Contact with Instructor: Calwest does not have online courses in its degree programs that require it to give students direct contact with an instructor. Calwest will instead use Indirect Contact Instruction via the Moodle Learning Management Platform as the only means of contact with students. Detailed course information will be accessible to students, via Course Syllabuses, PowerPoint presentations and Video instructions (where available) and online Topic Quizzes.
Return of Assessments and Research: The return of the grades for of Topic Quizzes and Final Exams will be almost instantaneous as the Faculty responsible for developing the course has supplied answers that are programmed into the Moodle learning platform. Student queries of a general nature will be answered as a broadcast via Moodle to all students. Where direct communication with an individual student is required (such in accepting admission documentation), this will usually be in 48 hours, with a maximum time limit of 7-days. In the case of research courses Doctoral degree program, the maximum time limit for return of research proposals and thesis chapters is one-month.
Qualified Instructors and Assessors: The second major rationale for launching an innovative university such as Calwest, is not only to students a framework have courses delivered by the World’s best and most qualified instructors but also to provide assessment of the learning outcomes obtained. As such Calwest has adjunct faculty, i.e. PhD and Masters Degree qualified professors in traditional universities, to design its courses to be benchmarked and aligned with similar courses from leading universities;; and provide assessments to evaluate student learning (via computer assessments methods) and provide feedback to students in a timely manner.
Library and Other Learning Resources: Calwest has subscribed to the Library and Learning Resources of TopiaU, the online library service. See http://topiau.org/ which includes free Librarian services to students of member universities. More details are provided in this catalog. There may be some minimal charges for complicated searches.