 Online Learning
The three options in which a student may engage in an online learning experience are:
The expectations of an online course are clearly outlined in the guideline document. While all delivery formats from self-paced to teacher-led are described, it is clear that teacher-led is the preferred, though not required, method of delivery. The phrase 'incorporated into each required credit' is also outlined and suggests that by having an online learning experience documented in district coursework, it is assumed that a student successfully completing these courses will have had an online learning experience. Based on the guidelines, a quality online learning experience is a combination of structured, sustained, integrated, meaningful learning activities accessed via a telecommunications network. A student that has been successful in this type of experience should develop competency for being able to learn in a virtual environment (life long learning). It should be noted that students are expected to have a variety of online learning experiences throughout their school years. The cumulated time across grades six through twelve of these experiences are required to be a minimum of 20 hours. This document is intended to highlight the variety of experiences available and provide guidance to the varying qualities of these experiences. Through a collection of rich and diverse online learning experiences over time, a student is empowered to be productive in these types of learning experiences beyond school and into continuing education or the work place. It is up to each district as to how to track the 20 hours of experiences. It is suggested that a district use the same manner of tracking online learning experiences as they currently do in tracking a student's community service hours. If students are using a Learning Management System such as Moodle or Blackboard, the log reports are easily accessible and very user friendly for determining the amount of time logged into the system. The accumulation of online experiences may take place between grades 6-12 to meet the graduation requirement. Core Principles of Online LearningEssential Characteristics of Quality Online Learning ExperiencesAs described earlier in the document, an online learning experience has several elements. These are not meant to be stand-alone experiences but opportunities to extend learning through online activities. It is important to note that the collective online learning experiences are meant to include a variety of experiences. For examples of online learning experiences in tables where "X" indicates which of the essential characteristics outlined previously usually occur in the experience, please see the Online Experience Companion Document (pdf). Michigan Resources2004 MI State Technology Plan: Leading Educational Transformation for Today’s Global Society (pdf)Exploring E-learning Reforms for Michigan (pdf), Tom Watkins, Wayne State University Legislation Requiring Online Learning
Michigan Merit Curriculum Guidelines (pdf) Michigan Virtual University MVU Career Forward Class REMC Supplementary Guidelines (pdf) REMC Online Learning Project / GenNet Online Research ResourcesNEA Guide to Teaching Online Courses, November 2006 (pdf)Virtual Learning and 21st Century Skills, released November 2006 (pdf) enGuage: A Framework for Effective Technology Use A Synthesis of New Research on K–12 Online Learning, NCREL and Learning Point, November 2005 |
