Archaeology: Detectives of the Past
Course Description:
George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” The field of archeology helps us to better understand the events and societies of the past that have helped to shape our modern world. This course focuses on these techniques, methods, and theories that guide the study of the past. Students will learn how archaeological research is conducted and interpreted, as well as how artifacts are located and preserved. Finally, students will learn about the relationship of material items to culture and what we can learn about past societies from these items.
Course Details:
| Course Title (District): | Archaeology: Detectives of the Past | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Title (NCES SCED) : | Particular Topics in Anthropology | ||||||||||
| Course Provider : | Michigan Virtual | ||||||||||
| Content Provided By : | eDynamic Learning | ||||||||||
| Online Instructor Provided By : | Michigan Virtual | ||||||||||
| Standards Addressed : | Common Core State Standards, National Collegiate Athletic Association | ||||||||||
| Alignment Document : | http://media.mivu.org/mivhs/alignchart/other/Archaeology.pdf | ||||||||||
| Academic Terms : | Semester, Trimester, Accelerated, Open Entry / Fixed End | ||||||||||
| NCES SCED Code : 04252 |
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How To Enroll:
| Enrollment Website : | https://slp.michiganvirtual.org/ |
|---|---|
| Email : | [email protected] |
| Phone : | (888) 889-2840 |
Students and Parents: It is important to work closely with your local school counselor or registrar to follow the school's enrollment procedures. By clicking the "Start Registration Request" button below, you will be able to notify the school of your interest in registering for the online course. However, it is the responsibility of the district or school to review the registration request and approve or deny the request. Please make a note to follow up with your school after submitting a registration request.
Additional Course Information:
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (888) 889-2840
- Evaluate the study, history, and career options of archaeology
- Summarize the processes, challenges, and findings of archaeological research and excavation by studying the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages.
- Describe general patterns of settlement, technology, agriculture, and cultural developments.
- Analyze the fossil record and what it tells archaeologists about human behavior.
- Compare and contrast societies, their burial practices, and settlement patterns through written artifacts.
- Describe the various legal and ethical challenges of archaeology, historical preservation methods, and public awareness of archaeological discoveries.
Additional Cost: $0.0
Additional Cost Description:
NA
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses
| Academic Content Standards and Assessments | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of the course. The goals and objectives are measurable in multiple ways. | Partially Met | Learning objectives are clearly listed for each unit, but they do not always seem measurable as they state that students will "examine" or "discuss" or "explore" or "investigate." It's difficult to measure if students did successfully "investigate" course material. The course objectives are more of an overview of what students will learn in general and is found in the Syllabus. |
| The course content and assignments are aligned with the state’s content standards, Common Core curriculum, or other accepted content standards set for Advanced Placement® courses, technology, computer science, or other courses whose content is not included in the state standards. | Partially Met | It is difficult to determine without a content alignment map or Common Core standards listed that are being met. However, there are many reading for information standards that are certainly met. |
| The course content and assignments are of sufficient rigor, depth and breadth to teach the standards being addressed. | Partially Met | There is some critical thinking involved in the assignments, but overall students are asked to answer questions for recall and not for application or creation. Many of the critical thinking questions are opinion based and do not require support or evidence as opposed to higher order thinking. |
| Information literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum. | Partially Met | Most assignments require reading for information and written communication skills, however it is not a skill that is necessarily taught as part of the course. It is a required skill for the course, so it may be taught by the instructor's feedback and direction in the course. |
| Multiple learning resources and materials to increase student success are available to students before the course begins. | Partially Met | There is a "How You Will Be Graded" section in the Getting Started folder that explains how to write good paragraphs and gives the scoring guidelines, but it is the only item to increase student success. |
| Course Overview and Introduction | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. | Fully Met | Learning Unit Objectives are clearly listed on their own page in each unit. The Course Syllabus also lists learning Unit Objectives for each unit. Course aims are listed in Course Syllabus also. |
| Course requirements are consistent with course goals, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. | Partially Met | |
| Information is provided to students, parents and mentors on how to communicate with the online instructor and course provider. | Fully Met | Provided in the Michigan Virtual School (MVS) Blackboard learning management system (LMS). |
| Legal and Acceptable Use Policies | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The course reflects multi-cultural education, and the content is accurate, current and free of bias or advertising. | Partially Met | There is evidence of different cultural content that is only historical in nature. The course does not reflect multi-cultural perspectives. However, it does appear to be fee of bias or advertising. |
| Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (Internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions, and e-mail communications are clearly stated. | Fully Met | Provided in the MVS Blackboard LMS. |
| Privacy policies are clearly stated. | Fully Met | Provided in the MVS Blackboard LMS. |
| Instructor Resources | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Online instructor resources and notes are included. | Partially Met | There is a PDF of answer keys and key terms available in the Blackboard shell under the "Instructors Only" tab but there are no other resources for instructors. |
| Assessment and assignment answers and explanations are included. | Fully Met | These are available in the Blackboard shell under the "Instructors Only" tab. |
| Accessing Course Effectiveness | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The course provider uses multiple ways of assessing course effectiveness. | Fully Met | Students have the ability to rate the lesson as completed, student evaluation at end of course. MVU also has access to additional data regarding student success and satisfaction with courses. |
| The course is evaluated using a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness and the findings used as a basis for improvement. | Partially Met | MVU uses the Knowledge Base course issues tracker, permitting instructors to make suggestions to improve the course. However, the material itself does not undergo regular updates. |
| Course Updates | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. | Partially Met | No recorded evidence of updates to course materials. No way to know if course is updated. Course provider outside of our jurisdiction, but all content is current and content does not need to be updated. |
| Certification | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Course instructors, whether faceto-face or virtual, are certificated and “highly qualified.” The online course teacher possesses a teaching credential from a state-licensing agency and is “highly qualified” as defined under ESEA. | Fully Met | All MVS instructors are certified in the state of Michigan, endorsed within their assigned content areas and grade levels, and highly qualified under state and federal guidelines. |
| Instructor and Student Support | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Professional development about the online course delivery system is offered by the provider to assure effective use of the courseware and various instructional media available. | Fully Met | MVS instructors complete an onboarding course prior to teaching, annual professional development and conference attendance, participate in monthly department meetings, and are provided online resources for various instructional media. |
| The course provider offers technical support and course management assistance to students, the course instructor, and the school coordinator. | Fully Met | MVS instructors have access to a knowledge base with tutorials to assist them. Students also have a customer care center that offers technical support and course management assistance. |
| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, have been provided professional development in the behavioral, social, and when necessary, emotional, aspects of the learning environment. | Fully Met | |
| Course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, receive instructor professional development, which includes the support and use of a variety of communication modes to stimulate student engagement online. | Fully Met | |
| The provider assures that course instructors, whether face-to-face or virtual, are provided support, as needed, to ensure their effectiveness and success in meeting the needs of online students. | Fully Met | |
| Students are offered an orientation for taking an online course before starting the coursework. | Fully Met | Students are offered an orientation, i.e., the Online Learning Orientation Tool (OLOT), for taking an online course before starting the coursework in the learning management system. |
| Instructional and Audience Analysis | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Course design reflects a clear understanding of all students’ needs and incorporates varied ways to learn and master the curriculum. | Partially Met | Podcasts read material to students. Layout of course is clean and clear, easy to follow. There is guiding direction on submitting written work and instructions for writing paragraphs. However, lessons go from one to the next without pause for reflection until the end of unit. There are no guiding questions while sifting through much text to read in each lesson. |
| Course, Unit and Lesson Design | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. Each unit and lesson includes an overview describing objectives, activities, assignments, assessments, and resources to provide multiple learning opportunities for students to master the content. | Partially Met | Organization is there in clear to follow sequencing of lessons and assignments. The activities, assignments, and assessments all are listed in the Course Syllabus. There are not multiple learning opportunities -- each unit has text, text questions, lab with video questions, quiz, and discussions, but it's the same format in every unit without variety. |
| Instructional Strategies and Activities | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The course instruction includes activities that engage students in active learning. | Partially Met | The discussions, quizzes, videos are engaging. The reading of a lot of text may not be engaging for all students. It would be wonderful to have focus for the text as students read, outside of the unit goals. |
| The course and course instructor provide students with multiple learning paths, based on student needs that engage students in a variety of ways. | Partially Met | There does not appear to be a variety of learning paths. Each unit follows the same set up for assignments and activities. |
| The course provides opportunities for students to engage in higher-order thinking, critical reasoning activities and thinking in increasingly complex ways. | Partially Met | There are increasingly challenging questions in the assignments, from low-level recall to higher-order critical thinking. There are not many opportunities for critical thinking activities, outside of answering questions in a discussion board or written assignment. |
