The courses are offered entirely online, and are designed to prepare educators for the virtual classroom environment. At the web site visitors may access course and enrollment information. The program emphasizes a practical application of recent theories in distance education, particularly in computer-based learning. The intensive sequential format of the courses allows for completion of the program within approximately six months. With the exception of occasional text based chat sessions, the courses are delivered asynchronously, and are not tied to a particular place or time.
Users can log on from anywhere an Internet connection is available.
Students share their own experiences with one another throughout the courses, adding to what is learned by all and building friendships that continue well beyond the completion of the courses. The main emphasis of this course is the online technologies and the resources available to the online instructor. The application of generative learning theory to distance education and application of theory to practice in the preliminary design of a computer-mediated course is also explored. This course presents various models that can be used as the structure for online courses, programs, seminars, and other virtual classroom needs. This course will explore the tools available for creating the virtual classroom and the instructional issues that arise as teachers implement them.