Fall, 2014
3 credit hours
Delivered online, via Canvas.
Overview
The goal of this course is to provide students with knowledge and information regarding online
instruction in the K-12 setting. This course is designed to be an overview course; covering broad
theoretical and practical considerations for developing and implementing online instruction at
various grade levels, in various subjects, and with various kinds of learners. This is the tip of the
iceberg, though. A career as an online teacher is complex, and students are urged to develop all of
these ideas and skills more fully in further courses. However, students will also gain practical
information that they can put to use immediately.
Contact Information
Instructor: Abigail Smith, IDT Graduate Assistant
Office hours (via virtual chat in Canvas): Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, 1-2 p.m. CST.
There are two best ways to contact me outside of office hours.
1. If your question is something that you think other students might have, post it in the “Class
General Use” forum within the course. I receive updates from that forum as soon as they are
posted, so I should be able to respond shortly.
2. If your question applies only to you, then email is the best way to reach me. Email via
Canvas is the most secure and reliable way to send me a message
NOTE
It will be hepful if you have had some previous experience writing lesson plans before taking
this class. It is also useful if you have some experience working with basic internet technology,
such as browsers, HTML, cloud storage, and other internet-based tools. If you do not have
experience with one or both of these skills yet, you can still take the class, but you may have to do
a bit of extra research for a few of the assignments.
Course Objectives
After successful completion of this course, each student will be able to:
• Articulate various pros and cons of teaching children online
• Express his/her own positions, based on current research as well as personal experience,
about when and how online teaching is appropriate
• Articulate three different instructional models for teaching online
• Access and use several tools currently available for K-12 teachers to incorporate online
learning, specific to the area of specialty in which s/he plans to teach
• List at least three national or international organizations that provide online learning for
K-12 students. Be familiar with at least one organization in which s/he could potentially
teach online, using his/her area of specialization.
• List some important guidelines for developing and teaching in effective online learning
environments, such as instructional design principles, media guidelines, classroom
management, and community building principles.
• List some guidelines for involving special needs students in online education
• Explain, generally, how online teaching can be applied to various subjects
• Explain, more specifically, how online learning can be applied to his/her own field of
specialty
• List and elaborate on several ethical issues to consider in the realm of online teaching.
• Develop a personal plan for keeping up with current technologies and best practices as
an online teacher
• Develop at least three teaching modules within a learning management system that
utilize the skills, techniques, and technologies discussed in class.
• Develop a professional portfolio that demonstrates skills learned in the class
• Develop a personal teaching philosophy as it relates to online education
• Write citations in APA format
Instructional Methods
This course involves readings, projects, discussions, and quizzes. Students are required to
research various topics and tools and share their results with the class. Students are also urged to
explore online tools that could be used for pedagogical purposes. Extensive use will be made of
electronic delivery of assignments, both to and from both students and instructor. Since this is a
Web-based course, daily access to the Internet is critical. Most projects will be peer reviewed, and
much effort will be put forth into building a sense of community in the class.
Grading
Students will be graded on three broad categories: participation, assignments, and quizzes.
• Participation-- 450 points possible
o Weekly Adobe Connect sessions (10): 150 points
o Video Responses(3): 30 points (10 points each)
o Contributions to wiki: 120 points (10 points per question, 25 points per answer)
o Class partner project involvement: 100 points (10 points per project)
o Other participation (discussion forums, polls, etc.) : 50 points
• Assignments-- 300 points possible (see chart under the Course Schedule)
• Quizzes-- 250 points total
o weekly mini-quizzes: 15 points each
o final: 55 points
1,000 points are possible for the entire course. Point values will be converted into a
percentage, and letter grades will be calculated as follows:
93-100% A
90-92% A-
88-89% B+
83-87% B Read on for more information about receiving points in each of the
80-82% B- categories:
68-79% C
60-67% D
Participation
0-59% F Each week, after reading the required material, students are asked to
join in a live discussion about that material’s topic, using synchronous
chat software called Adobe Connect. These discussions provide important perspective, self-
reflection, and opportunities to get feedback on your understanding of the material. They will last
between 30-60 minutes each week. Meeting times will be decided during the first week of class by
using a poll to determine an availability common to all. It is preferred that students connect using
an audio or video feed (using a headset to eliminate background noise); however, if there are
problems with the connection, text comments may also be submitted.
Students are required to participate in the conversation in a substantive and meaningful way, in
order to get full participation points for that week. If you are unable to attend the synchronous
sessions, and do not want to lose those participation points, contact your instructor for make up
work. There are 14 modules, and the highest 10 participation scores will be counted towards the
final participation grade.
The rubric for grading participation each week is as follows:
Relevance Comments apply logically to the topic being discussed. Connections are up to
made between subjects, as well as between the material and the student’s 5
life. points
Thoroughness It is clear that all material has been read/watched before joining the ≤4
session points
Originality The student adds unique contributions to the conversation ≤3
points
Tone A professional and polite tone is used. Any criticism is done in a helpful, ≤3
kind way. No vulgar or insulting language points
Quizzes
There will be short quizzes most weeks, testing students’ comprehension and memory of the
material. Each short quiz is worth 15 points. There will be a longer midterm and also a final exam,
worth 60 points each. Quizzes are due on Sundays, by 11:55 p.m., CST.
Drop/Add/Withdrawal policy
Those wishing to drop, add, or withdraw should refer to the dates set by ESU.The academic
calendar of ESU is online here: http://www.emporia.edu/regist/calendar/
Incompletes
If a student takes an Incomplete in the course, for a grade of I, the student's grade will be
reduced by a grade level (10% overall) when the work is completed during the next semester. For
example, an A grade at 95% will be reduced to a B grade at 85%.
Incomplete work that is not finished by the end of the next semester automatically turns to an F
(by the Registrar's Office).
According to ESU policy, Incompletes can be assigned only in the most extreme circumstances.
The Teachers College requires a signed contract between the student and the professor in order to
obtain an Incomplete grade.
IDT Plagiarism Policy
It is important for students to practice different processes to demonstrate the acquisition of
knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the field of Instructional Design and Technology. The
completion of different types of assignments, projects, discussions, and activities within each class
is essential to learning these processes. Therefore, work completed for another class will not be
accepted in this class, nor will work completed by any individual other than the student submitting
the assignment.
Any work found to be plagiarized from another source will receive an automatic “zero”
grade. Do your own work. If you want to draw from the works of others, then you are required to
use quotations or paraphrases, as well as proper citations, if you are using text format. If you are
using images, video, or music that was not created by you, you may be breaking copyright law.
Make sure that any intellectual property you use is either
1) In the Public Domain;
2) In the Creative Commons, and you are using it in the way allowed by the creator; or
3) Used with written permission by the creator.
Library Resources
The William Allen White Library supports the academic, research, and service programs of
ESU. To meet individual and Distance Education needs of university, community, and Kansas
citizens, the library provides access to resources in print, multimedia, and electronic formats.
Students also have access to the Kellogg Online Catalog and other online search tools.
Resources for Distance Students- A listing of library resources and services.
(www.emporia.edu/libsv/disted/disted.htm)
As a distance education student, you have access to academic assistance through the writing
lab, mathematics lab and the reading lab.
Contact the various labs for information (Writing Lab - 620-341-5380; Mathematics Lab - 620-
341-5342 and the Reading Lab 620-341-5495)