| The course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate students’ needs. | Fully Met | This is possible in the Blackboard shell with the help of the instructor to accommodate individual learning needs. |
| Readability levels, written language assignments and mathematical requirements are appropriate for the course content and grade-level expectations. | Fully Met | The reading material may also be read to students in the included podcasts. Some videos also have transcripts. |
| Communication and Interaction | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The course design provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback about student progress. | Fully Met | The Blackboard shell allows for this interaction in providing feedback with inline grading and feedback to learner areas. Instructors and students may also interact in message centers and discussion boards. |
| The course design includes explicit communication/activities (both before and during the first week of the course) that confirms whether students are engaged and are progressing through the course. The instructor will follow program guidelines to address non-responsive students. | Fully Met | Michigan Virtual School (MVS) instructor guidelines ensure such interaction through welcome letters, instructor introductions, and regular progress reporting. |
| The course provides opportunities for appropriate instructor-student and student-student interaction to foster mastery and application of the material. | Fully Met | Instructors and students can communicate in assignment feedback, discussion boards, and message center in Blackboard. Students may interact in discussion boards. |
| Resources and Materials | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Students have access to resources that enrich the course content. | Partially Met | The materials in the course do enrich content through video. However, some of this also depends on what the individual instructor adds to the course in Blackboard through additional resources. Videos in the Lab Questions enhance and enrich course content. Otherwise, very few other resources are available. |
| Evaluation Strategies | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Student evaluation strategies are consistent with course goals and objectives, are representative of the scope of the course and are clearly stated. | Partially Met | The materials in the course do enrich content through video. However, many of the listed objectives are not measureable. For example, Unit 1 Objective 5 asks the students to "understand why archaeology is still relevant today" How do I know if the student is understanding the information, this is not measurable. There are many of these types of objectives in other units as well. |
| The course structure includes adequate and appropriate methods and procedures to assess students’ mastery of content. | Partially Met | Videos in the Lab Questions enhance and enrich course content. Otherwise, very few other resources are available. |
| Feedback | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Ongoing, varied, and frequent assessments are conducted throughout the course to inform instruction. | Partially Met | These are on-going and regular, however they are not varied. It's the same within each unit. |
| Assessment strategies and tools make the student continuously aware of his/her progress in class and mastery of the content. | Partially Met | Assessments are either questions to answer, short MC/TF quizzes, or discussion assignments. |
| Assessment Resources and Materials | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment materials provide the instructor with the flexibility to assess students in a variety of ways. | Not Met | No, the assessment materials are simply just open-ended, opinion-based and multiple choice questions. There is no application of material nor variety of assessment types. |
| Grading rubrics are provided to the instructor and may be shared with students. | Partially Met | General rubric included in Course Syllabus, but there's not specific rubrics for understanding course materials. |
| The grading policy and practices are easy to understand. | Partially Met | "How you will be graded" section in the Getting Started materials gives a guideline of what students should do in the course. The rubric is easy to understand but somewhat open to interpretation for grade ranges (80-100%, 60-80%, etc.). A student might feel they are meeting the goals but the instructor may believe otherwise. Vague grading policy. |
| Course Architecture | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| The course architecture permits the online instructor to add content, activities and assessments to extend learning opportunities. | Partially Met | Instructors cannot alter content provided by the course vendor, but MVS instructors are permitted to add supplemental materials as needed via the Blackboard LMS. |
| The course accommodates multiple school calendars; e.g., block, 4X4 and traditional schedules. | Fully Met | The calendar within the learning management system permits adjustments to the pacing guides, though MVS has established start and end dates for fall, spring, summer, and trimester enrollment terms. |
| User Interface | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Clear and consistent navigation is present throughout the course. | Fully Met | Each unit is designed exactly in the same format for materials and assignments. |
| Rich media are provided in multiple formats for ease of use and access in order to address diverse student needs. | Partially Met | The course pages have a nice, clean look about them. The podcast is helpful for students who prefer to have material read to them. However there is not a lot of variety in formats |
| Technology Requirements and Interoperability | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| All technology requirements (including hardware, browser, software, etc...) are specified. | Fully Met | Communicated in the syllabus, the MVU website, and the Blackboard LMS. |
