The Online Master's Degree Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center provides answers to frequently asked questions, coursework and "attending class":
For the Master of Education program, all of our courses are required. The only choice you will have to make is for your elective – you can either do an Individual Study, you can take the Biomedical Informatics class, or you can take a graduate-level education course of interest that we do not offer from another accredited institution.
For the Certificate in Medical Education program, you may select five courses from the Master’s course offering. The only courses you may not take are the Individual Study, the Masters Research Seminar, the Practicum, and the C&I Masters Project. No courses may be transferred into the Certificate program.
Classes are held using Blackboard course management software. This is an online program that is accessed at blackboard.uc.edu. Once you are accepted into the program and registered for your first class, you will be able to log in and find your class(es). This is all explained in our online orientation.
Detailed book information will be provided before each quarter, and students have the option of purchasing books themselves or having the program purchase the books for them. There is a $15 handling fee per course to have the program purchase the books and ship them to you, plus the cost of the book(s) and all shipping fees.
All of our courses are 3 credit hours. In a traditional classroom-based course, students are expected to spend 2-3 hours outside of class for each hour spent in class. This translates to 9-12 hours per week per course. For an online program, the same requirements apply (9-12 hours per week per course), but you are not required to spend time travelling to campus and sitting in a classroom for several hours.
The actual amount of time each student will spend in a particular class will vary, however. Since class discussion takes place in an online discussion board, and information and materials that might be presented orally in a classroom are usually in written format online, both reading and typing speed will affect the amount of time each individual will require. In addition, many people spend more time composing written messages on discussion boards and email then it would take to speak the same thought. Students should expect to spend a significant amount of the required time each week reading and posting in the discussion board.
Some of our instructors use synchronys web meetings (WebEx or Elluminate Live!) for final project presentations or to meet with students in a more personal manner to answer questions and address difficult material. This will require you to be available at a specific time, but this will be communicated by the instructor with enough time for proper planning.
We understand many of our students are busy professionals who will travel on occasion for professional and personal business. As a result, we encourage our instructors to allow some flexibility in their courses to accommodate special situations. Most students will request advance materials so they can work ahead. Some may need to play catch-up after they return. The most important thing is to communicate with your instructor so he or she is aware of your situation and how you would like to complete the work. Also, remember that wherever you have an internet connection, you can check in with your class!
