5. The school year consists of two semesters, fall and spring
Each semester students take courses worth 1, 2 or 3 credits
each course, 16-18 credits per semester
At the end of the semesters the students take exams and
finish their courses
After two years of study the students graduate with a
Commercial Diploma
Over four years, students take a total of 140 credits and
matriculate with an Icelandic matriculation exam, which is
needed for university admission
6. In their first year all students follow a common
curriculum
Then they specialize in one of four streams
◦ Business
◦ Science
◦ Social science
◦ Languages
In all streams during the first two years there is a
strong focus on practical business courses like
accounting, economics and computer studies
7. The school has set the goal to offer all courses in
distance education
In fall 2005 we had:
◦ 22 courses
21 teachers
227 students
In fall 2007 we had:
◦ 127 courses (about 90% of all the school´s courses)
◦ 49 teachers
◦ 753 students
In fall 2008 we plan to achieve our goal
8. Three terms of distance learning each year:
◦ Spring term from January to May
◦ Summer term from June to August
◦ Fall term from September to December
Each term is split into 10 parts
The majority of the courses end with final exams
at the end of the term
Exams are held:
◦ in our school and other schools in Iceland
◦ abroad in Icelandic Embassies, at Icelandic Consulates
or in local schools
9. In a full time job:
◦ Chief Coordinator of Distance Education Program
Also serving the school during the day:
◦ 49 teachers
◦ Computer Administrator
◦ Computer Assistant
◦ Student Counselors
◦ Cashiers
◦ Office Staff
10. are also teachers in the school
are all academically qualified
don´t need to be technological experts
are responsible for the online material in the e-
courses
can work without time or space limits
have access to lectures and dialogues on the
pedagogy of distance education in the school
12. WebCT/Blackboard is used and there:
◦ teaching is from the teacher to the class
◦ the students can contact each other and the teacher
◦ teachers try to establish a learning community in courses
Each course in the Learning Environment has:
◦ course guidelines
◦ study plans
◦ learning material
◦ assignments
◦ assessments
◦ communicative exercises
◦ discussions
◦ chat
13. are well organized and in accordance with the
National Curriculum of Iceland
have a clear plan provided with information on:
◦ goals, content, materials, evaluation and a plan for
each part of the course
are divided into 10 parts and for each part the
student receives:
◦ study guidance, materials, assignments (some
evaluated automatically and others by the teacher)
provide possibilities of communication with
teacher and peers
end with written final exams
14. have left school without the matriculation exam and
now they have the opportunity to conclude their study
have concluded the matriculation exam, but need
more education to be able to attend university
are living in Iceland and some abroad
are young kids in elementary schools with good
learning skills
are improving their qualification for certain work
are studying as a hobby or just for the fun of it
15. The oldest student was born in 1930 and the
youngest in 1996
The average age is 24 years
64% are females and 36% males
70% live in the Greater Reykjavík Area, 25% in
other parts of Iceland and 5% abroad
16% are still in elementary school
The students are registered in 1 credit and up to
24 credits, the average is 6 credits per student
16. All the teachers are equipped with laptops
The laptops have all necessary software
◦ Word, Excel, Power Point, Front Page, Dreamweaver,
Fireworks, Flash, Respondus
A wireless net is in the school building
Studio for producing study materials
◦ Smartboard with software
◦ Equipment to create audio files and slides with audio
◦ Digital video camera
17. Material produced with Smartboard:
◦ Math
Audio slides made with Articulate:
◦ Geology
Understanding of foreign languages with digital
video camera and Audacity:
◦ Danish and Spanish
Recording from computer with Camtasia:
◦ Informations for beginners
Recording with digital video camera:
◦ The headmaster invites the e-students to the e-school
18. In general
◦ A great amount of work is needed!
Technical
◦ Students need help with the technology
◦ Teachers need technological assistance
Pedagogical
◦ Teachers don´t hear enough from their students
◦ Teachers fear that many students are not active enough
◦ Difficulties with talking exercices in language teaching
◦ Difficulties with experiments in science teaching
19. All the staff need to be highly cooperative and
tolerant towards each other and there is a need
for a lot of smiles
The school offers courses and assistance in using
computer technology
Instructions are written for the teachers which
describe how to use the technology
In the Learning Environment, we have a special
teachers room and there we collect material to
assist the teacher, such as technical support and
pedagogical articles
20. Students need to have all the information they
need at a given time
E-mails from students are answered as soon as
possible, at least within two working days
In the Learning Environment we have a special
students´room where the students can get
assistance
On our web page, we have collected answers to
frequently asked questions:
◦ http://www.verslo.is/verslo/fjarnam/afangar/webct
21. Payment for establishing a course:
◦ The first time: 20% of teachers monthly salary
◦ The second time: 10% of teachers monthly salary
Payment for teaching each course is calculated by multiplying
the number of students registered in the course and the credits
for each course and the teachers overtime salary per hour
Payment for exams is calculated by multiplying the number of
students that take the exam with 0,5 (half an hour) and adding 4
hours for each exam needed (usually two) and multiplying it with
his monthly overtime salary
Complicated? No!
