FOR-PD Participant Expectations

Note: This document applies to non-University sections ONLY.

Welcome to the FOR-PD online course. This course is designed to build your knowledge of scientifically-based reading research and instruction. FOR-PD offers you the advantage of "attending" class and learning with other educators in a virtual classroom environment. Learning via FOR-PD can take place anytime and anyplace.

We all live extremely busy lives that often include obligations beyond school. When competing demands place stress on learners, they may be tempted to place studying on the back burner. An online course is no different than a face-to-face course in terms of academic requirements and course expectations. To succeed in any course (including an online one), learners must be able to devote a significant amount of time to studying, collaborating with others, and completing assignments.

Before beginning this course, you should carefully examine the course requirements and weigh the demands on your schedule. Take time to read "Is Online Learning For Me?". You need to also review the minimum and the recommended technical requirements for this course. Why? Because understanding how to learn in a virtual environment and how to utilize technology to learn and succeed in the course is a must!

Many of the skills needed to be successful in an online environment are the same ones you use in any class: planning, organization, and self-discipline. Research indicates that online courses require just as much, if not more, time than traditional classes. It is not a wise idea to enroll in an online course because you "don't have time" for a more traditional one.Your study habits and skills will play a critical role in your success. Be prepared from the beginning of the course by setting aside enough time each week to enable you to keep on track. Make sure you read the course syllabus and the course requirements and avoid waiting until the deadline to complete your assignments. The FOR-PD course has a firm structure and design; meeting course deadlines is a must for your learning and success in the course.

In each lesson you will be required to complete specific activities. We suggest using the following sequence as a way to ensure your success in the course:

Read and review each lesson.
Complete weekly online literacy log by deadline found in the lesson schedule.
Complete weekly discussion assignment, earning 80% (16/20), by deadline found in the lesson schedule.
Complete weekly quiz, earning 80% (16/20), by deadline found in the lesson schedule.
Actively participate in discussion with fellow participants and facilitator.

Now is the time to get organized, develop a study schedule, and stick to it.

Successful participants log into their course several times a week to check for announcements or communications from their facilitator or other students. In an online course you must practice self-discipline. If you are not self-disciplined, it might be very difficult to resist the urge of "I'll do it tomorrow." It is very easy to fall behind, and it is often extremely difficult to make up for lost time. A lesson schedule has been provided for you to assist you on track as you work through the course. The due dates for each lesson are also located on your course calendar. Keep in mind that it is your responsibility to communicate with your facilitator about any changes in your life or schedule that would result in a late posting or the need to withdraw from the course.

The following are some helpful tips from previous participants you might consider:

Read and review Lesson One, as it contains important information for participants’ success in the course.
Skim readings first to gather a framework of the general goals of the reading, and then go back and read carefully for the details.
Remember the course icons, described in lesson 1, provide reference to which readings or activities are requirements and which ones are optional.
Keep track of questions you have. These may be useful in your discussions, and if you don't find out the answer, ask in the discussion area.
Organize your study environment and keep a calendar of assignments and deadlines.
Communicate regularly with your facilitator and classmates.

To be sure participants have the opportunity to benefit fully from the professional development experience, FOR-PD expects participants to involve themselves in the online environment, through frequent communication with facilitators and peers, and managing their time wisely. The course has an online literacy facilitator who will guide you through this 14-week course and may contact you and/or project staff if you are not making adequate progress. There is also help desk support available that you can contact by phone, email, or through "instant message" to get technical assistance day or night.

FOR-PD certified facilitators are highly-skilled in working in the online environment and have expert knowledge of literacy. FOR-PD facilitators are teachers, principals, assistant principals, and literacy coaches from across the state of Florida. The facilitator assigned to your section is there to support both your learning and progression through the course as well as to provide you with feedback on your assignments. While facilitator effectiveness is strongly related to participant success, it does not guarantee it. As in other courses, it is you the participant who has the ultimate responsibility of making sure you are successful in this online endeavor.

