Infographic: E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program

Fall Session Open for Enrollment

Take a single class for License Renewal.  Work toward a certificate at your own pace.

Prepare to be a Great Online Teacher 

• Develop and enhance your online teaching skills. 
• Teach online from anywhere as a highly effective e-learning professional. 
• Hone your skills to compete in a rapidly growing job market!
• Take any one of the classes below for license renewal!
• A university tution freeze is in effect!

EDUC 760 Elearning for Educators 3 graduate credits
This is the introductory course in the E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate, is an approved elective in the online Master of Science in Education degree program, and is open as an individual course to students seeking professional development.

EDUC 762 Assessment in E-learning 3 graduate credits

EDUC 763 Instructional Design for E-learning 3 graduate credits

EDUC 761 Creating Collaborative Communities in E-learning 3 graduate credits 

Take any or all of these classes at your own pace.  Every class is offered every semester.

Certificate Overview

E-Learning for Educators: Starts July 1, 2013

University of Wisconsin Stout Online

Last Call for Summer 2013!

EDUC 760 E-Learning for Educators 

July 1 Start Date

This course introduces educators to the realities of teaching online. The course provides a hands-on overview of the best practices and key tools of online instruction that will enhance the online teaching skills of  educators/trainers. These tools-- including creation and facilitation of discussion forums, online surveys and quizzes, and  professional e-portfolios-- are explored here and covered in depth in subsequent courses.

Check out our Syllabus! 

Graduates of the Certificate Program: Let us know?

All call for Graduates of the University of Wisconsin Stout E-Learning and Online Teaching Graduate Certificate Program. 

I've sent out a request to all graduates of our program to complete a follow up survey.  I want to find out where you are and what you are doing with your E-Learning Certificate.  Special thanks to all who have replied!  The Wordle below was created with the text from just one of the questions on our survey:

Has earning your certificate changed your work life?

If you are a graduate of our program who has not yet completed the survey, please write me and I'll send you the link.

Dennis O'Connor
Program Advisor
E-Learning & Online TeachingSchool of Education
Online Professional Development
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Wisconsin's Polytechnic University
530-318-1145 (Cell)
Skype: wiredinstructor2
oconnord@uwstout.edu

Learning to learn online as you learn to teach online

Many traditional learners who enter the Online Teaching Graduate Certificate program at UW-Stout go through a period of adjustment during the first course, E-Learning for Educators.   There is so much information in the class, so many new ideas, so many intriguing resources that the desire to read everything and click every link can be overwhelming.

I like to remind folks that our classes are "8 week intensives".  The courses earn the same number of credits as a traditional face to face 18 week graduate course.  I think that helps when to adjusting to the work load.

The other thing I do is send our students to Joan Vandervelde's Tips on reading during an online class.  Joan's great advice goes a long way to help students learn hypertext reading habits.  
I also remind our students that each course remains open at least a year. This means they return and review the resources and discussions as they see fit.  Indeed, those that go on to the E-Learning Practicum class are expected to revisit each of their courses as part of a culminating e-porfolio project.

Traditional students are stuck on the idea that they have to read everything and follow every link.  You just can't do that in 8 weeks or 8 years. Reading hypertext resources requires persistence, and focus. The information filtering theme in the first e-learning course is about selectively pursuing interests, and using the Diigo social bookmarking system to save, tag, annotate and share resources you want to revisit or remember in the future.

When I first started as an online student I made a notebook of printed pages for each of my classes.  I recall the sense of old time order and control it gave me to print the assignments, punch three holes, and divide it all into flip book order.  I think I did that for the first 4 courses of my masters degree.  
Luckily I evolved out of that habit; saving a forest over the last 10 years!

The journey from online student to online teacher is an intense and fascinating experience.  Changing ingrained learning habits, understanding how to think with technology, figuring out how to project your voice and mind across the Internet, and being able to tolerate the ambiguity of a constantly changing digital landscape will help us all be lifelong learners in the 21st Century!

A question for all who teach and learn online: Which 'old school' habits do you want to change? Which will you hold on to?

The Advantages and Realities of Teaching Online

National and International Reach

The courses at UW-Stout are open to learners from around the world. Over the years in addition to North America, I've worked with people from most of the countries of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.  In addition to a large group from the Wisconsin, last semester we had participants from Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, Vermont, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, California, and Alaska. From overseas there were teachers connecting from Korea, China, Taiwan, Okinawa, Dubai, Germany, Austria, and England.

