Time to get started

ART 101: Artistic Process and Visual Language is an open online course. The course materials are hosted on this web site. Learners participate and interact using their own personal learning environments.

5 things you should do before starting the course

1. Register on this course site by clicking on the user icon () in the site menu. This will enable you to submit microblog posts using WEnotes and manage your registered blog url. (Note: As an open course, registration is not mandatory and we will post copies of the course announcements on the course site.)
2. Familiarise yourself with the web site navigation to find out where the:
   • learning materials (see learning pathways in the menu above), and
   • any existing support tutorials are located.
3. Review the:
   • Overview, course aims and learning outcomes
   • Course Syllabus
4. Create the accounts you will need for this course (if you don’t already have them):
   • Forum site on ART 101 General Forum (optional) to participate in general forum discussions or post support FAQs. (Once logged in, use the drop down Tag list to find discussions for this course.)
   • Create a learning journal (optional – this can be a blog or a word-processed document – you will need to be able to share it with your facilitator if needed).
5. Complete the optional OERu new participant survey.

If you are taking this course with a facilitator, you may have an orientation session to help you complete the important steps above, including creating course microblog posts. Once you are ready to start on your course work, you are encouraged to declare yourself to fellow participants using the course feed, the general discussion forum or your personal course blog.

Study tips

There are a few things you should know about the ART 101: Artistic process and visual language course:

1. Course tag: The course code for Artistic process and visual language is #art101. Write this down because you will use this tag for posting on your blog posts.
2. Course feed: The course hosts a live feed where you can monitor posts from WEnotes and participant blog posts using the #art101 or label.
   • WEnotes is the locally hosted microblog technology for posting comments to the course feed.
3. Suggested study time: This is an asynchronous course which means you can participate at times which are convenient for your own schedule. The course is divided into four learning pathways consisting of several topics. You should aim to spend approximately one to two hours per day at times which suit your own schedule. However, as an open course you can sip and dip participating in the topics or activities you find interesting. The time you will need to successfully complete the learning challenges will vary according to your own personal and work circumstances. We estimate you will need about 40 hours of study time to complete the course. Learners participating in this course for formal academic credit will need to allocate additional time to study for the final exam.
4. International time zones: OERu courses typically register students across 24 time zones. If you are following a set schedule, you should study this course in your own time zone. For example, carry out the instructions for Tuesday on your Tuesday, not the time zone of your facilitator(s).
5. Using social media technologies: If you are new to using social media technologies, you can consult available tutorials to help you set up your own personal learning environment. We recommend that you establish your personal learning environment before the course commences. Blogs are optional and provide a good way to interact with course participants while maintaining control over your own content. You can create a personal course blog or use an existing blog.
6. Information overload: At times the aggregated course feed can generate a large number of posts. You are not expected to read everything. Read what is current when you log in and follow the links which you find interesting. After a few days you will identify participants with similar interests and you can then follow these posters in the feed.
7. Learn by doing and sharing: Feel free to share resources and helpful tips with fellow learners who may or may not be taking the course at the same time as you. Most of all, have fun! We are changing the world for the better by returning to the core value of sharing knowledge in education. Suggestions to improve the course are also always welcome.