Syllabus
Certificates of Advanced Graduate Study in Education
EDU 631 – Transforming Curriculum for Online Learning – Summer A 2021
Credits - 3
Description
This course will focus on foundations of the online learning experience, with an emphasis on designing elements of online courses that incorporate best practices in learner experience. These may include various models of delivery, accessibility, multimodal content format and authentic learning activities.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Students will:
- Design engaging online learning experiences by applying researched best practices and course design models
- Evaluate various online delivery models (hybrid, self-paced, synchronous and asynchronous) through the Community of Inquiry lens
- Apply the SAMR model of technology integration in the creation of learning activities
- Conduct a quality course review using an online course quality review rubric to improve an online course
- Design an online course with clear and learner-friendly navigation
- Craft a plan for a collaborative course design process
Assignments
Discussions and Written Assignments
Discussion forums will provide an opportunity to share content and ideas, as well as exchange feedback and test-drive projects in this course. Written assignments will help fine-tune the elements of the course and might serve as drafts of and reflections on creating online course elements.
In addition to weekly discussion boards, you have five written assignments for this course. Specific instructions for each assignment can be found within the weekly modules.
Sandbox Assignments
As you progress through designing an online course in an LMS sandbox, you will submit videos and/or links to your work for instructor assessment. Specific requirements for each submission can be found within the weekly modules. Your final submission will be a screencast walkthrough of your final product.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assignments | Points | Percent of Final Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Discussions | 46 (8 whole-class forums @5pts each; 2 sharing forums @ 3pts each) | 46% |
| Sandbox Assignments | 15 (3 @5pts each) | 15% |
| Written Assignments | 30 (5 @ 6pts each) | 30% |
| Final Course Walk-Through | 9 pts | 9% |
| Total | 100 pts | 100% |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
Wednesday, April 28, 2021 – Sunday, June 20, 2021
Week 1: 4/28 – 5/2
Week 2: 5/3 – 5/9
Week 3: 5/10 – 5/16
Week 4: 5/17 – 5/23
Week 5: 5/24 – 5/30
Week 6: 5/31 – 6/6
Week 7: 6/7 – 6/13
Week 8: 6/14 – 6/20
Course Week |
Weekly Materials |
Activities & Assignments |
Deadlines |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Week 1: Introduction to Teaching Online and Instructional Design 4/28 – 5/2 |
Required Materials:
|
Week 1 Discussion: Introductions Week 1 Sandbox Assignment: Request Sandbox in an LMS Week 1 Written Assignment: ID Model Review Chart |
Initial post due Friday at 11:59pm ET. Responses due Sunday at 11:59pm ET.
Submission due by Sunday, end of Week 1, at 11:59pm ET |
|
Week 2: Big Ideas for Shifting to Online Teaching 5/3 – 5/9 |
Required Materials:
|
Week 2 Class Discussion: Shifting to Online Learning Week 2 Written Assignment: Course Vision Worksheet |
Initial post due Friday at 11:59pm ET. Responses due Sunday at 11:59pm ET.
Submission due by Sunday, end of Week 2, at 11:59pm ET |
|
Week 3: Putting Big Ideas into Action: Learning Objectives and Evidence of Learning 5/10 – 5/16 |
Required Materials:
|
Week 3 Sandbox Assignment: Begin building course within sandbox Week 3 Class Discussion: Project Draft Exchange Week 3 Written Assignment: Course Map; include: Updated Learning Outcomes, Culminating Project Draft/Outline, Assessment Criteria |
Initial post due Wednesday at 11:59pm ET. Responses due Saturday at 11:59pm ET.
Submission due by Sunday, end of Week 3, at 11:59 pm ET |
|
Week 4: Best Practices in Online Course Design 5/17 – 5/23 |
Required Materials:
|
Week 4 Sandbox Assignment: Submit link to your course sandbox Week 4 Class Discussion: SAMR Model Screencast Recording |
Initial post due Friday at 11:59pm ET. Responses due Sunday at 11:59pm ET.
Submission due by Sunday, end of Week 4, at 11:59pm ET. |
|
Week 5: Communication and Learning Community 5/24 – 5/30 |
Required Materials:
|
Week 5 Sharing Forum: Learning Tool Evaluation Week 5 Sharing Forum: Personal Learning Network Week 5 Sandbox Assignment: Link to introductory video; continue building in sandbox Week 5 Written Assignment: Course Development Template Creation |
Initial posts due Sunday at 11:59pm ET. No peer responses required.
Submissions due by Sunday, end of Week 5, at 11:59pm ET. |
|
Week 6: Engagement and Feedback 5/31 – 6/6 |
Required Materials
|
Week 6 Class Discussion: Sandbox Survey and Formative Quiz Feedback Week 6 Class Discussion: Reflection |
Quiz and Survey Feedback: Initial post due Friday at 11:59pm ET. Responses due Saturday at 11:59pm ET. Reflection: Initial post due Friday at 11:59pm ET. Responses due Sunday at 11:59pm ET.
|
|
Week 7: Equity in Curriculum Design 6/7 – 6/13 |
Required Materials:
|
Week 7 Class Discussion: UDL/Education Access Barriers Week 7 Sandbox Assignment: Course Introduction Recording Week 7 Written Assignment: Applying UDL Principles |
Initial post due Friday at 11:59pm ET. Responses due Sunday at 11:59pm ET.
Submissions due by Sunday, end of Week 7, at 11:59pm ET. |
|
Week 8: Course Walkthroughs, Reflection, and Wrap-Up 6/14 – 6/20 |
|
Week 8 Assignment: Final Course Walk-Through Week 8 Discussion: Course Walk-Through Sharing and Feedback Please complete the course evaluation |
Initial post due Wednesday at 11:59pm ET. Response posts due by Sunday at 11:59pm ET.
Submission due by Wednesday, mid-Week 8, at 11:59pm ET. |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Education page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Blackboard/Brightspace.
- Education Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/education/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
UNE Student Academic Success Center
The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to une.tutortrac.com. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, please visit:
Information Technology Services (ITS)
- ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Online Peer Support
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.
Career Ready Program
The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!
The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.
Policies
AI Use
The Graduate Programs in Education holds the position that Grammarly and other AI writing and generative technology should not be used when completing course assignments, unless explicitly permitted by course faculty and assignment instructions. These tools do not support a student’s personal and direct capacity to develop and hone skills in creativity, logic, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, theorization, and writing, which are central to graduate-level rigor, assessment, and research. Use of these tools when not explicitly permitted may result in an academic integrity infraction.
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Evaluation Policy
Course surveys are one of the most important tools the University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.
Late Policy
Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
8 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office. 16 week: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office. The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook. Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course. The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following: Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.Attendance Policy
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
UNE Course Withdrawal
Academic Integrity