Welcome
We are pleased that you selected this independent study course to fulfill your unique educational needs. You are now a member of the Center’s large and diverse student body—a student body that comes from all parts of the United States and many parts of the world.
Although the freedom to choose when and where to study is a privilege, it is also a responsibility that requires motivation and self-discipline. To succeed at independent study, you will need to develop a study plan by setting realistic goals and working toward them. The following paragraphs highlight important course completion information.
About the Course
This course will help you get ready to learn faster and easier, and you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to do it! In this course you will learn to read assignments faster and remember more, take smarter class notes, become an expert in test-taking, use technology to produce great reports, and get homework done and still have a life.
Materials/Textbooks
There is no textbook for this course.
See Lesson 1 for a list of study equipment essentials you should have.
Lessons
This course is composed of twelve lessons. Each lesson contains the following sections:
Mission—This section tells you the purpose of the lesson.
Objectives—This section lists the skills you should gain from completing the lesson.
Blast Off! (What to Do)—This section lists the actions that you must do to learn the strategies taught in the lesson. No excuses!
Space Lab (Why Do It?)—This section explains why those actions work and will help you decide when to use the skills from that lesson.
Space Walk (Practice It)—This section gives you practice in using your new skills. Think of it as your simulator trainer. Astronauts spend hours in flight simulators practicing every detail of their space mission until they can perform each step automatically. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE ensures the success of each space mission, and it ensures your success as a student.
Also in this section is a study skills checklist. Every week, check off the study skills you used each day in your other subjects or class work. The purpose of the checklist is to remind you that you are expected to use these skills on a continuing basis in your regular class work.
Practice assignments will not be graded; do not send your answers to the Center for scoring. Answers to practice assignments are linked from the Space Lab pages.
Technical Specifications
Hardware Recommendations: PC
- Pentium 75 processor
- 20 MB RAM
- Hard disk drive with 70 MB free space
- SVGA monitor
- 56k modem
Hardware Recommendations: Macintosh
- Macintosh Power PC Processor
- 20 MB RAM
- System 7.5.3
- Hard disk drive with 70 MB free space
- SVGA monitor
- 56k modem
Please note that Web browser performance will be enhanced if your system exceeds these recommendations.
Software Requirements
You will need a Web browser that supports graphics and JavaScript (Netscape Communicator/Navigator 4.0 or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher). Your browser should also accept cookies, which are used solely to verify your login.
An active e-mail account is also required for instructor-evaluated courses. Some courses may require software for playing or recording audio or video, reading documents in PDF, etc.
It is suggested that you have virus protection software on your system. Symantec AntiVirus or Dr. Solomon’s Anti-Virus Toolkit are recommended for PC users and Disinfectant is recommended for Mac users. Virus protection software will help to protect your system (and ours) against computer viruses. MU students can download virus protection software at https://ea-front.missouri.edu.
Begin Work on the Course
Starting with the first lesson, study the lesson’s Mission, Objectives, and Blast Off! (What to Do) sections. Then read the Space Lab (Why Do It) section and complete any recommended study activities in the Space Walk (Practice It) section. Use your study skills checklists, take notes, and make sure you understand all the material presented. Follow this procedure for each lesson. Complete progress evaluations in the order they are presented in this course.
Make a Plan to Accomplish Your Goals
Use the number of lessons and progress evaluations to create a schedule that will help you stay on track. You will have nine months to complete this course. As you complete the course, check your schedule often to make sure you’re on track to accomplish your goal.
The following form is a PDF file and requires Adobe Reader.
Note: If you receive an error message from the link listed below, you may need to upgrade to a newer version of Acrobat Reader.
High School, Middle and Elementary School Independent Study Planning Sheet
Grades
Your final grade will be based on the number of points you earn in the course. The total points available are listed below:
Progress Evaluations: |
1200 |
Points |
| Total: |
1200 |
Points |
Check Your Progress
| Points |
Percentage |
Grade |
| 1080–1200 |
90–100 |
A |
| 960–1079 |
80–89 |
B |
| 840–959 |
70–79 |
C |
| 720–839 |
60–69 |
D |
| 0–719 |
0–59 |
F |
Academic integrity. You are expected to follow CDIS guidelines for academic integrity and freedom. Please review your academic rights and responsibilities.
After completing the course, you will receive a grade report that gives your letter grade for the course. The Center will not mail your grade report until all outstanding balances have been paid.
