Our+Policy+Handbook

Appleton, WI
Online Learning Policy Handbook for Students

==** Welcome again to our world of education that uses an online learning environment as an alternative to traditional classroom instruction! Again, this policy manual provides a guideline for the policies and procedures that will be used for students, parents, and teachers who are involved in learning online. We wish you much success in your online learning ventures. **==

 **Online learning** is convenient, flexible, interactive and varied in learning formats. An online class blends reading, videos, research and peer sharing through posted discussion for lessons posted daily or weekly. There will be direct one on one communication with the instructor and with other students. Each instructor chooses his or her own style. The online course will emphasize the content of the course.

**//What does it mean to be a student in an online course? //** In many ways, taking an online course is like taking a face-to-face course. Both feature individual assignments and cooperative group projects, and both require you to take exams to show you are learning the course material. The instructor directs students through the activities, posting announcements, delivering lecture materials, responding to questions, and grading assignments and exams. The great benefit of being in an online course is that you can have direct, one-to-one communication with your instructor and fellow students at any time, rather than only during class or office hours.

**//What are the Expectations of my Participation? //**
 * You will be expected to do the same amount of homework you might do in a face-to-face course.
 * You will be asked to spend more time generating and participating in discussions with the instructor and the other students. These discussions, in which you will respond to other students' comments, play a central role in the learning experience
 * If you are assigned to participate in team projects, your team members will rely on you to participate and contribute to the projects
 * You must be responsible for keeping up with the workload so that you can be an active participant in online discussions

Unlike the situation in most face-to-face courses, where you can show up for class, listen to lectures, and perhaps not play an active role in the discussion, the assignments in online courses require your participation. If you do not keep up with reading and other homework, you will not be able to contribute meaningful, timely comments to the online discussions. Avoid this predicament by setting aside specific times each week for engaging in course participation activities, and stick to them. Otherwise, you may find you quickly fall behind in reading messages to which you need to respond.

**//How often will I have to be online? //** A good rule of thumb is to log on at least once a day to check announcements and review online materials. How long you need to be online depends on the activities for that session. Look at the calendar to see when certain assignments are due and when projects begin and end. Different courses may offer very explicit schedules that tell you when you need to be online for different assignments. For example, you may have a class discussion for which you will need to submit an initial comment on a Monday and then respond to another student's comment on Tuesday. Requirements of this kind will be spelled out in the respective assignment or discussion.

**//Is flexibility built into online courses? //** You can log on when it is convenient for you, but there are some things to consider: <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· Although online courses are asynchronous (students are not online at the same time), there are deadlines <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· You are responsible for getting assigned reading materials <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· You will need to add to discussions and reply to other students' comments <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· You will need to hand in individual assignments on time <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Your presence in the course will be apparent only if you add to discussions and do the online assignments. Also, as stated above, it is crucial that you keep up to date by reading all lecture materials and posted comments before participating in the online discussions. ( <span style="color: #000099; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">[|http://www.online.uwc.edu/academics/expectations.asp 2010] <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">)

**//<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">What learning technologies will I be using? //** <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">The course site may contain course material in multiple formats, including text, images, electronic presentations, video and/or audio. To access these files, you must have the required software, downloads and players installed on your computer:

<span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Approved Browsers include**:** <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari.

<span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Applications, Downloads and Players include: <span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Microsoft Office; Apple QuickTime Player; RealMedia, RealPlayer or Real Alternative; Adobe Flash Player; Shockwave Player; Windows Media Player; WinZip; Adobe Acrobat Reader

**//<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">I should know how to... //** <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· Access a computer with the minimum hardware and software requirements for the course <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· Download and install any required browsers, viewers and players <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· Connect to the Internet and launch a browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox <span style="color: #353535; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">· Open multiple browser windows

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 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16px;">Resource ...Student expectations **

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