Contents
(Click on subject to select)
Distance Education
Distance Education courses are Santa
Ana College credit courses which give
students the opportunity to complete most of their course work outside
of the classroom, on their own time. The courses are academically
equivalent to on-campus courses and use Santa Ana College instructors. Success in these courses requires maturity and a strong
commitment by the student.
Telecourses are
pre-produced television courses, which can be seen on KOCE channel 50. Videotapes/
DVD's of these courses are also available in the Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College libraries.
Both Telecourse's and On-line courses
require students to have access to a computer with an individual
e-mail account and access to the World Wide Web. Students may also use
computers in the Academic Computing Center at Santa Ana College.
For On-line course's, the majority of the coursework is done on-line,
however, one or more on-campus meetings may be required. Telecourse's
meetings will vary, they may require as many as five on-campus meetings.
Return
to Contents
Four
Primary Parts to Telecourses
Campus Visits: Students may be
required to come to
the Santa Ana college campus at designated times to meet with the instructor and
other students. There may be meetings for the orientation,
reviews,
and testing. Students may also telephone or visit instructors during
office hours. Some instructors may also be contacted via e-mail.
Reading Assignments:
Students are required to read and study the textbook, study guide, and
other materials as assigned by the instructor. This is usually the
most concentrated and time-intensive portion of the course. Books are available at
the Santa Ana College Bookstore. Newsletters with course information are often
sent to students through the semester term.
Watch Television/Use
Media: Telecourse students view programs at home or on campus.
Both Telecourse's and On-line courses with on-line computer component
will require students to have
access to a computer with Internet and e-mail capabilities.
Complete
Assignments/Exams: Students complete assignments or special projects
given by the instructor. Instructors will specify whether assignments
may be turned in in person, by mail, by e-mail, or by FAX. In addition,
exams can be taken on campus either on scheduled dates with your
instructor or in the testing center on the SAC campus, some Telecourse's
have the option of taking exams on-line.
Telecourses and on line
courses represent alternatives to the traditional classroom course. They
present rigorous college level instructional materials for students who
wish to gain academic credit for a degree, certificate, or for personal
enrichment.
All telecourses and on
line courses have been instructionally designed with you, the student,
in mind. Assignments, examinations, and course procedures are geared
toward the student who has chosen to learn outside of the classroom. The
content covered, type of learning experience, amount and variety of
learning experience activities and demand on the student’s time are
equal to a regular classroom course.
Return to Contents
Course Elements
Telecourses are often
referred to as "integrated learning systems", because there are
several elements that are combined to make a course. These
elements are the media portion, the textbook, and the study guide.
Each of these elements is equally important to your success in the
course.
Return
to Contents
Media
Element
The media portion of a
course will be a television broadcast, a videocassette lesson, and/or
DVD. These broadcasts or lessons are
different from other broadcasts you watch every day, because there are
no commercials or advertisements and because every minute or line is
filled with content material.
Return
to Contents
Textbook
Nearly all courses have one or more
required textbooks. These books provide a major source of content for
the course; therefore, you should be sure to complete all assigned
readings. The textbook is particularly important.
Textbooks, and study guides for all telecourses can be purchased at
the Santa Ana College Bookstore. Do not hesitate to ask the bookstore
personnel for assistance if you are having difficulty locating the
textbooks, study guides.
Return
to Contents
Study
Guide
The Study guides for
telecourse functions as an aid in learning the course material. The
study guide coordinates the textbook material with the media component,
highlights the important points of the audio/video lectures, outlines
reading assignments in the textbook and suggests activities to enhance
your understanding of the material presented.
Return
to Contents
Study Tips
The approach you take to
studying for your telecourse is crucial to your success. The following
study techniques are suggested to help you get organized and prepare
yourself to get the most out of your course.
- Identify your most likely study
hours and make arrangements to protect them. What is the best time of
the day for you to read your textbook and study guide? How long does
it take you to thoroughly read a chapter in your textbook or do the
activities in your study guide?
- Identify the place that is most
conducive to your studying. You should have a place where you will not
be disturbed by outside noises, where you have adequate lighting and a
good writing surface. In addition, you may wish to find a place where
your books and material can be left undisturbed by family members.
- Actively watch or listen to the
television programs. Most of us are accustomed to using the
television as a means of entertainment or relaxation. Consequently,
you pay only partial attention to what is happening. With telecourses,
you must watch with 100% of your attention. While you are watching,
ask yourself questions that pertain to the subject matter being
presented. This will keep you mentally alert.
