Course Name: ________________

Instructor: ________________

Course Delivery The course will be delivered using a combination of assigned readings, online discussion threads, and individual student submissions through the drop box.  There will be three class sessions.  In the first session, the course will be introduced.  In the second session, the midterm will be administered and course progress will be discussed.  In the third session, the final will be administered.

Role of Instructor in Course In the online classroom, the instructor’s role as facilitator is not that of “imparter of knowledge” but rather personal “guidant for learning.”  A student’s role will be that of active learner.  Note both of our roles will be active.  The instructor’s role will be to direct your reading assignments, ask you to write reflective responses around these reading assignments, clarify your thinking around these concepts with real life examples, point you to additional resources to clarify concepts, build upon your responses to help you develop your critical thinking skills, coordinate conversations among yourself and your online classmates, and provide you with timely and relative feedback.  The student, in turn, will actively take ownership for her learning by completing assignments in a timely fashion, writing thoughtful responses to the instructor and her fellow learners, bringing her professional experience into the online learning environment, and challenging her instructor and fellow learners. This will all be done in the Blackboard environment

Aside from the obvious difference that we will not be together physically in a room, the major difference in the online learning environment is that in order for it to succeed everyone needs to be an active participant.  The online learning model is built upon a number of elements: a climate of mutual respect; collaboration; supportiveness (not competitiveness); fun, and; a human touch.  My job as facilitator will be to create a self-directed learning team of you and your fellow learners.  I will try to meet you from where you are coming from, not from where I am coming from.  Whereas you may have encountered these elements in traditional educational environments, these elements are KEY for success in the online learning environment.

Role of Student in Course, attendance, and participation The online equivalent of classroom participation is online posting. Students will be expected to participate (i.e., contribute) to the class discussion in a substantive way at least four out of seven days each week. But to be realistic, it is more effective to log on every day to avoid creating a backlog of material that can very quickly become overwhelming.  Participation means posting notes in the assigned topics that everyone has access to.  Students are "participating" only if their notes can be seen in the main newsgroup. As a general rule of thumb, students need to post at least 12-15-20 notes each week above and beyond the posting of “Mandatory” posts and assignments to be considered for full participation points. Postings fall into two categories: new posts and response posts.  In participating in the “Discussion Boards,” you should not only create new posts in the forums but also engage your colleagues with responses and feedback to their posts.  Given the number of posts and the requirements for participation, you should, on average, generate three response posts to other people’s posts for every one new post you submit.  Quantity is important, but the quality of the notes is even more important. 

Student expectations The following is a general list of expectations you should have when you are considering taking an online course:

You will learn just as much in an online course as in a traditional course
You will spend just as much time on an online course as in a traditional course
You must stay in contact with the instructor
You will not be able to work at your own pace, assignments are given each week
You will be able to schedule your own time
You don't have to be in the classroom or even on campus (except for 3 meeting dates)
Email is not instantaneous
You won't get a notice that your assignment was received
You are expected to know how to use the computer and your software
You will need to be self-motivated
You won't be alone
You will be rewarded - online learning is great for those that use it!

Privacy and Confidentiality in the Online Classroom One of the highlights of the online academic experience is that students can draw on the wealth of examples from their organizations in class discussions and in their written work. However, it is imperative that students not share information that is confidential, privileged, or proprietary in nature. Consistent with the above, students must be mindful of any contracts they have agreed to with their companies.