& Resources for Your Success
A Note on Books and Materials
Textbooks and other course materials are crucial to a student’s success in each course. To assure all students have appropriate textbooks and materials prior to the start of class, all EDU course materials will be sent directly to each student at home prior to the beginning of each quarter.
As noted in your “Program Information and Application Forms” Packet, a fee will be assessed each quarter for each student to cover the cost of books, materials, and technology.
A Note on Technology
When you become a Kendall student, you will receive a @Kendall.edu email address. Kendall’s email system is Outlook by Microsoft, and you will access it via the internet. This email system is referred to as your “Kendall email” or “Outlook Web Email.” You will be sent specific directions for initializing your account. You must complete this before accessing your Kendall email and before accessing My.Kendall. Outlook Web Email also has a calendar function.
You can access your Kendall email account from any computer that has internet access. To access this email, either go to www.kendall.edu and click on MyKendall at the top of the screen then click on the Outlook Web Email in the left menu; or, go to https://mail.kendall.edu (note that there is not a
“www” in the website address). A user name and password pop-up window will appear.
Important note: Your password must begin with a capital letter and end in a number, it cannot contain your name. Your username and password for your Kendall email account is the same as for My.Kendall. Every 6 months the system will prompt you to change your password. When you change your password for your Kendall email account, your password is automatically changed for
My.Kendall.
It is essential that you check your Kendall email account at least 2-3 times a week, and that you delete any old messages that you do not need. The School of Education will only use your Kendall email address for School of Education related information. If your account is too full, you may not receive important emails. Also, the School of Education will only accept certain forms and documents from you if they are sent via your Kendall email account.
If you have any issues with your Kendall email account, please contact the Kendall technology department (contact information is listed at the end of this Handbook).
My.Kendall & the School of Education Tab
My.Kendall is Kendall College’s “intranet,” a special website accessible only to students, faculty, and staff of Kendall. My.Kendall is used to provide students will important information regarding courses, registration, financial aid, forms, updates and much more. For example, you can see which courses are being offered each quarter as well as in which courses you’ve been enrolled.
The School of Education has its own section, or “tab” on My.Kendall. Important information, forms, and documents are published there specifically for School of Education students, such as field work information for each course, directions and links for submitting fieldwork, information for clinical practice, Illinois certification testing, and other important announcements.
Once you are enrolled as a new student, you will be given access to My.Kendall after you’ve initialized your email account (see above). You can access My.Kendall from any computer with internet access by going to www.kendall.edu, then clicking on My.Kendall at the top of the screen; or, go to
http://my.kendall.edu. Log in by entering your username and password (which are the same as for your Kendall email account) at the top of the screen.
eCollege
eCollege is the online course system that Kendall’s School of Education uses for on-line only courses.
If you are registered in an online course, you will be given a username and password specifically for eCollege. Your username is your complete Kendall email address, including the @Kendall.edu. Your password is the first two letters of your last name and the last four digits of your social security number.
Important note: Your eCollege username and password are not linked to any other Kendall system;
thus, your Kendall email username and password will not work on eCollege, and vice versa.
You can access eCollege from any computer that has internet access by going to www.Kendall.edu then clicking on My.Kendall at the top of the screen, then clicking on the eCollege link in the left menu.
To learn how to use eCollege, be sure to complete the orientation tutorial that you were automatically registered in – you can access it from your list of courses that appear any time you log into eCollege.
For help with any difficulties or challenges with eCollege, please contact the eCollege “concierge,” a 24-hour help service specifically for Kendall eCollege students. Contact information is located at the end of this Handbook.
Blackboard
Kendall also uses a course program called Blackboard. If you take an on-campus School of Education course, your course instructor may choose to use Blackboard to house important course documents, collect assignments, and post assignment scores. When you are enrolled for an on-campus School of Education course, you are automatically enrolled onto the Blackboard course; be sure to check with your instructor to see whether or not your instructor will be using it.
You can access Blackboard from any computer with internet access by going to www.kendall.edu then clicking on My.Kendall and clicking on the Blackboard link; or, go to http://blackboard.kendall.edu (note that there is not a “www” in the website address).
Quick Guide
A quick guide to each of Kendall’s technology systems and how to access them are located at the end of this Handbook.
A Guide for Online Students
What to Expect
While you can expect convenience from the Early Childhood online program, you can also expect a challenging academic program of coursework. The online classes all adhere to a basic format. The 10-week courses are divided into five modules, each of which takes two 10-weeks to complete. Each module will involve extensive reading and may consist of content review and application assignments, discussion, and/or quizzes. Many courses may require additional projects or final assignments. Most courses require fieldwork and some upper-level courses also require outside work (field work or Clinical Practice) in an actual classroom (see the Field Work and Clinical Practice sections of this Handbook for more information). You will be responsible for knowing and adhering to deadlines and methods of submission for all assignments, quizzes, and discussion.
