NOTE: I've been unable, due to other duties, to offer this course for several years. I've left the site up so you can see a course that pre-dates Course Management Software, e.g., Blackboard.

Frequently Asked Questions about Issues in Using the Internet in Instruction (Psy 501)

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. Albert Einstein

On this page I address questions you might need answered before deciding to take the course. If you have a question that I do not address, please contact me at sally.kuhlenschmidt@wku.edu.

• Who should take this course?

• Why should you take this course?

• What do you need in order to be successful in this course?

• What if you are a complete novice about technology?

• May you audit the course?

• How do you register?

• How much does it cost?

• How much credit would you earn?

• When and where does the class meet?

• What should you do after registering?

• Why is the course layout and design so plain?

College level faculty and administrators who are interested in learning about instructional and administrative issues in using the Internet to conduct college coursework.

This is not a course about how to do the technology. (It is easier than it once was, requiring some minimal websurfing and word processing skills.)

This is a course about

• why you might want to use the Internet in instruction, its capabilities and pitfalls.
• how to fit the available tools to your needs as a teacher or administrator.
• understanding the general principles for effectively using each new set of instructional technologies with regard to teaching strategies and instructional design.
• learning the most efficient way to tackle any new technology for instructional purposes to minimize the time cost.
• applying these principles to your own course or unit development needs.
• identifyng the aspects of Internet use that is directly rewarding to you,
  • showing you how to increase connection with students around their learning, rather than increasing distance.
  • providing you with a community of support with others endeavoring to learn about on-line instruction.

When you finish this course you will have a product that will serve as a foundation for your efforts for some time into the future.

• You are planning on teaching an Internet class and you want to offer quality instruction to your students while avoiding mistakes.
• You have dabbled in technology, have some beginning skills, and are curious about what direction to go next.
• You have primarily nontraditional students and you feel Internet education might be a good way to serve them.
• You want to teach a class with students from all over the world.
• You are curious about what information is most effectively presented via the Internet vs. other approaches.
• You believe market and cultural forces are pushing education toward the Internet and you want to be prepared.
• You are concerned about some of the claims being made for Internet education and you want a chance to evaluate them for yourself.
• You are curious about what it is like to be a student on the Internet.
• You are an administrator faced with evaluating Internet courses or required to make decisions regarding education and new technologies--and you feel overwhelmed.
• You are being pushed to conduct an on-line course and you want support in that process.
• You feel you have explored the limits of the face-to-face classroom and are looking for a new intellectual challenge.
• You are afraid of being left behind.

• Textbook: Porter, Lynnette A. (1997). Creating the virtual classroom: Distance learning with the Internet. NY: Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0-471-17830-6 $34.99. Available in the WKU bookstore under Correspondence Studies. Or to order from WKU Call 1-800-444-5155 or 502-745-5800 and ask for Evelyn Price. The shipping/handling charge is $4.00 per book. You can buy with MasterCard or Visa. You can also order COD but there is an additional fee. Books are shipped UPS, usually within 2 days of placing the order.
  
  
• Optional Textbook: Connick, P. (Ed.). (1999). The distance learner's guide. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. This is a book for the student who plans on doing considerable on-line coursework. It has a companion web site (http://www.prenhall.com/dlguide). It may be a book you want to recommend to your own distance learning students.
  
  
• A personal computer with access to the Internet. The class will primarily operate on the WWW to increase accessibility. I will keep pages simple to minimize download times. You must have your connection working well before class begins.
  
  
• An E-mail account which you are willing to post (in a secure area) for classmates to use.
  
  
• Access to course software (such as Blackboard/CourseInfo or WebCT) or use of a web site that will become the core of your Internet-based course. The course language and assignments assume you have some minimum familiarity with using the Internet (can fill in a form, understand how to click on a hyperlink). You may use course software to create your site.
  • The easiest route is to use course software. WKU faculty should contact Allan Heaps, 2914. Psy 501 course software allows students to have a simple Web page, enough for initial assignments, if you need to delay selecting an option.
    
    Some software developer's provide faculty with one free course at their website (e.g., Blackboard at http://www.blackboard.com). I prefer you use software owned by your school for a college course for a variety of legal reasons. If you are creating a noncollege course, then a commercial site might be appropriate. Talk with me about options.
    
    
  • For personal web pages check with your campus computer center or an Internet Service Provider. I can assist WKU faculty with this process. I will not have a learning module on the how-to's of creating web pages. We will discuss layout and design issues as they impact on instruction. Do not wait until the week before the class to set up your Web page from scratch-- it will require a large amount of time to create a web page in such a short period.
    
