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Understanding of Online Environment and Agreement to Online Course Requirements


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Fill out this form and then Click "Submit" to register. This is an electronic submission. Print this form after you have completed it to keep for your records. Do not Fax this form. You will be sent to the online advisor form upon submission of this form.

Please complete and initial each section of this form.

Term	First Name

	Last Name

	Student ID#

By initialing each section of this form, I attest that I understand and agree to the following:

Professionalism
Completing a program at La Sierra University entails more than successfully completing courses. It is an endeavor in professionalism as well. I will strive to maintain professional relations and interactions with my professors, fellow students, and with those with whom I come into contact while completing any practicum requirements in the field. I understand that my professionalism is one of the criteria on which my program completion hinges. This includes email interactions, phone conversations, and face-to-face meetings.

Online Learning Style
The online learning environment is very different from the on-campus, face-to-face format. As an online learner, I must take a greater responsibility for my learning. I understand that the teacher’s role in the online environment is to coach and facilitate, read my submissions and give helpful feedback, help me steer in the right direction, and give me grades on my assignments/final course grade. It is my responsibility to read and comprehend the material, and to ask the instructor clarification questions when I do not understand course content. In addition, I can converse with other classmates to grasp course content, and can ask to be connected with previous students from the course who might be able to answer questions that I feel uncomfortable asking the teacher. I understand that the teacher is not responsible for presenting a synthesized lecture to me every week to get the course content. In the online environment, I am responsible for reading, digesting, reflecting, and contemplating on the information on my own. I understand that I will do best in the classes I take if my learning style corresponds with the needs described above.

Online Course Time Demands
Given the nature of online learning, I understand that an online course will take more time to complete than an on-campus course might. This is because I am responsible for processing the course content on my own, instead of attending lectures in which the professor has already synthesized much of the course information for me. I understand this may add three to four hours of study time per week beyond what is expected in an on campus, face-to-face environment. Therefore, I expect to spend approximately 3-4 hours/ per unit/ per week doing actual course assignments, in addition to actually reading and working through actual course content. This means that for a 3 unit course, I could expect to spend a variable amount of time reading, analyzing, and synthesizing course content and an additional 9-12 hours/ per week/ working on assignments. This can be a total of 12-15 hours per week for a 3 unit methods course. Pre-requisite courses and technology courses may take less time than this (total of 3-4 hours/ per unit/ per week).

Given that I should expect a total of 3-4 hours/ per unit/ per week of assignment work, for the courses I am applying for, I expect to spend hours per week on assignments IN ADDITION to reading and synthesizing course materials.

Learning Style Impact on Time Spent on Courses
I am aware that these time estimates assume that the online environment is suitable to my learning style, and that if my learning style is different than that described above, the time spent may be increased.

Drop Grace Period and Fee Penalties
I understand that I can browse course materials to make sure that the course load and learning style required fits my needs, and that I may drop the course (by filling out the proper paperwork and faxing it to the office) during the first two days of the quarter with no charge, except the $100 processing fee. If I drop between the third day of the quarter and the first day of the second week of the quarter, I will be charged 25% of tuition, plus the $100 processing fee. If I drop between the second Tuesday and the end of the 2^nd week of the quarter, I will be charged 50% of tuition, plus the $100 processing fee. If I drop after this date, I will be charged the full tuition price, plus the $100 processing fee.

Extension Policy
I understand that I may only extend this course into the next quarter (for a maximum of 5 weeks) under extenuating circumstances, and only if I have completed 75% of the course work (or at least completed all of lessons 1-7) by the end of the quarter. I understand that the University CANNOT grant me an extension for the following reasons:
a. Completion of less than 75% of class requirements
b. A remedy for overload or inability to handle course load
c. Failure of an examination
d. Low Grade to be raised with extra work

Print this form after you have completed it to keep for your records.

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