These are regular University of California courses that are being offered to students anywhere in the world using Web-based learning methods. Each one carries 4 units of University of California credit and the registration fee is $425. In order to take any of the courses, you will need the ability to access the Internet, including the World Wide Web, and an e:mail address. You will also need to identify an instructor at a nearby institution of higher education (hereafter called the supervisor) who will be willing to provide a place for you to take the exams and supervise your taking of the exams. We will send the exams to the supervisor (preferably by e:mail) and the supervisor will be expected to transmit your exam answers to us for grading. It is the student's responsibility to identify an individual willing to act as supervisor!
To take an on-line course, the student must take more responsibility for scheduling their learning activities than is the case with classroom instruction. Therefore, it is vital that you read all of the following instructions carefully and follow them as you participate in the course.
Who should take these courses?
The courses can be taken by anybody who wants to learn more about the topics, provided they meet the prerequisites. For upper-division courses (numbered 1**), the prerequisite is completion of two years of college or the consent of the instructor. For lower-division courses, the prerequisite is the consent of the instructor. If you need the consent of the instructor, please e:mail your request stating your qualifications and the reasons. If you want to use the credit towards a degree, you should check with your degree-granting institution to make sure the credit is transferable.
The upper-division courses are especially appropriate for new teachers working on earning a teaching credential, and for credentialed teachers wishing to fulfill Professional Growth Requirements. It is important to have prior approval of your institution of higher education in the first case or of your school district in the second. Teachers may also be interested in on-line courses offered by the UCI Department of Education.
How to register
You can get more information about registration from the administering unit, University Extension. After you have received the instructor's consent, download a course enrollment form, complete it and mail it back with a check for your registration fees. Then send an e:mail to the instructor to indicate you are enrolled.
Each week: Readings. The syllabus will tell you what reading is required each week. Usually, it will consist of chapters from an on-line hypertext book and/or other web pages. You might want to print out the readings so you can work on them when you are away from a computer.
Most required readings will include hyperlinks to other web sites. Some of these are required and will be so indicated. Others are suggestions to lead you in interesting directions on the internet. Many of the links leave the book in order to take advantage of documents produced and updated elsewhere. You can always get back to your starting place by using the "Back" button or the "History" file on your browser. Make sure you know how to do this, so you don't get lost in cyberspace.
It is a good idea to modify your browser preferences so that your visited links maintain their altered color for the entire period of the course. This way you can keep track of ALL of the links you have visited.
Click on Edit, Preferences, Visited Links and adjust the number of pages in "history"
Click on Tools, Internet Options, General and adjust the number of pages in "history"
End of each week: Self-test. We will
provide a multiple choice test which you should take after you have completed
the readings. If you don't achieve the required accuracy within the
required time, go back and review the readings and re-take the test.
The weighting of the course assignments is described in the Grading
Policy section of each Course Web page.
If you experience technology problems that need to be solved in order
for you to participate in the course, you should send an e-mail message
to the instructor.
We welcome you as colleagues in these innovative courses -- an adventure
on the frontiers of teaching and learning. We value your participation
and will look forward to your comments, input and feedback throughout.