    
• Attitudes: Patience, a willingness to take risks, courtesy.
  
  
• Participation: You will post questions or comments weekly for class response. In order to assign credit, I must see textual evidence of your "attendance." For a variety of reasons I am unwilling to accept those who merely want to "audit".
  
  
• Approximately 4 to 6 hours weekly, spread across several sessions (less if you have a strong technology background, more if not; less if you are effective at setting limits on yourself, more if still learning).
  
  
• At this time there is no need to obtain a proctor for exams. The course grade will be based on participation in discussion and completion of assignments relating to building your own web course (faculty) or modifying institutional policies (administrators).
  
  Some individuals may decide that creating an on-line course is not appropriate for their circumstances. (They may want to build a supplement to a face-to-face course). Those individuals should contact me and we will work out an alternate course project.

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What if you are a complete novice about technology?

Most people feel like novices about some aspect of technology. Part of the reason I ask you to contact me before beginning the course is so I can evaluate your technological skill level. I want you to be successful so I may recommend you spend more time building the basics before you take my course. IF you are more advanced, then I may recommend a different approach or class project.

You do not need to be an expert or even average, but you do need to be able to easily work with E-mail, an Internet browser, and have some word processing skills such as copying and pasting.

If you are a novice, I recommend this article "Learning how to learn computers: General principles for the novice" (http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/AcadAffairs/CTL/tnt/lrncom.htm). Other resources that may be helpful include

• Tutorial Overview of the Internet (http://ag.arizona.edu/futures/tou/tut1.html)
• For those who prefer a book, I like: "Teach Yourself the Internet & World Wide Web Visually (IDG's 3-D Visual Series)" by Paul Whitehead, Ruth Maran, Marangraphics Inc. Paperback - 320 pages (May 16, 1997) IDG Books Worldwide; ISBN: 0764560204
• Tutorial on Web Publishing (http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/Tech/MSC/publish/publish.htm)
• Carr, H. (1998). html: A hands on guide. Cincinnati, OH: Computer Literacy Press. 1/800-225-5413 (http://www.complitpress.com)
• There are other good books on these topics. Go to your bookstore and try looking up some question you have in the index of each book on a topic. Buy the one that has the information structured using language that makes sense to you.
• Consider taking a course from a school near you or joining a user group which may offer training.

If you decide you need more time to build your skills, I hope you will come back and register at a later time. I look forward to "seeing" you in my class.

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May you audit the course?

Almost everyone who is interested in this course (faculty and administrators) asks first if they may audit. I understand the hesitancy and uncertainty, the desire to get a toe wet, virtually. There are several reasons, however, why I do not accept audits:

1. What does it mean to audit an Internet course? Unless you are actively posting comments, you are not "there." So how could I track your audit in the traditional sense of the word?
   
   
2. On the Internet, the custom is to expect everyone with access to contribute to the discussion. Listening but not contributing is called "lurking" and it is considered rude to do beyond a brief orientation period to the group. Taking this course is training in how to "live" on the Internet as a well-mannered citizen.
   
   
3. If you want to teach on-line, you will be taking risks. That's a fact of Internet life. Auditing is entirely too cautious an approach and does not bode well for success on-line. Start now learning to take risks.
   
   
4. Those taking the course for credit develop an intimacy among themselves that is disturbed by someone not committed to the group. They are uneasy when someone is lurking about.
   
   
5. One of the more important reasons to take the class is to learn what it is like to be a cyber student. Taking a course for credit (even if it is pass/fail) is an entirely different level of experience than taking it as an audit.
   
   
6. Perhaps most importantly, the greatest challenge for Internet students is learning how to manage their time. We know from psychological research that making a public commitment is critical in actually achieving a goal. Committing to the course by going through the registration process dramatically increases the likelihood of your completing the tasks. I originally permitted a few to take the course without registering. None of those students ever finished.

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You do need instructor permission to register. You will have to have a "web presence" of some sort. The exact nature is negotiable in advance. With course software it is easier to create an Internet course than it was even a year ago. Contact your local tech support (WKU folk, call Allan Heaps 2914).

If you know html then you can try coding your own. Under these circumstances I expect only a very minimal Web page to begin (i.e., your name) or it could be created/maintained by another person if you can count on them to post your ideas in a timely manner. Collaboration is common in Web courses.

