About Admissions

Do I have to use the online form? Isn't there a paper one?

IUPUI uses online applications. Putting your information in the online form and submitting it electronically is the only way the Graduate Office can process your application. Please be assured that the server is secure and the safety of your personal and credit card information is a very high priority to the Graduate Office and to Indiana University as a whole.

What if my undergraduate/graduate transcripts are from Indiana University?

If any of your transcripts are from an IU campus not including IPFW you do not need to send official copies. We can access these transcripts internally.

What if I have some graduate credit already?

If you have transcripted graduate credit with at least a B that has not been used as part of another granted degree we will be happy to review it and see if it would apply towards the MS in Adult Education.

When will I learn if I am admitted to the program?

The Admissions Committee will review complete applications received by the deadline later that week. At that point you may be contacted to schedule a telephone interview. You may be contacted to schedule a telephone interview at that time. You will then be notified of your admission status by both email and postal mail in following 2 weeks.

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About Tuition Costs and Payment

How much does it cost?

The 2009-10 Indiana resident tuition is $272.30 per credit hour. The non-resident tuition is $381.22 per credit hour. In addition to tuition, IUPUI charges a general services fee of $175 per semester for students enrolling in 6 or fewer credit hours and a $300 fee for those enrolling in more than 6 credit hours. An average semester enrollment is 6 credit hours so the per semester cost would be around $1,809 for Indiana residents and $2,462 for non-residents at the current rate.

What about Financial Aid?

Graduate students enrolled at least half-time are eligible for student loans and may be eligible to have current loans in repayment status put in deferment. Please complete a FAFSA and visit the IUPUI Financial Aid web site for more information. Graduate students are considered half-time if they are enrolled in 4-7 credit hours in a semester.

The department offers the Knabe Scholarship each year consisting of two awards in the amount of $250 each.

When are students billed for courses?

Student bills at IUPUI are electronic. A notification is sent to the student's IUPUI email address letting them know a bill is ready for pick up in their Student Center. Bills are run by the Bursar's Office the beginning of August for Fall Semester and they are due the third Tuesday of August. Bills are run the beginning December for Spring Semester and they are due the third Tuesday of December. Bills are run the beginning of May for Summer and are due the third Tuesday of May. Students registering for Summer classes after the May bills are run will receive a bill the beginning of the following month and the bill will be due the third Tuesday of that month. (ex: A student registering May 25th will receive a bill in early June to be paid by the third Tuesday in June.) There is a payment plan allowing the bill to be paid in 2 to 3 installments.

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About Online Courses

What do I need to know about being a successful online learner?

If this is your first experience with online learning, please don't feel intimidated by the technology used to participate in the course. We all need to be proficient with these digital competencies as they rapidly become integrated into formal education as well as workplace learning and development programs. In an online learning community, people communicate via text-based discussion (synchronous or asynchronous) and a variety of digital media using web-based platforms.

A very important aspect of online learning, especially with adults, is recognizing that the roles of student, subject matter expert, and facilitator are fluid within a course. It is important to acknowledge, respect and draw upon the knowledge and experience of everyone in the learning community. We also ask those who are more experienced and comfortable with online learning and these tools to give suggestions and positive feedback to those who are less experienced so we develop a supportive climate in our online community. All members of the online learning community should promote learning by:

• Creating a safe and engaging climate for collaboration.
• Empowering each other as learners by encouraging self-directedness.
• Sharing responsibility for accomplishing interactive group discussions and projects.

Courses are delivered through information communication technologies, but it is the intellectual engagement with the content in combination with the professional and social relationships that develop in an online community that produce shared learning outcomes. This is an intentional structuring of curriculum to link together courses or coursework so students find greater coherence in what they are learning and greater interaction with faculty and peers.

“Successful students are self-motivated and able to work both independently and in groups.  They read complex materials well and write clearly with correct grammar and punctuation. They manage their time effectively and are comfortable with computer technology. They ask questions, are curious, and enjoy learning new things.”

Do I have to be online at a certain time each week?

Normally no. Our courses are mainly asynchronous meaning that students can access the course when it is convenient for them. It is recommended that students log into each course at least 3 times per week. The most important aspect of a course is student participation. Regular interaction with other students and faculty is required. There will occasionally be live meetings but they will be scheduled with input from the students in the course. If a student cannot attend a live meeting, the recording can be reviewed at a later date.

What is the average time commitment?

In general students should expect to spend around 9 hours per week on a 3 credit hour course.

What will I be doing?

Normal activities include:

• logging in to the course to check for new announcements,
• reading and sending messages in the course email tool,
• participating in or leading online asynchronous discussions,
• reading assigned texts and other supplementary materials,
• conducting online library research,
• writing and revising papers,
• working on individual and group projects,
• participating in or leading a synchronous web-based video conference,
• reflecting on the connections between class topics and your "real life", and
• applying what you have learned.

What else should I know about online classes?

