History of WISE
In the spring of 2002, representatives from Syracuse University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign met to discuss the possibility of collaborating to improve and expand upon their existing Library and Information Science (LIS) distance education programs.  The intent of the collaboration was to establish quality metrics in distance education while facilitating course sharing between the two programs. The concept took root, and by the fall of 2002 the two institutions began cross enrolling students in elective online courses.

In summer 2004, a two-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) provided the foundation for the Web-based Information Science Education Consortium (WISE).  This grant allowed the founders to expand upon their initial venture to include LIS programs at other schools. The goals of the proposal included the development of a cost-effective, collaborative distance education program which would increase the quality, access and diversity of online educational opportunities available to LIS students.  In addition, three pillars were defined which highlight the ideals of the consortium: quality, pedagogy, and collaboration.

WISE established itself as a member of the LIS distance education community through presence at several national and international conferences in the following year, including the Association of Library and Information Science Educators (ALISE), The Sloan Consortium, Distance Learning Administration (DLA), the American Library Association (ALA), and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) among others.  WISE continued to garner support, and by the spring of 2005 the consortium had grown to include 13 member institutions.

The WISE consortium places a high value on sound pedagogical training.  In the spring of 2005, WISE launched a series of face to face pedagogical instruction opportunities at conferences such as ALA 2005 and ALISE 2006, supplemented by online teaching modules.  In addition, outstanding WISE educators are rewarded for their attention to quality online instruction with the Excellence in Online Teaching award, instituted in 2006.

In summer 2006, the WISE consortium received an additional three-year grant from the IMLS. The grant supports the WISE+ initiative which aims to expand the institutional consortium to include professional library organizations. WISE students now have access to a broad variety of specialty courses taught in conjunction with these organizations, bridging the gap between education, theory and practice. 

In October of 2006, WISE received the Effective Practices Award from the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C), an organization comprised over 1000 institutions dedicated to excellence in online learning.  The award recognizes the WISE Consortium’s leadership role in the advancement of quality, scale, and breadth of online courses.

By spring 2007, 264 students from 13 programs will have participated in 161 WISE courses. Students and instructors from across the world have contributed to this ever evolving global classroom. As the WISE consortium continues to develop, emphasis on quality, pedagogy and collaboration continues to grow stronger.