Access to information by subject : a course aimed at improving knowledge in the field of subject indexing

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe the main goals and structure of an e-learning course aimed at improving knowledge in the field of subject indexing, within the scope, obviously, of Information Science. The course does not foresee any face-to-face teaching and is designed such that students follow a programme with an increasing degree of difficulty, in order to be able to produce subject access points to information and to build a structured list of indexing terms (thesaurus). The content analysis is thoroughly discussed and put into practice through several assessment modes and the representation of concepts is also extensively discussed by the students in a forum and chat sessions with the instructor. The course presents a detailed programme, following a carefully structured calendar, and envisages a model of teaching and learning based on the progressive acquisition of concepts and knowledge. It requires solid organization and well-defined rules that have acted, until now, as factors that have sustained the students' interest and dedication over the six weeks of the course. This type of course fills a recognized gap in most of the regular courses offered by the universities in Portugal, and has thus attracted the attention mainly of information professionals who work in libraries, archives and other information services.