Course Description:

Includes special education mandates, LRE; ADA; general education; parents; communities; support services; and characteristics of special learners

Course Objectives:

Candidates will be able to demonstrate the following knowledge and skills upon completion of the course:

1.                 Knowledge of historical concepts in special education as it parallels historical

          changes in general education and the impact on collaboration as professional 

          educators.

2.          Identify critical and current issues related to the evolution of best practices in

          special education.

3.          Describe the various disability categories as defined by the Individuals with  

         Disabilities Education Act, including definitions and classification categories.

4.          Describe the principles of education and related services (as mandated by law) for 

         individuals with disabilities.

5.          Discuss the multicultural aspects associated with the over-identification of persons

         from minority and culturally diverse populations.

6        Discuss the issues of categorical perspectives, service delivery, definitions and 

          technology applications with special populations.

7        Discuss issues related to placement, inclusion, and assessment for classification,

          eligibility, and educational progress.

8        Describe issues and trends related to home school partnerships, parental 

          partnerships, culturally diverse families and effective family partnerships

9.       Discuss the future of special education including program evaluation, effective

          service delivery of programs and teacher preparation.

10.       Understand the importance of a longitudinal perspective in the provisions of the

          educational and related services to individuals with disabilities.

Prerequisites and Corequisites:

Participant must have a teaching certificate in any area. TEAS 4001 can be taken in conjunction with 4002.

Specific Course Requirements:

All students should have a working knowledge of the following:

.  word processing (Microsoft word)

.  email and attachments (web mail, outlook or internet explorer)

.  using an internet browser.  

.  searching the world wide web (WWW)- including locating and using websites

.  downloading and uploading documents and Internet links

In order to complete the following requirements:

. specified web quests for information on various handicapping conditions and          

  specific teaching strategies associated with each condition

. article critiques, case studies, related projects, graphic organizers, debates, etc.

. final research paper on a topic related to this course.  Topic must be approved by the

  professor.

Textbooks, Supplementary Materials, Hardware and Software Requirements

Required Textbooks:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

Supplementary Materials:

Please visit the Virtual Bookstore to obtain textbook information for this course:
http://rodp.bkstr.com

Hardware Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...

Software Requirements:

The minimum requirements can be found at http://www.rodp.org/students/hardware_software.htm. Specific hardware requirements for this course include...(A list of software the student is required to purchase or download for the course, Real Player, Media Player, Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office, etc).

Instructor Information 

Please see the separate page inside the course to find instructor contact information as well as a statement of virtual office hours, instructor's commitment to feedback, and other communication information.

Assessment and Grading

Testing Procedures:

There will be no formal tests administered for this course. The assignments are application-based therefore any sources are allowable but must be referenced appropriately. Specific deadlines will be outlined and must be adhered to or a deduction of points will be applied.

Grading Procedure:

All candidates are required to complete all assignments including a final research paper.  All assignments  are to be submitted to the professor or posted on the course website by 10:00 PM on the deadline date.  Late arrivals will result in a deduction of points.

Maximum points to be awarded per assignment are as follows:

Assignment	Maximum points	Maximum points
	Undergraduate	Graduate
Graphic organizer	10	10
Pros/Cons debate	10	10
Paper on Inclusion	20	20
Summary & Critique	20	20
Observation	20	20
Family Interview OR paper/ highlights	20/10
Family Interview and paper/ highlights		40/10
Funding	10	10
Community Awareness	20	20
Summary and Interview	20	20
Final paper	50	50

Total

210

230

Grading Scale:

90-100-A                          190-210 points                            207-230 points
80-89---B                          170-189 points                            186-206 points
70-79---C                          147-169 points                            162-185 points
The grading scale should emphasize research papers, case studies, article critiques, other assignments, projects, and student participation in the learning community as well as timed quizzes and periodic examinations.

Assignments and Participation

Assignments and Projects:

Please see course assignments inside course. 

Class Participation:

Students must participate in all interactive aspects of the course.  Students must communicate with other students in the chat room, students are expected to communicate with the instructor as a learning resource, students must check the course bulletin board frequently for announcements, and students must actively participate in threaded discussion events. Students must also adhere to specific deadlines.

Punctuality:

All assignments are due by 10:00PM on the designated date.  Be sure to follow Module outlines and note specific dates. 

Course Ground Rules

As a participant in TEAS 4001 full participation is required. You are expected to communicate with other students in team projects and learn how to navigate in WebCT and the email system, as well as any chat rooms or bulletin boards set up for the class.  You are required to keep abreast of course announcements and adhere to explicit deadlines.  You will need to use the assigned college or university e-mail address as opposed to a personal e-mail address.  If you are experiencing technical difficulty you must address technical problems immediately.  No excuses will be allowed for late assignments due to technical problems not reported immediately. Please observe course netiquette at all times. 

Guidelines for Communications

·         Always include a subject line. 

·         Remember without facial expressions some comments may be taken the wrong way. Be careful in wording your emails. Use of emoticons might be helpful in some cases. 

·         Use standard fonts. 

·         Do not send large attachments without permission. 

·         Special formatting such as centering, audio messages, tables, html, etc. should be avoided unless necessary to complete an assignment or other communication. 

·         Respect the privacy of other class members 

Discussion Groups:

·         Review the discussion threads thoroughly before entering the discussion. Be a lurker then a discussant. 

·         Try to maintain threads by using the "Reply" button rather starting a new topic. 

·         Do not make insulting or inflammatory statements to other members of the discussion group. Be respectful of other's ideas. 

·         Be patient and read the comments of other group members thoroughly before entering your remarks. 

·         Be cooperative with group leaders in completing assigned tasks. 

·         Be positive and constructive in group discussions. 

·         Respond in a thoughtful and timely manner. 

Chat:

·         Introduce yourself to the other learners in the chat session. 

·         Be polite. Choose your words carefully. Do not use derogatory statements. 

·         Be concise in responding to others in the chat session. 

·         Be prepared to open the chat session at the scheduled time. 

·         Be constructive in your comments and suggestion 

Web Resources:

·         Columbia Guide to Online Style by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor 

·         Citation Styles Online http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html

Library 

The Tennessee Virtual Library is available to all students enrolled in the Regents Degree Program. Links to library materials (such as electronic journals, databases, interlibrary loans, digital reserves, dictionaries, encyclopedias, maps, and librarian support) and Internet resources needed by learners to complete online assignments and as background reading must be included in all courses. 

Students With Disabilities

Qualified students with disabilities will be provided reasonable and necessary academic accommodations if determined eligible by the appropriate disability services staff at their home institution. Prior to granting disability accommodations in this course, the instructor must receive written verification of a student's eligibility for specific accommodations from the disability services staff at the home institution. It is the student's responsibility to initiate contact with their home institution's disability services staff and to follow the established procedures for having the accommodation notice sent to the instructor.

Syllabus Changes 

The instructor reserves the right to make changes as necessary to this syllabus. If changes are necessitated during the term of the course, the instructor will immediately notify students of such changes both by individual email communication and posting both notification and nature of change(s) on the course bulletin board.

Technical Support 

REGISTRATION PROBLEMS contact your home school RODP Campus Contact
Technical Support: If you are having problems logging into your course, timing out of your course, using your course web site tools, or other problems, please contact the AskRODP Help Desk by calling 1-866-550-7637 (toll free) or go to the AskRODP website for email/live chat help at: http://help.rodp.org/