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Nova Southeastern University

Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

Course Syllabus

DCTE 732: Online Program Administration (4 credits)

Fall 2012

Professor Gertrude (Trudy) W. Abramson, Ed.D.

Nova Southeastern University

Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences

CarlDeSantisBuilding, Room 4071

3301 College Avenue

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314-7796

(954) 262-2070

Contact Information

Personal contact with the professor is to be initiated through . The program office requires that students use their NSU accounts for email at all times.Open office hours (real and virtual): Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays 11 AM – 3:30 PM. Phone and in-person are available at other times; please request a meeting via NSU email.

DCTE 732 Catalog Description

The course provides a research-based, timely, in-depth investigation into the multiple administrative roles in online programs and schools. Policies, procedures and responsibilities to students and teachers will be delineated. The evolution of online learning from the individual course to the greater entity will be examined as will qualifications for an online program administrator at different levels of learning.

Required Textbook

Shelton, V. & Saltsman, G. (2005). An Administrator’s Guide to Online Education.Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing. ISBN: 1-59311-424-9.

The book was selected because of its consistent focus on administration; it is currently under revision by the authors. Read it quickly in its entirety as soon as possible. It contains many valuable resources and will help get everyone focus upon administrative issues. Discussion will mirror the organization of the table of contents.

Other Materials

  • All articles, recommended by professor or students, must be available online free-of-charge.
  • Software use is restricted to that which is available free-of-charge online or is supplied by NSU.

Course Goal

Upon completion of the course, students will possess a working knowledge of the components of leadership roles in blended and fully-online learning environments across different educational levels.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Students will

  • Read widely in the literature of online program administration.
  • Report upon readings.
  • Participate in cognitive and social discussions.
  • Write two research-based, carefully focused articles.
  • Complete a lessons learned summary report.

Calendar
It is important that students comply with the dates below. Except in cases of extreme hardship, an incomplete contract will not be granted. The course runs for 16 weeks beginning on Monday, August 20, 2012and ending on Friday, December 7, 2012. All coursework begins on Mondays and ends on Fridays. Our always-open electronic environments are available for work on weekends at the discretion of the participants.

  1. Cluster meeting: Thursday, August 23 through Sunday, August 26, 2012.
  2. Students must complete the “Members of the Class” profile before 9 AM on Sunday, August 26, 2012.
  3. Graded assignments:
  4. First research paper due Wednesday, October 10, 2012 (middle of week 8)
  5. Second research paper due Wednesday, November 21, 2012 (middle of week 14).
  6. Lessons learned summary report due Wednesday, December 5, 2012 (middle of week 16).

Note: Students objected to having assignment due on Monday (“It ruins the weekend”) and on Friday (“I always do my big work on weekends”). To accommodate all, assignments are now due mid-week.

Grades

  1. Each of the graded assignments is worth 33% of the final grade.
  2. Work that has not been carefully checked for spelling, grammar and sentence structure will not be reviewed; a grade of 50 will be assigned.
  3. Work may be submitted up to two weeks before due date.
  4. Work will be graded promptly, fairly and equitably. The numerical average will translate to a letter grade using the scale below.

A / A- / B+ / B / B- / C+ / C / C- / F
95-100 / 90-94 / 87-89 / 83-86 / 82-80 / 77-79 / 76-73 / 72-70 / 0-69

Note: This scale is not identical to the one used to compute GPAs.

BlackBoard Discussion as Classroom

Together, through critical reading, reporting, reflecting and participating, we will build a foundation of knowledge to be used for assignment construction and for professional growth. It is anticipated that there will be no more than 15 participants. To that end, we will work as a single group; the professor will take a proactive role in the discussions. Topics will be opened according to the begin dates below and will remain open for the remainder of the term.

