The purpose of this class is to familiarize students with common characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Students will explore assessments used to diagnose Autism Spectrum Disorders. Upon completion of this course, students will have a better understanding of the causes, symptoms, and best educational practices for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
For information on the general course purpose, course prerequisites, course-level objectives, and a list of major course content topics, please reference NOVA's EDU 270 Course Content Summary.PDF
This course will be taught as a Web-based (online) course. You should not confuse this course with an independent-study course. The course will include many of the same components of a traditional, classroom-based course such as presentations, assignments with specified due dates, and active class participation in the form of teacher-student, student-student, and student-content interaction. You are expected to read and study all assigned readings, complete all assignments by their requisite due dates, and participate in the class discussions and exercises by actively and frequently monitoring class site. The course will be facilitated within a Canvas electronic classroom. The methods of teaching in this class will include, but not be limited to, reading assignments, multimedia presentations, research assignments, supplemental tutorials, quizzes and proctored assessments, discussions via interactive discussion forums, and "live" online chat sessions. Some independent-study assignments may be required; independent-study assignments will be self-managed by you. Communication, learner-to-learner and learner-to-instructor, is critical in an online course. Since we cannot have "class discussions" in the traditional sense, we will use various features built into the Canvas course management system in lieu of face-to-face interaction.
Successful completion of 24 hours of college courseworkpreferably including ITE 115 and ENG 111 or equivalent.