Kay L. McLennan, Ph.D., Professor of Practice

Prerequisites for Taking an On-line Course

What is distance education? 

Distance education includes various means for connecting students and teachers at different times and/or different places.

What type of distance education (also known as e-learning) course does Dr. McLennan teach? 

All of the e-classes taught by Dr. McLennan are asynchronous (versus real time), completely online courses.  Also, since learning is best accomplished when students are provided with experiential opportunities, students enrolled in these Internet-based courses are expected to log into the class site at least three times a week, post assigned essays (or problem sets) within the specified time frame and contribute substantive comments to the various on-going group discussions.

In addition, each student enrolled in one of the e-courses taught by Dr. McLennan will need:

		Computer access (including the minimum system requirements listed on the "Computer Needed" page);
		Basic computer knowledge (including word processing, printing files, downloading files, uploading files, etc.);
		An interest in utilizing the Internet as a distance education mode;
		Self-motivation to take the initiative to log into the course site at least three times a week, review the on-line course materials, keep up with the reading and essay (or problem set) assignments and participate in the on-line discussions; and
		Adequate written communication skills to communicate effectively through the mediums of essay submissions, e-mail and "chat" discussions.  (While the instructor for Internet-based courses is available almost "on-demand" through e-correspondence and e-office hours, being comfortable with written communication is an imperative for distance education students.)

Last modified: May 26, 2008