Time Commitment
The estimated time commitment for Kendall’s Early Childhood Education online courses is at least 10-15 hours per week per course. The time commitment required by online classes is usually more so than that of equivalent face-to-face courses.
Course Schedule
While there is no specified time during which you will be required to access your online courses, you will be held to due dates and expected to log in on a regular basis throughout each week of the course to submit assignments, take quizzes, and participate in discussion. It is essential that you have daily access to a reliable computer and Internet connection in order to be successful in your courses.
Helpful Tips
• Save your assignments to a removable device (such as a Zip drive, flash memory stick, or floppy disk) before submitting them to your instructor so that you have a back-up of them.
• Print important course documents before the start of the course and review them (e.g. syllabus, timelines, etc).
• Always use proper grammar and “netiquette” when corresponding with other students and your instructor online. The use of all capital letters is regarded as shouting in online communication and should be avoided.
• Check your grade book regularly to track your progress in your courses. Email your instructor immediately if you have concerns regarding your grade.
• Always send correspondence and submit assignments from your Kendall email account. You should save important emails to and from instructors, staff and other students.
• If you are unclear on something (how to submit an assignment, when you can take a quiz, if you are making good progress, etc.), do not hesitate to contact your instructor. It is better to resolve any confusion immediately before it affects your experience in your courses.
Courses Offered Online:
The School of Education is expanding its online program, so the number of courses offered online is expected to increase in the future. However, currently, not all courses are offered online. Courses not offered online may be transferred in from students’ local community colleges, which many students find is a convenient and cost effective way to complete their degree. Currently, some general education courses are not offered online (science and humanities). If you have questions regarding your specific transfer credit plan, please consult your Academic Advisor.
Academic Regulations
Grading
You will earn a letter grade of “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” in your Kendall courses. An “Incomplete” is available to a student who has completed and earned a minimum of a “C” in 80% of course work, but illness or family emergency interferes with the timely completion of work. (For more detailed
information, consult the Kendall College Handbook.)
Late Policy
A complete and detailed late policy is also included in every course syllabus.
• It is expected that all course assignments, including discussion board postings and responses, will be submitted on the designated due date. Your faculty member will clarify the calendar due date for your assignments.
• Assignments within each module are cumulative and reinforcing. Thus, all course assignments are to be completed and submitted.
• Written assignments will be returned to students with a grade and instructional feedback from your course instructor. Thus, it is not permissible for a student to submit many weeks’ worth of
assignments at once since such practice denies the student the benefit of receiving instructional feedback from the course instructor.
• If, due to unexpected circumstances beyond the student’s control (such as illness or family emergency) a student’s work will be delayed, it is the student’s responsibility to immediately contact the instructor to request an extension. An extension of up to one week (7 days) will be granted if the student has contacted the instructor to request the extension. Any request for repeated or longer extensions will be at the faculty member’s discretion.
• If the student does not contact the instructor to request an extension, late work will be penalized.
For each day that student work is late, the grade for that work will be lowered by 10% of its total score, not to exceed 50% of the total points. Reminder: all course work is to be completed and submitted to your instructor, regardless of its tardiness. Your instructor will grade late work in the order it is received.
• Absence from discussions, whether in a face to face or online classroom cannot be made up. The online discussion is designed so that the initial posting by each student occurs within the first week of the odule, with a responsive conversation to colleagues occurring during the second wee.
As indicated in the Evaluation Criteria, the faculty member will award a grade based on the postings’ timeliness, demonstration of content mastery, and responsiveness to colleagues.
• Resubmission of revised work may be requested by either the instructor or the student for significant instructional purposes only: i.e., the inclusion of previously omitted work or the revision of sub-standard writing. The instructor will determine the due date for submission of this revised work. The final grade will be the average of the original grade and the grade awarded to the resubmitted work. (Because of the intensive, fast pace of these courses, it will not be possible for students to resubmit work in order to correct surface errors or gain a few additional points.)
• An “Incomplete” is granted for one quarter to those students who have earned a “C” or better on 80% of the completed course work. An “Incomplete” is not an appropriate grade for students who fall behind or fail to submit work. (Please see the Kendall College Handbook for more
information).
Academic Grievance
If you have an academic grievance or a grade appeal, please begin the process by discussing your grievance with your instructor. Also, refer to the “Academic Grievance Procedure” in the Kendall College Handbook for specific directions.
Academic Support
Both campus and online students may receive academic support and tutoring for their coursework through the Academic Support Center at Kendall. Contact [email protected] or phone (312) 752-2236 for help.
School of Education Student Appeal Form
Instructions: You may complete Questions 1 through 3 electronically, save this form, and email it as an attachment from your Kendall email to [email protected]. Once a decision has been reached, this form will be completed and returned to your Kendall email address.
Locate your Kendall Student ID# found on your Registration audit, or your bill. (Your use of your Kendall email account and your Kendall ID# are needed for our verification.)
