Rate My Professor Sue Alman

Dr. Sue Alman is a Lecturer and Gateway PhD Program Coordinator in the School of Information at San José State University, appointed to the full-time faculty in 2012. Prior to joining SJSU, she held positions at the University of Pittsburgh School of Information Sciences, where she directed the online Master of Library and Information Science program from 2001 to 2012 and taught graduate courses. She earned her Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh, initiating her research on interpersonal relationships and personality types under Dr. Sara Fine. Alman's expertise spans interpersonal communications, a key area within Communications, library marketing and public relations, futures studies, leadership, and management. She has engaged in distance and online education since the 1990s, teaching communication techniques in both synchronous and asynchronous formats for nearly 30 years.

Her research interests include interpersonal and organizational communications, online teaching and learning, blockchain technology, library marketing, and advocacy. Recent investigations focus on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), social and cognitive presence in learning and student retention, and Personal Information Management among Library and Information Science faculty. In Fall 2014, she led the MOOC "The Emerging Future: Technology Issues and Trends," attracting over 1,700 global participants, and organized the Library 2.015 Spring Summit on technology and learning. Notable publications include "Designing Online Learning: A Primer for Librarians" (2012, co-authored with Christinger Tomer and Margaret L. Lincoln, Libraries Unlimited), "Crash Course in Marketing for Libraries" (2007, Libraries Unlimited), and co-editing "Blockchain: A Practical Guide for Information Professionals" (2019, with Sandra Hirsh, ALA Editions). Alman has conducted webinars and workshops on library advocacy and marketing, contributing to professional development in the field.