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Dates & Times: This one credit course is setup to run for four weeks from Monday to Sunday. Participants are expected to login daily and can expect to spend between 5 and 10 hours weekly. At least an hour a weekday should be set aside to participate in the class.

Instructor:
Shirley Freed, Ph.D., Instructor of Record
Professor of Education, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI
freed@andrews.edu

Other instructors listed on the AVLN website.

Credit Options:
1 quarter graduate credit from La Sierra University.
1 semester graduate credit from Andrews University.
1 semester undergraduate credit from HSI/Griggs.
1 38 clock-hour PAC.

Course Description:
This course is an introductory online course with its primary purpose to give you an experience in exemplary online education. Participants experience active learning strategies and engage in meaningful interactions regarding online teaching issues, interaction in online courses, integrating faith online, and assessing student learning. This course addresses the AVLN standards for online instruction. Following this course, you will be ready for AVLN's Active Online Courses class; a class where modules are developed for online delivery.

Learning Online with AVLN:
Online learning with AVLN is based on a participatory model where each individual is required to actively engage in conversation and the development of knowledge, skills, and beliefs. You can expect to interact with the concepts of the class, the instructor(s), the other participants, and your previous experiences. You will notice the integration of spiritual activities throughout the course. If you have special learning needs, please contact one of the instructors.

Prerequisites: Basic computer skills and ready access to the Internet.

Course Objectives: Participants will:

• Learn to function in an online course.
• Share with the other students ways of adapting classroom methods to virtual classes.
• Understand how to create a safe learning environment in an online course.
• Address the relational basis of learning.
• Experience various options for meaningful interactions online.
• Discuss and apply methods of integrating faith in an online course.
• Discuss issues around appropriate online assessments.

Required Textbook:
Palloff & Pratt, (2001), Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom: The Realities of Online Teaching.

Optional Text: Palloff & Pratt, (1999), Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace.

Participation Expectations:
Each week there are readings to explore and issues to discuss. As you read, write down questions and thoughts to bring to the Discussion Area. You'll notice some suggestions for discussion starters in the modules - you should not feel limited to those and you should feel free to ask other questions. We will not be controlling or dominating the discussion area. Nor will we be counting your posts. We will be looking for quality and presence - not quantity. You may find that discussion spaces close so we can move on to the next one. This is a reflective activity and you need to use it to ask real questions and to respond in authentic ways.

Since much of your learning will take place as a result of the level of dialogue we engender, the following should act as guidelines to your "posts": a) include accounts of your own experience, b) ask expansive questions - ones with no right or wrong answer - ones to stimulate thinking and lead to deeper understandings, c) build on previous "posts" by agreeing, disagreeing, giving examples, asking questions, defining issues/terms, d) suggest metaphors and e) share web links and other reference materials. It is expected that you will spend 2-3 hours per week on the web interacting with others.

• 1 undergraduate credit: Participate in 90% or more of the learning activities.
• 1 graduate credit. Participate in 90% or more of the learning activities. When posting in the Discussion Forum, give evidence that you read at least three of the readings.
• 1 38 clock-hour PAC: Receive a certificate of completion for 1 38 clock-hour PAC from AVLN after participating in more than 80% of the learning activities.

Modes of instruction: Students in this course will participate in online collaborative groups, access web sites and reading materials, and experience various instructional strategies online.

Getting Help: In an online course, it is especially important to be able to get help when you need it. Your instructors will make every effort to respond to your emails within 24 hours. We also have tried to include as much step-by-step instruction as possible. If necessary, you can email an instructor to set up an online chat to assist you in a synchronous written conversation.

Privacy: Because we are using online courseware, only the participants in the class will be able to join discussions. Your assignments are submitted either directly to your instructor or posted in the class Discussion area. You will have the choice on how much information you wish to share with the other participants in the class.

Course Organization and Requirements:

Bibliography:

Bourne, J., & Moore, J. (2002). Elements of Quality Online Education. Needham, MA: Sloan Center for OnLine Education.

Driscoll, M. (1998). Web-Based Training: Using Technology to Design Adult Learning Experiences. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer.

Katz, R. N. and Associates (1999). Dancing with the Devil: Information Technology and the New Competition in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Khan, B. H., (Ed.) (1997). Web-Based Instruction. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Luskin, B. (2002). Casting the Net over Global Learning: New Developments in Workforce and Online Psychologies. Irvine, CA: Griffin Publishing.

Palloff, R. M., and Pratt, K. (1999). Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2001). Lessons from the Cyberspace Classroom : The Realities of Online Teaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Palloff, R. M., and Pratt, K. (2003). The Virtual Student: A Profile and Guide to Working with Online Learners. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Rudestam, K., & Schoenholtz-Read, J. (2002). Handbook of Online Learning: Innovations in Higher Education and Corporate Training. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Rowley, D. J., Lujan, H. D., and Dolence, M. G. (1998). Strategic Choices for the Academy: How Demand for Lifelong Learning Will Re-Create Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.

Stevenson, N. (2002). Distance Learning For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Warschauer, M. (2000). Electronic Literacies: Language, Culture, and Power in Online Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Association.

Weigel, V. (2002). Deep learning for a digital age: technology's untapped potential to enrich higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Weller, M., & Lockwood, F. (2002). Delivering Learning on the Net: The Why, What & How of Online Education. London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Williams, B. (1999). The Internet For Teachers®. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.