If any participant falls behind by seven or more lessons, the facilitator will notify the participant and the FOR-PD office. The facilitator must then deny the participant access to the course and give the participant the option to enroll in FOR-PD in a future semester. Please note that a “lesson” contains a literacy log entry, a discussion posting, and a quiz submission. If a participant does not complete each component of the lesson, they have not completed the lesson. Clearly the participant has missed much learning in the course, the interaction of the course, and they have also missed a great deal of the communication within the discussion board. (The seven-week denied access is for Open Enrollment and District Sections ONLY. This policy does not apply to Community College and University participants.)

FOR-PD developed this document to ensure that you are successful in completing our 14-week course. Please take the time to review what you should be completing each week.

Week 1	This is the critical period for participants. We have found that the longer a participant waits to log in and get started with the course, the more likely it is that s/he will not finish the course. Log into the course. Complete the Pre-Course Survey. This is located in the Quizzes section. This is a mandatory course requirement — it must be completed before you can access the lesson one quiz. You will not be able to move to lesson 1 without first completing this survey. The information collected in this survey is used to evaluate your learning. You will complete a post-course survey at the end of the course. Familiarize yourself with the tools discussed in lesson 1. When you complete this week, you should know how to use the following: FOR-PD discussion tool FOR-PD quiz tool FOR-PD course email tool FOR-PD chat tool FOR-PD tutorials Troubleshooting guide My grades Course Calendar (this tool is for facilitator use) Complete quiz 1. You must score 80% (16/20). You will not be able to take the next quiz unless you receive 80%. If you are in a district or open enrollment section, you may take the quiz up to three times in order to improve your score. If, within those three tries, you do not meet 80% needed to pass the quiz, you will need to contact your facilitator. Complete discussion 1. Directions for each discussion are given at the end of the lesson. Included with the directions is a rubric. Make sure you check the rubric prior to completing the discussion. Your facilitator will grade your discussion using this rubric. You must achieve 80% on each discussion (16 out of 20). Literacy Log. Your literacy log will be submitted online using the WebCT Quiz Tool. Your facilitator will review your literacy log over the duration of the course. Each lesson’s literacy log will not be graded individually. Instead, a grade will be assigned at the end of the course for the literacy log as a whole, based on the literacy log rubric provided. Some districts require authentic assessment in order to award inservice points. You will need to check with your district's staff development office to see if this is a requirement in your district. It is the responsibility of the participant to keep a copy of his or her literacy log. Remember to review the literacy log rubric found in lesson 1. Be active on the discussion board. Meet your fellow participants. Respond to their postings, and reply to anyone who responds to your discussion. Pay attention to the lesson schedule FOR-PD has posted. Be mindful of the weekly assignment due dates and the course ending date. FOR-PD has posted the scheduled due dates and completion date of the course on the Course Calendar. Create a study plan and stick to it. Former participants have reported that it typically takes 4-6 hours a week to complete one lesson. Make a plan and write the time in your planner. When will you do the reading? When will you complete the quiz? When will you compose the discussion? When will you complete the literacy log?
Week 2	You will be getting into the meat of the course as well as refining your use of the course tools. Remember to stick with your study plan and the lesson schedule. Complete the first literacy log. The first strategy is the KWL. Think about what you know about reading and learning to read. Pay attention to assignment description and rubric. For the reflection log, you will choose a guiding question from the lesson to respond to. Read “Lesson 2 — Reading and Learning to Read." Complete quiz 2 and the discussion assignment. Remember to review the assignment and the rubric for discussion 2, as it is different from discussion 1. You must get 80% on each quiz and discussion posting to successfully complete the course. If you get any questions wrong on the quiz, look at the feedback that is provided. Continue to interact with other participants and your facilitator. Participation in the FOR-PD course is a necessary part of online learning. Synthesize your learning and share your thoughts and ideas with others.
Week 3	Now is the time to stay with it! Stick to your study plan and the lesson schedule. Complete the literacy log for lesson 3. The second strategy you will use is column notes. Using the column notes strategy, you will review research on exemplary reading instruction and your own classroom experiences. For the reflection log, you will respond to your choice of guiding questions from the lesson. Read "Lesson 3 — Exemplary Reading Instruction." Before you read, skim the lesson to get an overall view of the lesson. Go back and read more thoroughly. While you are reading, make sure you write what you learning from the content of the lesson in column two. Complete quiz 3 and the discussion assignment. Remember to review the assignments and the rubric for discussion 3. You must also get 80% on each quiz and discussion posting to successfully complete the course. If you get any questions wrong on the quiz, look at the feedback provided. Continue to interact with other participants and your facilitator.
Weeks 4-14	By now you should have established a routine. Keep up the good work. You can make it the rest of the way! Stick to your study plan and the lesson schedule. Complete the literacy log for each lesson. Complete the literacy log according to the directions provided in the lesson. Read each lesson. Before you read, skim the lesson to get a general idea of what the lesson is about. Go back and read more thoroughly. Complete the quiz and discussion assignment for each lesson. Remember to review the assignment directions and rubric for each discussion. You must get 80% on each quiz and discussion posting to successfully complete the course. If you get any questions wrong on the quiz, look at the feedback that is provided. During week 7, check your grades and feedback. This is the mid-point of the course and you should be aware of any missing grades. Review feedback from your facilitator for literacy log entries and discussions. If you have questions, contact your facilitator. If you are behind 7 or more lessons, you will be denied access to the course and given the option to enroll in FOR-PD in a future semester. (This is for non-university and non-community college sections.) After completing lesson 13, before moving to lesson 14, make sure you complete the post-course survey located in the Quizzes section. This is a mandatory course requirement, and you will not be able to continue to lesson 14 without completing the post-course survey first. Continue to interact with other participants and your facilitator. If you are behind a few lessons, what will you do to get caught up? If you fall behind a lesson or two, contact your facilitator immediately and let him/her know your plans for getting caught up.
Finishing The Course	You are almost done! It is important that you have completed the lessons as scheduled. The day after the course closes, you will be denied access to the course as of 9:00 A.M EST. This means you won't be able to get back into the course and complete unfinished work. Check your course grades. Participants must score 80% or better on each quiz and discussion posting as well as have a passing score on all the literacy logs. Have you completed all discussions and quizzes? Have you received 80% on each? Does your district need you to print a copy of your grades and/or literacy log? Keep your facilitator’s contact information. After you are denied access, you will not be able to email your facilitator through Course Mail. It is important that you write down your facilitator’s contact information (as provided in his/her “Welcome Message”).
After The Course	Complete the Course Evaluation. You will be sent the course evaluation via e-mail from the FOR-PD office after the course closes. Your facilitator will contact you with your status of course completion. If you need a copy of your grades, please request one from your facilitator via e-mail. FOR-PD will send a certificate of completion via your email. The FOR-PD office will also notify your district that you have completed the course. It is the participant’s responsibility to determine if the district needs a copy of the completed literacy log and/or grades. Participants who do not finish the course are sent a survey. We ask that you kindly complete the survey, as it provides us valuable information. The data collected is used to evaluate the FOR-PD project as well as make project decisions, which impact future participants.

