Welcome to HSC 4250 Task Analysis and Curriculum Development in the Health Professions! The course will investigate the principles and processes behind curriculum development and task analysis. This is an Internet course. All your lessons will be on the web, as well as your assignments, examinations, and any other materials related to the course. Every week a different topic area will be presented. Instead of sitting in a classroom listening to a presentation, you will be viewing the presentation on-line, at home or in your office. By selecting various icons and URLs, you can access lecture notes, reading assignments, bulletin boards to post messages to the instructor and/or other students, and various other functions.

If this is your first web-based course, relax. A module has been developed for each week of the course. Each module is set up in exactly the same way and consists of lesson notes from the instructor, reading assignments, written assignments, and bulletin board topics.

To help you understand the reading assignments and the activities, first read "Notes from the Instructor."  Here is where you will find an overview of the content for the lesson. Included in the "Notes" may be links to other readings which will be underlined and typed in blue, and when you place the cursor on the link, a hand will appear. Click on the blue area to visit the site referred to in the notes. To return back to the "Notes", click on the "Back" button in the upper left corner of your screen. (This button will always return you to your previous screen.)  After you have read the "Notes," continue on with the reading assignments.

Readings from the required course textbooks will be displayed.  Reserved readings from the library and other Internet sites may also be listed and will be underlined in blue.  In order to access these readings, you must download Adobe Acrobat Reader to your computer.  To download this free program, click on Acrobat Reader, and follow the directions.  Once your computer is equipped with the Acrobat Reader, click on the underlined readings to visit the site. Some readings require a password in order to open the document.  Only students enrolled in the course have access to these passworded reading assignments. When it asks for your "User Name", type in the following: fgcu-student/user name, where the user name is usually the initials of your first and middle name and the first six letters of your last name. Your user
name is also the same user name designated for your e-mail. For example, John K. Smith's user name would be jksmith. When prompted for your "Password", type in your password.

After you have completed the "Notes" and assigned readings, click on the assignment for the module.  Instructions for submitting the assignment can be found at this site. Please submit assignments by the due date posted.  If you are having problems with the assignment, either related to technology or content area,
please contact the instructor.

Become familiar with using the bulletin board and visit frequently. If you have questions about a certain topic and would like to know what other students or the instructor are thinking about that topic, post a message on the bulletin board.  Also, read the postings on the bulletin board from other students and theinstructor and feel free to respond to these messages. This dialogue counts toward your class participation.  There is also a section on the bulletin board just to chat with other students about anything you would like. This is your space to talk about the weather, your family, or whatever you like. And there is also a bulletin board for you to post questions to the instructor. You can ask anything, but the instructor has the right to answer only the questions she wants to answer.

If you have already taken a web-based course, then you should know the routine. Try to help other students who may be having problems. Use the bulletin board, e-mail, or telephone to interact with other students in the class. Many students complain about the lack of socialization in web-based courses.  Those of you who have taken web-based courses before know that is not true. For the novice web-based course student, you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how much you can learn about your fellow students.

The rest of this first module is designed for students who are experiencing their first Internet course.  The Orientation Exercise will teach you how to create a word document, send an e-mail, attach a document to an e-mail, post on the web-board, and access library resources.  If you have taken web-courses before, you will be exempt from doing this assignment.  You must receive permission from me before being excused from doing the first module assignments.

If you are having difficulty accessing sites, attaching documents, sending in assignments, or any other problems, please feel free to contact me by telephone, e-mail, fax, or stop by my office. If you have questions or problems that need to be addressed immediately, feel free to e-mail or call. Do not use the bulletin board for emergency questions. This is a new experience and understandably there will be problems, questions, and panic attacks. If you are having a problem, maybe someone else is too.  Remain calm and we will all get through this course
together.  I am here to help you and make this experience as painless as possible.

Good Luck! Hope you enjoy the course and the web-based experience.