Joining our classes means you are preparing to learn and make a living well beyond the boundaries of our home towns.

Teaching Tactics: Notes Become Grade Book Comments

I'll often write my responses into the grade comments area of the course management area as I read the posts. This helps me capture my thinking, without jumping into the discussion too early or too often.
D2L allows me to make preliminary notes in a grade field invisible to participants. This way I capture my thinking about each post as I read and work a bit on my comments for the week. I can then paste my reactions into the public discussion when I'm ready to wrap up the week.

Discussion Dynamics

You might ask, why not just post what you have to say in the discussion? An instructor already has a big voice in a class. I write my own classes, so my voice is present in both the content and the discussions.  I don't want to dominate a conversation or cut it short. At the same time I want students to know I'm present, and attentive.  Walking this fine line between either hijacking a conversation or disappearing as the discussion rushes by is one of the skills all online instructors must constantly practice.

Seasoned Faculty

All of the instructors in our program are highly experienced professionals with exceptional online teaching abilities.  At the same we're all teachers and learners tuned to the needs of those just entering the field.  Our goal is to help you learn both the theory and practical every day technology driven realities of working and teaching online.

How Dreams Become Goals

If you've ever dreamed of giving up the commute to the classroom for the freedom of e-learning, now's the time to turn your dreams into goals.  Join us for a great semester of online teaching and learning!

Register now for the  University of Wisconsin-Stout's Fully Online Classes in E-Learning and Online Teaching!

Certificate Home Page
Last Call for Summer 2011
EDUC 760 E-Learning for Educators Two start date options: Begins June 20, 2011.  

Where will you be a year from now? Register now!

Get Your University Degree Online: University of St Augustine university review and evaluation

Get Your University Degree Online: University of St Augustine university review and evaluation

A brief look at the university – University of St. Augustine university review and university evaluation

The University of St. Augustine (USA) is a graduate school famous for its health sciences courses. It is well-known to be the choice for students wants a degree in physical and occupational therapy education. Their main campus is in St. Augustine, Florida and a second campus in San Diego, California. Additionally, we have a weekend campus in Boca Raton, Florida. University of St. Augustine's complete focus is on providing exceptional and distinguished graduate-level education. They hold seminars frequently throughout the nation at a variety of different locations. Their online programs are offered and made available around the world. The University is well-recognized internationally and even has programs in Iceland, Chile, and Japan. This reputable health sciences institution offers entry-level graduate degrees in both occupational and physical therapy, as well as professional education courses for practicing therapists.

The University of St. Augustine consists of two distinct divisions: the Division of First Professional Studies is for people interested in careers in physical therapy or occupational therapy, while the Division of Post-Professional Studies is for those who already have a qualifying degree and license in their respective professions and wish to advance their knowledge and skills to gain an advanced certification or degree. The team at University of St. Augustine is committed to providing high-quality online and web-based distance-learning activities and this enables busy professionals to continue attaining their scholastic and clinical goals at a time and place convenient for them.

In addition, the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) accredited the university’s first professional Physical Therapy program in October 1996 and re-accredited the program in April 2001. The Flexible Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program – Boca Raton was accredited by CAPTE in October 2004 and the DPT expansion program in San Diego, CA was approved in April 2007.

Which university courses are offered at University of St. Augustine?

There are several degree programs offered here at University of St. Augustine, and some of them can be attained through an online education! More information can also be retrieved and downloaded from the relevant websites and brochures at your convenience for further reference and to help you in deciding your dream course!

The University of St. Augustine awards the following graduate degrees:

At the campus in St. Augustine, the University offers the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) and the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degrees. These are entry-level degree programs and consist of six to seven trimesters of coursework conducted over two to two and a third years. There is also a dual degree option whereby a student may first complete the MOT degree and then complete the DPT degree four trimesters later.

