Welcome to Introduction to Children and Youth with Exceptionalities. This presentation is designed to help you navigate the course effectively.

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In the next few slides I will discuss the course, how to navigate the course site, and expectations.

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The course title is Introduction to Children and Youth with Exceptionalities. It is worth 3 credits and will last 15 weeks. It is completely online with asynchronous communications, however, we will schedule 2 optional synchronous meetings throughout the semester. We will schedule these meetings at mutually convenient times.

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This is the course description which is also included in your syllabus. As we progress through each session, I hope that you apply the skills and knowledge to meet your varied professional needs. Consider your current or future role as you plan for each assignment. We can discuss ways in which assignments can be tailored to meet your unique needs by way of email or during individualized synchronous meetings.

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You will engage in active and collaborative learning throughout this course. The assignments and activities were designed for you to apply the skills and knowledge gained from readings, presentations, selected media, and discussion with your peers.

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The course homepage is the Announcement section. Consult this section frequently as I will use it to make general announcements such as any changes to the course schedule, clarification regarding upcoming assignments, or general comments or feedback regarding previous discussions. You can subscribe to email notifications of announcements by clicking on the envelope at the top of the page.

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If you have not already done so, make sure to read all the sub-sections carefully in the Overview section of the course site. In the faculty area, you will find my contact information. The Syllabus area has the syllabus to download and what textbooks to purchase. The objectives and assignments area states the objectives, the list of assignments, descriptions, and due dates. Please refer to the specific sessions for detailed information on assignments. The Expectation session states what you should expect of me and what I expect of you. The Communication section gives you important information on how to communicate with tech. support, the instructor, and other needed personnel. If you click on the SOE orientation tab, then ELC and ELC features, you will find directions for how to upload files, post in the discussion area and how to upload files to the Gradebook. If this is your first online, course you will find the SOE orientation very useful.

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I emailed a copy of the course syllabus to the class a few weeks ago. Most of you confirmed that you received the email and syllabus. If you did not receive an email from me, please let me know as soon as possible as this may indicate that I do not have a correct email address for you. You may also access a complete copy of the syllabus click on the Syllabus download icon. For this course you need to purchase one textbook. The 12th edition of the text is what is listed in ISIS. However, it is acceptable to use older editions as they are similar but please know that when I refer to page numbers, they may not align with older versions.

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The directions on how to proceed in this course can be found by clicking on the Sessions Tab. On the landing page you will see session directions and the Sessions that are open. Each session will open on a Friday, three days before the start date on Monday. Each session will close at 11:59 on the corresponding Sunday. The course has 15 Sessions. Session 1 is an introductory session intended for you to become familiar with how to navigate the course sight. This way, you will be able to focus on the content of the course beginning in week two. If you have questions about how to navigate the course site, this is the time to ask them.

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As part of this session, you will also learn how to create a voice thread to introduce yourself to the instructor and your peers. Step by step directions are provided under the VoiceThread tap for how to create and share your voice thread. We will use VoiceThread again later in the semester for your presentations.

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When you click on a specific session a sub-menu appears that includes a checklist, Readings, Presentations, Discussions, Activities, and Assignment . Sometimes, either the Activities tab, or Assignments tab are not present if the session does not have one or the other. Be sure to consult the checklist at the beginning of each session so that you know what is expected and will be able to plan your time accordingly.

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The Discussion tab takes you to the course discussion board, it is designed by categories. You will first want to read the directions under the discussion sub-menu within the session and then proceed to the main discussion tab. It is important to read the directions carefully as the format may differ from session to session. For example, sometimes you may be directed to select two of four questions to write on or you may be grouped based on area of expertise or randomly for small group discussion. Regardless of the format, each session will include a discussion component that is worth five points. Initial posts are due on Thursday of and replies to peers are due by the close of the session. You may receive partial credit for late initial posts if they are before the close of the session. However, credit will not be given once the session closes unless prior arrangements are made. What you see now is an example from a previous semester. In the General Forum, you have a Café area to socialize and ask the professor area to ask questions. If you have a question related to an upcoming assignment or would like clarification about a topic presented you may post your questions here so that your classmates may benefit from the question and answer. If it is a question about grades or is specific to you individually, please send it to me as an email. I will check both regularly and reply no later than 24 hours.

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The Resources tab includes websites and software applications that will help you in creating your assignments. I will make sure to let you know when to refer to it. Throughout the course, I may come across an interesting article or media clip that relates to the course. I will post it here and make a general announcement on the course home page.

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I expect all students to participate in session discussions. You can expect that I will monitor posts regularly, but will not interfere with the dialogue. If needed, I may make a general announcement to redirect or supplement the discussion or I may contact students individually to redirect inaccurate statements. It is also expected that students will submit assignments on-time to the grade book in the ELC. The ELC will timestamp the submission and all late assignments will receive a 10% per day deduction in grade for the first two days, and 5% for days late thereafter. I will also provide feedback on your assignments through the gradebook. If you have questions or concerns regarding completion of any of the assignments or grading, please contact the instructor as soon as possible for assistance. Communicating with the instructor is paramount to your success. Do not let any problems or confusions escalate. Please email me for clarification or with questions immediately. I look forward to our online collaboration!

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