We’ve surpassed the halfway mark of our course registration for Spring 2019. As usual, we anticipate our Spring courses to be full before Penn State’s winter recess (before 21 December 2018). Whether you’re brand new or a returning student, you are eligible to register now on LionPATH, and we encourage you to complete your course registration for Spring 2019 as soon as possible. Remember, bursar bills do not become due until the end of December 2018, so you can register now and pay later. LDT Online courses open on 7 January 2019.
Archives for 2018
Spring 2019 Registration
Without a single fallen snowflake as the sun begins to dip low in 2018, it is now time to think about the courses you will take in Spring 2019. Each student’s “enrollment appointment” (as Penn State calls it) is established according to the program and the number of credits earned. The registration timetable for Spring 2019 courses is below. [Read more…]
Certificate vs. Certification: Clarifying the Technicalities
It seems so easy and obvious… throughout most of our professional lives, those who earn a certificate are ultimately certified in something. And if a professional is certified in something, then they are able to do something that other people cannot. The LDT Program receives many inquiries from prospective and current starts that ask questions like:
- When I’m certified in Educational Technology Integration will I be able to work as a technology coach in my district?
- As a certified e-Learning Designer will I be qualified to apply for instructional designer jobs?
- How much money can I expect to earn once I complete your certification program?
Fall 2018 Registration Update
Hello to our students and colleagues! We’re looking forward to the fall term. We hope that you’re ready, too! This post will summarize our program’s current course registration status, and advise students on which Fall 2018 course(s) to register for if they’ve not yet registered.
Registration Status
We have been registering our students for Fall 2018 courses since March 23. With that, there are some seats remaining across our courses, but it is important that you act quickly. We just admitted a healthy incoming cohort of students who will take their first course with us in the fall, and they are registering for their choice of courses as you read this. If you need to register for a Fall 2018 course, time is of the essence!
Here’s the summary table of our course registration status: [Read more…]
Subscribe to this Blog for Immediate Updates
At the bottom of the home page of the LDT Online blog for students there is a sign-up box for instant email updates about posts made to this site. Signing up there enables you to receive an email update anytime something new is posted to this blog for LDT students. A sample of the email is below. [Read more…]
Summer 2018 Term Kickoff
Here we are, ready for the quick transition from spring to summer terms. Most of our summer courses are full or filling. With little rest, we also turn our attention to the Fall 2018 term, as the registration for all Fall 2018 courses is open. Some of our fall courses are within a few people of being filled. Here are some ideas of what you should be ready for.
Summer 2018 Registration
At the bottom of this post we’ll share the information about the available courses for Summer 2018.
What should I register for?
Students who are new, or in their earlier semesters of, their LDT degree or certificate program should register for LDT 467 – Emerging Web Technologies and Learning.
Students who work professionally as K-12 educators or administrators should take our LDT 433 – Teaching and Learning Online in K-12 Settings course, which is the flagship course for a certificate by the same name. This course is newly rebuilt, and the certificate program was launched earlier in 2018. Learn more about LDT 433 here.
Students who are in their middle to latter stages of their certificate or degree program should register for either LDT 505 or LDT 832.
How do I prepare for my course(s)?
Read this for a primer on how prepare for your courses and make the best of the first week of class.
When do courses begin?
Dr. Kirby is away from 7/24 to 8/7
Dr. Kirby will be traveling from July 24 to August 7, 2018. He will have limited access to voice and data communications during that time. Advisees and other LDT students are asked to note the dates. Registration for Fall 2018 courses has been open since March 2018, and by mid-July the current and incoming students should be registered for their courses. If it is not done before July 20th or so, it can safely wait until early August in most cases.
[First Published: April 30, 2018. The dates are subject to a minor shift.]
Determining Summer Session Course Drop Dates
During the fall and spring terms, students can know the date when the regular drop period ends by looking at the University’s academic calendar. The LDT Online Program’s fall and spring courses generally adhere to the university’s standard schedule for full-term courses.
In the summer, the LDT program offers a number of compressed courses that do run the full length of the summer term. Confirming the date that marks the end of the regular drop period for that specific course requires some quick research in LionPATH by the student.
The University Registrar’s office has produced a visual tutorial to show students how to look up the details of their specific schedule for a specific course. [Read more…]
Dropping a Course as a World Campus LDT Student
Sometimes the need arises to drop a course that you currently enrolled in. While this process seems simple, especially in the era of instantaneous digital communication, there are a number of considerations about course drops that impact the consequences that a student might experience as a result of decision.
Course drop process for World Campus graduate students
The World Campus Dropping a Course reference page details the drop process. The reference page includes a video tutorial showing how to drop a course using LionPATH.
LDT students do not need instructor permission to drop a course. LDT students do not need academic advisor approval to drop a course. LDT students do not need to fill out any forms from the Graduate School to drop a course. If you drop a course with LionPATH you should not be asked for additional permissions, approvals, or forms.
Drop vs. Withdrawal
There’s an important distinction in terminology between drop and withdrawal. Discontinuing enrollment in a single course (or multiple single courses) is called a “drop” at Penn State. When a student withdraws, s/he is discontinuing enrollment in all courses, and effectively ending their student relationship with the university for the term. If a student is registered to take only one course in a term then drops that one course without entering another available course, that action is considered a withdrawal. The instructions for reducing your credit hours to zero and withdrawing from the term are found on this page.
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Summer 2018 Registration Update
Registration for Summer 2018 courses opened on 5 February 2018. After one month of our current students being eligible to register, our course offerings are filled to about 60% of our capacity. This is great news for our program! Now that we know our current students’ needs and intentions for taking summer courses, we will be able to enroll a substantial class of new students to begin in May 2018. We are growing all of the time! Please know that our first admissions for Summer 2018 will happen mid-March, and our courses will fill shortly afterward. Any current certificate or degree student who has not yet taken summer courses is advised to register today for their desired Summer 2018 courses. This is the final reminder for current students. [Read more…]