Interestingly, the online campus and the Boca Raton campus on weekends offer a Flexible Doctor of Physical Therapy program. This is achieved by combining online courses with weekend labs. The program consists of 12 trimesters conducted over four years. At the San Diego, CA campus, the University offers the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) and the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degrees. These are entry-level degree programs and consist of six to seven trimesters of coursework conducted over two to two and a third years. There is also a dual degree option whereby a student may complete first the MOT degree and then four trimesters later complete the DPT degree. The San Diego campus also offers the online and weekends Flexible Doctor of Physical Therapy program. You may find this very useful if you are looking for distance-learning degree!

There are two distance education degrees – the transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy and transitional Doctor of Occupational Therapy degrees - offered through a variety of opportunities including nationwide seminars, campus and online activities.

The transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree is available for individuals with either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in physical therapy. The requirements for this degree vary depending upon previous coursework and interest area. The DPT degree uses a combination of on-campus seminars and online courses. The transitional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree is for those with either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in occupational therapy. Similarly, there are a variety of ways that this degree may be earned - by attending seminars or by going online.

Finance and other important matters

All these valuable information related to financial matters were sourced from Wikipedia, the University of St. Augustine’s official website, and also other helpful catalogs and brochures. You may also wish to look up more sources to glean further information!

Here at the University of St. Augustine, they believe that graduate education is a valuable investment in your future, and also, it is one big important investment that requires time, dedication and financial resources. The costs of a high-quality education can be somewhat challenging, but the University of St. Augustine makes it one of their goals to assist you with securing the necessary funding to make your dream education a reality.

The various financial assistance plans that are available and some notes about them are shown below:

Stafford Loans

· Subsidized Stafford Loan:

This loan is solely based on need. The government pays the interest while the student is in school and payment begins six months after the student’s graduation. There is a fixed rate of 6.8% for loans disbursed on or after July 1, 2006.

· Unsubsidized Stafford Loan:

This loan is not based on need. Interest accrues while the student is in school and like the subsidized loan, payment begins six months after the student’s graduation.

Federal Graduate Plus Loan

The Grad Plus loan is a credit-based loan to cover tuition, books, fees and living expenses, excluding the Stafford loan or any scholarship money received. One would generally apply for this program in place of an alternative private loan. The interest rate will be a fixed rate of 8.5%. One must file a FAFSA and be awarded the Federal Stafford Loan before you may borrow under the Grad PLUS loan program. A credit check is required to determine that the applicant does not have an adverse credit history. With the Grad PLUS loan, a student may borrow up to the total cost of attendance minus any other financial assistance.

Private Alternative Loans

A student’s eligibility for these types of loans is based on credit, citizenship status, and other factors as determined by the lending institution.

· Smart Option Student Loan by Sallie Mae

OR

· Smart Option Student Loan by Fifth Third Bank

Because these loans are based on credit, as well as other criteria, it is important to maintain a good credit rating prior to and during one’s attendance at school. It is recommended that you contact at least one of the following national credit agencies to receive a copy of your credit report to verify it is accurate before applying for a Private Alternative loan.

Private Scholarships

If a private organization contacts the University of St. Augustine to offer a scholarship, students will be notified via email. Some private scholarships can be located via the Internet, but one should always be careful. One trusted scholarship search is:

· www.fastweb.com.

The University of St. Augustine offers some scholarships for First Professional students. Other scholarship information can be accessed at these sites, as shown below:

· www.cashe.com

· www.csfa.org

If you need more detailed information on the available financial assistance options and opportunities, you may also contact their financial aid coordinators. The people in the financial aid department will be most willing to lend their helping hand to clarify your doubts.

Why you should study at University of St. Augustine - my own personal recommendations

The University of St. Augustine is an active, highly qualified, and diverse academic community dedicated to graduating clinical practitioners with a great relevance to today’s health care delivery and marketplace. They are imbued with the philosophy that “the education is faculty driven, student focused, and relevant to patient and client needs” and they serve with pride and passion to groom leaders in the healthcare industry.

I think that the University of St. Augustine is a great institution for a graduate education in physical and occupational therapy courses! Moreover, the University of St. Augustine is a well-established university with no known controversies. Thanks for reading and I hope that you will find your dream online education here at the University of St. Augustine. If you are looking for a physical and occupational therapy education, look no further! The University of St. Augustine, well-established for Health Sciences, may be your choice university. Thank you very much and do stay with us, here at Get your university degree online!

