How does an online course work?
Which are the basic prerequisites that you should fulfill?
You will have access to a computer and to an internet connection and you will know the basic functions of a browser. Connecting expenses will run on your account and must be reflected in your budget in addition to enrollment fees. You will perhaps also have access to a printer in order to unload some reading material if you don¹t want to work only on the screen. It will be advisable to have some diskettes available as well in order to save your work at your convenience. If you don¹t fulfill all those requirements, we recommend that you get in touch with someone nearby who could provide you with the necessary information. Unfortunately we will not be in a position to assist you in respect of such issues.
How does an online course work?
The course in
organized in seven sessions of each approximately one week of
duration. It starts at a date laid down in advance.
You
will be requested to peruse a certain amount of reading material
and to engage into search on the internet, to answer questions and
then to participate in writing in the debates held in the forums.
Ability groupings will be formed with a view to preparing and
making presentations to other participants. External senior
specialists or actors may also be invited to participate in some
of the debates. Participants will be requested to carry out a
piece of research work and make a final presentation on a topic of
their choice agreed with the facilitator.
The class load
will take you from five to eight hours weekly, the timing and
place of your work being decided by you at your convenience. It
will be necessary, however, for you to connect several times per
week to the internet. You will have the possibility of downloading
files to your hard disk and eventually printing some of the
reading material if you don¹t want to work full time online. You
must nevertheless be prepared to spend a minimum of two hours per
week online to participate in the forums.
The final
assessment of participation in the course will be allocated as
follows: 30% for participation in the forums, 40% for assignments
following the sessions, and 30% for the final assignment. A score
of 80% will entitle participants to a certificate.
The
course will take place with a roll of 16 participants at the
maximum and 12 at a minimum, so as to facilitate a personalized
attention and direct contacts. Enrollment fees should be paid in
full at the latest ten days before the beginning of the course.
The full amount of the fees will be reimbursed if you decide to
give up participation and you communicate your decision within
four days after the beginning of the course.
Is an
online course easier than a face to face one ?
In
an online course you are in a very different situation from that
which prevails with a face to face course or seminar. In the
latter you can attend the class with a passive attitude, just
listening to the teacher you have selected and concentrating on
the options you find convenient. In such a situation, if you are
present and if you listen more or less attentively, you may leave
the class with a sense of satisfaction. But it can¹t be certain
that you have been learning much. Online, you must carry out by
yourself a good part of the work. And educators state it
unequivocally : that is the best and the more efficient way to
learn.
Online, the essential part of the communication goes
through the written word, even with electronic communication and
even though pictures are also used. It is true that online you
loose the richness of the non verbal communication which is an
important characteristic of face to face courses. But you gain in
accuracy in expressing your ideas, the mode of communicating of
all participants tends to be common. On line, the prejudices
linked to sex, ethnicity, age, handicap, in sum related to the
appearance, are fading away.
An online course is not a
panacea. It is not the same as watching TV or going to the movies:
you must commit yourself if you want to gain full benefit from the
course.
Why should
I take a course when I could learn by myself with books, magazines
or internet?
Of course you could try. We have all tried. However, to be informed is one thing, and to learn is another. What a course offers you, besides the reading, is a method, an accompaniment. That is equally valid for both a course face to face and an online course. The great novelty with the new technologies linked to internet is the possibility of the bi-directional communication, of the exchange. With traditional distance teaching you were alone facing books, notebooks, possibly videotapes. You then filled out multiple choice questionnaires that you sent back by mail. The new technologies facilitate exchange an interaction which are essential in a learning process. Are you ready to experiment participating in a virtual learning community?
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work is licensed under a Creative
Commons License.