About IL NET Online Courses

Taking an Online Course

• General Information
• Time Requirements

Admission, Registration, and Cancelations

• Admission Policy
• Application and Course Fees
• Registration Deadlines
• Other Requirements and Prerequisites
• Multiple Participants from the Same Organization
• Cancelations
• Request for Extension
• Registration Assistance

Acceptance, Orientation, and Course Completion

• Acceptance
• Telephone Orientation
• Completion Requirements and Course Certificates

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Taking an Online Course

General Information

Online courses are conducted via the Internet on a course Web site. Participants read the course manual online and access any other course materials on the site. Each day participants read the background material and exercises in the course manual. Courses are conducted by ILRU with partners at the Utah State University Center for Persons with Disabilities.

Participants use course discussion boards on the site to interact with instructors and other participants. Instructors post assignments each day and participants complete class work by responding to those assignments online.
Participants can access the course Web site at any time of the day or night. This can be done from any computer with an Internet connection; students take the course from the location that is most comfortable for them—at home or at work.

Time Requirements

Courses generally last from three to four weeks. You are responsible for beginning the class on time and course work should be completed by the last day of the class. Assignments are usually posted Monday through Friday. Instructors estimate that participants will spend from one to one and one—half hours each day reading assignments, completing course work and participating in the discussion. Participants who keep up with the discussion each day get more out of the course than those who skip days and try to catch up. We urge you to discuss your participation with your supervisor before you register to help ensure you can arrange your schedule to participate daily .

Admission, Registration, and Cancelations

Admission Policy

IL NET Courses are conducted for executives, managers, staffs, board members, and volunteers affiliated with centers for independent living and for members and staffs of statewide independent living councils. Applications from center and SILC staffs are filled in the order they are received. Some courses are targeted to centers or to SILCs; registration may be restricted accordingly. IL NET staff and instructors determine class size for each course. Occasionally, when courses are not filled by those affiliated with centers or SILCs, other applicants may be accepted, but only if their involvement supports independent living services and programs in states.

Application and Course Fees

Complete the online application and make payments through the IL NET Website. Your credit card will be charged for the fee shown on the course schedule. Alternately, you may print the registration form and mail it to the address shown with a check or money order to cover the registration fee. A completed application and payment must be received by the due date specified on the course schedule to secure your registration.

Registration Deadlines

Course registration generally closes two weeks prior to the beginning of the course. The deadline is shown for each course on the course schedule. Your application and payment must be received before you are admitted to the course.

Other Requirements and Prerequisites

To participate in an IL NET Online Course you must have access to a computer with an internet connection through a dial-up modem or broadband. (Broadband connection is preferable.) The Blackboard platform used by the IL NET is optimized for The Internet Explorer browser that comes with Microsoft Windows--Internet Explorer 7 or later; Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or later. You need to have basic computer skills -- you should know how to save files, download files from the internet, basic knowledge of an internet browser, (Internet Explorer or Fire Fox), and any specialized applications you use to make the computer accessible to you (such as screen reading software). If you already use e‑mail (such as Outlook Express) and a word processor (such as Microsoft Word), you may find it easier to use the course platform.

Multiple Participants from the Same Organization

Class size is limited. Often it is not possible to register more than one person from the same organization. This allows the IL NET to serve more centers and SILCs and encourages a broader dialog among participants from many organizations. If space permits, more than one person from an organization may be registered.

Cancelations

Cancelations, requests for refunds or requests to apply tuition to a future course must be received in writing or by e-mail before the first day of the course. After the course begins, no refunds will be made. Registrations are non-transferable after the beginning of the course. Withdrawing from a course after it begins prevents others from participating. Those who complete all course requirements will be given priority when registering for future courses.

Request for Extension

If during an online course exceptional circumstances arise that make completing the course by the last day of class impossible, a student may contact the course instructor and request an individual extension of the course end date. All extensions are made at the discretion of the course instructor(s). Requests for an extension to complete course work must be made prior to the last week of the course and as a rule extensions will not be granted for a period longer than one week from the official course end date.

Registration Assistance

For registration assistance, contact Dawn Heinsohn, (heinsohn@ilru.org) or at (713) 520-0232 ext. 130.

Acceptance, Orientation, and Course Completion

Acceptance

You will be notified of your acceptance by e-mail AFTER registration closes. Shortly thereafter you will receive a second e-mail message with information about how to sign on to the course Web site. The second e-mail will include your course user name and password. File this message where you can find it easily; you will use this information every time you sign on to the course.

Telephone Orientation

One week before each course begins, we will provide an orientation to our course Web site. You will have an opportunity to practice using your user name and password to enter the Web site. You can practice posting messages and responding to messages and post your profile to introduce yourself to other participants. You will learn the purpose of each of the sections of the Web site and how to use them. You will learn how to move between the different sections of the Web site. This will help you to become familiar with the Web site before the course begins.

Completion Requirements and Course Certificates

Each instructor determines completion requirements for the courses he or she teaches. The instructor also determines whether or not assignments have been completed satisfactorily. Those who complete all requirements by the conclusion of the course will be awarded a certificate of completion. In general participants must contribute to online discussions, posting their responses to the topics and questions presented by the instructor; complete a course assignment, usually a short paper submitted to the instructor during the final week of the course; complete pre- and post-assessments; and complete a final course evaluation.