If you have never taken or taught an online course it is helpful to understand the characteristics of computer-mediated communication. The following is adapted from a description written by Jennifer Cochrane of the IUPUI Department of Communication Studies:

Since you will use a computer to communicate your thoughts and ideas to others in our online courses, it is very important for you to understand a little about the type of communication tool the computer is. Here are a few characteristics of the computer as an interpersonal communication tool and some ways that these characteristics might affect your use of the computer to communicate: Interaction facilitates learning. A good online student understands that interaction is the primary way that learning takes place via the computer; takes full advantage of the online presence of other people and resources; does not only lurk, and is polite and respectful to others and is prompt in responding. Writing is the primary form of communication. It is important that the online student uses appropriate graduate-level language and formatting when writing assignments. Email messages and discussion forum postings should avoid IM jargon, texting abbreviations, etc. Emoticons are helpful but should not be over used. Your ability to critically think and reflect that thinking in a scholarly way will be evident to the reader from your writing skills online. Electronically communicated ideas are intensified. The online student should realize that meanings, feelings, thoughts, and thinking and writing skills can be intensified because of lack of physical human presence. The abcense of non-verbal messages such as body language, vocal tone, and facial features means that a written message may have a more distilled or concentrated effect than originally intended. In electronic messages meaning is attributed. Have you ever struggled to say exactly what you mean in an email message? Have you ever been misunderstood over email because someone misinterpreted your "tone" as "rude" because you sent someone a short, succinct reply? In electronic communication - as in all forms of communication - meaning is attributed by the reader/listener and it may not be the meaning the writer/speaker intended. It is easier to communicate the intended meaning in a face-to-face setting because you can use a variety of non-verbal signals. Because there are no non-verbals in written text, communicating your intended meaning can be more difficult. In electronic communication we sometimes use emoticons or symbols like "LOL" to give our email messages the proper tone. As an online student, you must be careful when reading meaning into the messages of others. As an online writer, you must work harder to create messages that reflect more accurately your tone of voice, feeling, intent, and your content. Asynchronous response time can be advantageous. Fortunately, when you communicate with a computer, you can take advantage of its asynchronous environment. (Asynchronous means "not at the same time".) You are communicating on your own schedule and you have time to think before responding and to choose language that communicates proper tone, feeling, and intent. This will help to minimize incorrectly attributed meaning. Messages are usually irreversible and archived. The online student understands that, once sent, written feelings, thoughts, ideas, etc. are irreversible, documented and in many cases, archived. Taking advantage of the asynchronous response time afforded by most computer-mediated communication the student may decrease the number of poorly worded or regrettable messages sent in haste.

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About Face-to-face Meetings

When is the 3-day face-to-face meeting that is part of D521 Participation Trainings?

The three-day meeting is normally held in the middle of June each summer. It will be held either on the IUPUI campus or at a satellite facility on the north-west side of Indianapolis.

Are there other opportunities for face-to-face meetings?

Each spring and fall we have an optional get-together one Saturday morning. It s a time for getting to know your fellow classmates and meeting with your instructors. We also have a featured speaker in talking about a related topic.

More About the Program

When do students register for courses?

At IUPUI students register for Summer and Fall classes beginning in April. Students register for Spring classes in November. For more information on registration dates please visit the IUPUI Registrar's Office.

How long will it take to complete the degree?

The program is structured for the full-time working professional.  Students can complete the program at their own pace taking 1, 2 or 3 courses in any given semester not to exceed 6 years.  Most students take on average 2 courses each semester and complete in around 3 to  3 1/2 years.  

Is there a thesis option?

There is a thesis option but it would be done in addition to the Capstone Portfolio using 6 credits of Professional Focus Area hours.

About IUPUI Library and Bookstore Services

How do students access the library resources at a distance?

The IUPUI University Library provides resources for distance students including access to all licensed digital subscriptions of journals, inter-library loan request forms, delivery of electronic documents, and electronic reserves. Students can search multiple online databases for scholarly journal articles and access pdfs of articles immediately at no charge. If a student lives near an IU campus, books can be sent via "Request Delivery" or individual chapters can be sent electronically through inter-library loan.

How do I get books for classes?

Students can order books new or used through most major online book retailers such as Amazon.com or Alibris.com or the IUPUI Bookstore run by Barnes and Noble. For a list of textbooks used in Adult Education courses please see the Student Resources web site.

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About Technology Requirements and Computer Skills

What kind of computer do I need?

We recommend that you have a relatively new or updated computer - either a PC running Windows XP or Vista, or a Mac running OSX 10.4 or higher. In addition to that, we recommend high speed internet access, a printer, speakers, and a headset microphone. Registered students can download many different software titles free from IUWare Online or order them on disk for a small fee.

What kind of computer skills do I need to be successful in the program?

You will need basic computer skills including the ability to create folders; find, copy, move, rename, and delete files; maximize/ minimize multiple windows; and download and save files. You also need to be able to use a word processor application to create, save, print, and retrieve a document; cut, copy, and paste text within and between documents; save a word processing document in a Microsoft Word compatible format (.doc). You must be able to access IUPUI email or forward that email account to one that you check regularly and be able to send, receive, open, and store messages and attachments. When online, you must be able to navigate between web sites, use search engines, install needed plug-ins such as Flash or QuickTime players, and disable popup blockers or white list sites as needed for Oncourse and the IUPUI Library.

While these are the basic skills needed students have opportunities to develop additional skills including media development and the use of conferencing and collaboration tools.

What is Oncourse?

Adult Education courses are taught online using Oncourse. Oncourse is the Indiana University online course management application. It allows faculty and students to create, integrate, use, and maintain Web-based teaching and learning resources.  Oncourse lets you participate in your courses from anywhere — your home or workplace, a library or coffee shop, or anywhere else in the world that has Internet access.  

You can use Oncourse to participate in course discussions, communicate individually with course mates, check the course syllabus, ask your instructor questions, share information with the class, turn in assignments, take exams, check your grades, and access course readings and podcasts and other course-related media.   Your "My Workspace" section gives you a central place to keep track of your courses; store course notes, papers, urls, and other files; view a centralized calendar of your courses; and maintain your profile and contact  information.

Learn more by visiting the Oncourse home page at http://oncourse.iu.edu. Here you can take a tour of Oncourse, get answers to your specific questions, and access the IU Knowledge Base.

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