The Owlfred Chronicles

How does all this work for me?

Register with OpenStudy. Create an account, user name etc.  Register  for the Certificate and pay for it.

Visit the OpenStudy group for the course.

Go to the course site.  Work through the materials one by one.  When you have a question, post it on the OpenStudy group. Ask questions about each of the subtopics of the course.  Then answer the questions of others who are just starting out.  You have to be an active participant and contributor.

By answering questions of others you are also demonstrating your understanding of the material, earning more medals for your answers.

We document your activity in the course, progression through the course, your evidences of problem solving, your engagement with the course, and with the community.

We require a minimum time of four weeks on the system.  Once you have satisfied our requirements and your SmartScore has increased by 20 points, you will have earned your Certificate of Participation.  This Certificate of Participation will tell College Admissions that you are a self directed learner.  You have demonstrated engagement, teamwork, problem solving as you participated in this open online course and created an online portfolio of your activity.  Everyone can see that you are a smart, savvy  digital citizen with 21st century skills!

What else?

You can register for a certificate at any point in your study, but your 4 week clock starts when you register.  You have to post questions and answer questions on at least 70% of the course subtopics.  You have to be active enough within the course study group to increase your SmartScore by at least 20 points.

What is the basis for this assessment?

Learning sciences research has established the impact of peer to peer learning and communities of practice on learning.  Research studies were also performed by independent researchers on OpenStudiers, evaluated by Stanford Research Institute staff through funding provided by the Gates Foundation and Hewlett Foundation to identify learning progression from novice to expert. By combining this analysis with behavioral data and social analytics, we construct a report of teamwork, problem solving and engagement.

See you online!

Preetha, CEO