Course Details

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Course Developer and Distribution Models
Course Name	American Government
Provider Name	NROC
Course Discipline	Political Science
Review Funded By	OCEP
Review Date	September 12, 2005
Developer organizational status	The developer is a non-profit organization that develops and distributes online courses as part of its educational mission.The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE) is an educational non-profit organization committed to improving access to education. MITE’s cornerstone project, the National Repository of Online Courses (NROC), supports the development and distribution of high-quality online courses to a worldwide audience. The goal of this project is to facilitate collaboration among a community of developers to create a library of online courses that are available to everyone. For more information about NROC, please contact Terri Rowenhorst, 719-783-0804, trowenhorst@montereyinstitute.org. The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education
Distribution of the course	The course is distributed on a public website without restrictions.An Open Education Resource (OER) version of the course is distributed on a public website for individual use, and a second version of the course is available on DVDs to institutional members of the NROC Network to load on their own CMS. The developer is a non-profit organization that develops and distributes online courses as part of its educational mission.
Licensing models	The developer does license this course.The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (MITE) licenses its courses to individual schools and to consortia of schools through membership to the NROC Network. In addition MITE provides a no-cost Open Knowledge license for non-profit organizations meeting the needs of the underserved without tuition costs. Specific information can be obtained by contacting Terri Rowenhorst at 719-783-0804, or trowenhorst@montereyinstitute.org. The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education
Scope and Scholarship
Audience and grade level	Lower division college curriculum.
Breadth of coverage	The course content meets standard curriculum requirements for accepted higher education curriculum.
Writing style and accuracy	Writing style and accuracy issues are addressed as follows: The writing style is engaging, clear and grade level appropriate for the intended audience. The writing and print is free of grammar, punctuation and typographical errors.
Course orientation and syllabus	The following information is available to students at the beginning of the course. Some of the features are instructor, course, or institution specific (i.e., assessment policy, testing logistics, or institutional policies), and have been provided as samples/resources for the instructor. Course description Course goals and outcomes Course outline Syllabus System check for computer system requirements and necessary plug-ins Testing logistics General introduction on the necessary skills for taking an online course Student responsibilities and academic integrity guidelines Features of this specific online course, such as how course is structured, navigation, media elements, simulations, etc. Technical support contact information Textbook and other materials required for the course and how and where to obtain those materials An Open Education Resource (OER) version of the course is distributed on a public website for individual use. This OER version of the course is not organized as it would be for student participation in the classroom. However, a second version of the course is available to members of the NROC Network to load on their own CMS (such as Blackboard, Moodle, ANGEL, etc.). Schools are provided with a suggested structure (taking into account that all course distribution systems are different), as well as Instructor and Student Guides to help teachers organize the class to meet their needs within their own course management system and school requirements.
Learning objectives clearly stated	Learning objectives are addressed as follows: The course provides clearly defined and topic-appropriate learning objectives to begin each unit of study. Course objectives are clearly stated in the course introduction and specific objectives are stated for each unit. This is very well done.
Exercises, projects, and activities	Exercises, projects, and activities provide effective learning experiences and are included as an integral component of the course.Each unit has an appropriate assignment, discusssion, writing assignment, and test. There are no specific projects per se. Variation in the area of projects may help to maintain student interest.
Additional text material required or optional	Textbooks, videos, CD/DVDs, readings, or articles packets are required and necessary content elements in the course.
Instructional philosophy	Instructional philosophies are addressed as follows: The course blends elements from multiple instructional philosophies including the constructivist approach, a linear presentation of the course content, and a drill and practice approach to learning in. The instructional philosophy incorporates methods to promote abstract thinking skills through analysis and observation. The instructional philosophy incorporates methods to promote critical reasoning skills. The instructional philosophy incorporates immediate opportunities to use new information.
Rights of use and copyright associated with course content	The following rights of use and copyright issues apply to the course. Rights of Use/Copyright - Select NROC content is available publicly for individual use only. No commercial use is permitted. NROC Network Members may utilize the NROC content in their present form and/or revise or adapt the course content to meet Member requirements, provided that Member may make structural or organizational changes to a course but may not alter the course multimedia files.