Week BeginningTopic

1 / 08/20/2012 / On-campus meeting Thursday, 08/23– Sunday, 08/26
Read through the syllabus and chapter one before the first class meeting. Bring the text to class.
2 / 08/27/2012 / Administrative Issues: Leadership and Strategic Planning (chapter 2) and Policy and Operational Issues (chapter 3)Return home; grow comfortable with Blackboard
3 / 09/03/2012 / Post article
4 / 09/10/2012 / Post comment
5 / 09/17/2012 / Administrative Issues related to Faculty (chapter 4)Post article
6 / 09/24/2012 / Post comment
7 / 10/01/2012 / Research/writing period
8 / 10/08/2012 / First Research Paper due Wednesday, October 10, 2012
9 / 10/15/2012 / Administrative Issues related to Students (chapters 5 and 6)
Post article
10 / 10/22/2012 / Post comment
11 / 10/29/2012 / Administrative Issues related to Technology (chapter 7) Post article
12 / 11/05/2012 / Post comment
13 / 11/12/2012 / Research/writing period
14 / 11/19/2012 / Second Research Paper due Wednesday, November 21, 2012
15 / 11/26/2012 / Review/writing period
16 / 12/03/2012 / Lessons Learned Summary Report due Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Process for Collaborative Discussion

  1. Read the chapter and the professor’s post before the discussion weeks begin.
  2. During the first of the discussion weeks, find a current (2008-2012) article that relates to the chapter topic. (If in doubt, see pages x and xi in the preface. Issues MUST relate to administration.)
  3. Begin with a full APA reference.
  4. Post a short report.
  5. Use a narrative or list form.
  6. End with your opinion as an article reviewer.
  7. Approximate size 250 -350 words.
  8. During the second of the discussion weeks, share arelated personal experience, a work-based opinion, or a supporting or dissenting article. Your experience may be as a provider(the administrator)or a recipient (who received administrative services).
  9. Be visible but do not overwhelm the discussion; exercise good judgment.
  10. Articles must be available free through the Internet or the NSU library.
  11. Articles may be posted early. Please hold comments until the posting article week has ended.
  12. Prepare your postings in Word; copy and paste. Do not trust the online environment! Remember that mastery of online learning and communication skills is fundamental to online leadership.

Grading Issues:

  1. Assignments must be submitted as Word attachments to professor’s NSU e-mail. If acknowledgment is not received in three work days, resubmit.
  2. Grading begins with the references.If the references do not respond to the assignment, the review is complete at that point.
  3. Papers will be graded for accurate, timely, relevant content and resources, meaningful organization, language (spelling, usage) and style.
  4. Papers may be peer-reviewed before submission but beware. Peers tend to be flattering rather than helpful.
  5. Websites must be re-accessed before submission. If a website no longer exists, remove it from the paper.
  6. Explanatory, private feedback will accompany grade for each paper submitted in good time. Compliance with due dates is part of good citizenry.

Assignment #1Research Paper due Wednesday, October 10, 2012: Select a subject of interest about leadership, planning, policies, operational issues or marketing. (Marketing is chapter 8 and will not be discussed in class.)

Assignment #2: Research Paper due Wednesday, November 21, 2012: Select a subject of interest about administration and facultyor administration and students. (Keep out of the classroom!)

For both papers:

  1. Select a population (elementary, middle, or secondary school, technical or vocational school, community college, undergraduate, graduate or continuing education).
  2. Select an environment (blended or fully online).
  3. Base the paper on 4-6 journal articles. Other sources (editorials, blogs, proceedings articles, etc.) may be included not to exceed a maximum of 10 sources.
  4. Approximate word count should be a minimum of 2,000 words and a maximum of 4,000 words. Use “Word Count in Review Menu” to check size.
  5. Cover sheet with student name, username, date, and title; cover page is number zero;
  6. Number pages in upper right corner; no running heads;
  7. Add line numbers to facilitate feedback;
  8. Double space narrative; single-space charts; use Times New Roman 12 points;
  9. Section headings and margins should be left aligned and bold;
  10. Capitalize all major words in headings.

