menubar -Requirements/Commitments

Why 125 hours?
This sounds like a lot of time.

Isn't this more than a traditional graduate course I've taken before?

More time commitment? No. A traditional graduate course assumes thirty-six hours of "instructional contact" with double that time required for student preparation including reading, writing, and external assessment.

"Instructional contact" in the traditional model places students in front of a college instructor for thirty-six hours. Students then engage in individual or group assignments for the other seventy-two hours.

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Instructional contact in the context of a 'Net-based course cannot carry the same meaning!!!

The base measurement of "instructional hours" must be redefined.

 The INTEC NetCourse breaks the "sage on the stage model" by assigning the equivalent time associated with a graduate course into:
  • local study group meetings with colleagues
  • individual study including readings and computer simulations
  • online communication and discussion
  • collaborative work within virtual groups
  • use of innovative materials within one's own class setting

Modularity of the NetCourse permits participants to address grade and discipline specific needs. Time is efficiently used: there is no travel to and from instructional providers' campuses.

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How can the INTEC NetCourse accommodate the busy schedules of practicing teachers?

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While work on INTEC must be regular throughout the duration of the course, it can be done anytime, at home or at work, based on individuals' schedules and available technology. Local study group meetings occur within one-two week time frames, at the convenience of just the teachers involved. There are no fully synchronous activities in INTEC.

INTEC offers an alternative to the condensed, summer institute model of professional development. Research tells us that people learn more if instruction is paced with learners given time for new ideas and practices to be analyzed and internalized. It takes time to learn, to try out ideas in one's class, and to understand and assess their impact on students' learning.

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