University of Tennessee Knoxville Instructor Information *Please note that the
instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus during the semester
and participants will be notified through this website and Blackboard Announcements Meeting Time Tuesday 5:05PM- 7:45PM, All meetings are online both synchronous and asynchronous formats. Course Description This fully online course will examine theory, research and practice of designing, developing, and evaluating online learning environments including distance education and blended learning approaches. The discussions and explorations in class will include both synchronous and asynchronous online learning environments. Course topics will include issues related to current trends in online learning, teaching and learning in an online environment, online learning communities, and designing participatory online courses. Students will engage in an in-depth reading of theory and research related to online learning environments. Masters students will gain experience designing an online course that reflects what they learned during this course. Course Format This is a blended course with synchronous and asynchronous meetings through Blackboard Collaborate and Blackboard. To ensure that you are available for all synchronous course activities please make sure that you are available for the set course hours. Additionally, please make sure that you have access to a USB headset with a microphone for optimum participation in the synchronous sessions. Please review the Classroom Etiquette section carefully to understand your responsibilities as a professional participant in this course. If you choose to engage in activities that are unprofessional, disrespectful to others, or disruptive you will lose points toward course participation. Objectives Course participants will be able to:
Required Text
MyUTK https://my.utk.edu/ Graduate Certificate in Qualitative Research http://web.utk.edu/~edpsych/gradcert_qualresearch.html Graduate Catalog: catalog.utk.edu/index.php?catoid=7/ (Listing of academic programs, courses, and policies) Hilltopics: dos.utk.edu/hilltopics (Campus and academic policies, procedures and standards of conduct) Course Timetable bannerssb.utk.edu/kbanpr/bwckschd.p_disp_dyn_sched (Schedule of classes) Academic Planning www.utk.edu/advising (Advising resources, course requirements, and major guides) Student Success Center studentsuccess.utk.edu (Academic support resources) Instructor Generated Resources 10 Habits of Being a Successful Graduate Student and Beyond How do I know when an article is peer Reviewed? Peer Reviewed Article Matrix Resources for Searching Journal Articles
You will regularly receive course related communications from the instructor through email and through BlackBoard announcements. It is your responsibility to make sure that your university email account is in working condition. If you have technical issues or need help troubleshooting, please contact OIT at remedy.utk.edu/contact/ or call the helpdesk at 865-974-9900. You should expect your instructor to respond to your message within 24 hours on regular business days during the week and 48 hours on weekends and university holidays. If you do not hear back from the instructor, please send another message or call 865-974-7712. University Civility Statement Civility is genuine respect and regard for others: politeness, consideration, tact, good manners, graciousness, cordiality, affability, amiability and courteousness. Civility enhances academic freedom and integrity, and is a prerequisite to the free exchange of ideas and knowledge in the learning community. Our community consists of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and campus visitors. Community members affect each other’s well-being and have a shared interest in creating and sustaining an environment where all community members and their points of view are valued and respected. Affirming the value of each member of the university community, the campus asks that all its members adhere to the principles of civility and community adopted by the campus: http://civility.utk.edu/. Disability Services Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 865-974-6087 in 2227 Dunford Hall to document their eligibility for services. ODS will work with students and faculty to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Your Role in Improving Teaching and Learning Through Course Assessment At UT, it is our collective responsibility to improve the state of teaching and learning. During the semester, you may be requested to assess aspects of this course either during class or at the completion of the class. You are encouraged to respond to these various forms of assessment as a means of continuing to improve the quality of the UT learning experience. Assignments In order to become a successful online learning environments researcher, practitioner, or both, you need experiences that will help you be able to:
