Course Overview 

Welcome to EDF 4430, Measurement for Teachers. The information contained on this page is offered as a course overview to help prepare you for the coming semester.  

The course is organized in eight modules that are to be completed in sequence. The modules involve online interaction and participation using a variety of technology-based tools and are designed to be similar in format, so that you will know what to expect from every module once you have completed the first. Each module will contain a list of objectives provided as an advance organizer. When the module is complete, review the objectives. If you have not met one of the objectives, review the related material. Each module contains notes, reading assignments, activities, and exercises. The activities will be checked and contribute to your overall grade. The exercises are provided to give you additional practice and to help prepare you for the exams and project. The activities are to be completed in groups. The exams and project will be completed individually.  

Some of the activities are to be posted on the WebBoard, some are to be e-mailed directly to me, and at least one must be faxed or hand delivered. Credit will only be awarded to those who submit the activity as directed. Activities and dates due can be found on the syllabus. I expect all activities submitted by 5:00 pm of the day due. Each day that you are late will result in a loss of 20% of the point(s) available for that assignment. 

Guidelines for the project and study guides for the exams can be found as links on the syllabus. Questions concerning these or any other issue should be posted on the WebBoard. I will be monitoring the WebBoard and will respond as quickly as I can. Students are encouraged to respond to each others questions as well. 

Much of our communication will be done via e-mail. I will use a University-based distribution list frequently to send out notices. Therefore, you will need to take responsibility to check your University e-mail regularly or to request that the postmaster forward your mail to another site.  

Three face-to-face sessions are scheduled. This is change from the printed schedule. The first session will meet on January 16th from 9:00 to 12:00 and will allow for community building between and among students and the instructor as well as initial assessment of the students' level of technology skills. It will provide opportunity for those of you who are experiencing difficulty with the technology and / or content of the course to discuss these difficulties with the distance learning support person as well as the instructor. NOTE: Students are required to complete the on-line technology module between the first and second session so that a proactive position can be taken to provide support to those who need it. 

The second session will meet on February 20th from 9:00 to 12:00 and will include a mid-term exam followed by a discussion of reliability. The third session will meet on Monday, April 26 from 3:00 to 5:00 pm for the final exam.  

My advice to students is this:  

1) Do not take this course if this is your first semester as a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University. 
2) Do not take this course if this is your first experience with distance learning.  

You are, of course, permitted to take the course under either of those conditions, but it has been my experience that students taking it under either condition do NOT do well in the course