Course Syllabus

EC&I 834: The Nature of Online Education
Faculty of Education
University of Regina

Course Syllabus: Spring, 2012

Dr. Stephen Kemp

Overview

The course will guide you to acquire skills in the development of a variety of web-based applications, accommodate the skills and knowledge into your unique teaching situation, and then bring all of those new tools and possibilities together into one, online, inquiry-based problem solving activity. One of the primary considerations in the design of the course was the intent that all of the skills that you will learn in this course can be taught to your students to enhance their learning and technological literacy. Plus, they are all FREE!

You will be introduced to eight web-based applications: Blogs (online personal or professional web site), Prezi (online “zooming” presentations), Glogster (online multimedia posters),  Inspiration (concept-mapping application), Voicethread (slide shows with narration and the ability to allow comments), Jing (screen captures with narration), SketchUp ( a 3D modeling application) and probably the most powerful and yet under-utilized web-based application of them all, WebQuests.

The organizing format for the design and development of the web-based unit will be a WebQuest, an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.

Course Objectives

As a result of this course, students will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of terms and concepts relating to online education.
2. Acquire skills in the design and development of web-based learning resources and strategies to increase their effectiveness.
3. Examine and critique the theoretical basis for instructional design in this medium.
4. Accommodate virtual educational environments into each student’s unique teaching/learning situations (e.g., be able to select appropriate content and appropriate technology).
5. Integrate interactive multimedia instructional resources in the development of inquiry-based learning modules.
6. Explore inquiry-based education and how it relates to the use of virtual educational environments and to the design and development of interactive multimedia instruction.

Course Topics and Schedule

Module 1: The evolution of the WWW

• Date posted: Monday, May 7
• Web 0.0/1.0/2.0/3.0

Module 2: Technology Integration Matrix (T.I.M.)

• Date posted: Thursday, May 10
• Self-assessment of your level of technological integration
• Date due: Wednesday, May 16

Module 3: Blogs

• Date posted: Saturday, May 12
• Design and maintain a personal/professional blog
• Date due: Friday, June 22nd

Module 4: Prezis OR Inspiration OR Glogster

• Date posted: Saturday, May 19
• Create a Prezi (a zooming presentation sort of like Powerpoint on steroids!) on any curriculum related concept or outcome OR learn how to use Inspiration to create a concept map OR learn how to use Glogster to create interactional posters using text, graphics, music or videos!
• Date due: Sunday, May 27

Module 5: Voicethread

• Date posted: Saturday, May 26
• Create a Voicethread on any curriculum related concept or outcome
• Date due: Sunday, June 3

Module 6: Jing OR SketchUp

• Date posted: Saturday, June 2
• Create a Jing screen capture on any curriculum related concept or outcome OR use Sketchup to create 3D models and drawings.
• Date due: Sunday, June 10

Module 7: WebQuests and Instructional Design

• Date posted: Saturday, June 9
• WebQuests and relation to inquiry-based approaches

Module 8: WebQuests

• Date posted: Tuesday, June 12
• Create a WebQuest on any curriculum related concept or outcome
• Date due: Friday, June 22

Assignments

1. Technology Assignments: Each assignment will be worth 12% of the final mark: 48%

• T.I.M. assessment
• Prezis OR Inspiration OR Glogster
• Voicethread
• Jings OR Sketchup

2. Personal Blog: 20%
3. Research, Design and Development of a WebQuest: 32%

University of Regina & Faculty of Education

Summary of Academic Regulations & Reminders (revised Spring/Summer 2010)

For the official record of the policies of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research please refer to the Graduate Calendar: http://www.uregina.ca/gradstudies/calendar/index.shtml

1. Attendance and Punctuality – Regular and punctual attendance is very important in the Faculty of Education because courses are often based on participation and experiential learning rather than lecture.  Instructors will monitor student attendance.
2. Academic Misconduct – University of Regina, Graduate Calendar, http://www.uregina.ca/gradstudies/calendar/policy_univ.shtml#conduct

Acts of academic dishonesty or misconduct include acts which contravene the general principles governing student behaviour. All forms of academic misconduct are considered serious offences at the University.

3. Plagiarism – Plagiarism is another form of academic misconduct. Plagiarism form of academic dishonesty in which one person submits or presents the work of another person as his or her own, whether from intent to deceive, lack of understanding, or carelessness. Unless the course instructor states otherwise, it is allowable and expected that students will examine and refer to the ideas of others, but these ideas must be incorporated into the student’s own analysis and must be clearly acknowledged through footnotes, endnotes, or other practices accepted by the academic community. Students’ use of others’ expression of ideas, whether quoted verbatim or paraphrased, must also be clearly acknowledged according to acceptable academic practice. It is the responsibility of each student to learn what constitutes acceptable academic practice. Plagiarism includes the following practices:

1. not acknowledging an author or other source for one or more phrases, sentences, thoughts, code, formulae, or arguments incorporated in written work, software, or other assignments (substantial plagiarism);
2. presenting the whole or substantial portions of another person’s paper, report, piece of software, etc. as an assignment for credit, even if that paper or other work is cited as a source in the accompanying bibliography or list of references (complete plagiarism). This includes essays found on the Internet.

Students who are uncertain what plagiarism is should discuss their methodology with their instructors.

4. Harassment – All members of the University community are entitled to a professional working and learning environment free of harassment and discrimination.  This entitlement, however, carries with it the expectation that all members of the University community will conduct themselves in an appropriate and responsible manner, with due respect and regard for the rights of others.  No member of the university community shall cause or participate in discrimination against or harassment of another person.

http://www.uregina.ca/presoff/vpadmin/policymanual/hr/2010510.shtml

5. Late Assignments – Action regarding late assignments may vary from instructor to instructor.  Expectations or due dates for assignments, as well as the marks that may be deducted for late assignments are noted in the course syllabus.  (For example, some instructors deduct one mark for each day late.)
6. Language Competence – Students are expected to meet recommended standards of language competence as part of graduation requirements in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.
7. Special Needs – Students who, because of a disability, may have a need for accommodations, please discuss this with your instructor as soon as possible.  You may also wish to contact the Centre for Student Accessibility (RC 251) at 585-4631 or by email accessibility@uregina.ca.
8. Unprofessional Conduct – Students of the University of Regina are expected to conduct themselves responsibly and with propriety both in their studies and in their general behaviour, and are expected to abide by all policies and regulations of the University. Misconduct, which may be academic (that is, in academic studies) or non-academic (in general behaviour), is subject to disciplinary action.