Full Name _________________________________________ Kendall Student ID# ________________
Quarter (e.g., “Spring quarter, 2007”) ______________________________________________
Number of Quarters in Attendance at Kendall College ________
Date ____________________________
Your Kendall Email Address ___________________________
Phone number where you can be reached __(_______)________________________
Best time to reach you (day(s) and time(s)) ________________________________________
1. State the decision, policy, or requirement which you are appealing or requesting exemption from. Cite the document and section (or page) where you find this policy.
2. After conferring with your academic advisor, state exactly and completely your appeal, or request for exemption from a policy.
3. Briefly explain why you should be granted this request, providing specific, thorough, relevant, and convincing evidence to justify your exemption from the policy. Your GPA, your academic or work history, personal information, or the recommendation of an advisor or a faculty member might all constitute “convincing evidence.”
School of Education Use ONLY
Decision and Recommendations:
_______________________________________________________ ______________________
Signature of the Associate Dean of Education Date
Dispositions
Assessment of Dispositions
A “disposition” is similar to an attitude – it is not so much about what you do but about how you do it.
For example, being adept with technology is not a disposition but a skill. And if you are not adept with technology, that too is not a disposition; it simply means you lack skill. Where the disposition comes in is your attitude toward tackling a new skill like learning and utilizing technology and being open to its benefits in the classroom and with the children in your care. The attitudes of a teacher candidate are evident in observable behavior. In a face-to-face setting, appropriate behavior is not difficult to identify, and in an online setting, one’s disposition is evident via written communication.
We at the Kendall College School of Education are committed to recommending only those candidates for teaching who display the professional dispositions expected of a quality educator, someone we feel certain can and will make a positive difference in the lives of children and within the collaborative culture of a good school. It is also a legal requirement that teacher preparation programs evaluate the dispositions of those candidates in their programs. Further, assessment of candidate dispositions is one of the key assessments used by the School of Education to determine a candidate’s eligibility for
institutional recommendation for Illinois certification. (See “Transition Points” in this Handbook.) Kendall College’s School of Education identified nine dispositions that align with its goals as well as standards published by the State of Illinois and national organizations such as NAEYC.
1. The student loves learning and is a self-directed learner.
2. The student becomes a critically reflective thinker, willing to act on his or her own thinking.
3. The student becomes knowledgeable and skilled, and committed to the highest standards of professional excellence.
4. The student acts in accordance with moral and ethical standards of the teaching profession and exhibits the highest degree of professionalism.
5. The student is personable, kind, respectful, and trusting in interactions with others.
6. The student makes a difference in the lives of others and is committed to making contributions to the quality of life of others.
7. The student is sensitive and responsive to diversity and believes in an anti-biased approach.
8. The student collaborates to make valued contributions to another’s learning, confidently sharing his or her knowledge and skills with others.
9. The student takes responsibility and assumes accountability to students, parents, community, and professional organizations.
The School of Education takes the responsibility of assessing students’ dispositions very seriously, and thus has established specific policies and procedures to ensure that candidates, faculty, staff, and cooperating teachers understand and assess candidate dispositions accurately. Instructors, Cooperating Teachers, and Clinical Supervisors have seen or have read your work up close, sometimes on a day-to-day basis as you work with children. They see or can infer how well you manage pressure and how you interact with children. Others see your online abilities and your use of proper Netiquette. People notice, and will keep track of, whether or not you are on time, have a positive attitude, are friendly and polite to the school secretary or janitor, when you are cordial and professional with Kendall College staff
members, and when you are supportive and helpful toward children and their families. School of Education student dispositions are formally evaluated for all students during courses that require fieldwork and additionally during Clinical Practice for candidates in the certification track.
The Disposition Assessment Form is available on My.Kendall > School of Education tab.
Disposition Concerns
If there are any concerns about a student’s dispositions, any instructor, teacher, or Kendall College faculty or staff member may fill out a Disposition Concern Form at any time, and the student may respond to and rectify the concern according to the process set forth on the Disposition Concern Form (available on My.Kendall > School of Education tab).
When Dispositions are Assessed and by Whom
Candidate dispositions are formally assessed at two stages of a candidate’s program:
• During each course in which field work is required, the instructor of the course will assess the candidate’s dispositions using the Disposition Assessment Form.
¾ The instructor must complete and submit a Disposition Assessment Form no earlier than the 8th week of the quarter and no later than the final grade submission due date.
• During each Clinical Practice, the Clinical Practice Supervisor and the cooperating teacher will assess the candidate’s dispositions using the Disposition Assessment Form.
¾ The Clinical Practice Supervisor must complete and submit a Disposition Assessment Form as soon as the candidate’s clinical practice is completed and no later than the final grade submission due date.
¾ The Clinical Practice cooperating teacher must complete and submit a Disposition
Assessment Form as soon as the candidate’s clinical practice experience is completed and no later than the final grade submission due date.
Assessment Form as soon as the candidate’s clinical practice experience is completed and no later than the final grade submission due date.