Participation Requirements:

We expect you to spend about 10 hours a week on the course. In addition, we expect the following:

• One posting in each of the discussion forums and two reactions on posts of other participants for each Module.
• Complete the case studies and quizzes successfully.
• Collaborate and participate actively within the discussion forums.

In return you may expect:

• Feedback and input in the on-line discussions and replies to email queries provided by international experts.
• Moderation in the discussion boards.
• Administrative assistance throughout the course;
• Feedback on your assignments.
• Certificate of Participation from the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) after successful completion.

First Week Assignments:

You are now in the central learning environment of our course. We will personalize this a bit more by filling in our personal profile and uploading a picture of ourselves. Click on "My details" in your navigation toolbar to update your personal profile and up-load your recent photo. Once you are finished with this you can move on towards the first Forum and introduce yourself to your fellow participants. The instructions for this you will find in the first Forum.

Do not worry if during the first week you encounter a lot of technical problems. This is part of our learning process. The first week is always the most difficult week. In case of problems try to contact us immediately.

About Course Assignments:

Every week you will need to accomplish one assignment which may consist of several tasks. The assignments are always stored under the ‘Quizzes/Case studies/Practical Exercises’ at the end of each Module. You will find the "Table of Contents" button in the navigation bar. Every assignment needs to be finished by Friday of each week. In this way additional feedback from your tutor is possible before you start with the next week. The deadlines of the assignments will be integrated into the course agenda. The assignments are closely related to your own professional context which means the material you develop can be actively used in your organization. An online assignment can be a powerful tool in e-learning. You much complete the assignments for each Module by the end of the week the Module was delivered, at the latest.

This course has the following assignment policy:

• Participants will submit all assignments electronically via the course site;
• If there are any technical problems with the course site the assignment can be sent to your online Course Manager by mail;
• If technical problems occur and you cannot submit your assignment electronically contact your online Course Manager as soon as possible by mail, Skype or by telephone to explain the difficulty;
• Your online facilitator will review your assignment within 72 hours of the due date and will send you feedback electronically, either by email or by leaving comments on the course site:

We hope that this is clear for you. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further questions. The answers to your questions will be integrated into our Frequently Asked Questions.

A lot of the interaction in this course will take place through asynchronous discussion boards (forum/fora). The structure of these discussions will be as follows:
Every week a thematic discussion will be opened in a specific forum. For example: the first week we open the first forum (forum 1) to introduce ourselves and share information about our professional and personal background.
We have also opened a general forum in which any kind of (unplanned) discussion can take place. This forum will be open throughout the course and participants can start discussions here freely. To go to the general forum click on "Communication Tools" on your navigation toolbar.
Participation in these fora is compulsory and will be part of the evaluation.

Quantitative Assessment Criteria for the participation in the FORUM

The minimal criteria of posting one message and replying to at least two other messages needs to be respected. Take this minimum of three FORUM contributions in mind each week when you participate in the course.

Qualitative Assessment Criteria

• Contributions must focus on the given task
• Contributions must be clear and unambiguous
• Contributions must be underpinned by evidence
• Contributions should provoke a response
• Contributions should reveal that relevant literature has been read by referring, for example, to an article.

Online discussions allow us to interact in an asynchronous way with freedom of time and space. We have limited the time in blocks of one week. We advise you to prepare the discussion outside the platform (Word/Open Office/Notepad) and when your post is ready copy and paste it in the forum. In this way you avoid loosing information in case your connection is lost.

Ethical Criteria

Please always remember that the course participants come from different culture and background. Therefore we kindly request the highest level of respect to our colleagues’ opinions and contribution.

Conclusions: five e-learning tips to get the most out of e-learning experience

1. Technical Assistance. Using unfamiliar technology will inevitably require some help, but you should do what you can to minimize technical difficulties. For one thing, ensure that all your equipment meets the basic hardware and software requirements of the course. Check frequently asked questions for this.

2. Preparation. The freedom to participate in asynchronous discussion boards requires extra motivation and time management skills, especially if you are scheduling around work and home life. When the online Course Manager sets a due date for an assignment, you should complete it on time. Creating a space away from distractions will help you focus on the material. Spend enough time on it and do remember the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

3. Shortcuts. Keyboard-based shortcuts can reduce mouse time and prevent wrist injuries. Since we do link a lot to other pages and you will be working a lot online we will provide you with some tips (for PC users, MAC users available on request).

• Alt-Tab will allow you to toggle between windows, for example, MS Outlook, Internet Explorer, and World, without having to select them from the task bar.
• Control and left or right arrow will move you from word to word, backward and forward, respectively.
• Control and up or down arrow will move you from paragraph to paragraph, up or down respectively.
• Control-X will delete highlighted text: Control-Z will undo the action.
• Control-C will copy text, and Control-V will paste it.
• Control-A will select all text.

4. Be an active e-learner. Success at e-learning requires that you take an active role in making learning happen. Sound difficult? It’s not, it just takes concentration and most adults enjoy the sense of control they get in an e-learning environment. Participate and ask questions!

5. List 3 things you must learn. The typical e-learning course contains a lot of material. Your training time is limited, of course. So, how should you spend your time? An active e-learner figures it out before the course begins. If you have been assigned to the training course, ask your online Course Manager questions like these:

• Which course material should you concentrate on?
• What will you be expected to do with what you have learned?
• What are you supposed to do with the material?
• Are you supposed to use the new skills as soon as the course is over? If not, then when will you be expected to use the new skills?
• Are you supposed to be able to use new skills on your own or use them in a team setting?
• Are you supposed to teach what you have learned to others?