- Protect your viewing time. Once you
have selected the most appropriate viewing time, make sure you have as
few distractions as possible.
- Do not try to take down every word
that is said during a program. Instead, write down key words or
phrases and write down questions that occur to you at the time. Then,
write a short summary of the main ideas presented immediately after
the program is over.
- If possible, watch the programs with
a friend or family member. This offers you the opportunity to discuss
key ideas or concepts immediately after the program when they are
fresh in your mind.
- Adequately prepare yourself for the
television programs. Carefully read the appropriate study guide
chapter and reading assignment in the textbook before watching the
program. This will help you identify the major ideas presented in the
broadcasts.
- Never miss a television program.
Most courses are aired more than once to insure that you have an
opportunity to watch or listen to every lesson. If you miss a lesson,
you can make up the lesson by viewing the videotape at either the Santa Ana or Santiago Canyon College libraries.
- Read ALL of your mail from the
Distance Education Office or on your class website. This material will
be important to you. Read it and file it in a place that is convenient
and easy to retrieve.
Return to
Contents
Instructor
All alternative delivery courses have
a Santa Ana based instructor. Although this
person may not be the individual seen or heard in the media segment,
this person communicates directly with you via e-mail and telephone and
is available to you throughout the semester if assistance is needed.
The instructor establishes the course emphasis, decides upon the
assignments to be submitted, establishes the grading criteria, selects
the exam questions, determines what work will be required (workshops,
field trips, observations, discussions, etc.), and evaluates your
performance.
Your instructor’s office
hours and telephone number will be listed in the course orientation
letter. Please feel free to contact your instructor as often as
necessary if you have questions about the course content.
Return to Contents
Holidays
There is no special programming
schedule for holidays during the broadcast semester due to the length
of our courses and commitments to broadcasting stations. Consequently,
courses run for a specific number of consecutive weeks regardless of
any traditional holiday that is observed during that time period. For
example, if a class broadcast falls on Labor Day, that lecture will
air as scheduled on Labor Day.
Please be aware that the
regular community college vacations are not observed. Telecourses
are broadcast continuously through the week of Thanksgiving and Spring
vacation.
Return to Contents
Review Tapes
Videotapes of the television
broadcasts are available at both the Santa Ana College and Santiago
Canyon College libraries. These tapes may be viewed in the libraries
during regularly scheduled hours. There are also a limited number of
video lessons available for overnight checkout at both libraries. If
you wish to check out these lessons, you may call the library and
verify availability.
Please call to verify
hours
Santa Ana College 564-6700
Santiago Canyon College (714)
564-4700.
Return to Contents
Course Updates/Assignment Instructions
During the course of the semester,
you may also receive several course updates from your instructor.
These course updates may contain detailed directions for
assignments, updated content information as well as information on
local events that your instructor feels would be of interest to you.
These announcements will be posted in the announcements section in
Blackboard.
Assignment instructions
can elaborate upon the information contained in the orientation letter,
clarifying the instructor’s requirements, spelling out the evaluation
criteria, and giving examples of acceptable work. Please be aware that
the instructor will grade your assignments; therefore, it is important
to meet his/her specifications or requirements. These may differ
somewhat from the examples given in the broadcasts.
Return to Contents
Address Changes
You may receive mail from the Distance Education office, course
updates, or returned graded homework, therefore, it is essential that you notify the
Distance Education Office of all changes in your address or telephone
number.
Please call (714) 564-6725 anytime you move.
Return to Contents
Examinations
Requirements for each course differ,
however all courses have examinations that you must
take in person at a specified time and location.
Only those students who
are listed as active in the course will be allowed to take the exam. If
you have been withdrawn by the instructor for failing to participate in
the class and you are listed on the course roster as withdrawn, you may
not take the exam. If you believe you have been incorrectly withdrawn
from the course, the course instructor will determine whether you may be
reinstated in the course. The instructor will notify the Distance
Education Office concerning your status change.
Please allow plenty of
time for testing. Examinations vary as to length and composition. Most
exams consist of multiple-choice, true-false and matching questions.
Others require the student to write essay responses. Books, study
guides, and notes are not allowed inside the testing room.
