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Introduction to SPICE Program and Certificate
The Specialization Program in International Online Education (SPICE) comprises
five six-credit (ECTS) courses about online education delivered internationally
via the Internet. Successful completion of all five courses and exams qualifies
for the Specialization Program in International Online Education Certificate (SPICE)
which is awarded by NKI.
Contact
If you have any questions about the SPICE program, you may contact irene.borresen@adm.nki.no
(tel: +47 67 58 88 00).
Program Objectives
The purpose of the program is to provide adult learners with a shared base
of knowledge, skills, and values regarding online education and training, irrespective
of their special area of interest. After concluding this program, the learners
should be qualified to design, teach, and administrate online courses and programs.
Through theory and practice, all program participants should acquire:
- thorough knowledge of and insight into general and international issues
in online education, design of online courses, online teaching, online learning,
and administration of online education.
- conscious and substantiated values on issues regarding national and cultural
differences in online education, acceptable and recommendable nettiquette
in online education, and application of copyright course material.
- practical skills in technology applied in delivery and design of courses
and programs. Further the participant should acquire practical skills in designing
and teaching online courses.
After completing the program, the students should be able to:
- understand the basic values, features, issues, and principles of international
online education
- comprehend the fundamental issues related to design and development of online
courses
- know the important issues, opportunities, and limitations of online teaching
and learning
- discuss important functions in administration of online courses and programs
- describe and discuss issues of importance to international and comparative
online education
- design and teach online courses
International Objectives
The program aims to provide an international forum where educators can convene,
exchange experiences, and build relations in an international online learning
environment. The objective is: to build and share knowledge of online education
from various countries, to develop a better understanding of personal practices,
to increase awareness of the approaches and problems of other countries, and
to understand what is universal and what is socially, politically, and culturally
based.
Target Group
The program is developed to accommodate an international body of participants.
It is designed for individuals who work or aspire to work in online education
and training in such diverse education and training settings as corporations,
business firms, government agencies, voluntary and professional associations,
hospitals and other health care organizations, schools, colleges, and universities.
The program should be of special interest to university teachers, college instructors,
corporate trainers, instructional designers, and program administrators.
How the Program Defines Online Education
There are many terms for online education. Some of them are: virtual education,
Internet-based education, web-based education, and education via computer-mediated
communication. This program uses a definition of online education which is based
on Desmond Keegan's definition of distance education. Hence, online education
is characterized by:
- the separation of teachers and learners which distinguishes it from face-to-face
education
- the influence of an educational organization which distinguishes it from
self-study and private tutoring
- the use of a computer network to present or distribute some educational
content
- the provision of two-way communication via a computer network so that students
may benefit from communication with each other, teachers, and staff
How the Program Applies Online Education
The program offers online education via the Internet. It emphasizes independence
of time, space, and pace; features that are among the most cherished in online
education. Hence, we accept continuous enrollment, individual progression, and
single course enrollment. This means that you can enroll whenever you want,
you can decide your own progression schedule, and you do not need to enroll
for more than one course. All courses are offered online. This means that there
is no need for students to travel or take part in any face-to-face sessions
as long as they have access to the Internet. All course communication can be
conducted online via e-mail and discussion forums. Further, the program emphasizes
asynchronous communication, which means that there is no need to attend classes
scheduled for certain days or specific hours. Further, the study guides are
developed as web-pages which include course material, assignments, and links
to international resources about online education.
Faculty
An international board of professors will be responsible for the design, development,
and delivery of the courses. The board members will be recruited among international
scholars qualified as full professors or associate professors. The board of
professors will include at least one member from NKI and two members who are
internationally recognized experts from other institutions. The board of professors
appoints one full professor or associate professor to be responsible for each
course.
Admission
Persons wishing to enroll in the program or in a single course must hold a
first degree (baccalaureate or licenciatura) from a recognized post-secondary
education institution. They must be fluent in written English.
Financial Arrangements
There is a tuition fee per 6-credit course. This fee includes all course materials
and instructional delivery cost, with the exception of students' communication
costs.
Assessment
The assessment scheme is designed to test the students' abilities to find,
understand, and use information, rather than to memorize and reproduce it. Hence,
student assessment will be conducted completely online, and it allows students
to apply all available resources. The course grades will be based on the assignments
presented in each of the study units. A final, 72-hours, comprehensive exam
must be completed successfully to obtain the SPICE Certificate.
