Complete Course Requirements

Refer to the flowchart, for a procedural guideline for completing the INST graduate course requirements

Choose Method of Course Completion

Distance Education, On Campus, or Web Enhanced Courses

All courses needed for the INST Master's degrees and technology certificates offered by UHCL are offered through on campus, on campus with web enhanced or on-line distance education. You can enroll in face-to-face courses without traveling to class once a week for fifteen weeks by taking

the web-enhanced version (minimum eight face-to-face sessions) of the course, INST 6031 Applications of Technology, at the UHCL campus on one of several different days/times. For the schedule of the current semester courses offered, please refer to the Class Schedule at www.uhcl.edu/admissions or pick up a printed version at the Office of Admissions. You will know which versions of the INST 6031 are web-enhanced with a minimum of eight face-to-face meetings in the Class Schedule because

all sections of INST 6031 that are NOT web sections are web-enhanced and listed as face-to-face courses.

Refer to Projected Master Course Schedule that shows all INST required and elective courses that will be offered as on campus or online courses for the next four years.

One can complete all courses required for a Master's through distance education although not all courses are offered on line or every semester. One of four Master's options, Internship, and one or two tests in EDUC 6032 Statistics and Measurements and EDUC 6033 Research Design and Analysis courses must be taken in person although the course is online. You can schedule INST Master Degree required courses and electives and obtain your master's degree in a projected three year timeline as shown in the Three-Year INST MS Degree Completion Plan

Determine Distance Education (DE) Skills and Resources

Our distance education program is designed for working professionals who are finding it increasingly difficult to attend classes on college campuses. The on-line courses mirror on-campus offerings in terms of objectives, contents, assignments, activities and student/teacher ratios. The difference is that interactions that typically occur in a face-to-face environment are facilitated through telecommunication technologies.

First, you must decide if you have the basic computer literacy skills needed to successfully complete any of the INST DE courses. Review the checklist for the basic computer literacy skills in Section 1.4.2. You must also check your own computer resources to determine if you need to upgrade or acquire the necessary software programs that will be required in taking INST DE courses. To determine if you have the necessary computer resources to take Distance Education classes go to the website of the Instructional Technology Center (ITC) Web CT Student Support Site Student Checklist at http://courses.uhcl.edu/SSS/general_info.shtml#checklist

All of UHCL DE courses are delivered through Web CT . You should be familiar with how Web CT works before you begin your DE classes. For more information about Web CT including tutorials for learning Web CT for DE course completion, please go online to http://courses.uhcl.edu/.

Students who excel in our distance education program have several distinct characteristics. This does not mean that you will fail if you do not have these characteristics. Rather, the more characteristics you have, the more likely you will find that our program suits your needs and interests.

Students who excel in our program:

• Are highly motivated. All of our courses are rigorous, taking an average of 9-12 hrs of concentrated effort per week per course.
• Are good time managers. You should be able to allocate specific times for completing assignments and activities and stick to them.
• Are proactive. INST faculty will actively monitor your progress, but if you experience any difficulties or have any questions, it is important that you actively seek help from instructors, advisors, peers, or others.
• Are confident in their ability to learn software applications by referencing textbooks, user's manuals and on-line instructions. While faculty and staff will always be available to help, if you require face-to-face assistance when learning new software programs, it is recommended that you take parallel sections of software intensive courses on campus.
• Have basic computer skills. Our coursework begins with the assumption that you already have some basic computer skills. (See basic computer literacy skills checklist in Section 1.4.2) Each course contains a set of job aides to help you utilize specific on-line course features. We also have on-line tutorials and some courses are designed specifically for relative novices. However, the more computer skills you have, the more time you will be able to dedicate toward mastering course contents than addressing technical issues.
• Have access to, or can purchase additional software applications when necessary. Applications required to complete most of our on-line courses are available for free over the Internet. However, some of our advanced production courses may require access to additional multimedia applications. Minimum program requirements are listed under the Web CT Student Support Site Student Checklist at http://courses.uhcl.edu/SSS/general_info.shtml#checklist. Any additional requirements are listed in each course.

If you have most or all of characteristics listed above, we encourage you to enroll in our distance education program now. For more information on distance education, refer to the INST Program website at http://inst.uhcl.edu/ and the Distance Education Program website at http://prtl.uhcl.edu/disted.

Inability to Complete Classes

In the event that you have an emergency and cannot complete your course requirements, and the emergency occurs after the UHCL semester course withdrawal date, you may be given a grade of "I" at the discretion of your instructor. You must obtain the form, Incomplete Grade Contract , from the School of Education Office of the Associate Dean. This form is not currently accessible on the UHCL website. Complete the form with your instructor for the course you are unable to complete, and submit the form to the Office of the Associate Dean in the School of Education. You do not have to register for the course again the next semester, but you must complete the course by the end of the next long semester or you will receive an "F" for that course.

Determine Sequence of Required Core Courses

Determine Which Class to Take First

If you are beginning a UHCL MS in INST, what should you take? You are advised to complete admission to the SoE and then to the INST program so that you will have an advisor and can prepare a plan of studies. That is not possible UNTIL you are admitted into the INST program, but if you cannot obtain admissions first, then enroll in your classes by the following information. Once admitted to SoE, and that happens before INST admissions, you should take as your first introductory course:

• INST 5131 Trends and Issues - In this course you will learn about careers, trends and issues of Instructional Technology in education, business and industry. More importantly, it is this class that will introduce you to the requirements of creating your e-portfolio by setting up a website and maintaining that website by adding course products from all of your classes during your INST program of study.

Next you should take in conjunction with or without INST 5131 one of the following courses:

• INST 6031 Applications of Technology OR
• SILC 6030 Foundations of Multicultural Education OR
• INST 5130 Learning Theory and Instruction OR
• INST 5333 Systematic Design of Technology Based Instruction

After completing these courses or most of them take next:

• EDUC 6032 Statistics and Measurements
• EDUC 6033 Research Design and Analysis

It is highly recommended to take the above two EDUC courses in sequential semesters, EDUC 6032 before EDUC 6033, and NOT in the same semester.

After you have completed all of the above courses take last core courses:

• INST 5233 - Performance Technology
• INST 5433 - Instructional Design Project Management & Grant Writing

It is highly recommended that you do not take INST 5433 or INST 5233 until you have had the other core courses listed above.

Take elective courses last if possible.