22. A+B+C
◦ A is 20% of teachers monthly salary or 10% of the same
amount, according to whether the course is taught for the
first time or not
◦ B=x*y*z
x=number of students in the course
y= the credits for each course
z= teachers overtime salary per hour
◦ C=(k*0,5+4*m)*z
k=number of students taking the exam
m=number of exams the teachers has to make
z= teachers overtime salary per hour
23. Sigurlaug Kristmannsdóttir, Chief Coordinator of
Distance Education Program
◦ sigurlaug@verslo.is or fjarnam@verslo.is
Verzlunarskóli Íslands
◦ http://www.verslo.is
The Commercial College of Iceland
◦ http://www.verslo.is/english
The Distance Studies Programme
◦ http://www.verslo.is/fjarnam
Notas del editor
Hello Tallin! My name is Sigurlaug Kristmannsdóttir and I am the Chief Coordinator of Distance Education Program of the Commercial College of Iceland. I have a university degree in biology and pedagogy. I have taught in Icelandic colleges for more than 20 years. I love teaching and feel good in schools.
At first I am going to tell you about Iceland, my school and the Icelandic school system and why I think that this school system favors distance education. Then I am going to tell you about the distance education program that we are running in my school
.
We started in fall 2005 and we have been developing very fast.
We are interested in sharing our experiences and in learning from others. I hope that you will find my information useful.
I will stop once in a while and show you exampels on the internet and then you can ask me questions.
First of all I want to introduce you to my country: Ísland or Iceland as it is called in English.
Iceland is in the North Atlantic Ocean between the rest of Europe and Greenland. The island is located on the Mid-Atlantic ridge, and therefore Iceland is volcanically and geologically active. The total area of the island is 103,000 km² (square kilometers) and the population is about 313 000.
Slightly north of Iceland is the Artic Circle, and therefore we have in the depth of winter only a few hours of daylight per day. Now, in the end of November it is dark when we go to work in the morning and it is also dark in the afternoon when we leave work. During the summer the nights are almost as bright as the days.
Iceland's written and spoken language is Icelandic and I will try to express myself as well as I can in English.
My school is in Reykjavík, the capital and largest city and the red arrow on the map points at Reykjavík.
Reykjavík is the centre of the Greater Reykjavík Area, with a population of about 200 000.
My school is Verzlunarskóli Íslands or the Comercial College of Iceland and it is situated just outside the heart of Reykjavík. The school was was founded in 1905 by the Store and Office Workers´ Union and the Retailers’ Association in Reykjavik. The original objective was to give young people the opportunity for a basic commercial education. The school has steadily grown and developed since its inception. In 1996 the course offering was revised, in compliance with the new national curriculum for Icelandic secondary education. I will tell you more about that curriculum after a while.
The Commercial College of Iceland is a four-year senior college for students 15 years and older who have completed the Icelandic elementary school.
The College serves the whole of Iceland and has a student population of 1250 in the so called “Day-school”. Those students come to the school all the week (Monday to Friday), during the school year and study.
www.verslo.is/fjarnam
Commercial Diploma consists of 70 credits, when the student has finished the all, he graduates
And
When the students has added more 70 credits he graduates with the matriculation exam and then they are qualified for university study
The students in our ordinary school take 18 credits per term but in the distance education program, they can take as many credits per term as they like. In the end of the term the students take final exams in every course and if they get grade 5 or more, they pass the course, if not, they have to repeat the course.
Since fall 2005 we have been running a distance education program and from now on I will tell you only about the distance education program or the e-school which is a part of our school
In a full time job:
Chief Coordinator of Distance Education Program that’s me, I am responsible for the distance education program, I am in contact with all the students, the teachers and try to assist and help as I can and make the whole work as it is supposed to to.
Also serving the school during the day:
49 teachers: The teachers are the prime factor in the distance education program. The bulk of the work is on their shoulders and they need to be assisted for all means.
One Computer Administrator: He plays an important role in the program. The technical side of our program is in his hands and as you know, the technology must never fail
One Computer Assistant: His role is to assist the teachers with the technology
Student Counselors: Assist the students
Cashiers
Office Staff
The teacher must find his own way to e-teach. Our teachers are all experienced teacher in ordinary classroom. We trust our teachers and we give them opportunities to teach in the distance education program. Every teacher has to find his own way of e-teaching. We can assist them with the technology, we can give pedagogical advices, but the every teacher must find the way to perform as a distance teacher.
We can compare teaching with swimming in that respect that you can not tell a human being how to teach or swim. Nor can it be studied only by reading about it. It must be practiced and only by practice you can become a master of teaching or swimming .
And as I said before, we can assist the teacher with the technology and we can give him pedagogical advises, but how to perform as a teacher in the learning environment, is in his hands,
teaching is from the teacher to the class but not from the teacher to the individual student
We try to establish learning community in WebCT, We want the student to feel as a part of a whole, as a part of our school but not isolated home alone with his study
Englis course, an exampel
Examples on our web side
We have faced problems, believe my. But we have tried to find solutions quickly
I am not joking, there will be technical difficulties
Students need to have all the information they need at a given time. And it is neccesery to give them informations before they ask, otherwise you will drown in questions
On our web page, we have collected answers to frequently asked questions and this website answers most of the students questions, maybe 95%
Dont hestitate to contact me if you have any questions