The testing locations are
accessible to wheelchair persons and are in compliance with government
regulations. If you have a special need, please contact the Distance
Education Office so that arrangements can be made to meet your specific
needs. For detailed information regarding makeup examinations, you
should consult the examination reminder closely. With your instructor’s
permission, makeup examinations may be taken in the Santa Ana College
Testing Center at (564-6148) during the days and times specified by your
instructor.
Unfortunately, there are
no facilities for childcare at any examination location. Therefore,
children will not be permitted at any examination site. Please be sure
to make other arrangements for children because there will not be a
staff person available to care for them.
Remember that no
information regarding testing arrangements will be given during
the broadcast portion of the telecourse. Information about the exams
will be in the orientation letter.
Return to Contents
Assignments
You can turn in assignments directly to the Distance Education
Office, located in R-105, or you may fax them to the Distance
Education Office, 714-647-0761 or you may use the U.S. mail, address
below.
When assignments are
received by the Distance Education Office, a staff member opens them,
stamps them with the postmark date, records them as received, and sends
them to the instructor for evaluation. Once your assignments have been
graded by the instructor, they are returned to the Distance Education
Office and then mailed back to you as soon as possible, generally within
two weeks.
All assignments should be
properly addressed and have enough postage. ASSIGNMENTS WILL NOT BE
ACCEPTED WITH POSTAGE DUE. Be sure all mail is properly addressed as
follows:
Distance Education Office
Santa Ana College R-105
1530 W. 17th Street
Santa Ana, CA 92706
It is necessary for you to
clearly label EVERY PAGE of the submitted assignment with your name, the
course number, the instructor’s name, and the name of the assignment as
it appears in the orientation letter. For example:
Jan Doe (Student Name)
Biology 999 (Course Number)
Dr. S. Jones (Instructor’s Name)
Worksheet A
(Assignment Name)
This will insure that you
receive proper credit for work submitted.
Return to Contents
Drops
and Withdrawals
Because telecourses do not operate in
the traditional fashion requiring regular classroom attendance,
Distance Education has established a policy regarding drops and
withdrawals based on participation in the course (submission of
assignments), not classroom attendance.
Return
to Contents
Student Drops and Withdrawals
If you wish to DROP a course, you may
do so in accordance with the Santa Ana College policy (stated in the
class schedule). During the drop/add period (the first week of the
semester), you can revise your program by dropping and/or adding any
classes that are available with the instructor’s approval.
A student who cannot
continue a course has an obligation to withdraw officially through the
Admissions Office. Students officially withdrawing from a full semester
length course will receive a "W" grade (withdrawal) if submitted through
the Admissions Office. Withdrawal from a course less than a semester in
length must take place before 75 percent of the course has expired.
Withdrawing from a
course after the above deadlines requires that the student receive an
"F" for a letter grade. Consult the Admissions Office (714) 564-6005 for
answers to any questions regarding this policy.
Return to Contents
Instructor
Drops and Withdrawals
The course instructor may withdraw
any student for insufficient participation in the course. Be sure to
keep up with all course assignments throughout the entire semester. If
you find that you are unable to meet a deadline, be sure to contact
the course instructor. For individual instructor’s policy, see the
orientation letter.
Return
to Contents
Reinstatement
If you have been dropped or withdrawn
from a class but wish to remain active in the course and complete it,
you must contact the instructor or the Office of Distance Education.
The decision to reinstate you rests with the course instructor. If the
instructor recommends reinstatement, you must submit past due
assignments by a specified date. Only after all past-due work has been
received will you be reinstated in the course. In the event that you
are reinstated before the end of the semester, you must continue to
participate in the course.
Return to Contents
Final Grade Options
In order to receive a letter grade of
A through F for your course, you must complete all course work,
including the final exam. If you cannot take the final exam on the
date it is scheduled, you must notify your instructor before that
date. With the permission of your instructor, you may be able to take
the exam at a later date to complete the course. If you do not
take the final exam and do NOT give your instructor prior
notification, you will receive a grade of F.
Return to Contents
Things to remember for success in Telecourse:
Buy your textbook(s) and study guide.
Carefully read all correspondence from the Distance Education Office.
Provide your current address to the Distance Education Office. Moved?
Change your Address!
Mark your calendar for important dates such as discussion meetings,
exam and assignment due dates.
Please call
the Distance Education Office at (714) 564-6725 if you have any questions! |
