1. You can participate anytime, as often as you like. The online course is "asynchronous," which means participants can ask questions and make comments anytime, day or night. The instructor will log onto the course 4-6 times a day and answer questions and make comments.
   
   
2. You only need Real Audio. The only special software you need is Real Audio G2 or RealPlayer 7 basic, which will allow you to listen to the lectures. The software is free and can be downloaded from www.realaudio.com. Click here to listen to a sample presentation.
   
   
3. Any computer, any location. You can use any computer you want to participate in the course. Learn from work, from home, a colleague’s computer, or any combination.
   
   
4. About an hour a day. We suggest you spend about an hour a day participating in the online course.
   
   
5. No technical skills necessary. You don’t need any technical skill or knowledge to participate. You need to be able to get on the Internet, have a browser like Netscape or Microsoft Explorer. And you or a friend should download Real Audio for you. That’s it. Easy. Simple.

Here’s what you do to participate in the online course:

1. Read the chapter for the day. Each day we will cover 1-2 topics from the new book "Teaching Online," about 20 pages a day.
   
   
2. Listen to the lecture. There will be a 15 minute lecture, with slides, for each of the 5 days. Listen to the lecture anytime you want.
   
   
3. Ask the instructor questions. Next you will go into a Discussion Forum, or chat room, where you can ask the instructor questions and make comments yourself. Then check back in a couple of hours, or less, to get the answer to your question or see what others are saying. The instructor will be here 4-6 times a day to write comments here and answer the questions.
   
   
4. Discuss with your colleagues. There is a second Discussion Forum, or chat room, where you and your fellow participants can make written comments and talk about anything you want. You’ll love networking with other teachers.