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 Definition
A courselet is a self-contained, integrated set of learning materials designed as a custom tutorial and offered online in support of Stanford engineering, science and engineering management courses. All courselets…
- cover a small set of concepts requiring one to three hours of learner time on task,
- offer self-tests to enable students to assess their level of knowledge on an ongoing basis,
- index content and guide students to learning activities and materials they need,
- include course evaluation tools for continuing improvement and innovation.
Benefits to Students and Faculty
In creating a body of courselets, Stanford will address changing needs in graduate and industry education:
- filling knowledge gaps for learners, whether due to educational background or time constraints,
- enhancing the learning experience by offering relevant, curriculum-extending, intellectually-challenging material in asynchronous, learner-focused formats,
- reducing faculty time demands for teaching basic material.
Individual Courselet Development
Courselets will be proposed by Stanford faculty and developed by professional staff working with course instructors. The Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD) will produce and deliver them asynchronously via Stanford Online. Stanford courselets will be flexible and diverse in both their function within courses and in their form/design.
| Flexibility of Function |
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Flexibility of Form |
| A courselet may function as:
Course, program or certificate-specific prerequisite: presumed knowledge and skills necessary for success
Field-specific prerequisite: crossing disciplines, to bridge knowledge gaps
Cross-curriculum knowledge: material applicable to several Stanford courses or certificate programs
Extended curriculum knowledge: practical application of theory, supplemental industry-specific material, etc.
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Courselets may include any combination of:
Graphics
Streaming video
Scenario-based simulations
Text and audio files
Interactive learning activities
Self-tests
Links to related materials/tools
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Courselet Accessibility
All enrolled students will be able to access appropriate courselets, regardless of the students' location. In keeping with SCPD's mission to improve the educational experience for learners universally and to bridge Stanford with industry, SCPD will develop avenues to make courselets available for use at other universities as well as industry training.
Courselet development is funded by a two-year grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Jim Plummer, Dean, School of Engineering, Stanford University, is the principal investigator. An announcement of the Courselet Project may be viewed at: http://courselets.stanford.edu. For more information, contact the project director, Andy DiPaolo adp@stanford.edu.
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