Graduate Studies in Education

 

SUU’s Graduate Education Programs:

A Two Way Street to Meet your Goals

 

SUU’s Graduate Education’s courses are taught in a variety of ways. All of which have some component for learning at a distance as a part of their core. As you start on the path to achieve your personal goals through these courses, graduate faculty members desire that there is a clear understanding of the dual nature of this experience. This learning process is a two way street. There are things that you can expect from your instructors via distance, and we must be clear about the things that we expect from you.

What SUU’s Graduate Education expects of its students:

 

Independent Learning

Since you won’t be in a classroom with your professor and classmates, you will need to be capable of independent learning. Your instructor will provide you with a syllabus, course documents, required readings, and will guide you through your learning experience. They will be available via email to answer questions, and they will evaluate, critique and respond to your work. Since the class doesn’t meet in a physical space at a set time, you, the student, will have to learn independently. You will be responsible for keeping up with the assigned reading and turning in assignments according to the timeline on the syllabus. Remember, you won’t have a faculty member reminding you of this in class. Some students prefer the independence of Distance Learning; others find the independence uncomfortable and miss being part of the classroom experience. Distance-learning courses give students greater freedom of scheduling, but they can require more self-discipline than on-campus classes. Print materials are the primary source of directions and information in distance-learning courses.

Active Learning

In the traditional classroom, there are typically two kinds of students: those who participate and those who don’t. Quite often, there are one or two students who tend to ask all the questions while everyone else passively listens and absorbs the information presented. In online learning, students simply can’t sit in the back of their virtual class and not participate. Your questions, thoughts, ideas and opinions are important for the learning process of everyone in the class. Without interaction, there can be no learning in the online environment. Some people learn best by interacting with other students and instructors. Others learn better by listening, reading and reviewing on their own.

 Management Skills

Because you are learning independently, many students have said that online learning is more demanding than traditional learning. One question many students have is how much time they should expect to allot for their online class. The answer is the same for an onsite class, which is approximately four hours for every credit hour. For example, if you are taking a three quarter hour course, you should expect to spend at least 12 hours a week working with the course material. Distance Learning requires you to work from written directions. It may take as long as two to three weeks to get comments back from your instructor in distance-learning classes. Distance Learning requires at least as much time as on-campus courses. Students surveyed say that distance-learning courses are as hard or harder than on-campus courses. Most people who are successful with Distance Learning find it difficult to come to campus on a regular basis because of their work, family or personal schedules. Students who do well in distance-learning courses are usually comfortable contacting the instructor as soon as they need help with the course.

Time Management Skills

Many students are attracted to online learning because there is no set schedule (although there may be set virtual classroom/chat sessions) and that can be a benefit for working adults. To be successful though, you should develop some good time management skills.

Many students find it helpful to create daily "To Do Lists." A “To Do” list is a list of all the tasks you need to accomplish in a day. Once you have them listed you can then prioritize them. This allows you to emphasize the important and often most time consuming jobs and complete them first. A To Do list will also help make sure you don’t forget anything. “To Do” lists help organize your life and reduce some of the stress that accompanies a busy schedule.

Here are a few tips in creating your “To Do” list:

• If you have large tasks, break them down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
• Come up with a rating scale for importance, one through ten or graded A through F.
• Really think through when prioritizing. If you have too many high priority things to do, this could cause undue stress.

Goal Directed

As you might imagine, it is easy to get distracted and not participate in your online class. This is why time management skills are so important. However, if you are doing nothing more than balancing several spinning plates, there is always the possibility they will come crashing down around you. One of the primary characteristics that keep students from failing in online learning is that they have definite educational goals. Most successful online students have a well-defined aim to advance or change their careers through their education. Distance-learning students sometimes neglect their courses because of personal or professional circumstances. Having a compelling reason for taking the course helps motivate the student to stick with the course.

Participation

 Many people are surprised that participation is such a large part of online learning. Most faculty will weigh your participation very heavily, some times up to 30 percent of your final grade. Participation means checking in on the course shell, responding to questions posted in the discussion boards and replying to responses from your classmates. It also means participating in scheduled synchronous chat sessions and taking online quizzes and tests. Your professors will tell you in the class syllabus exactly what they expect from you in regards to participation.

Grading

10 percent of your final grade is based on Professionalism/Participation as evidenced by the knowledge, skills, and dispositions outlined in the professional standards on which this course was designed and which you have developed through this semester.