Course Participation 100 pts Read Assigned Articles, Book Chapters, and Other Resources Please be prepared for each class session by completing readings on days that they are due with relevant questions for class, and by being a productive participant in course discussions. You need to able to share your understandings about the readings, new ideas, and discoveries about online learning environments through collegial, effective, and professional discussion in both synchronous and asynchronous activities. When you read each work make sure that you take note of interesting ideas you would like to explore through discussion with other participants. If there are ideas that are unclear to you, please make note of those and do not hesitate to bring them up in class. Participatory Online Activities Showcase and Analysis 200 pts |Guide and Checklist| You will find innovative methods for engaging online learners in synchronous or asynchronous activities and demonstrate and implement these methods during allotted time in class. There are several examples in each of the required texts. As a professional you need to gain experience testing new methods for engaging online learners and you need to understand how your beliefs related to online learning affect the types of activities you introduce to them. This handout is due the day of your showcase. The instructor will provide a designated location on Blackboard for you to upload your file. You are also responsible to submit your analysis of the activity you facilitated a week after your showcase and it should be a maximum of 5-pages double-spaced. The analysis need to be in APA 6th edition format. The online signup poll for this assignment will be available during Week 2 of class on Blackboard. Online Course Critique 200 pts |Guide and Rubric| You will have the chance to attend an online course with an eye to reflecting on and critiquing the design of the course, in preparation for designing your own online course later in the semester. You need to find an online learning experience such as an online course, training program, or a MOOC. Attend at least one session/complete at least one module and evaluate your experience/the course design based on the University of Tennessee’s Best Practices for Developing and Delivering Online Instruction http://tenntlc-utk-edu.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2011/05/Course-Standards-update-online-courses1.pdf. Finally, reflect on your experience and evaluation and prepare a paper that follows the requirements in the guide and rubric. Online Course Grant Proposal 200 pts |Simulation| |Grant Review Form| |Checklist| You will prepare a grant proposal for an online course development project. This assignment take place in place of the asynchronous activities for Week 7. It is important that you meet both submission and review deadlines on time to fully participate in this assignment. You will write a proposal within the perspective of a simulation scenario that is provided above. You will also engage in a blind peer review of selected participant proposals as a member of a review panel. First you will engage in an individual review using the Grant Review Form. Then your panel will meet during the synchronous session for Week 7, and complete the panel review. You will be assigned a grade based on the provided checklist. Online Course Proposal and Analysis and Presentation 300 pts |Guide and Rubric| |Peer Evaluation Form| You will work in a team of 3 to 4 members to prepare a proposal and design an online course. The course can be in any type of educational setting such as K-12 schools, professional development, higher education, corporate settings, and military settings. As a team you will need to agree on the target audience, course content, and course duration. The course you create can be based on a hypothetical audience. While designing the course your team needs to make design decisions by proactively reflecting on the theories and learning activities introduced in this class. Your team present this project to the class. Assignments and Total Possible Points
Assignment of Final Grade Grades are updated regularly in Blackboard. Final grades will be given according to the UT grading scale: A=900-1000 B+=850-899 B=800-849 C+=750-799 C=700-749 D=600-699 F=599 and below A Note Regarding Letter Grades Completing all assignments and meeting the minimum expectations of the course constitutes “B” work; truly outstanding/superior work constitutes “A” work; and failing to meet the minimum expectations will result in a grade of “C” or lower. Spending a lot of time on course requirements (or having a history of being an “A” student) may not, in and of itself, necessarily result in an “A” grade. Criteria A= Superior performance, B+= Better than satisfactory performance, B=Satisfactory performance, C+=Less than satisfactory performance, C= Performance well below the standard expected of graduate students., D=Clearly unsatisfactory performance and cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements, F=Extremely unsatisfactory performance and cannot be used to satisfy degree requirements Academic Honesty Academic integrity is a responsibility of all members of the academic community. An honor statement is included on the application for admission and readmission. The applicant’s signature acknowledges that adherence is confirmed. The honor statement declares: An
essential feature of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is a
commitment to maintaining an atmosphere of intellectual integrity and
academic honesty. As a student of the university, I pledge that I will
neither knowingly give nor receive any inappropriate assistance in
academic work, thus affirming my own personal commitment to honor and
integrity.
