Assignment
You have two Discussions in this unit. The first is a topic-based discussion related to the readings. The second is an area to post your project installments and complete your peer review. Each is clearly labeled within the unit and can be located on the left navigation bar. Be sure to participate fully in both Discussions.
Discussion 1
Who Are Online Learners?
Recent studies show that the number of students taking at least one online course, as well as those completing their entire degree online, continues to grow every year. The Department of Education, for example, found that in between 2007 and 2008, more than 4 million undergraduate students took at least one distance education course and nearly 1 million took their entire program through distance education (Radford, 2011). Who are these students and how do their characteristics impact online course designers and teachers?
Conduct your own search to learn more about the characteristics of today's online learners. Some good resources include the National Center for Educational Statistics and the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C). A search of the Kaplan University online library can also provide additional relevant studies and statistics. Please share at least one article or Web resource in support of your answers.
1. How would you characterize today's online learner?
2. Do the statistics you found about online learners match what you have seen so far in your experience taking online courses? Do they describe you?
3. How do the characteristics of online learners affect the design and teaching of online courses? Please be specific.
Discussion 2
Online or Hybrid Course Proposal Part 1 and Peer Review
Please review the scenario and instructions described in Unit 1.
In the Unit 2 Discussion 2, you will complete the first of four parts of the Course Project. The plan will be viewable to the instructor and your classmates, who will provide feedback to you on each component. You will have an opportunity to use this feedback and revise your proposal before a final submission.
In Part 1, you should focus on setting the background information for your proposal. You should use the textbooks, assigned readings and your own research as reference materials for supporting each component of this proposal. Please cite references where appropriate.
Tip: Use the bullet points in each deliverable as headers in your proposal. This will ensure that you cover all of the required items and keep your proposal organized and easy to read.
In Course Proposal Part 1, address the following points:
• Course title and description: Include the title of the course (for example, English 101) and describe the academic level and curricular area of the proposed course.
• Institution information: Present some general background information about your institution, including the type of postsecondary institution and target learner population.
• Course type and rationale: Describe the course type that you have chosen for your proposal (online or hybrid) and support your decision with a discussion of the pros and cons of this course type in relation to the other type and in relation to a traditional face-to-face course. Explain how your choice supports the curricular area, institution, and target population.
Be sure to support your proposal with sources from the course and your own research. The Kaplan University library is a good place to find reliable, scholarly resources. Please cite and reference all sources used according to APA (6th ed.) style.
Posting:
1. Go to Discussion 2 and post your Course Proposal Part 1 by midnight Saturday of this unit.
2. Name your post "Course Proposal Part 1 - your name."
3. Post your Course Proposal Part 1 by midnight Saturday of this unit.