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DSU
Online FAQ
By now you might
be wondering if an online course is right for you and if you
need special skills to be a successful distance
learner. On a technical level, Dickinson State University online
students must be familiar with computers and the Internet.
You’ll
also need to have access to a computer system that meets the
minimum online
course requirements.
Technical competence alone won’t
make you a successful distance learner. Distance education
is an opportunity and
a challenge, an opportunity to take
courses in a flexible learning environment and a challenge to shape your
life and direct your own studies.
The
rewards to students who learn to manage their time and education
while learning from a distance are great.
You get
to take some of the finest courses
at a time
and location convenient to your lifestyle! How will this be different from taking a course on campus?
Your DSU online course will take place in a different kind of environment than
a typical face-to-face course, but there are many ways in which your course
will be similar to on-campus instruction. You’ll find that our courses
still have real instructors, students and course materials. Nothing “virtual” about
those! But the courses themselves allow more flexibility than face-to-face
classes.
The amount of time a student can expect to spend on a DSU online
course varies with each course and with each week the course
runs. To determine the time
that will be spent on an online course take the number of credits for the course
multiplied by three or four. For example, a three-credit course would require
approximately 9 to 12 hours of course work each week.
The flexibility that you’ll enjoy as a distance learner has a flip side.
You’ll find that this kind of educational environment takes more self-initiative
than traditional face-to-face instruction. You’ll need to pay close attention
to the course schedule and due dates. Since you’ll be studying at a distance,
it will be easy to put off homework in order to attend to other responsibilities
that may seem more pressing. And since your DSU online course won’t take
any less time than an equivalent on-campus course, you can get behind and feel
overwhelmed in a hurry. Developing a personal schedule for completing your
course work, and then pacing yourself will be the key to your success! What will my course be like?
This question is difficult to answer, because each online course varies from
instructor to instructor. DSU online courses come in a variety of formats.
Some courses are considered “independent learning” – students
work through the course materials at their own pace (but still completing
by a prescribed deadline) independent of anyone else who might be enrolled
in the same course. Other courses are “cohort-based” – a
group of students take the course at the same time and follow the same schedule,
similar to traditional courses. Regardless of the format, an instructor is
always “behind the wheel” to guide the learning process!
What students will receive and need: - A “welcome letter” from DSU which describes
how to get started with the course.
- Any print materials required
for the course, such as a textbook, study guide and/or reading
booklet are listed on the course
syllabus web page.
- The URL (Web address) for the course home
page (if applicable).
How are assignments handled?
Throughout your educational career, you’ve no doubt been given a wide
variety of assignments, from completing worksheets and term papers to preparing
presentations and portfolios. You’ll encounter that same variety of course
assignments in you DSU online courses. Some things haven’t changed!
The only real difference you’ll discover is in the way you submit your
online assignments. When taking a course at a distance, it is usually difficult
to hand your professor your term paper or give a presentation live in front
of the class. In such cases, we simply come up with an alternative way to reach
the same goal. For example, you might surface mail your term paper or attach
it to an e-mail note, or you might videotape your presentation and send the
tape to your instructor (Example: Speech class). Or perhaps you’ll submit
your paper or presentations in the form of a Web page – there are many
options!
For each assignment, you will receive specific instructions for turning in
the assignment.
After an assignment has been received, it will be graded and
the feedback shared with you. Once again, the only difference
will be the way in which you’ll
receive your feedback. Since your instructor will be at a distance from you,
one of a number of different means will be used, such as surface mail, e-mail
or the use of an online grade book. And remember, there is nothing “virtual” about
you DSU online instructor – you will still be able to ask questions about
the feedback you receive! How will my learning be assessed?
In the absence of face-to-face interaction with your online instructor, you
may wonder how your learning will be assessed. How will your instructor know
whether you are actively participating and learning the material? In online
courses, we use many of the same assessment strategies used in on-campus
courses, including quizzes, exams, papers and projects.
How is this all done, you ask? We use a variety of techniques to accomplish
the same assessment goals as on-campus courses – we just adapt a little!
Here are just a few examples of what you might find in you DSU course:
- Online quizzes that are automatically scored,
complete with detailed feedback
- Paper-based exams taken in
the presence of an approved proctor. We work with you to
select and approve a suitable proctor.
- Course projects that
you may work on as part of a collaborative team.
- Research
papers.
- Participation in small group discussions that take
place online. Mechanisms such as these are built into every
online course to let you and your
instructor know that learning is taking place!
How will I interact with my instructor and fellow students?
You live in Kansas and your instructor lives in North Dakota – and
the rest of your online classmates live all over the world.
How will you interact with one another? At DSU we use a variety
of means to bring students and instructors together, including:
- E-mail
- Online discussion forums (bulletin boards)
- Chat space
As each online course is developed, specific
interaction strategies are selected to meet the needs of
the course,
using the
technologies likely to be available to the students.
To register for classes contact: 701-483-2166
Anthony Willer (Instructional Technology/Online Coordinator)
Stacy Wilkinson (Student Support Specialist); Yvonne Roth (Student Support Specialist)
Kay Locket (Staff Assistant)
Office of Extended Campus
Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND 58601-4896
1-866-496-8797 |