| Prerequisite skills in the use of technology are identified. | Fully Met | This can be found in the OLOT tool in the Blackboard shell under "Policies & Info." |
| The course uses content-specific tools and software appropriately. | Fully Met | Links and tools function in any browser. |
| The course is designed to meet internationally recognized interoperability standards. | Fully Met | Material can be operated and accessed from anywhere with an internet connection. |
| Copyright and licensing status, including permission to share where applicable, is clearly stated and easily found. | Fully Met | Communicated within the MVU Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) through the website and the LMS. |
| Accessibility | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Course materials and activities are designed to provide appropriate access to all students. The course, developed with universal design principles in mind, conforms to the U.S. Section 504 and Section 508 provisions for electronic and information technology as well as the W3C’s Web Content Accessibility guidelines (WCAg 2.0). | Fully Met | All text content is also available in audio podcast form. MVS also accommodates 504 plans and IEPs based on individual student needs. |
| Data Security | Rating | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Student information remains confidential, as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). | Fully Met | Course is password protected; the privacy policy is communicated in the Blackboard LMS. |
Review Conducted By: Michigan Virtual
Date of Review:
07/08/2016
NSQ National Standards for Quality Online Courses
| Rating | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| A3. The instructor’s biographical information and information on how to communicate with the instructor are provided to learners and other stakeholders. | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual course offerings contain a quick access widget on class homepages displaying the instructor's name, photograph, contact information, office hours, and personalized messages. Additionally, instructors post a welcome letter for students in their Getting Started module describing further biographical and professional information. |
| A1. A course overview and syllabus are included in the online course | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual course offerings contain a link to the course syllabus within the quick access menu located on the class homepage. The syllabus describes, among other things, a course description, prerequisite learning requirements, course objectives or outcomes, an outline of learning topics, resources included, scoring systems and grading policies, estimated time commitments, assessment requirements, technology requirements, additional material costs, technical and digital literacy skill requirements, contact expectations and academic support information. |
| A2. Minimum computer skills and digital literacy skills expected of the learner are clearly stated.* | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual course offerings contain a link to the course syllabus within the quick access menu located on the class homepage. The syllabus describes, among other things, a course description, prerequisite learning requirements, course objectives or outcomes, an outline of learning topics, resources included, scoring systems and grading policies, estimated time commitments, assessment requirements, technology requirements, additional material costs, technical and digital literacy skill requirements, contact expectations and academic support information. |
| A4. Learner expectations and policies are clearly stated and readily accessible within the introductory material of the course. | Fully Met | Michigan Virtual Student Orientation to Online Learning lesson content, linked in the Getting Started module common to all course offerings, describes in detail expectations and responsibilities for learners as well as for their instructors. Additionally, the course quick links located on the class homepage includes a link to Michigan Virtual policies, including policies for academic integrity, acceptable use, accommodations and web accessibility guidelines, anti-bullying, terms and conditions for dropping a course, student privacy, and purchasing terms and conditions. |
| A5. Minimum technology requirements for the course are clearly stated, and information on how to obtain the technologies is provided.* | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual course offerings contain a link to the course syllabus within the quick access menu located on the class homepage. The syllabus describes, among other things, a course description, prerequisite learning requirements, course objectives or outcomes, an outline of learning topics, resources included, scoring systems and grading policies, estimated time commitments, assessment requirements, technology requirements, additional material costs, technical and digital literacy skill requirements, contact expectations and academic support information. It is the responsibility of schools or parents/guardians enrolling their students to provide them with the necessary hardware and internet access. However, if the course requires additional software downloads, then this information is provided to students within the technology requirements description and/or in additional guidance located in the Getting Started module of the course. |
| A6. Grading policies and practices are clearly defined in accordance with course content learning expectations. | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual course offerings contain a link to the course syllabus within the quick access menu located on the class homepage. The syllabus describes, among other things, a course description, prerequisite learning requirements, course objectives or outcomes, an outline of learning topics, resources included, scoring systems and grading policies, estimated time commitments, assessment requirements, technology requirements, additional material costs, technical and digital literacy skill requirements, contact expectations and academic support information. |
