Classes

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Does this sound like you? Hi, I’m Jessica Balsley, founder of The Art of Education. A few years ago, I found myself in your exact same shoes. I was looking for credits to renew my teaching license and was frustrated by the lack of PD opportunities available specifically for Art Teachers.

This got me thinking… what Art Teachers really deserve is a place where they can take classes online, earn graduate credit, take electives towards a Master’s degree, renew their teaching license, and more… all with classes that are actually relevant to their classroom! Better yet, what if they could do this from the comfort of home?

Introducing AOE Classes. AOE Classes are a first-of-a-kind series of online classes designed just for Art Teachers. AOE Classes are fun, interesting, relevant, and flexible to your schedule. The best part is that you get to interact and learn with other Art Teachers from across the world while earning credit from the comfort of home. PD in your PJ’s!!!

If you have any questions as you read through this page, contact us at 515.508.1609 or customersupport@theartofed.com, and we’ll help you with any details you need.

See you in class!

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Available Classes

Weeks

AOE offers a wide variety of online classes for Art Teachers – designed by Art Teachers. This means that you take an AOE Class you’re not getting the same old professional development your district puts on, or even classes you’d get through a general Master’s program. Classes start on the 1st of each month in which they run.

Instead you’ll be getting top-notch Ridiculously Relevant™ course material that you can apply directly to your classroom. These classes are highly engaging, fun, educational, and best of all, you can complete them in your spare time at night or on the weekends.

16 Classes

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Course Schedules

Summer

Due to overwhelming demand, classes may fill early – so please register as soon as possible. If you’d like to take an AOE Class this Summer, please register and pay no later than the 1st day of the month your class takes place. June classes: registration and payment due June 1. July classes: registration and payment due July 1. August classes: registration and payment due August 1.

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Price & Earning Graduate Credit

HLC Accredited The Art of Education is pleased to be partnering with Morningside College a highly accredited and nationally recognized institution for quality professional development opportunities. Moriningside provides top-tier degree-level accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). This means that your AOE credits can be used for license renewal, salary advancement, or confidently transferred to a graduate degree program (it’s always best to check with your program to ensure transfer-ability) of your choice.

Virtually all school districts and universities accept credit from The Art of Education through our partnership with Morningside College. We have not found one yet that doesn’t. This is because Morningside is HLC accredited. It is highly recommended though, that you check with your district or state first. Graduate credits are usually universally accepted for license certification and pay scale advances. We started at the highest level to make sure credits will work for you.Visit the AOE/Morningside Partner Page for more information on our educational partnership. The course code we use for all of our classes is EDEX500. This designates the level of credit. You may need this when filling out pre-approval forms.

So, what does it cost? Our online classes for Art Teachers are VERY reasonably priced. Even though we’re providing you with far more interesting and relevant classes than what you’re used to, the price is the same or less than most other institutions out there.

Our graduate level courses (with accreditation through Morningside College) are $250 per credit. If you’re taking the class for your own learning or don’t need graduate credit, but instead need PD hours or PD Points, courses are only $100 per “credit.” During the ‘buy’ phase of our three step sign-up process, you’ll have the option to select ‘credit’ or ‘no credit’ in the AOE Store.

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Top 10 Reasons to Take an AOE Class:

1) They’re Ridiculously Relevant™ - AOE Classes were designed specifically for art teachers – by art teachers. This means that you take an AOE Class you’re not getting the same old generic professional development designed for classroom teachers… you’ll be getting top-notch Ridiculously Relevant™ course material that you can apply directly to your classroom.

2) You Can Earn Graduate Credit - The Art of Education is proud to work with Moriningside College to provide you with fully-transferrable and fully-accredited courses. Thanks to this partnership, AOE courses are accepted at almost every higher education institution and local school district.

3) They’re Convenient - Being an Art Teacher is hard, and time consuming. Add to that being a mom, a dad, or just a busy person… you don’t need any extra hassle. AOE classes are flexible to your schedule, and because all of our classes are online, there’s no worrying about traveling or hiring a babysitter!

4) Instructor Feedback - If you’ve taken online classes before, you might be accustomed to waiting days or even weeks to get a response from your instructor. At AOE, we put tremendous value on instructor feedback and participation in the class. You’re here to learn, we’re here to make that learning as smooth and successful as possible.

5) Meaningful Connections - Because AOE classes are designed for art teachers, when you take a class through AOE, you know your fellow participants are like-minded individuals from across the country. Art teachers in similar districts, with similar classrooms, living through similar struggles and triumphs. Much of what you learn, you’ll learn from each other.