You are expected to complete your own work. You cannot re-submit work here that was done for previous classes. Plagiarism Students shall not plagiarize. Plagiarism is using the intellectual property or product of someone else without giving proper credit. The undocumented use of someone else’s words or ideas in any medium of communication (unless such information is recognized as common knowledge) is a serious offense subject to disciplinary action that may include failure in a course and/or dismissal from the university. Some examples of plagiarism are
Extreme caution should be exercised by students involved in collaborative research to avoid questions of plagiarism. If in doubt, students should check with the major professor and the Dean of the Graduate School about the project. Plagiarism will be investigated when suspected and prosecuted if established. For this class, plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment and a meeting with your academic adviser.Academic writing conventions and abilities All assignments must conform to the style and reference notation format outlined in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. The APA manual is an essential tool for graduate school academic writing. Please study it carefully and refer to it often. If you are unsure about particular APA formatting and citation rules, refer to the manual. The ability to write in an appropriate academic manner is critical to successful graduate study. If you find that you need assistance with your writing, please visit the university’s free Writing Center housed in the English department: http://web.utk.edu/~english/writing/writing.shtml. They do not proofread or edit your work, but they can help with idea development and organization – key elements of successful academic writing. Resources and Responsibilities It is assumed that this course will "cost" you extra resources in time and expense. Any new skill such as computer use or graphics design should be considered time-consuming and most work will be done outside of the regular class period. It is further assumed that those who enter the course have a wide range of experience and expertise in the field. Ownership of a microcomputer is not required; however, access to one is a necessity. We will be using both Macs and PCs in this course. Attendance Policy Students are expected to be on time, attend all classes, and participate in class discussions, small group activities, exercises, and projects. You may not receive class participation credit for missed classes and are responsible for missed information. However, emergencies can occur at any time and the instructor reserves the right, based on the individual situation, to accommodate a student with any emergency. A student missing class must complete all assignments to the satisfaction of the instructor before credit will be issued. Absences are not considered excused for job interviews, vacations, regular doctor's appointments, or general lack of planning. Students are granted one "free" absence, regardless of the situation. However multiple absences and excessive tardiness are considered unacceptable for success in this course and can be cause for a final grade reduction. Attendance will be taken every class session, and every unexcused absence after the "free" absence will cost you a 10 point deduction from your final grade. Tardiness Tardiness is disruptive and rude to your instructor and your fellow students and reflects badly on you - it can speak about your attitude and work ethic. Students arriving late to class should wait until the instructor, fellow student, or guest speaker is finished talking and should take a seat close to the door. Excessive tardiness = 20 minutes late more than two times. Classroom Etiquette While your instructor, your peer, or guest lecturer is conducting a presentation you are expected to pay complete attention to what they are presenting. It is not only rude, but also distracting to the presenter and other students in class when you are working on the computer, personal portable devices, cell phones, or behaving in any manner that is disruptive to them. If you are engaging in activities such as surfing the web, writing a paper, reading/writing email, working on class assignments, answering your cell phone, Skyping or any other disruptive activities in class you will be asked to leave for the day. If your disrespectful and disruptive behaviors continue, you will lose points from course participation, which will affect negatively on your final grade for this course. Make sure that your cell phone and/or beeper are turned off or set on manner mode. Please inform the instructor before class session begins if your are experiencing circumstances that warrant your cell phone/beeper to be turned on, such as extreme weather conditions that may put your family members in danger. Schedule *Please note that readings must be completed by the date they appear in the schedule. *All Assignments are due 11:59pm the day it is due. *Please assume that all sessions will be held in synchronous format during the allotted course time. When a course will be in asynchronous format the instructor will announce it ahead of time. *When there is a date labeled POAS those are designated dates that course members can choose for his/her Participatory Online Activities Showcase. The instructor will send out an invitation to an online signup tool for members to choose their specific dates.
Readings Week 1
Week4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Optional
Last updated: October 12, 2016 |