El Paso Community College

Get Your Best Grades Ever Online

Course Name

Get Your Best Grades Ever Online

Contact Hours: 5 (an estimated time frame devoted to a course of study from start to finish that can vary from student to student)

Course Description

Online education can cause anxiety. For some students, it is a new kind of experience involving a new model of education. Many students at residential students take online courses and they fear losing scholarships if their grades fall. Older students may be taking online courses through corporate programs that reimburse full tuition, but only if the student receives an "A."

Reduce your anxiety and improve your grades through this course. It has all the strategies you need to reach your potential. It is perfect for students taking any type of online course, including those enrolled in high school, A.A., B.A., M.A., or Ph.D. degree programs.

In this course, an experienced online Instructor reveals the secrets for getting your best grades ever.


Get the most out of your educational investment. This course helps you in three fundamental ways.

1. First, it directs you to the "rules of the game." This includes learning how to use education's "customer service model" to your advantage and learning how to "decode" the syllabus into your very own individual action plan.
 
2. Second, the course shows you specific techniques, used only by the best students, to use in all your written work, including discussions, research, term papers, and even in communicating with other students and your instructor.
 
3. Third, and most importantly, this guide helps you understand the principles of constructivism, the theory that each person constructs his or her own knowledge about the subject matter by sharing ideas with others. Students stuck in the traditional model of rote memorization will not be able to take advantage of their online experience and they are not likely to get the kind of grades they feel they deserve.


In addition, you will learn many specific techniques, including:

• How to avoid plagiarism
• How to do research using online databases
• How to format MLA or APA citations
• The best way to format Reply Posts for maximum points
• How to format a research paper
• The best strategies for Group Projects
• The SQ3R method: Survey, Question, Read, Review, and Rite (Write) 
• Strategies for taking quizzes
• The six study skills common to students with "A" averages
• A student success list: The Top Ten Do's and Don'ts for Online Education
• A model paper for formatting academic work, including citations
• How to use grading rubrics to add points to all your submissions

Outcome

1. Develops "take charge" attitude toward course work

2. Ensures understanding of educational theory behind online education

3. Enables student to analyze online courses for objectives

4. Develops skills in writing, posting, and research

5. Newcomers to online education will significantly improve their chances of a higher grade

6. Experienced students will learn to use the specific techniques that instructors look for in the best students

Assessment

Self-assessment. Test yourself and solidify your learning with a set of discussion questions or a short essay submitted to the instructor.

Outline


PARTIAL TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Introduction
• The Educational Model Used in Online Education
• Knowledge Flow
• Constructivism
• Andragogy versus Pedagogy
• Structure vs. Individual Study
• Your Work Space 
• Psychological Positioning 
• The Course Structure
• The Course Objectives
• The Means to the Objectives
• The Measurement of Success
• General Rules for Posting
• The Initial Post
• The Reply Post
• The SQ3R Method 
• Writing and Research
• Quiz-taking Strategies 
• The Truth about Group Projects
• Your Instructor as a Person 
• Your Instructor: the Grader 
• Communicating with Your Instructor 
• Handling Special Needs 
• Handling Personal Emergencies 
• Making Up Work 
• Dropping Classes 
• Grade Appeals 
• Appendix: Sample Research Paper Format

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