Courses and Course Descriptions
The Specialization Program in International Online Education comprises the following courses:
| Course Number |
Course Title |
ECTS Credits |
Available |
| SPICE 601 |
Introduction to International Online Education |
6
|
Jan. 2000 |
| SPICE 602 |
Design and Development of Online Courses |
6
|
Jan. 2000 |
| SPICE 603 |
Online Teaching and Learning |
6
|
Jan. 2000 |
| SPICE 604 |
Administration Systems and Support Services for Online Education |
6
|
Jun. 2002 |
| SPICE 605 |
International and Comparative Online Education |
6
|
Jan. 2001 |
You may enroll in any, single course. However, to obtain the SPICE Certificate,
you must successfully complete all courses in the program. Students are recommended
to enroll in the courses in the suggested sequence, but they may start new courses
before they have completed the previous one. Figure 1. shows how students could
work on two or three courses simultaneously.
| Month number: |
|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| SPICE 601, Student A | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | SPICE 602, Student A | | | | | | |
| | | SPICE 603, Student A | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | SPICE 604, Student A |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | SPICE 605, Student A |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | SPICE 601, Student B | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | SPICE 602, Student B | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | SPICE 603, Student B |
| | | | | | | | | | SPICE 604, Student B |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | SPICE 605, Student B |
Figur 1
Course Descriptions
SPICE 601 Introduction to International Online Education
Introduction to International Online Education is the first course in the
Specialization Program in International Online Education (SPICE).
Overview of the Course
The course consists of five study units that introduce and reflect the topics
in the Specialization Program in International Online Education. Each study unit
corresponds to one course in the program.
Unit 1 - Overview of Online Education introduces basic and pivotal issues
in online education. This includes terminology, characteristic features, issues
of special interest. We shall also give you some examples of providers of online
courses.
Unit 2 - Design and Development of Online Courses introduces administrative
choices to be made with regard to course design. It discusses the pros and cons
of using the network as a medium for communication, distribution, presentation,
data processing, and information retrieval. Finally, it discusses design of
online assignments and assessment. The emphasis is on planning web-based courses
so as to make good use of technology without compromising quality or effectiveness.
Unit 3 - introduces basic features and characteristics of Online teaching
and learning. This includes teacher workload, teaching functions, and facilitation
techniques.
Unit 4 - introduces issues of interest to the Administration of online education.
This includes administration of students, teachers, courses, and course material.
The study unit also distinguishes between outsourcing, in-house development,
and the use of standard administrative systems.
Unit 5 - introduces issues in International and Comparative Online Education.
This includes cultural issues, certification, transfer of credits, and local
support. It also presents some applications of international online education.
Course Objectives
After completing the course, you should be able to:
- identify the fundamental issues, values, and principles of online education;
- discuss issues of importance to design of online courses;
- demonstrate awareness and understanding of the basic features of online
teaching and learning;
- describe and assess how administration of online courses could be handled;
- identify the fundamental issues of international and comparative online
education.
SPICE 602 Design and Development of Online Courses
This course is about the design and development of courses that will be primarily
delivered by means of the Internet. The emphasis is on planning web-based courses
so as to make good use of technology without compromising quality or effectiveness.
In order to plan web-based courses it is necessary to understand the constraints
as well as the affordances or special opportunities associated with online
course environments. To make the lessons that comprise this course relevant and
meaningful, there will be a series of course planning activities. These activities
will be cumulative in nature, building upon previously completed activities. The
final aim is for you to develop a well-elaborated course plan along with a prototype
that demonstrates the basic concept and functionality for your planned online
course.
Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you will be able to
- develop a course proposal for an online course;
- specify course goals and objectives;
- design assessment schemes for those goals and objectives;
- explain the rationale for the course and details of the course design;
- explain communication possibilities and alternatives for online course
activities;
- demonstrate awareness and understanding of various multimedia types and
interaction possibilities for online course environments;
- design course activities appropriate to goals and objectives;
- find, assess, and include existing relevant online resources;
- demonstrate awareness and understanding of copyright and access issues
associated with online resources;
- design an online course;
- demonstrate awareness and understanding of assessment and evaluation issues
related to online courses;
- develop a detailed course specification;
- design and develop individual lessons or units for an online course;
- develop a prototype of an online course; and,
- demonstrate awareness and understanding of issues related to online course
administration.
Units
This course consists of the following six units:
- Unit 1: Introduction to Designing and Developing Online Courses
- Unit 2: Integrating Online Resources
- Unit 3: Developing a Course Proposal and an Initial Course Plan
- Unit 4: Designing Course Content
- Unit 5: Integrating Online Communications
- Unit 6: Designing Course Assignments and Assessments
SPICE 603 Online Teaching and Learning
Online Teaching and Learning is the third course in the Specialization Program
in International Online Education (SPICE).
Overview of the Course
The course consists of the following five study units:
Unit 1 - Online Learners discusses the characteristics of online learners
and their special needs. It further presents student experiences of and attitudes
towards online education. Finally, it discusses online students' results with
regard to course completion and grades.
