Assessment Description Over the past 75 years, historical, philosophical, and sociological influences have contributed to the current laws and practices that govern special education. IDEA ensures tha

GCU Online Scavenger Hunt

Introduction

Learning how to navigate the online classroom environment is essential to your academic success. GCU's learning management system (LMS) has many resources to help you become a successful graduate student.

Directions

In the Student Portal, look over the course home page. Review the resources in the Dashboard on the left-hand side of the screen. Scroll down and review the options under "Institution Resources." In the middle of the page is the course weekly calendar. Each listed item in the calendar is also a hyperlink that will take you to the corresponding assignment, forum, or resource. After reviewing the layout of the home page, answer the following questions:

Part A: Provide a short answer response to each prompt (two to three sentences).

1. From the course Dashboard, click on "Student Success Center" under "Institution Resources." In the search bar, type the words "Current Classroom Policies." From there, click on the first “Current Classroom Policies”. Under the New Student Success list, find Classroom Policies, click on “Current Classroom Policies”. Read all the policies. Summarize the qualitative participation requirements mentioned within this document. Why is participation so important to the learning process?

1. From the course Dashboard, click on "Student Success Center" under “Institution Resources." In the search bar, type the words "writing center." Within the writing center results, click on “Writing Center.” Find the “Tutorials & Webinars” category, and watch the Plagiarism Prevention video. Based on this tutorial, what is your definition of plagiarism?

1. From the course Dashboard, click on “Student Success Center” under “Institution Resources.” In the search bar, type “writing center.” Within the writing center results, click on “Writing Center.” Find the “Helpful Writing Tools” category, click on "The Writing Process," and select "Launch Page." Scan through The College Essay process. Which part of this presentation did you find the most helpful? Why?

1. From the course Dashboard, click on "Library" and answer the following questions:

• What are the librarian service hours on the weekend?

• What is the toll-free phone number for the library?

• What are the various options to contact the GCU librarians?

• After returning to the library home page, click on "Webinar & Workshops" located under Additional Resources, toward the bottom of the page. When is the next scheduled “Library Introduction” webinar?

1. From the course Dashboard, go to "Syllabus," scroll to the bottom and review the "Participation Requirements." What are the weekly participation requirements for the Discussion Forum?

1. From the course Dashboard, go to "Announcements" to see if there are further participation requirements outlined by your instructor. If so, what are those requirements?

1. From the course Dashboard, go to "Discussion Forums" and click on "Class Introductions." Read your instructor's biographical information (BIO). What is your instructor's name? What is something you found interesting within your instructor's BIO?

1. From the course Dashboard, click on the "Gradebook." Find your first assignment, what is it called, when is the assignment due and how many points is it worth?

Part B: Writing and Academic Resources

1. Visit the GCU Library’s website. List 2-4 resources/guides you might use during your academic journey at GCU. Explain why you find them useful and how you might use the resources/guides.

1. For the following prompts:

   1. You have been provided with an article title, a link to the article, and a partially/incomplete non-APA formatted citation/reference.

   2. You will need to provide a fully formatted APA citation/reference, as it would appear on the reference page for a research paper.

   3. Ensure you identify the type of resource it is first, for proper APA citation/referencing.

   4. Remember your reference page includes doubled-spacing and hanging indents. See the example and use the GCU Library APA Guides in the topic Resources.

Example:

Use the article link, partially and non-APA formatted citation/reference, and the GCU APA Library Guide (located in topic Resources) to create a proper APA citation/reference for each article.

1. Choose and read one of the articles from above. Discuss the importance of teaching and being a teacher. Use an APA formatted, in-text citation to support your answer. Your answer should be a paragraph in length (5-8 sentences) and use graduate-level academic writing skills, like the example below.

Example:

Educators have access to researched learning strategies to use for student success and engagement. One such strategy is concept mapping. Concept mapping allows learners to organize information, new and old, to show relationships with other concepts (Wong et al., 2023). Concept mapping is a learning strategy is key in transferring knowledge for student success and lifelong learning.

Part C: College of Education Resources

Complete the following based on information found on the College of Education (COE) page in the Student Success Center. From your course Dashboard, click on “Student Success Center.” Then click on “Colleges” in the upper-right navigation bar and select “College of Education” (Clicking the heart in the corner will save the COE page to your dashboard.)

1. Explore the “Categories” list. What five resources might you use during your academic journey, classroom experiences, and if applicable, clinical field experiences and student teaching.

1. Under “Program and Course Resources,” click on the “Practicum/Field Experience” category and locate the self-paced module, “Practicum/Field Experience Overview Module.” After reviewing the module, provide three examples of practicum/field experience requirements.

1. Return to the “Practicum/Field Experience” category and open the “Practicum/Field Experience Field Experience Fact Sheet” or the “Practicum/Field Experience Block Visual & Activities Resource,” if available for your program. Review your required courses and compare them to the courses listed in your student portal. Additionally, note the required field experience/practicum hours, setting, and possible activities.

After reviewing the document, reflect on the following:

• How are you going to fit the required hours into your daily schedule?

• How will these opportunities help to make you a better educator?

• What do you hope to gain through these practicum/field experiences?

1. Return to the “Practicum/Field Experience” category and open the College of Education “Clinical Field Experience Handbook.” After learning about the Participant Roles that align with your program, list seven participant roles. Describe how each might help you successfully complete your practicum/field experience requirements.

Part D: Certification Requirements

Once you have earned your education degree from GCU, you will still need to obtain certification from your state’s department of education to become a professional certified educator in a specific content area. Thus, it is important that you become familiar with your state’s requirements for certification and make sure you are monitoring those frequently.

Throughout your program, you will be required to take and pass key educator exams. Some exams may need to be completed before applying for student teaching. Requirements may vary by state, and additional exams or clearances could be necessary depending on your location.

To meet program requirements, you may need to provide exam scores or proof of registration. Please note that these exams are separate from your coursework, and you are responsible for any related expenses.

Outline the steps you will need to take to become certified in your content area.

My program leads to licensure (you will do student teaching as your final class)

My program does not lead to licensure (you are most likely a current educator)

Part E: Personal Reflection

On the College of Education page in the Student Success Center, click on the “Professional Dispositions and Educator Ethics” category. Review the “Professional Dispositions of Learners” and “Model Code of Ethics”, located in class and topic Resources. Answer the following questions in one paragraph (5-8 sentences) minimum for each. Include proper APA formatted in-text citations and an APA formatted reference list for each paragraph.

1. Reflect on which of the Professional Dispositions of Learners is most important to you. Rationalize your choice, sharing the application to your future professional practice.

1. Explain the importance of ethical expectations and modeling ethical practices in your future role within education.

1. Summarize each principle of the Model Code of Ethics. Share a scenario from a past experience where you had to apply principles from the Model Code of Ethics and address how important these principles are to the education profession.

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