| A7. The online course provides a clear description or link to the technical support offered and how to obtain it.* | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual course offerings contain a link to the course syllabus within the quick access menu located on the class homepage. The syllabus describes, among other things, a course description, prerequisite learning requirements, course objectives or outcomes, an outline of learning topics, resources included, scoring systems and grading policies, estimated time commitments, assessment requirements, technology requirements, additional material costs, technical and digital literacy skill requirements, contact expectations and academic support information. Additionally, the course quick links menu located on the class homepage includes a link to Getting Help, detailing who to contact for various common needs, a link to the online Knowledge Base articles maintained by Michigan Virtual, and contact information for the Michigan Virtual Customer Care Center. |
| A8. Learners are offered an orientation prior to the start of the online course. | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual students complete the Student Orientation to Online Learning module, containing introductory lessons and four assessments, prior to beginning their other coursework. Additionally, all courses include as their first activity an introductory discussion board as an opportunity to engage with the instructor and other classmates. |
| Rating | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| B1. The online course objectives or competencies are measurable and clearly state what the learner will be able to demonstrate as a result of successfully completing the course.* | Fully Met | |
| B2. The online course expectations are consistent with course-level objectives or competencies, are representative of the structure of the course, and are clearly stated. | Fully Met | |
| B3. The online course content is aligned with accepted state and/or other accepted content standards, where applicable.* | Fully Met | |
| B4. Digital literacy and communication skills are incorporated and taught as an integral part of the curriculum.* | Fully Met | |
| B5. Supplemental learning resources and related instructional materials are available to support and enrich learning and are aligned to the specific content being delivered.* | Fully Met | |
| B6. The online course content and supporting materials reflect a culturally diverse perspective that is free of bias.* | Fully Met | |
| B7. The online course materials (e.g., textbooks, primary source documents, OER) that support course content standards are accurate and current. | Fully Met | |
| B8. The online course is free of adult content and avoids unnecessary advertisements.* | Fully Met | |
| B9. Copyright and licensing status for any third-party content is appropriately cited and easily found. | Partially Met | Some resources have clear citations, some do not. |
| B10. Documentation and other support materials are available to support effective online course facilitation.* | Partially Met | Standard is partially met. There are limited self-check activities and interactives in the content, though most of the learner-content interaction involves nothing more than reading. |
| Rating | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| C1. The online course design includes activities that guide learners toward promoting ownership of their learning and self-monitoring. | Partially Met | The learning activities promote the achievement of the learning objectives but those relationships are not clearly stated. |
| C2. The online course’s content and learning activities promote the achievement of the stated learning objectives or competencies. | Fully Met | |
| C3. The online course is organized by units and lessons that fall into a logical sequence. | Fully Met | |
| C4. The online course content is appropriate to the reading level of the intended learners.* | Fully Met | |
| C5. The online course design includes introductory assignments or activities to engage learners within the first week of the course. | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual students complete the Student Orientation to Online Learning module, containing introductory lessons and four assessments, prior to beginning their other coursework. Additionally, all courses include as their first activity an introductory discussion board as an opportunity to engage with the instructor and other classmates. |
| C6. The online course provides learners with multiple learning paths as appropriate, based on learner needs, that engage learners in a variety of ways. | Partially Met | The course would benefit from more frequent checks in understanding and active engagement activities for the learner. |
| C7. The online course provides regular opportunities for learner-learner interaction. | Not Met | No opportunity for learner-learner interaction because students are not required to comment on classmates posts in discussion boards. |
| C8. The online course design provides opportunities for learner-instructor interaction, including opportunities for regular feedback about learner progress.* | Fully Met | |
| C9. Online course instructional materials and resources present content in an effective, engaging, and appropriate manner.* | Fully Met |
| Rating | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| D1. Learner assessments are linked to stated course, unit, or lesson-level objectives or competencies. | Partially Met | Statements should be included in the unit introduction and/or the assignment directions aligning the assessments to the learning objectives or competencies. |
| D2. Valid course assessments measure learner progress toward mastery of content. | Fully Met | |
| D3. Assessment practices provide routine and varied opportunities for self-monitoring and reflection of learning.* | Partially Met | The course includes some knowledge checks for self assessment on progress but they are not frequent. Suggestions for improvement: Aligning student reflection activities with unit-level objectives or Can Do statements (have I met the goal of this unit?). Providing opportunity for teacher-graded assignments and feedback throughout the unit (instead of waiting until the end of each unit to assess) |
