DISTANCE LEARNING CLASSES
Courses already approved by the Curriculum Committee require an additional review and
approval in order to be taught as distance learning classes, defined as classes in which the
instructor and student are separated by distance and interact through the assistance of
communication technology (Title 5, 55370). The purpose of this separate review and approval
is to ensure that classes taught by means of distance learning have the same quality, rigor and
intensity as other classes. In order to encourage experimentation and accommodate limited
timelines, classes may be taught once by means of distance learning before being approved by
the Curriculum Committee. The Committee, however, must be informed before the course is
scheduled.
1. Course for which approval is being sought: Introduction to Education (EDUC 1)
2. Maximum class size for the distance learning section: 35
3. Please specify what communication technologies will be used for this class and how:
This course will be offered entirely online (web-based) through the Blackboard platform.
Blackboard features include separate course sections for course documents, course
announcements, web links, discussions, email, and document exchange. Students will need a
computer, an email address, and access to the World Wide Web.
4. How many hours of instruction will be delivered by means of these technologies?
The entire 18 lecture hours will be offered online.
5. How many hours of instruction will be provided in person by the faculty member?
None. The entire course will be offered online, asynchronously.
6. What forms of supplementary communication will be used and to what extent (e.g.,
telephone, e-mail, regular mail, computer bulletin board, newsletters)?
The instructor will attempt to contact each student by telephone at least once during the first
two weeks of the semester. All subsequent communications will be through email.
7. Please specify the reasons this course is appropriate for delivery by distance education:
As is in the face-to-face delivery of this course, students have required reading, writing, and
class discussion. There is no “performance” requirement for the course.
A. The Blackboard platform allows the instructor to share lecture notes and utilize online
resources for content delivery.
B. The instructor is also able to create and deliver a variety of exams to assess reading
comprehension, knowledge acquisition, and concept synthesis, all of which are essential to
the course.
C. The Discussion Board feature of Blackboard allows students to engage in threaded
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discussion in large and small groups, similar to the discussions held in a face-to-face class,
but with the added value of asynchronous posting. Students have addition time to formulate
discussion responses via Blackboard. Likewise, the instructor has time to respond to each
individual student’s discussion response.
D. This course requires that students write several short papers responding to articles about
contemporary issues in education. Students will also be expected to write one or more
lengthy essays. Online submission of papers enables the instructor to make comments
directly on student documents and return these documents to students electronically.
8. Please specify the changes that will be made in the delivery and conduct of the class in order
to maintain its quality:
Group discussion is one of the major features of this course. The major change in delivering
this course via Blackboard is that discussions will be online and asynchronous, rather than
face-to-face. There are advantages to this type of discussion: 1) students have time to
consider their responses; 2) research suggests that students who find it difficult to respond in
class respond more actively in online discussions; 3) the instructor is free to participate in
the discussion; 4) the Blackboard “groups” feature allows for small group discussion totally
removed from the larger group.
In order to maintain quality online discussions, the instructor will participate in discussions
as appropriate, modeling effective discussion behavior throughout the course. Students will
earn course credit for participation in discussions by posting their own responses to the
discussion question as well as by replying to classmates. Discussions will be held weekly and
will directly pertain to course content.
Faculty member:
___Deborah Nolan____
Date:___9/21/04__
Dean/Campus. V.P.:
____________________
Date:_______________
Curriculum Committee: ____________________
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Date 10/08/04