Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I purchase a course? How much does it cost?
- What is a key?
- I have a key (a 10- to 12-digit number that starts with a letter). Now what do I do?
- I enrolled but can't get into my course. What do I do?
- I finished a course. How do I get continuing education units (CEUs)?
- I finished a course. How do I get graduate credit?
- Will I receive a certificate once I complete the course?
- Is it possible to get a signed certificate of completion?
- Do I get a grade once I have completed the course? Does ASCD offer college credits?
- What kind of computer system do I need?
- Does the course take six months to complete, or is that just the enrollment time?
- Do I have to complete the entire course at one time?
- How many PD Online courses are offered?
- Who should take a PD Online course?
- How are PD Online courses organized?
- How should I choose which PD Online course to take?
- When do classes meet?
- Will I be able to talk about what I learn with others?
- Is there a refund policy?
1. How do I purchase a course? How much does it cost?
Choose a course from the Course Catalog and add it to your shopping cart. ASCD accepts all major credit cards and can process credit card and purchase orders online. Each PD Online course costs $99.
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2. What is a key?
A key is a 10- to 12-digit number that starts with a letter. There are several different types of keys. For example, ASCD Premium and Institutional Members are provided with keys, school districts may purchase keys, or sales organizations may be using keys to preview courses. In other words, a key allows you to enroll in a course but it doesn't allow you to enter a course until you have completed the enrollment form.
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3. I have a key (a 10- to 12-digit number that starts with a letter). Now what do I do?
If you have a key, you will need to press the Enroll button on the PD Online Courses page. The enrollment form is important. In it, you will choose your course, type in the 10- to 12-digit key and access password, fill out your information, and suggest a personal password for your course. When you click on the Submit button, a confirmation e-mail will be sent to you. This important e-mail contains your username, which is system generated, and your password, which you create.
When you have your username and password, you are ready to begin. Look for the box on the PD Online Courses page that says, "Already enrolled in a PD Online course?", and type in your username and password. Remember that once you activate your course, you will have six months to complete the work.
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4. I enrolled but can't get into my course. What do I do?
Sometimes PD Online learners type in their 10- to 12-digit key or their ASCD subscriber number to get into a course. Unfortunately, these won't work. When you enrolled, you filled out a form that asked you to suggest a password and then to retype that password. After you clicked the Submit button at the end of the form, an e-mail was sent to you. Please verify that the username and password you are entering match the ones included in that e-mail.
If you are working on more than one course, you will need to fill out a separate enrollment form for each course. Your username and password are only good for one course. If you know that you (a) selected the right course; (b) kept your username and password e-mail; (c) typed in your correct username and password; and (d) signed up for just one course but you're still unable to access the course, please e-mail WebHelp so that we may assist you.
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5. I finished a course. How do I get continuing education units (CEUs)?
First, we highly recommend that you speak with your professional development coordinator before you begin the course so that you know exactly what is required to obtain continuing education units (CEUs). ASCD assigns a certain number of clock hours for each course. Clock hours are not the same as CEUs. Because every state and every accrediting agency has different rules regarding the awarding of CEUs, we use clock hours. In some states, 10 clock hours is the equivalent of one CEU, but that is not true in all states.
We recommend that you speak with your professional development coordinator to establish guidelines for the conversion of the clock hours into CEUs. Sometimes coordinators and state agencies require proof of completion. They may accept the Certificate of Completion on its own, but many require the submission of a portfolio of work as well. Your portfolio might include printouts of your responses to the interactive exercises or discussion questions in the Learner Forum.
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6. I finished a course. How do I get graduate credit?
Ideally, you need to talk with the professional development coordinator in your school or university (or select from the list of universities offering credit we provide) to determine what evidence will be required for you to receive graduate credit before you start the course. However, some learners check with their coordinator after they have completed the course as well. Often colleges and universities will accept the course but may require additional work, such as completing a reflection paper describing your learning experience. Sometimes the Certificate of Completion is enough, but if more evidence is required, we suggest that you print the entries in your Course Log and your Learner Forum responses to create a portfolio of your course work. However, the bottom line is that ASCD provides the course—your school or university helps determine how to reward and recognize your work.