Parts of the paper (beyond the cover sheet):

  1. Meaningful title of fewer than 10 significant words
  2. Author name
  3. Abstract (A synopsis of the entire paper — no citations!)
  4. Keywords/key-phrases (Avoid general terms such as learning, education, etc.)
  5. Introduction (Tell the reader what the paper will be about.)
  6. Body of the paper
  7. Review of the literature
  8. Discussion
  9. Conclusion (Pull the ideas together; opinions are okay. No new sources.)
  10. References
  11. About the Author

Assignment #3: Lessons Learned Summary Report (due Wednesday, December 5, 2012)

The grade earned is a combination of consistent participation in the online community and that which you present at this time. To earn a passing grade for the course, each student must post four, appropriate articles and at least four meaningful comments within the allotted time frame. Additional comments or articles may be posted at any time but great care should be taken not to overwhelm the discussions. Think of the assignment as an open book final exam.

  1. Cover sheet with name, username, date, and “Lessons Learned Summary Report”.
  2. Single space submission. Do not number lines.
  3. Start each discussion on a clean page. Minimum size: one full page per topic. Maximum size: two full pages per topic.
  4. For each of the four topics of discussion, name the topic and answer the questions:
  5. Which journals address the topic most often?
  6. Who would you judge to be recognized experts in the field?
  7. What are some lessons learned; cite the sources. Note: A source may be a personal communication cited as (Personal communication, Trudy Abramson, September 15, 2012)
  8. Create a reference list for articles cited in each topic.

Writing Specifications

The mechanics of writing should have been mastered as an undergraduate. The long list of items below should be a reminder of that which you know.

APA Style

  1. Websites should be cited as personal communications in the narrative. For example: “Dr. Abramson’s website ( may be used as a portal to Blackboard, to the course syllabus and to other valuable materials.”
  2. Section headings should be bold, along the left margin, and all major words should be capitalized.
  3. Sub-headings, if needed, should be italicized, along the left margin with all major words capitalized.
  4. All citations must be referenced and all references cited.
  5. Use APA style for citations, references, tables and figures.
  6. Use list form where indicated.
  7. Single digit numbers should be spelled out (six, eight). Double digit numbers and higher should be presented as numbers (12, 107, 830). Use commas for four or more digit numbers (3,250) but NOT for years!
  8. When preceded by a number, percentages should be reported as 15%, 100%, 2%.
  9. Citations belong within sentences. A period denotes the end of a sentence. A citation after a period is nowhere.
  10. Name all authors (at least first six) the first time the citation appears in the narrative.
  11. Titles of books and articles belong in the references, not the narrative.
  12. Do not write an ampersand in the narrative or the word “and” inside parentheses.
  13. Refer to authors by last name only. [Exceptions do apply.]
  14. Sections must have at least two paragraphs; paragraphs must have at least two sentences.

Miscellaneous Writing Issues

  1. Do not rely on the technology to check your spelling, punctuation or sentence structure.
  2. Print and read from paper before submitting work.
  3. Each side of a semi-colon must qualify as a full English language sentence. If in doubt, do not use semi-colons.
  4. An abstract, by definition, should be the very last part of the paper to be written.
  5. The discussion should be grounded in the literature.
  6. Strive for articles that are no more than five years old; exceptions are possible.
  7. Submit the research papers as entities. (Do not start sections on clean pages.)
  8. In general, papers should not have tables of contents or appendices.

Language Issues

  1. Enumeration answers the question: When? First, second, third, (no ly).
  2. In regard to (no s after regard).
  3. Toward (not towards)
  4. Often (not oftentimes)
  5. Research may be singular or plural. “Researches” is not a word.
  6. Doctoral. “Doctorial” is not a word.
  7. Principle (rule, standard). Principal (main, head of school).
  8. Complement with an e as in make complete.
  9. Compliment with an “i” as in to say something nice to someone.
  10. Avoid the word “this” unless followed by a noun. The word “the” is preferable.
  11. Do not use “them” or “their” as a singular pronoun. “He” or “his” is the acceptable singular pronoun in the English language. “She” or “her” is okay. To be safe, write in the plural whenever possible. Data are always plural; the singular is datum.
  12. Use a single tense consistently for reporting of literature. Past tense works best for most people.
  13. Do not write “in the study”, “of the study”, “in his article”, etc.
  14. Avoid quoting. See guidance below on quotes.
  15. Avoid redundant citations (citing an author at the beginning and the end of a sentence or paragraph)within the narrative.
  16. Avoid repeated use of terms and acronyms.
  17. Beware absolutes such as “most critical”, “no literature was found” or “lack of research”. The two latter phrases point to your poor search skills, nothing more.