User Interface
Navigation	Navigation throughout the course is clearly marked, consistent, and thorough and allows a student to easily navigate through the content.Although the navigation is consistent, it is a bit hidden. The "back" link is at the bottom of the page and a little tough to find at first. Since the browser opens with no controls, it might make sense to move that link to the top of the page to make it more viewable.
Course progress indicator for the student	Course progress indicators for students are addressed as follows: The course does not contain tools that allow the learners to track their progress and mastery of content through the course. The course materials are provided in such a way that they can be implemented in various Course Management Systems (CMS). The CMS would track progress and mastery of the materials. Assessment tools provided also help students measure their understanding.
Placement of elements and presentation consistency	Elements are clearly organized and use a consistent format.The elements of this course are consistent and well organized. Navigation is a bit clunky with the need to always move "back" to the table of contents for each lesson but the multimedia navigation and organization is excellent.
Playback control of media and elements	Learners are provided user-friendly media controls giving them flexible and repeated access to media content.The media elements of this course are top notch A-1 content.
Course Features and Media Values
Pedagogical features	Concept presentation consists of the following pedagogical features. Learning objectives Glossary (key terms to learn) Topic overview or explanation Text Graphics Audio Video Animation Discussion or thought questions Writing assignments Reading assignments: textbook, articles, web links The content is rich and well designed.
Media presentation effectively presents course concepts	The media presentation is engaging and relates directly to the topic coverage.The media is beautiful, interesting and well designed. Real world examples and ideas are provided.
Text	Text elements for this course: Effectively present the topics and enhance the concepts. Are engaging and well produced. The text in this course is well written and consistent. It is properly chunked and non-threatening to the user. It is an enhancement.
Video	Video elements used in this course: Relate well to the topics being presented and effectively enhance the concepts. Are engaging and high quality media and it is used effectively. Though not true video, the narrated slideshows are very engaging and well made.
Animation	Animation used in this course: Relates well to the topics being presented and effectively enhances the concepts. Is engaging and high quality media and is used effectively. This is the feather in the cap of this content. The narrated slideshows are tremendous teaching tools.
Graphics	Graphic elements in this course: Relate well to the topics being presented and effectively enhance the concepts. Are engaging and high quality media and are used effectively. Well done. This course is both beautiful and effective graphically.
Audio	Audio elements of the course: Relate well to the topics being presented and effectively enhance the concepts. Are engaging and high quality media and are used effectively. Again, these elements are wonderful. The audio is clear and concise with well thought out flow and scope.
Simulations and games	Simulations and games in this course: Relate well to the topics being presented and effectively enhance the concepts. Are engaging and high quality media and are used effectively. The interactions are not numerous but they are well done and could be used by instructors as communication starters with a class.
Accommodates variety of media types and learning styles	The course utilizes a variety of media types to accommodate different learning styles.This course is media rich, beautiful, and effective.
Student interaction with the content	There are an appropriate number of interactive exercises, activities and projects made available to students. These are primarily self-testing activities which the instructor does not review.It is important to note that the materials included in each NROC course are designed to be easily imported into most course management systems (CMS). Once imported into their CMS, an instructor can determine what materials will be self-testing activities, and what activities students will be required
Assessments and Support Materials
Assessments availability	Pre-assembled assessments are available within the course as a resource for instructors.These are not interactive or CMS tool based. They could be printed and collected in a face to face setting.
Assessment methods	The following assessment methods are provided: Post-assessments for each unit of study. Post-assessments for larger or cumulative units of study. Mid-term and final assessments. Writing and/or topical paper assignments.
Assessment grading	The course provides auto-graded assessments designed for self-study that are not registered in the CMS grade book.
Grading rubrics provided	Grading rubrics are not provided in the course.
Test item types	The following test item types are used in assessments for this course. Multiple choice. Writing and/or topical paper assignments. Simulation and game results. Using the course within a CMS will allow the assessments to be auto graded.
Feedback loop for test items	Feedback loops are not provided.No realtime assessments exist in the course.
Support materials for the instructor	Technical support for the instructor is provided by the CMS they are using or by contacting The Monterey Institute for Technology and Education directly. Instructional support material is provided in the form of instructor manuals.
Support materials for the student	Support materials for the student are provided in the course content and by the CMS that is being used for the course.
