In order to understand the concept of time spent academically engaged, it is important to define credits. MOISE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE utilizes semester credit. Students enrolled in a semester credit program attend 16-week semesters. A semester credit is defined in the following fashion:
15 contact hours of theory coursework equals one-semester credit.
30 contact hours of laboratory coursework equals one-semester credit.
45 contact hours of clinical coursework equals one-semester credit.
Therefore, if you are taking an online course that only offers theory and a 16-week semester, then you are attending the course for three hours per week. If you are taking four online courses in a semester of 16 weeks at three-semester credits each, then you can expect to attend online courses at least 12 hours per week. Please note that a full-time schedule is considered 12-semester credits.
Online Communication
It is essential that online students communicate with their instructors frequently. Students with questions must write emails to their instructors asking the many questions they may have. They may request additional chat sessions in order to clarify information. The instructor will schedule a time to meet with you in a chat room, by phone, or in person at the campus location in Orlando, FL. Students should expect that each communication will be followed up with a written summary of the discussion generated by the instructor. Such communications will be provided to the student either by email or letter.
Discussion Boards
A discussion board will be posted as frequently as three per week per course in a semester credit program. Each discussion board question is designed to assess students’ understanding of concepts and deliver data. A discussion board will require a response from each student enrolled in the course. As such, the student will be required to not only respond to the discussion board question but also add to the thread by responding to their peers. For each discussion board, every student must respond at least two times.
It will be insufficient to respond with two-word answers such as “I agree”, or “thank you”. Students may also not repeat the same response provided by other peers. The discussion board question will be such that many opinions, approaches, and other information can be utilized to respond. It would be just as if students were in a classroom and the instructor offered a discussion question. One student raises their hand and responds, but all students in the class benefit from learning from the exchange. Students in such a discussion would not repeat the answers of prior students, but offer new information or other information that also responds to the discussion question.
When responding to a discussion board question students must:
• Use facts to support all statements.
• Use of wisdom and professional courtesy when expressing an opinion
• Respect the opinions of others who may disagree
• Make complete statements. One sentence answers will not receive anything more than a grade of F.
• When responding to classmates, make sure you use the name of the person who posted to identify
the idea or statement you are responding to.
• Post your statement within the specified timeframe provided by the instructor.
• Do not plagiarize your statements. Statements will be regularly audited to determine if plagiarism is occurring.
• Cite all of the sources you use to derive your factual statements, including URLs, reference texts, periodicals, or other sources. Refrain from using Wikipedia as a factual source.
Discussion boards are an important method of assessing cognitive knowledge, thinking skills, as well as communication skills. All of these areas are critical to your success in any career field.
Asynchronous Education
Asynchronous experiences are educational activities where the instructor and the student are not both presents at the same time in the same virtual space. For example, Distance education courses offered at MOISE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE are asynchronous education. Some instructors may require live chat as a part of the learning activities, which requires both the instructor and the students to be present in the same virtual space. These events are prescheduled and listed in your syllabus. When they are scheduled students are required to attend unless listed as optional by the instructor.
Live Chat
Instructors may post on the syllabus as well as in the online course a schedule of live chats that will occur throughout the course. Students taking online courses should expect to attend such chat sessions. The learning management system provides chat rooms to be able to include all participants in the online chat session. All such arrangements will be made by the instructor, and information will be provided to the student either by email or in the announcements. Students are expected to attend live chats if scheduled. This is an opportunity to receive an oral lecture on specific topics, an opportunity to have questions answered, receive clarification on topics, ask questions about topics covered and discuss upcoming assignments and reports as well as examinations. Students who do not attend scheduled live chats will be penalized for their final grades. Live chats also count as part of attendance if specified by the instructor.
Video Recorded Lectures & PowerPoint Slides
From time to time instructors may record their lectures and provide links for students to view such lectures. Students must remember that even though they are in an online classroom, they must still attend class. What this means is that regardless of the location, the academic requirements are the same as if they were sitting in a classroom on campus. Therefore if the lecturer requires a student to turn to page 246 and their medical terminology text, the student will be best served to do so in order to keep up with the lecture. Recorded lectures are specifically designed to clarify important material in complex topics. Students in a program or course offered online should expect to see many PowerPoint presentations provided to them as study notes. Students are required to review those notes as part of the content and material of a classroom experience. Most instructors derive midterm and final exam questions from classroom discussion as it pertains to important topics. Students should study those power points and lectures to ensure that they take the proper notes for successful progress.
Online Interactive Activities
Many of the textbooks for courses offered online are packaged with educational technology. Instructors are required to take advantage of this educational technology as they offer stimulating and interactive activities for students to participate in and learn from. These activities are excellent for the purposes of academic engagement in order to ensure that students are taking time each and every day to challenge themselves and one another in the learning process. Such assignments may be directed for homework purposes. However, any such assignments that are directed for classroom purposes must be interactive in nature, and lead to discussion board questions that can be answered by students as a result of the online interactivity is performed utilizing the educational technology provided by the textbook publisher. Students should be aware that any time they are engaged in such activities, a discussion board question related to such activities will follow.
Important Information Concerning Online Activities
There are very specific skills that online students must possess in order to achieve success in an online course. The first skill is time management. Students must be aware of their ability to manage time for all important tasks they must perform in a day. Because students at MOISE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE typically take a full-time schedule students can expect to be engaged at a minimum of 12 hours per week in addition to their scheduled course work reading or doing their homework. Students should check their online dashboards several times per day for new announcements, assignments, and information that may be pertinent to the student in the course. We recommend that you plan your week in advance in order to ensure that you budget sufficient time to accomplish all of your work and submit your assignments on time. Late assignments will be penalized. Students found to be cheating on midterms or final exams will be required to meet with the administration and will receive disciplinary action up to and including potential termination from the program.
Students should be well aware of what assignments are due. Instructors are held accountable for the information provided in the learning management system. They are to post as assignments with sufficient time to provide students with the opportunity to complete them in a reasonable timeframe.
Students are expected to communicate in the most professional manner possible. Any student who is not confident with their writing skills should consult references online which will be provided by the online administrator. Instructors will read your content through the eyes of professional colleagues and the expectation is that you put forth your very best effort to ensure your best quality of work. Your grade will reflect this.
Students and faculty are discouraged from discussing personal matters in any form of online communication where the entire class is involved. Under no circumstances should inappropriate discussion engage in chat rooms during class time. Additionally, inappropriate discussions posted on discussion boards will receive a grade of F.
Students who require additional services such as tutoring, academic advising, or other assistance from the institution must contact their faculty member or program director in order to ensure that such services are arranged. MOISE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE consistently provides such services, but students are responsible for ensuring that they communicate their needs. In the case of students at risk of failure, the instructor may make such recommendations and require students to come to the campus or provide tutoring online. Whatever the arrangement student services will be facilitated, and students are expected to participate.
All academic data performed is maintained for the purposes of ensuring appropriate grading, evidence of class participation, and demonstrating academic engagement.
Students in an online environment are not treated any differently than students in an on-campus environment. They have the same exact expectation in terms of the coursework that must be submitted, and attendance requirements and will be created in the same fashion.
In the event a student is at risk of failure of an online course, they will be advised by their faculty as well as administration. All documentation pertaining to any of these events must be agreed upon by both the faculty member in the student. Such communications will be verified and completed by email.