Syllabus for EDT-710
PRACTICUM IN EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY
AND ONLINE LEARNING
Practicum in Educational Technology and Online Learning (EDT-710) provides students an opportunity to articulate and apply best practices gained from courses taken in the Master of Arts in Educational Technology and Online Learning program to design and implement a formal evaluation of an educational technology or online learning program. Major topics include: types of evaluation, evaluation design and theory, measurement, sampling, data collection, data analysis, and presentation and utilization of findings. The course focuses on the capacity-building potential of evaluation and its impact on the quality and delivery of educational technology and online learning programs and requires students to complete a formal evaluation of an existing educational technology or online program. Students will be expected to conduct data analysis and are expected to design and execute all aspects of the evaluation; identify and critique the state of the empirical evidence related to the evaluation; and prepare and report project findings and implications.
Note: You are required to spend a minimum of 60 hours engaged in an educational technology and/or online learning program as a part of your program evaluation. In this regard you should contact and begin working with your Supervising Administrator as soon as possible to set up your supervised tasks and experiences. You will record and log the time spent engaged in the educational technology and/or online learning program in a Practicum Self-Report Log that you download from the course Web site. The Supervising Administrator will be asked to certify and sign-off on the Practicum Self-Report Log, without which you cannot pass and receive credit for this course.
After completing this course, you should be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required and optional textbooks are available from the University’s textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
The Study Materials for individual modules include articles and reports available to you via the Internet (links provided) or through full-text databases and electronic journals and photocopies accessed through the University’s library resources (New Jersey State Library [NJSL], EBSCOhost, and ProQuest). The EBSCOhost and ProQuest databases can be accessed through the myEdison portal. Once you are logged in, locate the My Resources section. The links can be found under the Educational tab. See the individual modules for details.
Practicum in Educational Technology and Online Learning is a three-credit online course, consisting of six modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, maintain a practicum self-report log, and complete various writing assignments leading to a final evaluation report and presentation. See below for details.
Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
The course has six discussion forums, one each in Modules 1–6 and all graded with the aid of the Rubric for Online Discussions.
All online discussions take place asynchronously in a designated discussion forum. Online discussions provide an opportunity for you to interact with your classmates. During this aspect of the course, you respond to prompts that assist you in developing your ideas, you share those ideas with your classmates, and you comment on their posts. Discussion forum interactions promote development of a community of learners, critical thinking, and exploratory learning.
Please participate in online discussions as you would in constructive face-to-face discussions. You are expected to post well-reasoned and thoughtful reflections for each item, making reference, as appropriate, to your readings. You are also expected to reply to your classmates' posts in a respectful, professional, and courteous manner. You may, of course, post questions asking for clarification or further elucidation on a topic.
You are required to complete and submit five writing assignments, including your Practicum Self-Report Log. Please see below for details. Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
The Evaluation Plan and Timeline submitted in Module 1 will help guide you through the process of developing, implementing, writing up, and presenting your formal program evaluation for this course. Please map out your work plan to help you identify and document your project goals, objectives, activities, and a time frame in which objectives and activities should be completed within the framework of this course. Developing a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, and Time-based) plan of work will help you create and conduct a well-organized and comprehensive program evaluation.
The assignment you submit should identify in detail the educational technology or online learning program to be evaluated along with a timeline for deliverables (e.g., Draft Instruments; Background, Research Design, and Data Collection Paper; Analysis and Results, etc.) and activities (e.g., site selection, practicum schedule, presentation recording, etc.) required to complete the evaluation.
Regardless of the purpose of the evaluation or the design of the evaluation project, a data collection instrument or guide is necessary. Examples include open-ended interview guides, focus groups, self-administered survey, and established questions to guide abstraction of administrative data.
For the Draft Instruments assignment in Module 2, you will draft an instrument or use an existing instrument and provide a copy of it with a paragraph describing how the instrument has been used previously (e.g., with what related populations, year, duration, etc.). Where available, be sure to report any reliability and validity values, paying special attention to previous use for diverse populations.
For the Background, Research Design, and Data Collection assignment in Module 3, you will construct and submit a 3–5 page paper in which you describe the objectives and background of the evaluation project and detail the intended evaluation methods. The paper, written in APA format, should include:
For the Analysis and Results assignment in Module 4, you will submit the results and analysis section from your program evaluation. In this assignment, please describe your results and analysis, in APA format, using text and graphics and receive feedback prior to the final evaluation report. Use the course readings and resources as examples for how to write up your results and analysis section. You should have results and analysis for each research question you developed and asked during your program evaluation.
For the Practicum Self-Report Log due in Module 5, you will submit the Practicum Self-Report Log you have been keeping, on a weekly basis, as part of your program and practicum evaluation.
Remember: You are required to spend a minimum of 60 hours engaged in an educational technology and/or online learning program as part of your program evaluation. Your practicum is designed to give you supervised experience in the program under evaluation. You are required to record and log the time spent engaged in the educational technology and/or online learning program in the Self-Report Log that you download from the course Web site. The site or program supervisor is required to sign-off on the Practicum Self-Report Log. You are expected to scan and submit the signed log.
To pass and receive credit for this course, you must submit the Practicum Self-Report Log certified and signed by your Supervising Administrator.
The concluding assignment for this course is a Final Evaluation Report and Presentation due in Module 6.
In Module 6 you will compile and submit your Final Evaluation Report. Together with new content, the Final Evaluation Report should be written in APA format and include the revised content of previous course assignments—incorporating feedback from the mentor—and the final operationalization of research variables (from research questions or hypotheses), the final research design and sampling procedures, and data collection procedures.
The report should be approximately 10–12 pages (single-spaced and using 12 point font), excluding the Appendix and References. Major section headings include:
The Presentation assignment in Module 6 is due during the last week of the semester. This assignment is your opportunity to be creative in how you communicate the findings of your evaluation. You will present your findings using a self-selected software program that allows you to capture a video and audio while recording your presentation. Your presentation should be delivered as if you were presenting to a small group of your classroom peers. This group will be familiar with your topic area to the extent possible. They will reflect a lay audience such as a board of directors, an insurance review panel, a foundation board, educational technology funder, or an online agency specific committee.
You need to communicate your evaluation study succinctly and in terms the average person could understand. You should use some type of presentation format (e.g., PowerPoint) that you would expect to see in a professional setting. Despite the format you use, it must convey the information provided in your oral presentation. Your oral presentation must be between 7 and 10 minutes in length. Your print and oral presentation must give the review board information about the following:
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | B | = | 83–87 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–82 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | F | = | Below 73 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.
Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.
Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.
If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > “Citing Sources.”)
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.
For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance and originality report checking, click the links provided below.
Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism
When to Quote and When to Paraphrase
Writing Assistance at Smarthinking
Originality Report Checking at Turnitin
Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.
If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.
If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.
Possible sanctions include:
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