FOR-PD Golden Rule

Our project is dedicated to a policy of honesty and respect, and we want very much for all teachers in the FOR-PD course to succeed. In order to accomplish this, all work submitted must be the participant's original work. The only exception is Lesson 5, where participants collaborate with a partner and submit the same work. Forms of cheating include the following:

The presentation of material which has not been studied or learned, but rather was obtained through someone else's efforts and used as part of an examination or other course assignment; and
Failing to properly credit (cite) ideas or materials taken from another.

We regularly check participant work in all sections of the FOR-PD course; therefore, any work copied from a classmate or a previous participant can be confirmed by our office. If it can be proved that a participant has plagiarized, they will immediately be denied access to the course and their district will be notified of the situation. We expect all participants to be professional and respectful of the course content and their fellow teachers. We appreciate your help in sustaining a secure and successful experience for all involved.

As FOR-PD is a project of the University of Central Florida, please also be aware of the UCF Golden Rule Policy.

Florida Online Reading Professional Development (FOR-PD) is a project of the UCF College of Education and administered under a grant from the Florida Department of Education and Just Read, Florida!

We are located at 12443 Research Parkway, Suite 402, Orlando, FL 32826

If you have a question or a comment about FOR-PD or this document, please contact us via email at forpd@mail.ucf.edu, or by telephone at 1-866-227-7261.