College of the Redwoods
CURRICULUM PROPOSAL FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION COURSE
Date: 8/30/13
1. Division: Business and Applied Technology
2. Course ID and Number: CIS 30
3. Course Title: Networking Essentials
SHORT TITLE (appears on student transcripts; limited to 30 characters, including spaces): Networking Essentials
4. Please select the distance education method that best describes how the course content will be delivered to most
students taking this class:
CTV
DE 52: One-way video and two-way interactive audio (delivered video and telephone)
ITV
DE 51: Simultaneous Interaction: Two-way interactive video and two-way interactive audio
Online
DE 71: Internet based - Simultaneous Interaction: Session under supervision of instructor not
available by line of sight using the Internet with immediate opportunity for exchange
between participants.
DE 72: Internet based - Delayed Interaction: Session under supervision of instructor not available by line of
sight using the Internet without the immediate involvement of the instructor.
Other
DE 53: Simultaneous Interaction: Two-way interactive audio only
DE 60: Text One Way
DE 70: Audio One Way
5. Attach course syllabus to this proposal.
6. What perceived need will this distance education course address?
CIS 30 is a hybrid course. The lecture is online and students meet weekly on campus for the
lab. The hybrid nature of the course provides blended learning where students learn weekly
content via online material such as video lectures, narrated PowerPoints, and textbook and
online reading. This format creates active learners versus traditional passive learners; and
appeals to many working students, and students with a busy schedule by allowing students to
more easily fit class time into their busy schedules. Classroom time is used for applying
knowledge from the week's studies by solving problems and completing hands-on labs.
Studies show the hybrid classroom provides better student-instructor interaction because
instructor's circulate and talk with students and provide one-on-one tutoring, as well as more
opportunities to provide feedback and emotional support to students. In addition, hybrid courses
are more in tune with technology and the way today's students interact with the world (Bergmann
& Sams, 2012, p. 20) Brain research tells us that the novelty of any stimulus tends to wear off
after about 10 minutes, and as a result, learners tend to check out after 10 minutes of exposure to
new content. After that, they either need a change of stimulus, emotional variety, or an
opportunity to step back and process what they're learning (Medina, 2008).
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
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7. Describe in detail how the course content will be delivered and how students will engage this content. Be sure
to describe the specific technologies and/or software to be used.
The course uses College of the Redwoods' Course Learning Environment (CLE). Students
must have a broadband Internet connection, a computer with the recommended operating
system, and a browser that supports CR's CLE. In addition, student's systems must be configure
to support Cisco's Packet Tracer software that creates and runs network simulations.
The course syllabus, weekly lesson plans, calendar, lecture materials, supporting course
materials, discussion forums, assignments, quizzes, exams, gradebook, announcements,
messages and email are all handled through the CLE interface. Students are required to login
several times every week to view and/or download course materials. Students submit completed
work via the "Assignments" tool in the CLE. Students engage in weekly online discussion
forums. A "student lounge" discussion forum is provided where students can collaborate.
Students complete a weekly take-home quiz that is graded and reviewed at the beginning of
each lab session. Exams are administered on campus during lab time and proctored by the
instructor.
Lectures are delivered in a variety of formats: 1) Web based, narrated PowerPoint
presentations, 2) Short closed-captioned videos, and 3) text based. In addition, if a student is
struggling with a concept, a short customized video is created and emailed to the student.
8. To illustrate the description in #7, describe what students in this course may do in a typical week of this course.
1. Login to the CLE and review the weekly “checklist”
2. Read assigned material from the textbook
3. Read/view instructor- created lecture material
4. Review material from websites identified in the lecture material
5. Post a Discussion Forum response addressing critical thinking questions posted by the
instructor and demonstrating knowledge gained from assigned material
6. Take a quiz to assess understanding of week’s material
7. Complete a “reading questions” assignment and turn it in via the CLE before lab
8. Reply to other classmates’ Discussion Forum posts.
9. Come to lab and complete hands-on activities and submit lab reports via the CLE
9. Title V mandates “regular and effective” contact between DE students and the instructor. Describe the nature
and frequency of instructor-student interactions in this course.
The instructor meets at least 3 hours per week with students during scheduled lab time. The
instructor is also available on campus during scheduled office hours, and online via email, CLE
message tool, and CLE discussion forums. In addition, the instructor may hold a "virtual" office
hour using synchronous communication technology such as CCC Confer.
Weekly discussion forum participation will be a required component of the course. Each
week, the instructor will post a discussion forum topic with questions for students to address
through research from their assigned course materials and/or using the Internet. Students must
respond by a certain date. The instructor may reply to the student's response by asking
additional questions that require further inquiry. Students can expect the instructor to participate
in the discussion forums several times per week. The instructor will participate more frequently
when a thread involving the instructor exists.
