COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Attendance
Students are expected to attend all class sessions. Students who miss more than 2 classes sessions will receive a "one letter grade" deduction from the final grade in the course. Students who miss more than 4 class session will receive a "two letter grade" deduction from the final grade in the course. Student who miss more than 8 class sessions will receive an "F" in the course.

Readings
Assigned readings are indicated in the course schedule. In order to maximize quality of in-class discussion, these readings must be completed prior to class meetings. Additional readings will be assigned via the Virtual Classroom WebPage.

Applied Projects
Several applied projects and activities will be assigned throughout the course. Projects will be objectively assessed with regard to the criteria detailed below. All projects and activities must be completed to receive a final grade for the course.

Electronic Forum (100 points)
Each student will participate in electronic discussion via the class area at Blackboard. Participation in this forum is critical to attaining goals and objectives for the course. Students are expected to monitor and respond to each of the weekly discussions, participate actively in those discussions, and provide meaningful input into the topic. Each posting will be worth a total of 4 participation points, distributed as follows:

1 point = post a comment to the discussion group

2 points = post a comment and provide your opinion

3 points = post a comment, provide your opinion and

provide examples from your own course-related readings.

4 points = post a comment, provide your opinion, provide examples from your own course related readings and provide meaningful basis for further discussion.

It IS possible for ALL participants to receive ALL points during EACH discussion. This requires thoughtful, interactive discussion, and an attitude which enhances the learning environment. During the first class meeting, students will discuss class participation and responsibilities. You must submit your posting to the electronic discussion group by Thursday of each week at 4pm.In addition to weekly postings, students are expected to, at ONE point during the semester, post a introductory email message to the discussion list to begin the weeks online discussion and facilitate that discussion throughout the week. This posting will be related to the student’s own reading (using the subscription journals) and will guide the week’s discussion. Because of a large class size, it is likely that more than one discussion will begin at the same time. All introductory notes must be posted by Friday of each week at 9am. Please note, if you post your comment or introductory message during class time (5:30 to 8pm on Thursdays) you will not receive any points. Don’t worry, I can tell if you posted during class time. Our class time together is valuable to me and your fellow students, do not distract yourself but attempting to complete this requirement during class time. Enough said.

Additional Requirement for Graduate Students
You are expected to read either the Papert book or the Negropointe book during the first weeks of class. You are expected to comment on how the week’s discussion relates to these reading when you post your comments. For example, what would Negropointe say about the use of "Web-sitters" for children while they surf the net? What would Papert say about software designed to teach basic skills and drills? You postings should reflect some aspect of the ideas that are presented by these authors EACH time you post.

Web Design (100 points)
Students will create a personal WebPage which utilizes, to the greatest extent possible, the graphical and interactive tools offered by the web interface. Students are expected to design pages formatted for the current web browsers (for example, Netscape 4.6) as of this writing. More information on this assignment and assessment of web projects will be presented in class.

Software Evaluation (100 points)
Students will engage in a thorough evaluation of educational software, hardware and classroom computing services. This multi-platform exercise will allow students to make decisions regarding software purchases for home, classroom and school-wide use. A written report will be submitted following the evaluation. More information on this assignment will be presented in class.

Authoring Systems (100 points)
Students will design an interactive, stand-alone module, utilizing current authoring tools available through AU’s computing services. The content of this project will be at the discretion of the student; modules will be evaluated based on the use of the authoring tool. More information regarding this project will be presented in class.

Learning Lab Design Project (100 points)
This project requires students to design a "learning laboratory" with a technological and curricular focus of their choice. Students will submit a complete description of the technology and related tools needed to complete project, including personnel, hardware, software, video editing/ sound editing equipment, furniture and maintenance requirements. More information will be distributed in class regarding this project.

Points are distributed as follows:
Electronic Forum : 100 points (4 points x 15 weeks for weekly postings, + 40 points for one week facilitation).

Web Design: 100 points

Software Evaluation: 100 points

Authoring Systems: 100 points

Learning Lab Design Project: 100 points

Total Points Available: 500 points

Late Assignments
All assignments are due on the dates listed in the course schedule. Any assignments turned in after the assigned due date will receive an automatic 10% deduction from the total amount available for the assignment (additional points may also be deducted for incomplete or substandard work). Please attempt to turn in all assignments on time. It is the students’ responsibility to contact the course instructor if an assignment will be due. Please note, there are no penalty for assignments turned in early.

Assessment of Performance
Achievement of course objectives will be measured through the instructor’s evaluation of student participation in class discussion, in-class assignments, written assignments, and projects. Specific requirements and evaluation procedures are detailed below.

Evaluation

Percent of Total Points available will be used to determine the class grade as follows: