Course Materials: Syllabus
S603 - Teaching and Learning at a Distance
An increasing number of public and school librarians are becoming involved in developing, supporting, and/or offering programs at a distance. From virtual book clubs to non-credit online courses on topics such as cooking to genealogy, public librarians are finding that virtual library activities can attract new patrons. Online high school courses, virtual test prep, and virtual reading programs are just a few of the ways that the virtual school library program can become the bridge between home and school.
Distance education is the process of connecting teachers and students with online resources, virtual communications, and remote activities as the primary means of instruction. This workshop was designed to help instructors, course developers, and others interested in distance education design and develop effective, efficient, and appealing online teaching and learning environments.
This course was designed for academic, public, and school librarians. However other librarians involved with certification programs, professional development, and other virtual programs may also be interested. The course is also useful for university and K-12 educators, instructional designers, information scientists, and others interested in developing online courses.
Teaching and Learning at a Distance
This syllabus was designed for an online course. If you've stumbled upon the materials and want to learn more about it, email Dr. Annette Lamb or Dr. Larry Johnson for more information.
Instructor Contact Information
Names - Annette Lamb, Ph.D. and Larry Johnson, Ph.D.,
University -
IUPUI School of Library and Information Science
Mail Forwarding Address - P.O. Box 206, 1341 S. Boulder Drive, Teasdale, Utah 8477.
Dr. Lamb Email - alamb@eduscapes.com or anlamb@iupui.edu
Dr. Johnson Email - larrjoh@gmail.com or ljohnso@iupui.edu
Voice Mail or Fax through Vision to Action - 620 343 7989
Online Course Materials
Course Materials - http://eduscapes.com/distance
Workshop Materials - http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/index.htm
Syllabus - http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/syllabus.htm
Calendar - http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/syllabus.htm#calendar
Requirements - http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/requirements.htm
Guide - http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/guide.htm
Email Archives - http://eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/archives.htm
Resources - http://eduscapes.com/distance/the_resources/index.htm
Oncourse Sharing Area - http://oncourse.iu.edu
Assumptions
The following entry skills are required for this course:
- demonstrate basic computer skills related to keyboarding, operating system, and disk management.
- identify, select, access, and evaluate information found on the Internet and in the library.
- use technology as a personal and professional productivity tool for activities such a word processing (Microsoft Word) and desktop presentations (Microsoft PowerPoint).
- use a word processor, web development tool, or raw HTML for simple web page development.
- download trial versions of software from the web for evaluation purposes such as educational software (i.e., Inspiration) - directions are provided in class.
- download drivers and plugins such as Real Media, Windows Media Player, and/or QuickTime to play audio and video from the web. - directions are provided in class.
- use Oncourse for forums and information sharing.
This course makes the assumption that you are able to work independently. There are no required face-to-face meetings. There are no required synchronous online meetings. However, feel free to email or arrange a chat with your instructor any time!
This workshop will expand your thinking about teaching and learning at a distance. This course will be taught entirely online including web-based readings and resources, threaded discussions, plus online presentations and activities. Choices allow participants with varied backgrounds and interests to select activities that meet their professional needs.
Goals
Participants will be able to:
- Identify elements of distance learning courses
- Design online materials to meet the needs of diverse learners
- Organize course materials based on structure, elements and formats
- Develop course guides containing a syllabus, calendar, guide, and scaffolds for learning
- Identify and create reception, transformation and production scaffolds
- Build course materials using Dreamweaver
- Select effective communication tools for particular course needs
- Establish and maintain a community of learners
- Identify the purpose and use of cohort groups
- Create cooperative and collaborative group assignments
- Design, develop, and facilitate engaging discussion activities
- Design, develop, and produce engaging learning activities
- Design, develop, and produce effective assessments
- Apply management strategies
- Identify issues in online teaching and learning
Requirements
For a complete description of the requirements, go to the Workshop Requirements page.
Grades
The points awarded for each activity are indicated on the Course Requirements page at http://www.eduscapes.com/distance/workshop_materials/guide.htm
High expectations have been set for this course. Please notice that outstanding achievement will require careful attention to course criteria and exceptional quality in course assignments.
Final grades are based on the following range within the total 50 points possible:
A 48-50
A- 46-47
B+ 44-45
B 42-43
B- 40-41
C 38-39
F below 38
The meaning of the letter grades follows the SLIS Grading Policy:
A: Outstanding achievement. Student performance demonstrates full command of the course materials and evinces a high level of originality and/or creativity that far surpasses course expectations. The grade of A+ is not granted in SLIS, except in very exceptional cases.
A-: Excellent achievement. Student performance demonstrates thorough knowledge of the course materials and exceeds course expectations by completing all requirements in a superior manner.
B+: Very good work. Student performance demonstrates above-average comprehension of the course materials and exceeds course expectations on all tasks defined in the course syllabus.
B: Good work. Student performance meets designated course expectations, demonstrates understanding of the course materials, and has performed at an acceptable level.
B-: Marginal work. Student performance demonstrates incomplete understanding of course materials.
C+, C, C-: Unsatisfactory work and inadequate understanding of course materials.
D+, D, D-: Unacceptable work; course work completed at this level will not count toward the MLS degree.
F: Failing. May result in an overall grade point average below 3.0 and possible removal from the program.
A final grade of "I" or "Incomplete" will NOT be given except in extreme situations (As an adjunct professor, your instructor cannot assign an "I" grade). Please contact me if you're having difficulty completing the requirements of this course.
Accommodations
Students needing accommodations because of disability must register with Adaptive Educational Services and complete the appropriate form before accommodations will be given. The AES office is located in Cavanaugh Hall 001E, 425 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140 and may be reached by phone 317/274-3241 or 317/278-2050 TTD/TTY; by fax 317/274-2051; or by email aes@iupui.edu
For more information go to http://www.life.iupui.edu/Who/Adaptive/
Academic Honesty
This course will follow IUPUI and School of Library and Information Science policies on academic dishonesty. Students found to be engaging in plagiarism, cheating, and other types of dishonesty will receive an F for the course. For further information, please see the Code of Student Conduct at http://www.iupui.edu/code/
Course Calendar
Examine the Calendar below. The first column contains dates. The second column contains activities you should work on during the week indicated by the date. The third column showns specific assignments that are due as indicated in the first column.
All assignments are due by MIDNIGHT on the dates listed.
Note on Due Dates: One advantage of this type of course is flexibility. However based on my experiences teaching online, it's important to establish due dates. The due dates are provided to ensure that all students are successful in this course. Please let me know if you need to change these dates because of personal or professional responsibilities.