 1996, our School was the first on campus to offer an online program, making our top-ranked master’s degree in library and information science available to students around the world. This groundbreaking program was called the Library Education Experimental Program, or Leep.
Twenty-five students enrolled in the first cohort. With extensive teamwork and innovation, our faculty, staff, and students turned this challenging experiment into a successful model of excellence in distance education.
The program—now known as Leep online learning—has grown and adapted to meet the changing needs of students around the world, continuing to provide outstanding LIS education via the latest technologies and methods. The iSchool is now preparing to celebrate twenty years of online education and welcome our twenty-first cohort of students
"In 2009 the University titled the self-study report for reaccreditation 'Excellence, Innovation, and Access.' Those words encapsulate for me what we have accomplished during the past twenty years of Leep—always striving to create an excellent learning environment as we pursued innovations in online education, providing access to our degree for students far beyond east central Illinois. It has been very rewarding to collaborate with all the faculty, staff, and students who have been a part of this,” said Linda Smith, professor and associate dean for academic programs.
To date, more than fifteen hundred alumni have earned their master’s degrees through Leep. The majority reside in Illinois, but other states with a strong alumni base include California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Leep alumni can be found in forty-six states as well as Washington, D.C. and the Virgin Islands. Internationally, they live in countries including Canada, China, Germany, Norway, Pakistan, and Qatar. Altogether, these alumni hold a variety of job titles and leadership roles in a range of settings.
Join us this summer as we commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Leep online learning program. A celebratory alumni reception will be held during the ALA Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, in conjunction with the LSAA Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 26.