6) True Time Flexibility - Take control of your professional development hours. Learn at your own pace. You’re busy, and we know it. That’s why AOE class assignments are all provided at the beginning of the course – so you have the flexibility to work ahead or finish up on the weekends.

7) Easy To Work With - All AOE Classes take place in the AOE Community. This community is a great place to meet, share photos and videos from your classroom, discuss the latest art education trends, but more importantly – serves as a fantastic platform for discussion-based classes. Classrooms in the community are secure and available only to paid class participants.

8) Payment is Easy - If you have a credit-card, you’re only about 5 minutes away from being done with the sign-up process! Now that’s slick. Just follow the simple sign-up process, pay through our online store, and you’re good to go. We even make it easy for your school district, board of education, or PTO to pay for your professional development on your behalf.

9) It’s Not Too Good to be True - The Art of Education was born out of Jessica’s desire to simplify her own Professional Development process. The lack of options available to art teachers was frustrating, so she set out to solve the problem herself! It may seem to good to be true, but yes AOE is a legitimate company, with hundreds of satisfied customers.

10) Classes So Good… They’re Addicting - Who would have thought that taking an online class could be addicting?! This is what class participants regularly say… that they get so excited to check back and see if their post has received comments or what strategies other Art Teachers from around the world are trying! Expect to build relationships and discover things you probably didn’t even know about yourself!

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Testimonials

Don’t take my word for it… AOE Classes get rave reviews from our past class participants. We’re extremely proud of the feedback we receive and for the overwhelming number of return customers. Here are just a few of the most recent comments we’ve gotten!

Testimonials

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FAQ’s

Still have a few questions? The answers you seek should be below… if they aren’t, you can always call AOE at 515.508.1609 or email us: customersupport@theartofed.com for more information!

What can AOE Classes offer me?

You can take our courses in one of two ways. If you want a graduate credit and transcript from Morningside College, you will take the class “for credit,” and the cost is $250 per credit. If you are looking to simply log hours for PD Points or CPDU’s, and are sure you don’t need an actual graduate credit, you can take the course for $100 per “credit” and will receive a PDF emailed certificate of course completion at the end of the course from The Art of Education. Each “credit” is worth 40 hours of professional development contact time. We are using the new per credit time guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Education’s recent ruling. If you’ve taken a class from us before, you won’t notice much change in the coursework. We’ve always been rigorous in our coursework and time requirements, and you will find the activities meaningful and relevant to you.

How do I Sign Up?

We’ve made it even easier to sign up using our new process. Simply sign up and pay ONE TIME through the AOE Sign-Up page, and you will be registered for both our course and your grad credit. When you get to the second step of the sign-up process you will pay for your class through the online AOE Store. Nagivate to your class, choose ‘credit’ or ‘no-credit’ from the drop down menu, then add your class to your ‘cart’ and checkout. If you are taking the class for graduate credit, AOE will take care of your payment and registration with Morningside College.

What is an Online Class like? How is the material presented?

First and foremost, taking an AOE Class means there are no specific “log on” times to attend. Every course has weekly due dates to keep you on track, and you can work ahead if you want. As long as you meet the weekly due dates, you can work at your own pace, on your own time. All of the information is presented in a syllabus at the beginning of the course. You will submit your weekly assignments via a social discussion board, where you can read and respond to other participants work. It’s very engaging to get feedback from an AOE instructor and art teachers from all around the country for each and every assignment.

What is the time commitment?

If you take the class for graduate credit, you can expect around 40 hours of contact time (including interacting with peers, research and reading, and completing assignments) per credit. This time allotment reflects the new per credit time guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Education’s recent ruling. We usually tell people they can expect to spend a few hours during the week and a chunk of time on the weekend to complete the assignments.Since you receive the entire syllabus at the beginning of the class, you can work on the material when it fits best into your schedule. 3 credit classes last 5 Weeks (120 Contact Hours) 2 credit classes last 4 Weeks (80 Contact Hours) 1 credit classes last 3 Weeks (40 Contact Hours) *We allow a few days of preview before the start date so you can prepare.

What type of graduate credits does Morningside offer?

Morningside graduate credits can be used for license renewal, salary advancement and transferred into a degree program (first check with your program to make sure they will transfer) they are degree-level credits accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). We believe the increased rigor we are now providing in the form of degree level credits supports the goals of our mission to provide the highest quality professional development for art teachers. http://www.morningside.edu/morningside/about_morningside/index.htm

How are the Courses Graded?