Unit 2 - Online Teaching Methods, Techniques, and Devices discusses
the four online teaching methods: one-online, one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many.
We shall also be looking at a number of recommended teaching techniques and
devices.
Unit 3 - Teaching Functions and Facilitation Techniques looks at the
organizational, social, intellectual, and assessment functions of teachers.
It further discusses issues that influence teaching style, and finally, it presents
some recommended moderation and facilitation techniques.
Unit 4 - Assignments and Assessment discusses the implications of various
types of assignments and assessment in online education. We shall be discussing
and comparing self-assessment, computer assessment, tutor assessment, and peer
assessment.
Unit 5 - Teaching Incentives and Barriers discusses what motivates
online teachers and the problems they encounter when they teach online. The
unit focuses on the teachers' preactive and interactive workload, how the teachers
perceive the workload, and alternative strategies to reduce the workload.
Course Objectives
After completing the course, you should be able to:
- identify the fundamental issues with regard to online learners;
- distinguish between and assess various online teaching methods, techniques,
and devices;
- analyze a teacher's social, administrative, intellectual, and assessment
functions;
- understand the implications of including individual and group assignments;
- consider the implications of self-assessment, peer assessment, computer-based
assessment, and tutor assessment;
- identify incentives and barriers for online teaching;
- discuss teacher workload and strategies to reduce the workload.
SPICE 604 Administration Systems and Support Services for Online Education
The course consists of the following five study units:
- Unit 1 Online Education - a Subset of Distance Education? This unit
discusses online education in relation to other types of education. The unit
further presents and discusses different educational philosophies and theories
of teaching and learning and their possible relationship with organisation models
and administration of online teaching.
- Unit 2 Organisation and Administration of Online Education. This unit
discusses different organisational models for online education. During the last
10 to 15 years technological developments and attention and interest at the
political level, nationally and internationally, have spurred the establishment
of new types of organisations and led to the transformation of distance teaching
institutions/universities and traditional institutions into online teaching
institutions - or, at least, being involved in some kind of online delivery.
This unit also examines problems and challenges facing institutions at this
time of transformation.
- Unit 3 Administrative Systems for Online Teaching and Learning discusses
different administrative systems for online education and solutions for institutions,
dependent on institution type and organisation, teaching and learning philosophies
and the institution's aims and objectives concerning online course development
and delivery.
- Unit 4 Supporting Online Students. In this author's view, student support
is one of the most important functions of an educational institution. Academic,
social and emotional support ought to be a totally integrated element of the
teaching-learning system. If this function is important in campus-based education,
it is absolutely crucial for student satisfaction and success in distance online
settings.
- Unit 5 Evaluation and Quality Assurance in Online Education discusses
the economy of distance and online education and the need for continuous evaluation
and revision of all aspects of the teaching system and presents some examples
of quality and quality assurance systems for distance online learning.
Course Objectives
After completing the course you should be able to:
- describe and contrast basic theories on distance teaching and their
relevance for online teaching and learning
- describe and discuss organisational solutions for online education
and organisational and administrative challenges in setting up online education
in different organisational contexts
- compare different learning management systems (LMS) for online education
- discuss problems, challenges and solutions concerning student support
in online courses
- describe and discuss the economy of online education and methods and
solutions for evaluation and quality assurance
SPICE 605 International and Comparative Online Education
Course objectives
After completing the course, the students should be able to comprehend and discuss
differences between and similarities in online education around the world. Further
the students should be able to understand pivotal issues and trends in global
education. This means that they should be able to:
- identify the sector of online education in the global context;
- analyse the development of online education as a global phenomenon;
- understand the characteristics and strengths of online education;
- evaluate the market for and the clienteles of online education;
- compare and contrast online education in differing cultural contexts;
- evaluate critically the award of degrees by online education in the global
context.
Course assignments
In this course you should work together with another student, preferably from
a foregin country, in order to compare and contrast online courses in two countries.
Unit 1 Globalisation of Online Education presents this sector of educational
provision as a mature field globally represented at the start of the twenty-first
century.
Unit 2 Development of Online Education shows how a whole new sector
of educational provision emerged on the World Wide Web in the years 1995 to
2000 and asks how this occurred?
Unit 3 Characteristics of online Education analyses the characteristics
of and clienteles for this new educational market.
Unit 4 Comparative Online Education studies the emergence of online
education in differing parts of the world, comparing and contrasting the sector
in its global context.
Unit 5 Evaluation of Online Education treats online education as a provider
of nationally and internationally recognised university degrees and training
certification and gives criteria for appraisal.