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How does an online course work?
Which are the basic prerequisites that you should fulfill?
You will have access to a computer and to
an internet connection and you will know the basic functions of a browser.
Connecting expenses will run on your account and must be reflected in
your budget in addition to enrollment fees. You will perhaps also have
access to a printer in order to unload some reading material if you donšt
want to work only on the screen. It will be advisable to have some diskettes
available as well in order to save your work at your convenience. If you
donšt fulfill all those requirements, we recommend that you get in touch
with someone nearby who could provide you with the necessary information.
Unfortunately we will not be in a position to assist you in respect of
such issues.
How does an online course work?
The course in organized in seven sessions
of each approximately one week of duration. It starts at a date
laid down in advance.
You will be requested to peruse a certain amount of reading material and
to engage into search on the internet, to answer questions and then to
participate in writing in the debates held in the forums. Ability groupings
will be formed with a view to preparing and making presentations to other
participants. External senior specialists or actors may also be invited
to participate in some of the debates. Participants will be requested
to carry out a piece of research work and make a final presentation on
a topic of their choice agreed with the facilitator.
The class load will take you from five to eight hours weekly, the timing
and place of your work being decided by you at your convenience. It will
be necessary, however, for you to connect several times per week to the
internet. You will have the possibility of downloading files to your hard
disk and eventually printing some of the reading material if you donšt
want to work full time online. You must nevertheless be prepared to spend
a minimum of two hours per week online to participate in the forums.
The final assessment of participation in the course will be allocated
as follows: 30% for participation in the forums, 40% for assignments following
the sessions, and 30% for the final assignment. A score of 80% will entitle
participants to a certificate.
The course will take place with a roll of 16 participants at the maximum
and 12 at a minimum, so as to facilitate a personalized attention and
direct contacts. Enrollment fees should be paid in full at the latest
ten days before the beginning of the course. The full amount of the fees
will be reimbursed if you decide to give up participation and you communicate
your decision within four days after the beginning of the course.
Is an online course easier than a face to face one ?
In an online
course you are in a very different situation from that which prevails
with a face to face course or seminar. In the latter you can attend the
class with a passive attitude, just listening to the teacher you have
selected and concentrating on the options you find convenient. In such
a situation, if you are present and if you listen more or less attentively,
you may leave the class with a sense of satisfaction. But it canšt be
certain that you have been learning much. Online, you must carry out by
yourself a good part of the work. And educators state it unequivocally
: that is the best and the more efficient way to learn.
Online, the essential part of the communication goes through the written
word, even with electronic communication and even though pictures are
also used. It is true that online you loose the richness of the non verbal
communication which is an important characteristic of face to face courses.
But you gain in accuracy in expressing your ideas, the mode of communicating
of all participants tends to be common. On line, the prejudices linked
to sex, ethnicity, age, handicap, in sum related to the appearance, are
fading away.
An online course is not a panacea. It is not the same as watching TV or
going to the movies: you must commit yourself if you want to gain full
benefit from the course.
Why should I take a course when I could learn by myself with books, magazines
or internet?
Of course you could try. We have all tried. However, to be informed is one thing, and to learn is another. What a course offers you, besides the reading, is a method, an accompaniment. That is equally valid for both a course face to face and an online course. The great novelty with the new technologies linked to internet is the possibility of the bi-directional communication, of the exchange. With traditional distance teaching you were alone facing books, notebooks, possibly videotapes. You then filled out multiple choice questionnaires that you sent back by mail. The new technologies facilitate exchange an interaction which are essential in a learning process. Are you ready to experiment participating in a virtual learning community?
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