The
first course in
the series, an eight-week
class entitled
Online Learning: An Overview, was introduced in the Spring of 1999.
Since then, the MVCR catalog has continued to expand and MVCR now offers
9
different 8-week courses, plus a concluding
Practicum. We are also continually developing new courses including
our new advanced online
seminars. These
courses are conveniently offered within the framework of an academic
calendar year that includes
Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. The courses take place wherever
your computer is: at home, at work, on the road - anywhere you can
connect to the Internet. No campus visits are ever required. Furthermore,
you
can earn various forms of credit including graduate
credit hours by taking these courses.
What is the course structure?
All MVCR courses are delivered entirely online and rely on asynchronous discussion
and collaboration as the principle form of communication. Technically, there
are no class times. Most courses will also have optional synchronous online
chats or office hours, and said resource is available for students to meet
as groups online. The courses take place wherever your computer is: at home,
at work, on the road - anywhere you can connect to the Internet. No campus
visits are ever required. Participants interact with one another and with
the instructor extensively via a Web-based conferencing system.
Course content is broken into modules, each of which cover a specific topic.
Most, if not all, of the materials you will use in your course are online.
Your instructor may recommend books or additional paper-based resources.
The course instructors model the strategies that participants will eventually
use in their own online courses, and the online format gives participants
new to online teaching an opportunity to experience the virtual classroom
from a student's perspective.
Because these online training courses are delivered asynchronously over an
extended period, participants are able to interact with the content and with
other participants at their convenience and dedicate as much time as they
can afford to the process. This allows the instructor and participants to
reflect on course content in far greater depth and more thoroughly than can
be accomplished in a 3-hour face-to-face workshop. These courses are not self-paced
however. Participants work through the material in the course together and
are expected to communicate frequently with others in the course.
Where do the classes take place?
The courses take place wherever your computer is: at home, at work,
on the road - anywhere you can connect to the Internet. No campus
visits are ever required. Our courses are currently taught within the Moodle coures management system.
When do the classes meet?
Technically, there are no class times. Online courses are conducted "asynchronously," which
means individuals "take turns" sending text messages back and forth
between students and instructors. Most instructors require frequent participation
online. You can log onto the system whenever it is convenient for you,
at any time, day or night, to retrieve and/or send course information.
This way
you receive constant feedback and interaction, but don't have to be online
at a set time of day.
How much time will the course take?
You should plan to spend approximately ten hours per week in each MVCR
course. Those participants who spend more than ten hours will find that
they learn more in the process.
How will you login?
Each course is in the course conferencing program.
Upon registration, you will be sent an email containing information on
the MVCR orientation program containing more information about accessing
your course. At 12:00 a.m. on the day that the course officially begins,
you will be able to login and begin the course materials, but the orientation
course is available immediately once you have registered for a course.
Course confirmations
Because of the popularity of our coures, we consistently have a waiting
list for our courses. You are encouraged to register as early as possible.
Some
courses fill the first day registration is open. In order to facilitate
members of the waiting list to get into the course, approximately two weeks
before the course begins you may be sent a reminder e-mail asking
you to confirm
that you
intend to participate. Failure to
confirm your intent to participate may result in your withdrawal from the
course in order to allow waiting list recipients into the course.
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MVCR course policies include privacy issues, grading, behavior,
payment, participation, and copyright and student ownership
The Policies
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