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7. Will I receive a certificate once I complete the course?
Yes. Once you've completed the final lesson of your course, you can print out a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will show that you completed up to 20 clock hours per course.
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8. Is it possible to get a signed certificate of completion?
Yes. All certificates are signed.
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9. Do I get a grade once I have completed the course? Does ASCD offer college credits?
ASCD does not assign grades. Instead, we offer a certain number of clock hours that can be converted into CEUs or, in some cases, graduate credit as determined by your professional development coordinator or your university guidelines.
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10. What kind of computer system do I need?
To make full use of the course materials, we recommend the following:
Windows-based system: A Pentium II, 300 MHz or faster, computer with a minimum of 64 megabytes of RAM and at least 40 megabytes of free hard disk space. Your color monitor should support a minimum of 256 colors. You will also need a Windows-compatible sound card.
Mac system: A System 8 or better Macintosh is recommended, with a minimum of 64 megabytes of RAM and at least 40 megabytes of free hard disk space. Your color monitor should support a minimum of 256 colors.
For any system, your modem should be at least 56k. Recommended browsers are Netscape 4.0 or higher, Microsoft Explorer 4 or higher, or any other comparable browser. All browsers must be set up to accept cookies.
You will also need to download and install the free version of Real Player in order to play the audio and video clips. Our newer courses have multiple players available—QuickTime, Real Player, and Windows Media. If you are accessing through a proxy server, please check with your administrator to be certain you can receive multimedia files.
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11. Does the course take six months to complete, or is that just the enrollment time?
The answer to this question depends on each student. Some students prefer to create a class schedule that will allow them to finish the course well before access to the course expires. Some students, on the other hand, prefer to complete the course at a more leisurely pace. ASCD provides a six-month timeframe to accommodate the busy schedules and varying learning styles of the learners who take our courses.
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12. Do I have to complete the entire course at one time?
No. You can access the course at any time during your six-month access period. Any work you complete will be saved to your Course Log. You can update your responses to interactive exercises at any time. To re-enter the course, go to the PD Online Courses page. Once there, you'll see the "Already enrolled in a PD Online course?" box. Type in your username and password, click the Enter button, and you'll have immediate access to your course.
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13. How many PD Online courses are offered?
We offer more than 50 courses. Five new or updated courses are offered each year. New courses will be highlighted on the PD Online Courses page and in the course catalog.
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14. Who should take a PD Online course?
Teachers, administrators, curriculum coordinators, parents, and anyone else interested in education. Our PD Online courses are designed with the educator in mind. We strive to offer courses that provide practical advice to educators as well as additional resources for their continued professional development.
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15. How are PD Online courses organized?
In addition to the full course catalog, we have two other main groups. The first divides the courses into three categories:
Although that division works for many of our participants, other learners prefer to search by topic for specific courses. This group contains five categories:
Sometimes the same course is listed in more than one category because the content lends itself to different needs.
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16. How should I choose which PD Online course to take?
This depends on your reasons for taking a course. If you are interested in a particular category, for example Assessment, you might decide to take the series of suggested courses. In some cases, your school or district may request that a group of teachers take a particular course. Other times educators may have heard an interesting presentation at a local conference and may just want to investigate that particular topic further, such as Differentiating Instruction or Understanding by Design.
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17. When do classes meet?
Whenever you like. That's the beauty of ASCD's PD Online courses—they are there when you need them.
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18. Will I be able to talk about what I learn with others?
Every PD Online course features a Learner Forum where you can discuss your reaction to course content, share your perspectives with others, and read what your colleagues have to say. Of course, if you are doing a course with other colleagues, you will be able to discuss issues with them as well.
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19. Is there a refund policy?
Yes. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your online experience within 45 days of registering, you may request a full refund. In lieu of a full refund, you may request a free registration for a different course. We encourage you to send an e-mail to WebHelp with any of your concerns.
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