Communication Tools and Interaction
Course environment	The course is distributed through a commercial CMS that is maintained by the educational institution, or hosted by a third party CMS provider.The NROC course material is designed to be imported into an institution’s CMS. Content is provided that may be used with the communication tools of the CMS.
Communication tool access	Communication tool access is addressed as follows: The course environment does not provide communication tools.
Content to utilize communication tools	When the course provides ready-to-use exercises, activities and assignments, use of the following communication tools in the CMS are required: The course does not provide ready-to-use content that utilize the communication tools in the CMS. No CMS is associated with this course. However, the use of a CMS would enhance the course a great deal.
Technology Requirements and Interoperability
Course format	This course is distributed and presented to students online.
Operating systems and platforms supported	Operating systems supported by this course include: WINDOWS USERS: Operating System: Windows 98 or higher Processor: 400MHz Pentium III or higher Memory: 256 MB or more Monitor: Support for 1024 x 768 pixel resolution and 16-bit high color Audio: Sound card and speakers/headphones Internet: A high-speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable Modem is highly recommended MACINTOSH USERS: Operating System: OS 9.1 or higher Processor: Macintosh G3 or higher Memory: 256 MB or more Audio: Sound card and speakers/headphones Internet: A high-speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable Modem is highly recommended.
Browsers supported	Browsers supported by this course include: WINDOWS USERS: WINDOWS USERS: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher OR Netscape 7 or higher MACINTOSH USERS: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.2 or higher OR Safari 1.2 or higher JavaScript and cookies must be enabled.
Server-side requirements	Windows Users: • Processor: 400 MHz Pentium III or higher • Memory: 256 MB or more • Monitor: Support for 1024 x 768 pixel resolution and 16-bit high color. • Audio: Sound card and speakers or headphones Macintosh Users: • Processor: Macintosh G3 or better • Memory: 256 MB or more A high-speed Internet connection such as DSL or Cable Modem is highly recommended for both Windows and Macintosh users.
Required applications or plug-ins	The course requires the following applications or plug-ins: Flash version 6 or later. Acrobat version 5 or later.
Learning object architecture or modular course elements	Course content is developed and stored as learning objects and can readily be used outside of the course structure.
Interoperability standards	Interoperability standards are utilized in the following ways. The course also provides content objects that are able to use the IEEE standards to share information with the CMS. Course assessments are available in IMS QTI format. Course instructional elements do not conform to AICC CMI, SCORM, or IMS packaging specifications, but do include meta data.
Accessibility	This course does not comply with ADA and W3C standards. Course instruction may include Flash, Quicktime, Adobe PDFs, possibly other formats that are not compliant, and also does not use ALT attribute for images.
Developer Comments
General comments and differentiating features	This American Government course presents content in multiple ways (multimedia presentations, textbook style content, discussion questions, simulations, study questions, assessments, etc.), which enables exploring and employing various learning styles. Students are continually analyzing and discussing various topics and themes based on original documents such as court cases and bills provided in the course and in the instructor’s guide. Students taking this course will be developing knowledge of important facts, concepts, and theories pertaining to US Government and Politics; understanding typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences; and being able to analyze and interpret basic data relevant to US Government and Politics.
Course effectiveness	The key goal of this course is to prepare students to pass the AP College Board exam. As this course is being offered by various schools, no statistical analysis of results on AP Exams is available.
Course structure	The course is designed: To be used in either a self-paced, or in a cohort model.
Additional services	MITE offers an online community in which members can network, participate in online training webinars, and course development projects. Members also have access to technical, administrative, and curriculum support through the online community, as well as discounts on OCEP reviews (online course evaluation project).
Test item availability	Test items are available that support the course content.
Hours of student work and study	The course does not note the amount of time a student is expected to spend to view the content presentation, complete assigned tasks and group assignments, and to complete all reading assignments.The amount of time a student is expected to spend is outlined within the Instructor’s Guide. A sample syllabus is provided to the instructor with a suggested timeline for chapter completion and testing. The amount of time to complete each task would vary with the interest and ability of the student.
Content authoring environment	The course uses the following software tools for the development of course content: Flash Acrobat HTML, XML, Respondus or QTI files, and MS Word are also used.

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Reference Citation: EduTools. (2010). OCEP: Course Comparison System. Retrieved September 10, 2010 from http://ocep.edutools.info/compare.jsp?pj=10&i=445