M.S. Health Law Online Experience
With the exception of three brief on-campus Health Law study institutes, the M.S. Health Law program takes place entirely online. Our courses utilize WebCT, one of the most widely used and full-featured distance education platforms. Students will find a comfortable online "home" for learning and interacting with other students and the faculty.
Online students receive passwords to access their courses. At each course site, the student will find reading assignments, links to materials pertinent to the course, a syllabus, a statement of the course goals, a number of hypothetical problems, lecture notes, video clips of lectures, a threaded discussion board, and a quiz. The assignments, materials, problems, lectures and quizzes will
be organized by module, with each module representing a major topic of the course. Modules will roughly correspond to weeks. (In other words, a 10-week-long course will contain either 10 modules or nine modules plus a week for a final examination.)
Each week, within periods of time designated by their professors, students are responsible for covering the material assigned, accessing materials as instructed, viewing lecture clips and participating in online discussions. The discussions might take place on the class's threaded discussion board, on which student questions and responses to each other are arranged so that the reader can
follow the written "conversation" that develops on line. Alternatively, they might take place via an integrated email program, which every student can access. They also might take place in live "chat" sessions, during which the professor may meet with students, or a group of students may arrange to meet, online. Participation in "live" chat is optional, to preserve student flexibility in
time and place of accessing coursework.
Professors are able to track student participation and progress. The faculty is also able to interact with each student in a personal manner through individually-directed emails or discussion board postings. Professors generally will open quizzes to student access for a few days of each week, permitting each student to determine within that time period, which day and at what time he or
she can take each quiz. Quizzes must, however, be completed within the time periods specified by the professor.
At the end of each module, students will take a short quiz to monitor their progress before moving on to the next module of classwork.
Online learning provides students with a number of unique advantages.
Students need not relocate or leave their jobs to obtain a degree online. The M.S. Health Law program offers a flexible learning environment for the busy student because there is no need to be at a particular location at a particular time.
Since education is taking place online, the Law Center is not bound by geography in choosing faculty members. Health law experts from all over the country can lend their expertise to the program, providing a richer educational experience for the student.
Students learning online can attend class at the time and place of their choosing. All students need are properly equipped computers to click in and obtain assignments, view a lecture, post a written response to an analytic question asked by the professor, or read a professor's answer or another student's response to a question posed earlier.
Online learning enhances a student's opportunity to meet other students of diverse backgrounds. It is possible in the online environment for groups of students from across the country, or from several different countries, to collaborate on class projects or study material together.
Learning Online
With the exception of three brief annual Summer Institutes, the M.S. Health Law program takes place entirely online. Our online courses utilize WebCT, one of the most widely used and full-featured distance education platforms. Students will find a comfortable online "home" for learning and for interacting with other students and with the faculty.
A student learning online will receive passwords to access his or her courses. At each course site, the student will find reading assignments, links to materials pertinent to the course, a syllabus, a statement of the course goals, a number of hypothetical problems, lecture notes, video clips of lectures, a threaded discussion board, and a quiz. The assignments, materials, problems, lectures
and quizzes will be organized by module, with each module representing a major topic of the course. Modules will roughly correspond to weeks. (In other words, a 10-week-long course will contain either 10 modules or nine modules and a week for a final examination.)
Each week, within periods of time designated by their professors, students in each course will be responsible for covering the material assigned, accessing materials as instructed, viewing lecture clips and participating in online discussions. The discussions might take place on the class's threaded discussion board, on which student questions and responses to each other are
arranged so that the reader can follow the written "conversation" that develops on line. Alternatively, they might take place via email, which each student will have. They also might take place in live "chat" sessions, during which the professor may meet with students, or a group of students may arrange to meet, online. Participation in "live" chat is optional, to preserve student flexibility
in time and place of accessing coursework.
The professor in each online course is able to track student participation and progress, and is able to interact with each student in a personal manner through individually-directed emails or discussion board postings.
At the end of each module, students take a short quiz to monitor their progress before they move on to the next module of classwork. Professors generally will open quizzes to student access for a few days of each week, permitting each student to determine, within that time period, which day and at what time he or she can take each quiz. Quizzes must, however, be completed within
the time periods specified by the professor.
In some courses, professors may wish to administer a closed-book, essay final examination as they would in law school classes. In such instances, students will go to testing centers located near their homes or places of business to complete this examination under controlled, secure conditions.
Online learning provides students with a number of opportunities.
First, because education is taking place online, the Law Center is not bound by geography in choosing faculty members. Health law experts from all over the country can lend their expertise to the program, providing a richer educational experience for the student.
Second, students learning online can attend class at any time, in any place they choose. All a student needs is a properly equipped computer to click in and obtain assignments, view a lecture, post a written response to an analytic question asked by the professor, or read what the professor or another student has responded to a question posed earlier.
Third, students need not relocate or leave their jobs to obtain a degree online. Because there is no need to be at a particular location, and no need to be in a classroom at any particular time, online learning provides a flexible environment for the busy student.
Fourth, online learning enhances a student's opportunity to meet other students of diverse backgrounds. It is possible in the online environment for groups of students from across the country, or from several different countries, to collaborate on class projects or study material together. |
