Last modified: December 2001

Return to: | Educational Psychology Interactive | Bill Huitt's Homepage |

Conditions of Learning is one of the foundation courses in the M.Ed. degree in school counseling. The on-line section of this course differs slightly from a classroom-based section in that there are few class meetings and most course activities are done via the Internet. However, the prerequisites for the course, the major objectives and course grading policies are the same. A major aspect of the web-based course is that students are required to participate via technology. This can sometimes provide challenges that are not faced by students in on-campus courses. This requires a level of personal discipline beyond that to which you may have become accustomed as a graduate student.

The course materials consist of a textbook, specific articles, and additional materials located on the web. The web materials can be accessed by selecting "Educational Psychology Interactive" above and then linking to "Conditions of Learning" under PSYC 7020. There you will find a course syllabus and course objectives. You will also see a link to WebCT; that is where you will be able to access Power Point presentations with an audio narrative for most objectives and where we will discuss questions on course objectives via a bulletin board.

We will meet 4 or 5 time during the semester. At other time students may interact with me or with other students via Yahoo Messenger, a telephone call, or an office visit. We will need to arrange some convenient times that I will hold "virtual office hours" during the semester.

The minimum requirements for participation in the course are:

1. Be admitted to graduate studies at VSU. The link is http://www.valdosta.edu/gradschool/
2. Completion of RSCH 7100: Educational Research (or its equivalent)
3. A computer and access to the Internet (preferably a 56K or better connection)
4. Netscape Navigator 4.3+ or Internet Explorer 4.0+
5. The plug-ins necessary to run Power Point presentations (PowerPoint 97 Viewer is available for those who don't have Power Point) and Real One Player presentations and the downloads necessary to run Yahoo Messenger.
6. An ability to access the internet, download files, use e-mail (including the use of sending attachments), and other basic computer/internet skills
7. The self-discipline necessary to operate in graduate-level course without a lot of supervision.

• Take a quiz on your readiness to take an online course developed by Florida Atlantic University.

First Steps:

1. After you have registered for the course, contact Dr. Huitt at whuitt@valdosta.edu, giving him your email address so that you can be added to the course list.
2. Read the syllabus and view the Power Point presentation.
3. Purchase the required texts at the bookstore.
4. Purchase the required supplemental materials at the Copy Center next to the Dean’s office in the Education Building. There are two packets: one contains the materials on the web so that you don't have to download and print each page; the other is the set of required readings. These can be mailed to you if you are out of town. Call 229-333-5925 and ask to speak to Cassandra Ward in the Copy Center.
5. Download the Power Point Viewer (if you don’t have Microsoft Power Point on your computer), Real Audio, and Yahoo Messenger, if not already done.
6. Look over the course objectives.
7. Look over "The Core Rules of Netiquette" by Virginia Shea.
8. Logon to WebCT (the link is on the left hand side of the page when you select PSYC 3110 on the Educational Psychology Interactive homepage). Your ID is the first part of your VSU email address (e.g., "whuitt" taken from whuitt@valdosta.edu) and your password is your birthdate in mmddyy format. Your first activity is to make a posting introducing yourself so that I know you have logged-on properly. If you do not know your password or if you want to change your password go to http://www.valdosta.edu/webct/password.shtml. (Note: this may not work properly the first two days of the semester because it has to be set up by the technology folks.)

If you don't know your GRITS account name, follow these steps:

1. Go to the  VSU Home Page and click on the Registration and Advising (Banner) entry. 
2. Log into Banner just as you did to register for classes using your Social Security Number and Birthdate [mmddyy format]. 
3.Follow the menu entries (Personal Information, Email Address) to access your GRITS username and a temporary password. 
4.Click on the "change your password" on that form and select a secure password you won't forget. 

Time Involvement:

A normal 3-hour graduate course meets for 3 hours per week with an expectation of 2 to 3 hours of additional work per hour of class time. The total time involvement for the web-based course is therefore likely to be 9 to 12 hours per week, including a weekly audio chat. 

Successful Study Habits:

The course consists of a series of modules that address specific course objectives. There are a series of steps that students have found helpful as they learn to master the course material:

1. Read the objective and determine the specific content or skill to be learned. Go to WebCT and read the questions you will need to answer in the bulletin board. Note:  You will need an ID (your grits email account name) and password (your birthdate in ddmmyy format). You will be assigned a grits account by computer technology if you don't already have one.
2. If you think you already know know something about the objective make a few notes from your own knowledge. For example, one of the terms you need to be able to define is "education." Take one minute (but no more) to make a few notes about your definition of education.
3. Write down a few key words about information that you might need to learn.
4. View the Power Point presentation for the objective (a presentation with audio is available via WebCT for some of the objectives.) Actively compare what you are reading to your initial notes and questions. 
5. Read the web-based materials for the objective. Again, actively compare what you are reading to your initial notes and questions.
6. Read the text pages and any additional required material. Again, actively compare what you are reading to your initial notes and questions.
7. Answer questions posted on the WebCT bulletin board and read and respond to other students' postings.
8. Prepare an outline for the objective making sure to cover all the points in the objective and the help statement.
9. Talk or chat with the instructor about the week's readings. You should be prepared with specific questions you want answered.
10. Review this material prior to your taking an exam.

Does this sound like a form of SQ4R? If you are familiar with this study method, you should recognize the steps. Prior to this course, some students have formed the habit of simply reading the required materials and then repeating back what they have memorized. The exams and paper that you will do in this class, however, will be graded, in part, on your ability to analyze and evaluate information and give examples and applications in an educational setting. In some cases, especially on the 3^rd or 4^th exam, you may also be required to synthesize information and provide original solutions to problems faced by educators. Sample exam questions and answers, as well as sample papers, are provided that exemplify the requirements for this course.

I am looking forward to working with you this semester. It is important to get off to a good start; procrastination can be an ulcer-producing activity in an online course. As soon as I get your email address I will provide additional instructions on what to do next.

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