Course Map

Foundations of Distance Education

Reading Assignments

Issues in Web-Based Pedagogy
Ch. 1 Expectations Exploded, Ch. 3 The Web, the Millennium, and the Digital Evolution of Distance Education Ch. 5 Communication Technologies in an Educational Environment: Lessons from a Historical Perspective
Teaching and Learning at a Distance
Ch. 1 Foundations of Distance Education, Ch. 2 Definitions, History, and Theories of Distance Education

Discussion Questions:

• Why are there so many different definitions of distance education today? Discuss and develop the definitions that you feel are most appropriate.
• Richard Clark says media are "mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement." Discuss Clark's analogy and decide if it is accurate.
• Do you agree with Drucker's predictions about the future of education? Why or why not?
• Discuss why Leonard asserts that the educational paradigm of the Industrial Age is no longer a valid learning model in the Digital Age.

Assignment 1: Communication Tools and Class Profile

In an online class, where there are no face-to-face meetings, online communication plays a very important role and provides a place for on-going conversations about topics relevant to the course. Your first assignment is to access and navigate within the course communication areas by doing the following:

• Register and login to course discussion board
• Test-drive the discussion board
• Create and post biographical information

Discussion Board Login and Registration:

Click on the discussion board link to access the class discussion board. Click on the "Register" link in the top right corner. Your Email address and User Name are the only required fields you need to complete your registration. Additional information such as your Yahoo IM username, bio, and any web links are optional and can be added later.

After you submit your registration, you will be emailed a password with a link to the class discussion board. You can change your contact information, including your password, by clicking on the "Profile" link once you log into the discussion board with your assigned password.

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Test-drive the Discussion Board:

Read the forum FAQ's located in the upper right menu to find out important information about how to navigate within the discussion board. Reply to at least one topic and create at least one new topic in the "Test Drive Discussion Forum" located in the "Main Class Discussion Forum." Experiment with the available formatting options.

Create Student Bio:

Compose biographical information about yourself that you would like to share with your fellow classmates. You should include both the formal details of your career and academic interests, as well as informal information. How much personal information you wish to share is up to you.

Click on the "Profile" link in the class discussion board. Copy and paste your biographical information into the Bio section of your profile.

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Assignment 2: Ice Breaking Activity

In this assignment, you will interview another class member and then introduce that student to the class by posting an introduction to the class discussion board. Before you conduct your interview, read the biographical information on the student you will be interviewing.

You may include information posted in the student bio, as well as new information gleaned from your interview. Interviews may be conducted asynchronously (email, private message), or synchronously using Instant Messenger or the telephone.

Create a new topic in the "Introductions" forum using the full name of the person you interviewed as the subject of your topic. Get to know other students in our class by reading their introductions and bios. Feel free to add comments or questions to other students' introductions.

Interview the student whose last name appears after your name on the alphabetical class list of students. I have posted the alphabetical class list in the Introduction forum. For example, Cook interviews Sands, Sands interviews Wamberg. The student whose name is last on the alphabetical listing interviews the person whose name appears first (i.e., Wamberg interviews Cook).

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Adding Photos (optional)

If you have an electronic photo of yourself, consider uploading it to your bio within the profile area in the discussion board. Photos will help personalize class interactions. Of course, adding a photo is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of this course.

The objectives of Lesson One assignments are:

• Begin to build a sense of community within our virtual classroom
• Give students the opportunity to get to know another student one-on-one
• Become familiar with the class discussion board

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