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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) by SUNY Faculty General What does it take to participate? First, your campus must be a participating institution in the SLN program, and have officially proposed your course for development for a specific term. Check the links to current SLN participating institutions. If you are interested in developing a course, your first step is to have your campus academic officer contact the SLN office for more information on how your campus can participate in the program. Once you are officially in the program, to develop a SUNY Learning Network course, you will need:
Course development can be time consuming, so it is better to select a course that you have previously taught rather than to develop a new one. It is SLN policy that faculty new to the SLN program develop a single course their first time through the SLN faculty development and course design process. What is an "Asynchronous Learning Network"? The SUNY Learning Network is an Asynchronous Learning Network (ALN) . "Networked" means that communication occurs over the computer network. "Asynchronous" means "not at the same time". In an asynchronous network, conversations are posted, one item at a time, so that each person sees what all the previous participants have written. This differs from a "synchronous" environment, like video conferencing or "chat" rooms, where all participants must all be available at the same time. Students What exactly do students do? Students will do many of the same things they do in a traditional classroom -- read texts, take notes, answer questions, write papers, and have discussions. They may also do field observations, watch videos or use computer software. The difference is that their discussions are conducted through asynchronous computer conferencing. Using this feature students can work together on case studies, group projects, class reports and any number of activities. Who are the students? They are basically anyone your campus allows to enroll in your course. In a networked environment, students may be working from their home, from their campus, from their worksite or "on the road." They may be as close as your same building, or half way around the world. Many will be working adults, but some will be traditional-aged campus students. What can I expect of students? Expect students to log on regularly and participate in any activity you design that can be done online and asynchronously. Imagine the prototypical student as living in a remote rural area without access to campus resources, without good library facilities in the community and with a moderate or low end computer that cannot support sound, video, or extensive graphics. Keep this "prototype" student in mind as you make requirements of your students. What specific activities can students do online? Students can:
What do I need to do in planning for students in this environment First, make sure any media you require (software, video, CD ROM, or reprinted articles) are available through mail order. The SLN office will help you with this. Second, plan your course for a student with a medium or low end computer, working with a relatively slow modem. If your course requires more than a minimum computer, make sure that your published course description includes your requirements - a sound card, a CD ROM drive, a high speed connection, etc. Third, consider carefully how you evaluate students. Timed multiple choice tests, for example can't be proctored in this environment. Nor can you observe students in person to ascertain certain skills. Working in this environment may require design of new evaluation methods. Designing courses for networked learning How are networked learning courses different from class room courses? Networked courses differ in several ways. Since your students don't have non-verbal cues, or the ability to raise a hand to ask questions, your writing must be clear, you must anticipate and address questions, and you will need to pay special attention to the "tone" of your writing. Online courses are generally more learner-centered and can have more active participation by students. Without the structure of weekly classes, students are generally expected to take a more active role in their own learning. The instructor goes from being the "sage on the stage" to the "guide on the side." Are there other differences? Most distance learning specialists recommend that your course be complete on the day the course starts. This gives students the sense of your course as a whole. It also allows you to participate fully with the students rather then trying to plan your next lesson. There are many options and resources available in an online asynchronous environment to provide a rich learning experience for your students. In an online asynchronous environment you can send your students to the Louvre Museum in Paris. As in any classroom environment, there are also limitations. In a traditional classroom you can see a student raise a hand with a question. About Course Development Isn't course development just publishing my course lectures to the web? In a totally online environment, it is best to think about the development of your course as a conversion of what you normally do, rather than a re-creation. Conversion will require you to "rethink" your learning activities and objectives within the context of the electronic asynchronous learning environment -- its options and resources as well as limitations. How will I develop my course? For new SLN faculty the first stage in your development as online instructors will be to get online and access the SLN Faculty Developer Gateway. There you will be introduced to the award winning SLN faculty development and course design processes. You will participate in a facilitated online conference to network with our growing community of online instructors and to get the feel for online discussion in the asynchronous web environment. You will also have the opportunity to observe a variety of live online courses. You will then be asked to attend 3 workshops. At the first, you will receive a course database template created in Lotus Notes, and a step by step guide for building the components of your course. You will also be assigned an instructional design partner to work with you throughout your first course development cycle and have access to a helpdesk for technology support. The Lotus Domino server automatically translates your materials to HTML; HTML programming skills or other software is not needed. What are some of the features of this SLN course database? The SLN course database contains forms and tools that allow you to:
Will the SLN course database dictate what my course is like? The SLN course database is designed to give a common look and feel for students. The content of your course - the way it is organized, the assignments you give, and the way you evaluate, are totally up to you. Think of the SLN course database as a platform on which you create your materials. If I have already created web resources to teach my course, do I have to recreate these in the SLN course database for this project? Not necessarily. You can link from your SLN course database to any resource already on the web. You can also import your HTML code directly into your SLN course database since the Lotus/Domino server can also handle HTML code. How long does it take to create an online course? Your course may be as simple or as complicated as you decide to make it. Previous faculty report spending from 50-120 hours preparing their materials. Will my students need the Lotus Notes program? No. Your students will access your course materials from the web using their internet browser; they will not need the Lotus Notes program. The Lotus Domino server translates between the SLN course database and the web browser. Teaching How is teaching and managing my course in this environment different? You will continue to use your SLN course database to teach and manage your course. Responsiveness is the key to successful courses. Interaction is with individuals rather than a "class" and students usually have more opportunities to interact with each other. How will discussions take place? You will post a discussion question; as students log on, each will both answer your question and respond to other students answers. Since students log on at different times, discussions take longer, normally about two weeks. This gives each student the opportunity to contribute 3 to 4 times in a round robin fashion. Rather than through email, you and your students will read, communicate, interact with each other in a shared working environment. What about tests? Timed, closed book "tests" are not feasible in this environment. It is not possible to ensure that students do not consult written materials, or each other. And, if you choose to make a test available for a short period of time, it will be difficult to find a single time slot convenient for students in many different time zones. Will my teaching be observed or evaluated? The network only provides your "classroom." Your college is responsible for the academic oversight of your course. Policies about late registrations, course size, drop/add, incompletes, course evaluation and grading are up to your institution. What do I do if my students can't access my course? The SUNY Learning Network uses multiple servers in multiple locations. The servers "replicate" to each other and the student and faculty servers mirror each other. This means courses exist on multiple servers at all times in a clustered environment. If any server goes down (intentionally or otherwise) faculty and students can continue to teach and learn accessing their course in the cluster without access interruption. Students and faculty with difficulties getting into their courses, sending assignments, or other technical support issues can contact the SLN HelpDesk. Both faculty and students have access to the SLN HelpDesk via phone, email, and links on our web pages. In addition, students and faculty should complete the SLN Orientations provided for information on operating and navigating courses and resources in our system. Questions about security and privacy ? What about privacy? You develop and teach in a closed password protected network. All the activities in your course will take place within your SLN course database and be available only to students in your course. Your SLN course database has been designed to provide complete privacy for student written assignments and evaluations, which will be available only to the student and you. NOTE: The SUNY Learning Network technical support personnel including the helpdesk and database/system administrators respect the privacy and confidentiality of faculty and students and may have access to private areas and documents to troubleshoot problems and assist faculty and students with technical difficulties. Can students see each others' work? The SLN course databasess permit students to create both "private" papers, which can be read only by the professor, and "for class" papers that can be shared with others in the group. What about the use of copyrighted materials in my course? The network will not put materials online without copyright permission. To use journal articles, photographs, cartoons, images, or software on the network, permission must be acquired. In preparing for course development, we suggest reading the following:
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