All Assistive Technology masters and certificate programs are delivered 100% online; students never have to come to campus.
Most courses are asynchronous only, with only a few that have one or two synchronous class sessions within the semester-long course. Students participate in a range of online learning activities designed to provide a hands-on, high quality educational experience. Learn more about our technology components and if you are ready to be an online learner.
Dynamic Learning Environments
Our courses go beyond just webinars. The program is designed to provide dynamic learning environments that offer:
- Direct, hands-on opportunities with AT tools
- Application of AT skills with real clients within authentic settings
- On-going guidance from knowledgeable faculty
- Shared experiences with classmates and instructors
- Opportunities to customize learning based on personal interests and/or professional goals
- Exposure to a wide range of AT developers and vendors
- Connected, ever-growing community of AT professionals
Who Should Apply
Our general audience includes:
- General and special educators
- Related service personnel (OT, PT, SLP, etc.)
- Adult service providers
- Corporate, government, and military personnel (specific interests in accessibility)
- Family and caregivers who work with various individuals with disabilities
- Rehabilitation and medical personnel
Why Choose Mason
- The online format removes barriers of time and location that would be encountered with a face-to-face program.
- Mason boasts the second oldest Assistive Technology program in the nation.
- You will learn from diverse faculty, including practitioners, PhDs, and those who utilize assistive technologies.
- The courses are project-based and will allow you to gain experience working in the community with real clients.
- Mason’s Assistive Technology program has produced more PhDs than any other similar program in the country.
- A virtual lab will provide you with all the software programs you need, for free. Hardware necessary for courses will be sent to you by your professors, or obtained from an organization in your community.
- Courses in the program may count towards recertification credits for K-12 teachers.
- Your professors are recognized experts in the field who are regularly awarded Federal and State grants for research and present at professional conferences including CEC, ISAAC, RESNA, Closing the Gap, and ATIA.
Technology Overview
With asynchronous classes, instructors provide materials, lectures, online activities that can be accessed at any time. In most classes, instructional materials are provided in modules which must be completed within a given a timeframe – usually a one or two week window – during which students may need to login to the course two to three times a week to participate in discussion or other collaborative activities. Courses are delivered through Blackboard. Asynchronous class elements may include:
- Discussion and reflection activities
- Wikis
- ePortfolios
- Presentations
- Audio and video recordings
- Virtual computing and simulation activities
A few of the courses in the AT program may include 1-2 synchronous class sessions during the semester long class. Synchronous classes require students and instructors to be online at the same time. Lectures and discussions occur at a specific time, much like a face-to -face class except that you connect using your computer and video and or audio conferencing. All students must be online at the same time in order to participate using Blackboard Collaborate. Synchronous Class Elements may include:
- Web Conferencing with audio and/or video
- Live text chat
- Desktop sharing
- Polling
- Whiteboards and other collaborative activities
Being Online Ready
There are many benefits to online courses; however, you also need to be aware of what is required to be successful before jumping in. Here are a few things to consider.
You will need to maintain regular communication with your instructor and the students in your class. You need to be comfortable communicating through email and other online discussion tools. Having a comfort level with uploading and retrieving files is also essential.
Asynchronous online course schedules are more flexible than face-to-face classes. You do not have a set schedule to be in class. You must set time to complete activities on your own and leave time for technical issues that may arise so you can participate in online discussions and turn in weekly activities on time.
Online courses, whether they are synchronous or asynchronous, require the same (and often more) time as face-to -face classes. Remember the activities you would normally complete during a 2 hour and 40 minute class once a week must be completed online along with readings, activities, papers, and projects you would do outside of class as course assignments.
Most modules require students to acquire new information, participate in activities to aid in learning, and demonstrate skill in applying their knowledge through the development of online artifacts.
- Acquire new content through readings, watching recorded lectures, demonstration videos, simulations, and many other engaging and fun online tools.
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Participate in online discussions, wikis, and blogs to reflect and share perspectives with classmates.
- Apply knowledge and demonstrate skill through written and or interactive activities, case studies, and creative individual and group projects.