| D4. Assessment materials provide the learner with the flexibility to demonstrate mastery in a variety of ways.* | Fully Met | |
| D5. Rubrics that clearly define expectations for varied levels of proficiency are created and shared with learners.* | Partially Met | There are rubrics for some labs, but not all of them. All lab assignments should have an attached rubric. |
| Rating | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| E1. Online course navigation is logical, consistent, and efficient from the learner’s point of view.* | Fully Met | |
| E2. The online course design facilitates readability.* | Fully Met | |
| E3. The online course provides accessible course materials and activities to meet the needs of diverse learners.* | Partially Met | Course provides a screen reader in the lesson content but does not provide alternatives for all interactive elements. Some images do not have alt text. |
| E4. Course multimedia facilitate ease of use.* | Fully Met | |
| E5. Vendor accessibility statements are provided for all technologies required in the course.* | Fully Met |
| Rating | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| F1. Educational tools ensure learner privacy and maintain confidentiality of learner information in accordance with local, state, and national laws for learner data. | Fully Met | Student data within Michigan Virtual's learning management system are password-protected and require single sign-on from a secure student information system in full compliance with FERPA requirements. |
| F2. The online course tools support the learning objectives or competencies.* | Fully Met | |
| F3. The online course provides options for the instructor to adapt learning activities to accommodate learners’ needs and preferences.* | Partially Met | Instructor role permissions within Michigan Virtual's learning management system permit instructors to add supplemental content and external resources both within lessons and announcements. Additionally, the learning management system permits online accommodations including text-to-speech tools, extended testing time, provision of multiple attempts, and scoring exemptions for extenuating circumstances. Course content is desgined, however, to meet state and national content standards alignment and provide a guaranteed and viable curriculum to all enrolled learners, and therefore there are restrictions on instructor permissions to modify the scope and sequence of course assessments. |
| F4. The course allows instructors to control the release of content.* | Partially Met | Michigan Virtual provides for flexible pacing and asynchronous delivery of its online course offerings. In order to maximize these opportunities for personalized learner preferences and flexibility concerning frequency or timing of individual learner availability or participation in courses during academic terms, with few exceptions, all course content is made available at all times throughout the term, and generally only midterm or final exams are password protected. Conditional release of content is intentionally avoided or used sparingly within Michigan Virtual course design and instructional delivery models. |
| F5. The course provides the necessary technical functionality to score and record assessments and calculate earned course points or grades.* | Fully Met | Michigan Virtual ensures that the gradebook items are pre-populated in its course offerings, and the association of grade items with individual assessments, and the inclusion of grade categories, progress check calculations, and total point scoring established prior to the enrollment of learners. |
| Rating | Comments | |
|---|---|---|
| G1. The online course uses multiple methods and sources of input for assessing course effectiveness. | Fully Met | Michigan Virtual regularly examines enrollment trends, student performance data, student completion rates, student responses to end-of-course surveys, and technical support requests to continuously examine the quality and effectiveness of individual course offerings. |
| G2. The online course is reviewed to ensure that the course is current. | Fully Met | All Michigan Virtual course offerings offered by third party content providers undergo formal evaluation and review for their degree of alignment to course design and content standards, including the currency of content where appropriate. |
| G3. The online course is updated on a continuous improvement cycle for effectiveness based on the findings from ongoing reviews. | Fully Met | Michigan Virtual maintains a continuous cycle of monitoring course functionality through multiple support ticketing systems for internal and external users, annual reviews of performance and perception data, as well as a 3 to 5 year cycle of updating, replacing, or retiring course versions in an effort to maintain currency. |
Review Conducted By: Michigan Virtual
Date of Review:
09/27/2021
Unit 1: The World of Archaeology
Unit 2: Recording the Past
Unit 3: Unearthing Ancient Civilizations
Unit 4: Cultural Origins
Unit 5: The Fossil Record
Unit 6: Social Organizations
Unit 7: The Survival of Ancient Test
Unit 8: Public Archaeology and Modern Society
| Term Type | Enrollment Opens | Enrollment Ends | Random Draw Date | Enrollment Drop Date | Course Starts | Course Ends | # of Seats | Course Fee | Potential Additional Costs |
|---|
| Drop Policy | Completion Policy | Term Type | Enrollment Opens | Enrollment Ends |
|---|
Students can use chat, email or private message system within the course to access highly qualified teachers when they need instructor assistance.
| School Year | Enrollment Count | Pass Count | Completion Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23-24 | 45 | 44 | 97.78% | |
| 22-23 | 44 | 44 | 100.0% | |
| 21-22 | 55 | 55 | 100.0% | |
| 19-20 | 46 | 38 | 82.61% | |
| 18-19 | 53 | 46 | 86.79% | |
| 17-18 | 42 | 41 | 97.62% | Enrollment data includes all enrollments (21f and non-21f) for the 2017-18 school year. |
| 16-17 | 32 | 31 | 96.88% | Enrollment data include all enrollments (21f and non-21f) for the 2016-17 school year. |
| 15-16 | 31 | 27 | 87.1% | None |