All participants will be given a letter grade for our courses. This letter grade will be scored based upon the rubrics and requirements in the course syllabus. Morningside and The Art of Education follow a rigorous academic model of the highest standard.

Can credits earned from your courses be used for either continuing education credits towards relicensure or towards a lane change (salary advancement) in my school district?

Yes, credits earned from taking these courses meet the requirements for license renewal or salary advancement in almost all cases. Please ensure prior approval has been obtained by your state, district or employment personnel office. AOE encourages you to refer to your state and local guidelines.

Will these classes be accepted through my graduate program?

Any student seeking to transfer graduate credits into a graduate program at another institution is advised to obtain prior approval from said institution. Our credits will work to transfer in as an elective to any Morningside program. Morningside credits carry a highly respected degree-level accreditation, but all programs vary.

How do I obtain my transcripts?

Grade reports will be mailed to you directly by the college immediately after the grades have been received and transcribed. Typically the turnaround time to receive your grade report is approximately 10 days from the end date of the course, but usually sooner. If you’d like to receive a copy of your transcript, Morningside must have written permission from you for release. To request a transcript go to: http://www.morningside.edu/academics/transcript_request/index.cfm. There is a $5 charge.

If I or my school district would like more information about AOE Classes, what should I do?

Please contact AOE: call us at515-508-1609 or email us at customersupport@theartofed.com. We’ll do our best to answer your questions and provide any information you may require.

Who can I contact regarding AOE Classes through Morningside College?

Barb Chambers Professional Development Coordinator Morningside College 1501 Morningside Ave. Sioux City, IA 51106 Phone: 712.274.5465 or 800.831.0806, x5465 Email: chambersb@morningside.edu

My school district, board of education, or PTO wants to pay for my AOE Class. What do I do?

That’s great! We make it easy for organizations to pay for AOE Classes, simply follow one of the options below and you’re all-set!

1) The best option is to have your organization make a direct payment via Credit Cart through the normal sign-up process, which you can find here: www.theartofed.com/classes/sign-up. On the first step (Register), you’ll fill out one registration form for each class participant. Whether there’s 1 participant or 5, you can have each participant fill out the form on their own, or designate one single person to fill it out for each participant. Then, on the next step (Pay), have a representative of the organization make one large payment that covers each course for all 5 participants at once. When checking out of the AOE Store, just select the desired class, and choose a ‘quantity’ corresponding to the number of participants. (ex. If you have 5 people taking “Assessment in Art Education” simply add Assessment to your ‘cart’ then choose the quantity of ’5′ before checking out. Add additional course/quantities as necessary).

2) If your organization does not have a credit card, (most organizations do, it might just take a quick phone call to find out) the second best option is to pay for the class yourself, then secure reimbursement through your organization. Since you’ll be handling the reimbursement, all you need to do to sign-up is to go through the normal process which you can find here: www.theartofed.com/classes/sign-up

3) If your organization doesn’t have a credit card and is unwilling to do individual reimbursements (for some organizations, they’d prefer to just make one large payment on your behalf) you’ll have pay via standard PO/Biilling-Process. This process takes longer for all parties involved, but it works if necessary! First, email The Art of Education at customersupport@theartofed.com. Include in your email the list of class participants, their email addresses, with the corresponding classes they want to take, along with the dates they want to take the class (make sure it aligns with the course schedule on www.theartofed.com/classes), and the address, name, contact-info. of the party you’d like to be billed – such as your Board of Education, school district, etc. Upon receipt of the email, we will draft a invoice, and forward it on to the billing party you specified. After the check has been cut and the invoice has been paid (which must be complete before the start-date of the class), then you will be officially enrolled.

Can I take an AOE Class even though I don't live in the U.S.?

Absolutely! You are welcome to enjoy quality professional development no matter where you are at, however, if you apply for graduate credit, the transferability rate to your own district or university may differ. It is up to you to do the research and find out if Morningside will work for you. If you are not interested in graduate credit, there are no barriers to taking the class for no credit!

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It’s time…

Don’t hesitate any longer. It’s time you enjoyed some Professional Development designed just for you. It’s time you demanded more from your PD and took the opportunity to interact and learn from Art Teachers all over the world. All it takes is a few minutes to sign-up… classes start on the first of every month! Sign-up now to reserve your spot!