Before Your Distance Learning Course Begins
A Check List for Students
First, go to Is Distance Learning Right for Me? and
take the quiz to see if Distance Learning is right for you.
A To Do List - Before My Distance Class Begins
You have registered for a Distance Learning Course and want to know how it will
work? First, please remember that your course will be using electronic technology and
will not meet on a certain day and time at a certain location. Before the course
begins you will need to:
- Contact your instructor using e-mail to let him/her know you have registered
for xyz course
- Request an copy of the course syllabus from instructor
- The course syllabus will be sent to you through OLC's e-mail system
- Remember - your distance learning course will begin the first week of classes
and will have weekly assignments
- Login into the course site if your course will be meeting on Moodle
- Read and become familiar with the information located in the course site
- Do the "Before the Course Begins" assignments
- Purchase a copy of the course textbook
- Read and review each of the links at the bottom of this page
A Check List for Instructors and Advisers
A Month Before Classes Begin
- Prepare an announcement to each of your students that includes your
e-mail address, biography and an initial class announcement
Two Weeks Before the Class Begins
- A detailed course syllabus
- Includes contact information, course goals and objectives, required textbook and
course materials, grading criteria, a brief listing of project assignments, a course
schedule of assignments and due dates.
- An introduction to the course
- A list of acceptable file types with naming conventions
- The first week's content and activities
- The first weeks online meetings such as synchronous meetings, Instructor and
students introductions, etc.
Ref: Expectations for Classroom Setup and Online Teaching, University of Maryland
University College
http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/ctla/expectations/index.shtml
A Check List for College Center Staff
As College Center Staff you have advised and registered a students. Take a few
extra minutes and help each student to understand how Jenzabar, TuxedoMail and Moodle
works? Before the semester begins you will need to:
- Have a list of instructors with each their contact
information and give to each student
- Advise each to student to contact their instructor using e-mail to let
him/her know they have registered for xyz course as soon as they have registered for the
course.
- Remind the student to check their OLC e-mail each day. This will be
crucial to their success in the course
- Remind the student to check their assignments daily and submit their
assignments through out each week. Assignments may be due several days each
week.
- Request an copy of the course syllabus from instructor
- Advise each student that preparation BEFORE the first week of classes is
very important
- Have the student work through the list of things to do in the Student section
above
- Provide for and advertise training sessions on TuxedoMail and Moodle before the
first week of classes