Davis College is expanding its programs and has partnered with the Knowledge Elements Education Network (KEEN) to allow you the opportunity to take a variety of courses for credit in an online format.  KEEN provides students: qualified faculty; a variety of college courses for credit; enrollment in any course offered by the KEEN that Davis College adopts; flexible scheduling to complete coursework without going to class; the user-friendly appeal of consistent course formats; reliable and easily accessible web-based interface.  Online learning takes place using computer technology and the Internet along with your textbooks.   

Students will register for online classes following the procedures established by Davis College. Students will be notified by KEEN on the course start date of their username,  password, the web address for accessing the course, their instructor's name and other information.  At that point students may login and begin the course. The instructors will usually make contact with students to welcome them to the course and give them special information and specific instructions related to the course.  Each of the instructors will facilitate the learning process for the students throughout the course. They will post forum questions to be discussed during the course, grade all learning assessments and provide specific feedback to enrich student learning and will have as much communication with students as is needed to satisfactorily complete the course. Communication and contact with students is usually accomplished through the internal messaging system in the course, although external e-mail is available and is often used, and sometimes the telephone is the best communication tool and is used if needed and telephone numbers are available.  

Courses last for nine weeks (from the first day of login until the final paper is due) and are taught in a collaborative teaching/learning style. This means that even though instructors facilitate the course and assist all course members, students are primarily responsible for completing their own assignments and for initiating communication for any areas in which they need assistance from their instructor. For success as an online student, you must be highly self-motivated and able to dedicate several hours a week to do your online coursework.  It should be understood that online study will generally take a minimum of ten to fifteen hours a week per course.  The software we use for online coursework is web-based and the course is conducted in an asynchronous manner, which means that you will not need to be online at any particular time.  This means that you do not need to log into the courseware system any specific number of times or at the same times as the instructor or other students.  All course assignments, however, must be submitted on time in accordance with the assignment schedules posted in the course syllabus with extensions granted only with faculty approval.  Students are also responsible for communicating with their professors and submitting assignments in the manner specified by their professors. 

You can and should do much of your work for the course offline. Most of the reading will be from standard textbooks, although a few articles are posted on the course website. You should also type up most of the responses to the learning assessments on a word processor and then copy and paste them into the courseware.

On the course website (online) you will get any articles and course materials to read and review, submit your learning assessments from the course assignments, and post replies and contribute to the threaded discussions in the forum. Most of your communication will be through the internal messaging system in the courseware although external e-mail can also be utilized.  This format for online learning allows you to get online and complete your coursework at times that are convenient for you.   

There are no exams in the online program but every course has a Final Paper or Final Project to be completed. The topics for the Final Paper are available at the very beginning of the course and they are posted in the Introduction Section of the Course Information. The instructions for completing the Paper are posted there as well. You will complete the Final Paper on a word processor and send it to your Instructor as an attachment to an email message. 

We are committed to helping every student complete the course, enjoy the online learning experience and achieve their best potential; but students must take personal ownership and initiate communication for getting the help they need immediately, rather than waiting weeks after the fact. You should first contact your instructor for assistance regarding course concerns. For technical problems, communications problems, or other concerns students should contact the Davis College Registrar (registrar@davisny.edu). Again, students are advised and expected to raise concerns immediately, rather than late in the process.

You must possess good computer skills and have access to a PC that meets certain minimum hardware and software requirements in order to take online courses. In general you must be comfortable working with the Internet, e-mail and word processing (e.g., MS Word) and have access to a personal computer (Pentium 266 or higher) or an Apple Mac (G3 processor or higher). You must also have access to the Internet for completing the online portion of the coursework as described above. 

Course listings are also posted on our web site at http://www.davisny.edu/onlinecourses.  Students may consult with the Registrar's Office regarding course selections.  In order to not prolong the completion of your degree, it is highly suggested that online courses fulfill requirements for the degree being sought. 

Textbooks:  Online professors periodically initiate changes in course textbooks and textbook editions.  Therefore, students must order textbooks through MBS Direct at  http://direct.mbsbooks.com/COCC.htm or through Aaron's Rod Christian Bookstore (aaronsrod@davisny.edu) on the campus of Davis College to ensure they are utilizing the corrected textbook(s) and edition(s).

Students taking online courses may also be eligible for financial aid.  Please contact our Financial Aid Office at (607) 729-1581 ext. 401 regarding financial aid questions.

For more information regarding Davis College online courses, contact the Office of Academic Affairs at (607) 729-1581 x 338 or via e-mail at academics@davisny.edu .