Example Materials for Students

Structure of an Internet Course

Here's what an Internet course would look like to the person participating in the course. The example materials shown here are from the Method Validation Basics Course.

The accompanying diagram identifies the major course elements and how they work together to provide instruction and training. The important elements include the course description or course-page, the course syllabus, lesson plans, the collection of training materials, an electronic discussion forum, and an online exam. This structure is modeled after the traditional lecture type of course, which is the common base of experience for most teachers.

However, in contrast to a traditional lecture course, there is considerably more flexibility in how students can work through an Internet course. Students may proceed at their own pace, asynchronous learning in today's vernacular. Students can take alternate paths through the materials based on their previous background and understanding of the contents. This could allow some students to spend additional time reviewing materials that are necessary background for a course, or may allow others to move ahead more quickly by testing out of early lessons or modules of a course. Students can fit the course into their own schedules and do the work when they have time available.

Course Page

Think of this as the home page for a course. It typically includes the materials that would be handed out to students on the first day of class, e.g., an introduction to the course, some information about the instructor(s), the purpose of the course, some overall goals, a list of course materials, some information about the instructor's office hours or the electronic interactive components, a list of lectures or description of the individual lessons, and information about student-instructor discussions via e-mail and/or electronic forums.

  • See the Course Description for Method Validation Basics

    You can also click "Enter Courses" on the left side of the page to see a "course list". Find the "Method Validation Basics" course and click to get the syllabus for this course. Note that a password is required to get to the syllabus and to gain the course materials.

    Syllabus

    This page lists the lessons and provides links to individual lesson plans. It's like the lecture schedule that would be handed out in a traditional college course. Instead of going to the classroom to hear the lecture, you go to the lesson plan to get the educational materials.

  • See the syllabus for Method Validation Basics.

    Lesson Plans

    Each lesson plan provides a brief statement of the overall goal for the lesson, followed by lists of specific objectives, web materials with links, "things to do," and self-assessment questions.

  • See Lesson Plan 1 from Method Validation Basics.

    Course materials

    "Myths of Quality" from Lesson Plan 1 in Method Validation
    The plan for Lesson 1 identifies the primary material to be "Myths of Quality," which corresponds to the lecture or text for this lesson. By use of historical documents, in this case, maps from the most authoritative sources of the time, the presence of certain islands was well-established and well-documented, even though those islands don't exist. This material illustrates that seeing something in black and white doesn't mean it's true. The objective here is to have students start with an open mind that is free from common myths about quality in healthcare and healthcare laboratories.

    MV - The Data Analysis Tool Kit.
    Lesson 7 is concerned with statistics, however, it stays away from equations and instead emphasizes "tools" for data analysis. It also introduces a different kind of web material - calculators and plotters that can be used to crunch the data from certain method validation experiments. These calculator tools are easy to use and are especially useful to illustrate the proper calculation and display of data from method validation experiments.

  • Also See the Method Validation Data Analysis Tools

    Electronic Interactions

    E-mail allows students to interact with the course instructor or with other students. For example, a "class mail" function is included on all the pages for a course. There also is a "class forum" function that is a "bulletin board" for posting general items for discussion, comments, and questions.