Get your university degree online - degree reviews and university reviews

Canadian Virtual University

Canadian Virtual University online degrees review -

A Brief Look at the Canadian Virtual University

Canadian Virtual University is not a single institution but many institutions collectively forming a partnership of many universities to provide distance learning and online education. Established in 2000, Canadian Virtual University's mission is to promote online education that is accredited and proper from Canadian universities, and hence can be seen as something as a liaison body. Participating universities offer collectively 2500 degrees and more and one quarter of the Canadian Virtual University's degrees are in French, as after all this is a Canadian partnership and a Canadian universities commission.

The partners of the Canadian Virtual University are, according to Wikipedia and also correct as at 2008,

Acadia University, Athabasca University, Cape Breton, Laurentian, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Nipissing, Royal Military College of Canada, Tele - universite, Thompson Rivers, University of Manitoba, and University of New Brunswick.

Collectively they form the Canadian Virtual University, which can be thought of as an online portal for online education that these universities offer. I would say that even if the universities within this consortium or union change, there should be no problem because of the economies of scale associated with the Canadian Virtual University. There are many universities combining their efforts and their collaborative efforts have resulted in many degrees and programmes being offered collectively that each university would have been hard pressed to provide entirely. That is to say, there is real economies of scale here and Canadian Virtual University is a very viable choice in terms of range and scale of degrees offered by the member universities and Canadian Virtual University as a whole.

There are no known controversies because Canadian Virtual University is new and also because it is not a university strictly speaking by itself. There are also no known controversies surrounding the member universities that make up Canadian Virtual University. There are both French and English courses at the Canadian Virtual University, so for non-English speakers this might be a useful choice for a university.

Which courses are offered at the Canadian Virtual University

The whole range of degrees is offered at the Canadian Virtual University:

nondegree credit degrees, bachelors degrees, masters, doctorate, certificate and diplomas.

The Canadian Virtual University allows sorting by language (French or English), by participating university, by subject and by subject/ course level. There are so many possibilities here at the Canadian Virtual University and I feel that this is a very useful and comprehensive portal.

For instance, Acadia University offers:

Certificate in Computer Science and Masters of Education.

While at the same time, Athabasca University offers the following, correct as at 2008 from the Canadian Virtual University website:

Bachelors of administration, Public Administration

Bachelors of arts in the following:
Canadian studies, English, French, General Studies, History, Humanities, IT, Labour Studies, Political Economy, Psychology, Sociology, Women's Studies

Bachelors of commerce in the following:
Accounting, financial services, e-commerce,

and other degrees and certificate programmes in the following fields, too many to mention in a simple single review on the university itself:

science, human science, distance education, management, MBA, project management, health studies, arts, marketing, counselling, career development, French and English, and much much more.

To put it succinctly, the Canadian Virtual University offers the whole gamut of services, degrees, programmes and subjects in both French and English, and hence there should be no problem finding both the level of the course and the subject programme of your choice here at the Canadian Virtual University because of the scope and range. Simply - the range is good and there are many subjects at various levels to choose from.

Finance and other matters at Canadian Virtual University

Unlike US universities and education in the UK and the USA, there seems to be no established loans and scholarship programme for Canadian Virtual University as at 2008. That is not to say that funding is not available, but it is probably available only via the individual universities themselves. I would hazard a guess and say that the usual loans, grants and working aid should be available in addition to scholarships, but there is no mention of any such aid, loans and scholarships on the Canadian Virtual University website as at 2008.

I would say that perhaps you need to find out the grants and aid system available in Canada and for international students studying for a Canadian degree. Data is scarce for this topic, though, so be warned! In summary, while data is hard to find, financial aid should be available for Canadian Virtual University just as US loans and aid are available for students reading an American degree online.

Why you should study there and my personal recommendations

Canadian Virtual University has a few things going for it: there are many participating universities so there is reputation, accreditation, and a range of degrees at all levels. Some universities here on my site have only one or two offerings but this Canadian Virtual University has all the degrees and has many subjects to offer. There is probably everything that you ever wanted to study and at various prices and various costs, and various levels, so there should be no problem at all. There are no known controversies and the website is user friendly and really promotes good online education, distance learning and IT knowledge as well. There are both French and English courses at the Canadian Virtual University, so for non-English speakers this might be a useful choice for a university. There are many good reasons for recommending this university for online education and distance learning!

