This web page contains information about:

• Program Description
• Program Goals
• Schedule 
• Outcomes
• Technology Needs for Participants
• Needs Assessment and Evaluation
• Contact Information
• Acknowledgement

 You can also visit the Showcase for samples of participants' work.

Program Description

This online course resulted from discussions and work done originally with the Kuwait Ministry of Education and U.S. Department of State Spring 2002 in Kuwait at the First Annual Kuwait Institute of English 2002. Because of the success with Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) workshops, there was strong interest in continuing with online distance education for Kuwaiti educators. Fall 2002, the Kuwait Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the University of Oregon and the American English Institute, then sponsored an online distance education course though its Training Centre in Kuwait for over 40 teaching professionals. This first online course was an introduction to web-based resources for English language teaching with a special emphasis on secondary school level.
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Program Goals

• Learn more about computers and to become more comfortable with them in a teaching environment;
• Participate in dynamic and insightful online discussions on a wide range of educational topics each week;
• Gain knowledge about high-quality web-based instructional materials that are appropriate for the age, English level and culture of their students;
• Adapt web site materials in practical and pedagogically sound ways for in-class use alongside existing classroom texts and resources;
• Network with other colleagues in Kuwait and around the world to exchange ideas and foster mutual understanding.
  

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Schedule

This course runs from September 14 through October 31, 2002. It includes some initial time for registration and orientation and end time for course wrap-up and evaluation

Week	Dates	Topics	Assignments and Projects for Teachers
Phase 1	September 14 -September 20	Registration and Orientation.	Take part in needs assessment and become familiar with the course web site.
Phase 2	September 21 - September 26	Email for Educators.	Join a professional online email list or newsletter.
Phase 3	September - 28 October 04	Evaluating Web Sites.	Evaluate a group of web sites around a topic or theme from a class text.
Phase 4	October 05 - October 11	Creating Lesson Plans.	Adapt one or more lesson plans on the web to complement a theme or topic in the school curriculum.
Phase 5	October 12 - October 18	Focus on Reading and Writing.	Create a "webquest" activity.
Phase 6	October 19 - October 25	Focus on Grammar and Vocabulary.	Explore quiz, puzzle and language game generators. Make at least one for class use.
Phase 7	October 26 - October 31	Devise an "action plan" for making the best future se of web site materials in class.	Students complete course evaluations and work with the instructor on closing projects and requests, as needed.
Phase 8	As needed.	Post-course evaluation and future planning.	Send certificates to participants. Communication between Kuwait Ministry of Education and University of Oregon to assess overall programming.

All resources recommended in the class have been carefully screened for academic integrity and free of charge for all users.
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Outcomes

By the end of the program participants will be able to:

• Effectively evaluate web sites for use in their classrooms;
• Have in hand some innovative materials and techniques that are uniquely suited to the Kuwaiti school context;
• Create additional materials for future use and have in hand a collection of web-based resources to assist them;
• Network with groups of local educators with similar interests and with whom they can share ideas and information;
• Participate in academic on-line discussions with professionals worldwide.

Technology Needs for Participants

Participants will need a working email account and access to a computer with an Internet connection on a regular basis. They should have a minimal working knowledge of computers; that is, they should already be familiar with basic keyboarding and word processing.
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Needs Assessment and Program Evaluation

A individual needs assessment of the participants' interests and skills will be conducted by the instructor during the registration and orientation phase of the course. The purpose will be to make minor modifications in program design and content to better meet participants' real needs.

Evaluation will be conducted on an ongoing basis, at midterm time, and at the end of the program. The participants, instructor, and the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education will all take part in this process. The instructor will work with the Ministry of Education to establish optimal procedures for obtaining this data.

The course instructor will supply the Kuwaiti Ministry of Education with weekly reports by email and with a final end-of-program report with the issuing of certificates. Ministry of Education officials are also welcome to join the course at no extra charge and to freely observe all course web site communication and work at all times. Samples of participants' work can also be published and archived on a public web site, if this appeals to the Ministry of Education.

All participants will receive Certificates at the completion of the program. Those who successfully complete all assignments will receive a Certificate of Completion and 3 Continuing Education Units (CEU's.) Those who complete a satisfactory amount of the program will receive a Certificate of Participation from the University of Oregon American English Institute in recognition for their hard work and effort.
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Contact Information

In Oregon:

Leslie Opp-Beckman, AEI Faculty and Technology Coordinator
Email: leslieob@uoregon.edu

Telephone and FAX:
AEI Office: 541-346-3945
AEI FAX: 541-346-3917

Mailing Address:
5212 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-5212 USA

Web Site Addresses:
American English Institute http://aei.uoregon.edu/
University of Oregon http://www.uoregon.edu/

In Kuwait:

Mr. Jasser Al-Juwaiser, School Computer Labs Manager
Email: jasser@moe.edu.kw

Telephone and FAX:
Office : +965-5318688 / +965-5318720
Fax : +965-5316839

 

Acknowledgement

In addition to the exceptional assistance offered by Mr. Jasser Al-Juwaiser, all of those involved in this program wish to acknowledge and express their heartfelt gratitude for the support and ongoing efforts of the key Kuwait Ministry of Education officials, Dr. Mansour Gholoum Hussein and Mrs. Soad Al-Ansari.
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