Why should quotes be avoided?

1. Quotes make the narrative choppy.

2. Quotations are often lifted from a greater context that is not shared with the reader.

3. Quotes are often poorly written statements. You may not correct the grammar within a quote. Quotation marks indicate that the words within are being reproduced exactly as written.

4. Quotes often contain acronyms that have been spelled out earlier.

5. Copied and pasted pieces indicate that the writer has found something deemed relevant. They do not show an understanding of what has been found.

6. More often than you would care to believe, writers put multiple citations after a quote. (That is an absurd situation.)

7. Multiple quotes make the writer look semi-literate. If you have used quotes extensively, try this: Remove all quotes from your paper. What is left?

8. Are there instances in which quotes are permissible or desirable? Yes, but quotes should be used very sparingly.

9. Quotes must be followed by citations that include author, year and page number.

Bibliography

Journal articles contain the most current and relevant reporting. Below are three books that address similar topics. During the term, we will collaborate on the development of a list of relevant articles.

Berge, Z. & Clark, T. (2005). Virtual Schools: Planning for Success. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.ISBN: 0-8077-4572-3.

Rovai, A., Ponton, M. & Baker, J. (2008). Distance Learning in Higher Education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. ISBN: 978-0-8077-4878-7.

Williamson, J. & Redish, T. (2009). ISTE’s Technology Facilitation and Leadership Standards. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. ISBN: 978-1-56484-252-7.

The remaining sections have been provided by GSCIS administration for inclusion in the syllabus.

School and University Policies and Procedures:

Students must comply with the policies published in the school’s Graduate Catalog and the NSU Student Handbook, some of which are included or referenced below. The catalog is at handbook is at

1. Standards of Academic Integrity For the university-wide policy on academic standards, see the section Code of Student Conduct and Academic Responsibility in the NSU Student Handbook. Also see the section Student Misconduct in the GSCIS catalog.

Each student is responsible for maintaining academic integrity and intellectual honesty in his or her academic work. It is the policy of the school that each student must:

  • Submit his or her own work, not that of another person
  • Not falsify data or records (including admission materials and academic work)
  • Not engage in cheating (e.g., giving or receiving help during examinations; acquiring and/or transmitting test questions prior to an examination; or using unauthorized materials, such as notes, during an examination)
  • Not receive or give aid on assigned work that requires independent effort
  • Properly credit the words or ideas of others according to accepted standards for professional publications (see the next section Crediting Words or Ideas)
  • Not use or consult paper writing services, software coding services, or similar services for the purpose of obtaining assistance in the preparation of materials to be submitted for course assignments or for theses or dissertations.
  • Not commit plagiarism (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2004) defines plagiarism as “stealing or passing off ideas or words of another as one’s own” and “the use of a created production without crediting the source.”)(see Crediting Words or Ideas below)

Crediting Words or Ideas

When using the exact words from another work, quotation marks must be used for short quotations (fewer than 40 words), and block quotation style must be used for longer quotations. In either case, a proper citation must also be provided. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition, contains standards and examples on quotation methods.

When paraphrasing (summarizing, or rewriting) the words or ideas from another work, a proper citation must be provided. (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition contains standards and examples on citation methods. The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (1993) defines paraphrase as “An expression in other words, usually fuller and clearer, of the sense of a written or spoken passage or text…Express the meaning (of a word, phrase, passage, or work) in other words, usually with the object of clarification…”. Changing word order, deleting words, or substituting synonyms is not acceptable paraphrasing—it is plagiarism, even when properly cited. Rather than make changes of this nature, the source should be quoted as written.

Original Work

Assignments, exams, projects, papers, theses, dissertations, etc., must be the original work of the student. Original work may include the thoughts and words of others, but such thoughts or words must be identified using quotation marks or indentation and must properly identify the source (see the previous section Crediting Words or Ideas). At all times, students are expected to comply with the school’s accepted citation practice and policy.