Course Prefix and Number:		EME 6236
Course Title:		Distance Education Leadership and Management (DELM)
Number of Credit Hours:		3
Required or Elective:		Elective
Term:		Summer 2016 (Summer II: June 6 – July 31, 2016)
Day and Time:		Online
Program web site:		http://online.education.ufl.edu/
Professor:		Dr. Brian K. Marchman
Office Hours:		Available by appointment
Email Address:		marchman@ufl.edu
Phone Number:		352-294-0852

Course Description

This course examines the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers in distance education programs. It focuses on characteristics that contribute to quality program delivery across contexts: K-­‐12, higher education, corporate, healthcare, international. Designed for instructors and administrators as well as trainers and instructional designers from all professional settings, the course focuses on the application of research and effective practice to the development and implementation of distance education policy, program oversight, innovation and evaluation.

 

Topics include:

• Theories, concepts and issues in distance education leadership and management
• Contexts for distance education leadership and management, e. K-­‐12, higher education, healthcare, corporate.
• Profiles and perspectives of distance education leaders
• Distance education leadership and management standards
• Designing for and maintaining distance education program success

Course Goals

This course is about distance education leadership and management. A successful distance education or online course involves factors such as curriculum, instructional design, student support, interactions and teaching. In contrast, an understanding of leadership and management addresses program, institutional, and jurisdictional-­‐level concerns including vision, purpose, working with teams, funding, policy, and quality standards. Additionally, i t involves working within institutional contexts to support students and

faculty. Thus, this course focuses primarily on implementing, evaluating, and sustaining a high-­‐quality online program or institutional initiative related to distance education. In short, this is a course about the system in which distance education happens, not technology. We will be discussing such questions as:

• What theories and concepts can inform successful distance education leadership?
• What are the contexts in which distance education leaders work?
• What are the roles and responsibilities of distance education leaders?
• What are the characteristics of successful distance education programs and leaders?

 

This course is paced, which means that there is an established start and end date, and it is a cohort based course, meaning you are one of a group that will proceed through the course at a similar pace. One of the benefits of this is that the course is designed to give you opportunity to have regular interaction with other students who are studying the same     topic as you.

 

This course is project-­‐oriented, assignments culminate in a theoretically grounded case of a successful distance education program and leader. Via the project and course experiences, the goal of the course is to provide opportunities to practice disciplined and collaborative processes for inquiring about distance education program issues, and for inquiring about the value of different strategies for addressing these issues.

 

Required text:

Anderson, T. & Elloumi, F. (Eds.) (2008). Theory and Practice of Online Learning, 2nd ed. Edmonton, AB: Athabasca Press. Available as an e-­‐book for download at http://cde.athabascau.ca/online_book/second_edition.html

 

Other readings will be provided within the course.

 

Course Expectations, Assignments, and Grading Procedures

This online course is time and place-­‐independent and incorporates a degree of individual choice in assignments and projects, to capitalize on the diversity of experience and prior knowledge of the students; but, is not entirely self-­‐paced. All assignments must be turned in electronically and successful electronic submission by the due date is the responsibility of the student. Assignments will not be accepted late. Assignments once submitted and graded will not be re-­‐graded. Online discussions will be most productive if everyone completes the reading as assigned and posts on time. Online discussions are treated as assignments, therefore late discussion posts will not be graded.

 

Professional conduct is expected. Know and follow university policy regarding academic honesty. The Student Honor Code is located at http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/studenthonorcode.php. In your online work, follow standards of netiquette: be accountable for what you send, acknowledge online sources you reference. Professional Conduct is necessary to earn an excellent or good grade.

 

Grade Scale

For information about the implementation of minus grades at the University of Florida, visit http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/regulationgrades.html

A			93+			Excellent Performance
A-			90-92
B+			87-89
B			83-86			Good Performance
B-			80-82
C+			77-79
C			73-76			Fair Performance
C-			70-72
D+			67-69
D			63-66			Poor Performance
D-			60-62
F			0-59			Unacceptable Performance

 

Academic Integrity

All students registered at the University of Florida have agreed to comply with the following statement: “I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.” In addition, on all work submitted for credit the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.” If you witness any instances of academic dishonesty in this class, please notify the instructor or contact the Student Honor Court (392-­‐1631) or Cheating Hotline (392-­‐ 6999). For additional information on Academic Honesty, please refer to the University of Florida Academic Honesty Guidelines at: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcodes/conductcode.php

 

Cheating, lying, misrepresentation, or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable and inexcusable behavior and may result in a reduction of course grade and a report to university officials.

 

Attendance and Make-­‐up Exams and Assignments

Requirements for class attendance and make-­‐up exams, assignments, and other work are consistent with university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx

 

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

If you require classroom accommodation because of a disability, you must first register with the Dean of Students Office (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc). The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to you, which you then give to the instructor when requesting accommodation. The College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to assist students in their coursework.

 

Counseling and Student Health

Students with academic concerns related to this course should contact the instructor in person or via email. Students also may occasionally have personal issues that arise in the course of pursuing higher education or that may interfere with their academic performance. If you find yourself facing problems affecting your coursework, you are encouraged to talk with an instructor and to seek confidential assistance at the UF Counseling & Wellness Center, 352-­‐392-­‐1575. Visit their web site for more information: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/. Also, crisis intervention is always available 24/7 from: Alachua County Crisis Center: (352) 264-­‐6789.