The instructor provides a "general questions" forum where students can post questions they
have about the course. These questions may be answered by other students in the course or the
instructor if no response is given. Students can expect an answer within 24 hours.
The instructor will prompt students to stay on task and on time by using the calendar tool,
weekly announcements, messages and email as needed.
Students may send the instructor messages and/or emails concerning questions about the
course and expect a response within 24 hours.
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
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10. Describe the nature and frequency of student-student interactions in this course.
Students interact online several times a week via the weekly online discussion forums. In
addition, students interact during on-campus lab sessions where the week's content is
discussed, quizzes are graded and reviewed, and hands-on labs are completed. Students are also
required to work in groups to complete select hands-on projects (e.g. configuring and
troubleshooting a multi-switch and router WAN). . In the case of online group activities,
asynchronous or synchronous communication can be used, but students will have the
experience of scheduling their group activities and will gain team-building skills.
As needed, students can use the "student lounge" discussion forum provided by the
instructor to discuss course-related matters. Students are encouraged to support one another.
As it occurs, students may provide answers to student-initiated questions posted to the "General
Questions" forum.
11. Describe how you will identify and respond to students experiencing difficulty in this course.
Students who send a message via CR's CLE or email or post a question on the class
Discussion Board are responded to promptly, typically within a few hours (the syllabus states a
response can be expected within 24 hours).
In addition, the instructor is available for one-on-one meetings during scheduled office hours
and lab sessions.
12. Will exam proctoring be required?
No
Yes
If yes, who will proctor exams? Instructor
13. Describe how assessments are used in this course to ensure that student work is evaluated effectively and
accurately.
Exams are given three times a semester, on campus during lab sessions. In addition, weekly
assignments and hands-on labs are required and evaluated by the instructor.
14. Describe the equipment and staff resources necessary to support the course for students and instructors.
A CLE that allows document and grade posting
15. Describe the contingency plan for this course if access to the delivery system is interrupted.
Short term disruptions of less than a week can be handled using CR's email system and lab
time. Longer disruptions would be problematic.
16. Both state and federal law require community colleges to design courses to ensure access for students with
disabilities, including compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Please indicate the steps taken to
ensure accessibility by checking the Yes, No, or NA boxes below. For further assistance with accessibility and
assistive technology, please contact DSP&S.
Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
1. The course delivery provides a text equivalent for all non-text elements such as images,
animations, applets, audio/video files and art. This will enable a screen reader to read the
text equivalent to a blind student.
2. The course delivery provides descriptions for important graphics if they are not fully
described through alternative text or in a document’s content. The description would inform
a blind student of what a picture represented.
3. The course delivery ensures that information conveyed by the use of color is also
understandable without color. For example, so a blind or color-blind student could
understand a color-coded representation of DNA.
4. The course delivery provides textual equivalents to audio information (captioning). The text
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
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will enable deaf students to know what others are hearing.
5. The course delivery provides an alternative audio description for multimedia presentations.
The sound will enable blind students to know what others are seeing.
6. The course delivery ensures that moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating objects or
pages may be paused or frozen. The movement can be distracting for students with certain
disabilities.
7. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web site
identifies, by labeling or other appropriate means, row and column headers. The
identification will enable screen readers to discern the headers, which disclose the purpose
of the data in the rows and columns.
Yes No NA Requirement and Purpose
8. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the web site
provides title frames and includes sufficient information as to their purpose and relationship
to each other. This will help blind students understand the organizational purpose of the
frame.
9. If using faculty web site vs. college provided course management system, the instructor has
ensured, through HiSoftware’s “Cynthia Says” http://www.cynthiasays.com/ or other
appropriate verification, the usability of pages, and will attach to this proposal evaluation
printouts of Section 508 and WCAG—Priority 1 compliance.
10. My course syllabus recommends that students who require accommodations for a disability,
such as accessible formatting of course materials, contact me immediately. Example: “In
compliance with equal access laws, I am available to discuss appropriate academic
accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Students are
encouraged to contact Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSP&S) for disability
verification and for determination of reasonable academic accommodations.”
Submitted by: Dan Calderwood
Tel. Ext: 476-4365
Approvals:
Department Chair: N/A
Dean, Distance Education MaryGrace McGovern
Division Chair/Director: Jeff Cummings
Date: 8/30/13
Review Date:
Review Date: 10/9/13
Review Date: 10/9/13
CURRICULUM COMMITTEE USE ONLY
Approved by Curriculum Committee: No
Yes
Date: 10.25.13
Academic Senate Approval Date: 11.01.13 Board of Trustees Approval Date: 12.10.13
Curriculum Approval: 01.23.09
Academic Senate Approval: 03.04.09
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