The course software I am currently using will allow students to have a minimal page, enough to start the term. It is common to experiment with various options before settling on what will work for you and your institution.

There are two potential methods for registering:

1. the Registrar's Office;
2. Correspondence Studies.

Persons who have been accepted to WKU's graduate school should use the Registrar's Office method detailed below. For graduate students the hours will then count toward your load and financial aid.

The application process via Correspondence Studies is simpler and I recommend it for most faculty/administrators. If you need the credit hours you should check with your school to determine whether Correspondence credit transfers.

1. Registrar's Office Registration

1. You must be admitted to the Graduate School. Contact elmer.gray@wku.edu for further information. Or go to http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Academic/Graduate/ and complete the admission form there and fax or mail it in.
2. You can obtain detailed information at WKU's Enrolling website (http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/AcadAffairs/Registrar/). The call number/course reference number for Psy 501 for the Spring 2001 semester is: 08749 and its course-ID is Psy 501-700. I will have to clear you so you must contact me: Sally.kuhlenschmidt@wku.edu

2. Registration

1. Contact Correspondence Studies (http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/AcadAffairs/CorrStudy/) beth.laves@wku.edu or phone Beth Laves at 1-800-535-5926, Garrett Conference Center 105, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101.
2. Registration forms are available at the above site (http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Support/AcadAffairs/CorrStudy/direct/enrolled.htm) or she will send you a registration form. Payment is required at the time of enrollment. They accept MasterCard, Visa, or money orders.

• Contact the office through which you would be registering.
• If you are faculty or staff at an eligible Kentucky school, the state faculty/staff tuition scholarship program will cover the cost of tuition. Persons other than WKU faculty will need to pay "fees" of $24 (in Spring 2001). You need to send that in with registration.
• If you are otherwise employed by the state, there has been discussion of extending the scholarship but I haven't heard if that was done. Contact your supervisor or human resources office.

• The course is a two credit hour graduate level course.

You choose the times that work best for you. I ask that you commit to two regularly scheduled contact times per week. Some find it easier to do a brief check in every other day.

The class "meets" at your computer. There is typically one synchronous activity during the semester, arranged to fit your schedule. In this activity the class engages in real-time chat via computer. Instruction will be provided at the time of the activity.
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What should you do after registering?

• Send me your e-mail address once you are registered. I will send you access information close to the start of the term. My e-mail address is: sally.kuhlenschmidt@wku.edu It usually takes about a week at the start of the term for registration to be settled.
• Complete and snail mail me the information form at http://edtech.wku.edu/~internet/studinfo.htm
• Order/buy your textbook and handout packet (available close to the start of the term).
• Plan your biographical information (consider adding a photo) to be posted in your class website as a means of introducing yourself to the class.
• Create a folder or binder for the class in which to keep various materials.
• Select a regular hour, two or more times per week, to check the class pages beginning with the first day of the semester.
• Visit the sample home page for Psy 501: Issues in Utilizing the Internet in Instruction (http://edtech.wku.edu/~internet/psyii.htm). Skim through the sample materials. You can see the first week's assignments although access to posting them must wait until the term begins.
• Watch your email close to the first day of the semester for which you register. I will be sending a note with directions to the official course site. (Every term I've taught this there has been a change in official web addresses.)
  At that time (and not before):
  • Print a copy of the class policies for your folder.
  • Complete the student information page.
• The Spring 2001 semester begins January 8.

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Why is the course layout and design so plain?

I have two reasons.

1. One of the major reasons to offer courses via the Internet is to increase student accessibility to the information. The current standards for access by persons with a disability (http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/) discourage use of frames and even much use of tables because disability access equipment is not able to interpret information provided in such a format.
   
   I assume that many students have older, less expensive equipment and slower Internet access times. The simpler I keep the learning environment, the easier they can access it. I am very pleased with the newer course softwares except that they use frames. Frames are not disability friendly.
   
   We will use a course software, but I maintain a non-frame site in the event I have a person needing that easier access. Do let me know if you register and need this accommodation.
   
   
2. I want my students to know that you don't have to use elaborate coding or graphics in order to offer a quality learning experience.
   
   I find that expectations for high end technology are more often discouraging than encouraging and sometimes are a way of excluding the uninitiated. They are also time consuming to create and most of us do not have the time to create something elaborate.
   
   I want to show you that you do not have to do be elaborate to be effective and that simpler can be better.
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