 

What you can expect from SUU’s Graduate Education Programs:

SUU’s Graduate Education Program utilizes the WebCT instructional management program with all of its courses.  Whether through live, EDNET, or online delivery,  the WebCT systems provides an effective and efficient way for students and instructors to  communicate and access instructional information.

 Syllabus

SUU’s Graduate Education faculty’s well-designed syllabi send a variety of messages conveying a business-like and professional atmosphere to students. The syllabus sets the tone for the semester. Faculty members must include the minimum information below for each course; however, they may adapt course syllabi to specific needs of each course and to their own style.

• Course information: title, catalog number, description, pre-requisites;
• Meeting time and location: days of the week, time of day, and where the course meets;
• Instructor information: instructor's name, office (room) number, office hours, and telephone number, and e-mail address;
• Course objectives/learning outcomes: measurable objectives of the course;
• Required and recommended texts;
• References (library reserve and supplemental information);
• Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work;
• Examinations and papers: descriptive information about exams and papers (e.g., type and frequency);
• Grading policy: description of how grades will be determined;
• Attendance policy: description of attendance policy (Sample text: Regular attendance is required at all class meetings.);
• Required extra- or co-curricular activities, if applicable;
• Statement of safety or risk assumption in courses requiring laboratories, physical activity, or field trips, if applicable;
• Statement of fees (e.g., equipment or facility rentals, field trip costs, etc., if applicable;
• Academic integrity policy;
• ADA statement: description of disability.

 Email

Sending e-mail messages is a common and inexpensive way for students to communicate with instructors. In some cases, an entire distance learning course may be structured using e-mail as the only method of communication. In other cases, e-mail may be used to supplement audio or video technologies.

In addition to "regular" e-mail messages, bulletin boards and listserves may also be used to conduct distance learning initiatives. Bulletin boards (also called discussion groups or newsgroups) are electronic forums where students can "post" messages or read messages that others have posted. A threaded discussion group is a bulletin board that allows students to reply to specific messages (the reply is then indented or in some way linked to the original message). Listserves are automated e-mail distribution systems. In other words, if you send an e-mail message to a listserve, it will automatically be distributed to all other members of the listserve. Many faculty members establish bulletin boards or listserves for distance learning classes to facilitate the interactions among the students.

The advantages of e-mail communications include versatility and convenience. In addition to sending straight text, most e-mail systems now allow students to attach files. That means that they can send PowerPoint files, spreadsheets, or any other type of file to each other. The convenience of e-mail is that it can be accessed at any time of the day or night. In addition, students can often obtain an e-mail account for little or no cost.

Calendar

Keep a calendar or journal with your study goals and important dates clearly marked and look at it every day (a calendar can't help you if it's closed!). Look for important information from your instructor and peers.

Course Modules

Online resources provide authenticity to the learning experience. To successfully complete activities, the student must consult this section for the particular subject matter found in the Module. Course Modules are designed to improve the student's understanding and help him/her complete the activities, assignments, or artifacts in a particular Module.

Discussion Boards

An online discussion board is a great way for distance learning students to communicate with each other and the instructor. A discussion board allows students to discuss course topics online, respond to each other's comments, and share ideas. Your instructor can designate the participants for your message board, suggest topics for discussion, and monitor the participation of individuals on the board.

Standards

Colleges and universities conduct their day-to-day business, develop strategic plans, generate operating budgets, and engage with students based on the perceived importance of these values. While the accreditation process allows considerable leeway in how these values are honored, the higher education community itself insists that the values be addressed. Accordingly, regional accreditation protects these values. Over the years, standards and criteria have evolved that require the investment of institutional resources in them.

Assignments

Instructors provide extensive feedback and comments on all graded assignments. They create interesting and interactive assignments to help students acquire the information in the course.

Resources

Each instructor will have some supplemental resources linked to this page for your review. Generally they are supplemental and supportive to the course. In some instances they may be a critical component of your online course activities.

My Grades

Please review this section to keep track of your performance during your online course.

Help Desk

If you have a question about the content of your course, please contact your instructor. If you have a log in problem, please contact the Student Helpdesk at 435-865-5474 or helpdesk@suu.edu.

Course Evaluations

Both formative and summative evaluations identify strengths and weaknesses in the course. Open-ended questions provide valuable, contextualized information that help your instructors in redesigning the course for its next offering. Periodic course review helps ensure currency of content, appropriate use of technology, effectiveness of delivery strategies, and integration within the larger curriculum. Updating or redesigning courses as needed strengthens the entire program. This function will generally be available to you during the last two weeks of the semester