I would recommend this university because of its range of choices and not because of its particular subjects. So do make your choice and have a good look at the many courses before making your decision! Canadian Virtual University offers many choices and many opportunities in varied fields. More research is needed into the individual universities that you may pick from here. Cheers and thanks, all the best with your education.

Get an online degree! Get a university degree online!

California University of Pennsylvania Online Degrees

California University of Pennsylvania Online Degrees review

Brief look at the university

(it is widely and commonly known as Cal U, and the Online Degree website is known as Cal U Global Online or California University of Pennsylvania Global Online)

California University of Pennsylvania is a public university located in California, Pennsylvania, USA. It is one of the few public universities that I have reviewed so far because most universities offering online degrees and certification have been for-profit or private rather than public. California University of Pennsylvania has many satellite campuses and has a big presence on the ground as well as its Global Online website and online degree offerings, that are of course fully accredited. The physical campus itself in California is rather popular as well even though California University of Pennsylvania has a rather small and tight student population of less than 9000 students. In addition, California University of Pennsylvania is a member of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. It has a stable and reliable reputation as a solid university and there are no known controversies surrounding it.

The Global Online website for California University of Pennsylvania is worth a long hard look because after all this is an online university degree review.

Nonetheless it should be said that if you intend to study at the physical campus there or if you live near California University of Pennsylvania that might be a good choice for your future career in sports, education or legal studies (which will be covered later on here in my review). In my personal opinion, just because this is an online degree review does not mean that others searching for information on a university's reputation cannot visit the physical campus or study at the ground campus. This is about education and information and research material, of course.

Which courses are offered

Cal U Global Online offers bachelors degrees, graduate certificates, and Masters degrees in mostly legal and sports areas and fields. The main degrees offered are of course Arts and Science and Education Masters. The Bachelors degrees offered are for Legal Studies and Sport Management, the Graduate certificates are in areas, for example, like Performance Enhancement, Rehabilitation Science, Sport Psychology, Wellness and Fitness, and the like. The Masters degrees offered by Cal U Global Online seem to be rather eclectic on a first glance at their online degree offerings, from Advanced Secondary Education to Legal Studies to Sport Management and an MA in Tourism. However it seems clear that Cal U Global Online's strengths lie in Sports and Legal Studies, their biggest offerings of courses and programmes. Perhaps you might also want to consider Cal U Global Online because of its small range of education learning and degrees related to higher education.

Finance and other matters

There are various scholarships and financial schemes available, just like many other universities, so funding should not be a problem. There are many technical issues regarding student loans and government assistance, but all these are available on Cal U Online website, and only applies to US citizens. The tuition fees are rather low as compared to Kaplan University Online and University of Phoenix Online for instance, and are rather affordable. Perhaps this is due to the fact that California University of Pennsylvania is a public university and not a private university.

In addition, Cal U Online offers information and offers for Armed Forces personnel, meaning that US Army soldiers and men who fight for the USA can have an education and improve themselves here at Cal U Global Online. This programme is called Cal U Global Online Armed Forces, or Cal U GO Armed Forces website. Perhaps if you are military personnel it might be worth checking out Cal U Global Online because it is one of the rare universities that has some dedicated programme for US Armed Forces personnel, as I have reviewed many other universities and none of them make any mention about these kinds of programme or course offerings. In addition, having an online education might be a good way of furthering your career in the Armed Forces because you can work and study at the same time for your online degree, and will not have to take time off to attend a real physical campus college to get your university degree.

Why you should study there or my personal recommendations

California University of Pennsylvania seems to be a good university with a solid reputation based on my research: it is public, it is affordable, it has a good physical campus without any controversies, and its Global Online has a good interface offering sports management, legal studies and educational degrees. There does not seem to be anything against it. Both online courses and physical campus courses are alright. In addition, it offers scholarships, bursaries and student loans for all sorts of students, and even has offers and other programmes for US Armed Forces personnel. I would strongly suggest, of course, comparing universities first and looking around for other university offers in terms of bachelors and masters related to sports and law, and then I might come back here to have another look at California University of Pennsylvania and its Global Online if I am interested in a career related to sports, mainly. Nonetheless, California University of Pennsylvania is one of the better universities that I have reviewed and it seems a pretty good university with many good reviews all around, so I would recommend it.

Get a university degree online!