CAILAB

CAI: Syllabus

Attendance and participation

Attendance and participation are mandatory. Please let me know in advance if you must miss a class. Three or more unexcused absences will result in a lowered grade.

Materials

All materials will be available on-line via the class home page at http://cailab.net/classes/405.

Activities

Portfolio

You will need to create an on-line portfolio on which you will link to or create all your work for this class, including your mini reports and final project.

For example, you might choose to place your portfolio on an existing personal blog, wiki, or web page, or you can create a new location for your portfolio. Regardless, your portfolio needs to be accessible to the teacher and other students.

Once you have created your portfolio page, you need to post its URL on the class wiki located at http://cailab.pbworks.com, or you can give the URL of your portfolio to your instructor so he can post it for you.

Mini reports

The core of our class is a set of twelve short (1-2 page) evaluations that you will write. Each evaluation will critique a computer-mediated communication (CMC) or computer-assisted instruction (CAI) tool. You can find a template for these reports at http://cailab.net/classes/405/lessons/minireports/template_minireport.shtml.

These are not meant to be formal, researched reports. In fact, the only research I want you to do is to play with the tools. I do not want you to look up the meaning of 'wiki' on the Internet and copy (plagiarize) something. I want you to:

Actually use the software you are reviewing. Spend at at least two hours getting your hands dirty with the software. Play with it. Try to make something, then throw it away and make something else.
Think about your experience interacting with the software. Was it easy? Difficult? Fun? Frustrating? Educational? How would you like using it as a student? As a teacher?
Complete your mini report as best you can. There are no right or wrong conclusions for these mini reports. Their purpose is to show me that you have explored these tools and evaluated them.
I do not have a 'word limit' for these reports. You have to use enough words to express your points. You have to show me that you have spent time with each tool and evaluated it.

The list of tools we will be evaluating can be found at http://cailab.net/classes/405/tools.shtml. However, you may choose to evaluate, with the instructor's permission, up to four 'tools' of your choosing that are not listed on that page. Your personal alternate evaluations will replace those you choose.

Semester project

For your semester project, you will identify a group of learners and plan a technology-enhanced lesson for them. You do not actually have to finish a completed version of your lesson, but you do need to complete a written report describing all the aspects, including learners, learning objectives, technology used, and methods.

You can find further details for your semester project at http://cailab.net/classes/405/project.shtml and you can find a template for the project at http://cailab.net/classes/405/lessons/minireports/finalproject.shtml.

Midterm and final exams

We will have no midterm or final. This is a project-based class.

Grading

Attendance and participation, including required participation in on-line forum discussions: 10%
Personal home page/portfolio, including links to all work for the class: 10%
Mini-reports: 50%
Semester project: 30%

Contacting your instructor

Please feel free to contact me at any time.
Email: dan(at)cailab.net