 | (Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange) |  |
Welcome to the embryonic Breed History Learning Center project. We are very excited about the potential, this being probably the most challenging project we have ever undertaken. Afghan Hound Times is well positioned to undertake such an ambitious project. AHT has existed for nearly 30 years on the Internet and is the worlds largest free on-line depository of information about Afghan hound breed history. AHT is supported in its work by a worldwide network of like minded scholarly friends, many of whom have been contributing to and collaborating with AHT for almost 3 decades. Many of these friends are experts in specific areas. For example, we have contributors who are expert in coat colours of the Afghan hound, a very complex subject. We have contributors who in their own country are expert researchers, analysts, writers on the breed. All of our contributors ("Instructors") are "accredited" by virtue of the combination of their time and experience in the breed and their knowledge of breed history, sometimes specific to their local country, sometimes of a more global spread. AHT is indeed fortunate to be able to draw upon this large network of highly respected scholarly friends, (who freely share their breed records and history resources). Thus, this project will not depend upon one person, one "know it all" (because nobody "knows it all"), but, instead, we will draw upon the pool of respected scholarly friends who as "Instructors" can bring their specific knowledge and skills to the program. "Education". This can be a dirty word! Occasionally, some opiniated person with a background in the breed, but not much creditabiity, will espouse upon the need for "Education". This usually involves that person, as the self-nominated expert, "telling" others what to do and what not to do, whilst simultaneously failing to offer any explanation, rationale, logic, context, purpose, objective in support of their "tell" statement. Education is not about telling people what to do, it is not about informing them of your opinion on what is right and what is wrong. Education is about understanding the needs of people who wish to learn about a subject, providing them with tools, resources and study material, mentoring them in order to encourage the student to study the available facts, analyze them, draw their own conclusions, whilst being supported in the learning process by a mentor/instructor who is solely concerned to help the student achieve their learning goals. 2. The Program We do not intend to just post a bunch of on-line quizzes for fun and/or for people to test their knowledge on. We will develop specific "courses" with learning goals and objectives, supported by a series of "on line lessons", each course being facilitated and managed by a formal "Instructor". Designing courses is no small task, and because of our ongoing research commitments, establishing courses will take some time to achieve. But, hopefully by the generous donation of time by the volunteer course Instructors we will move forward at a modest pace. 3. Course Completion, Grading, Certification The initial course/lessons grading system is shown below, we may revise this in the light of experience
We also intend to offer certificates and diplomas, acknowledging and rewarding the study efforts of those students who completed the course program sucessfully and achieved a certain level of knowledge and proficiency on the course's subject matter. We are not an official education establishment, so these certificates and diplomas will not make you a professional MA or BA etc. However, we hope that the program will prove informative and enjoyable to participating students and add some additional cudos to the students other accreditation in the breed. We'll also post a "honour role" of people completing and passing the courses. We are respectful of students rights to confidentiality and will not include them in any such honour role if they so wish. Further a students enrollment on a course and their performance in that course, will remain confidential between AHT and the student, unless that student gives their speficic written/emailed authority to the contrary. 4. Eligibility Any person with an interest in the history of the breed is welcome to participate in any of the courses, there is no course qualifying criteria 5. Feeback/Suggestions/Contributions/Participation Welcome As we stated from the outset, this is an ambitious and challenging project and we invite, and welcome, all feedback and suggestions and offers of contributions (be it research material, articles, or offers to participate as an Instructor). Any such responses can be emailed to info@afghanhoundtimes.com 6 Fun Bit If you read of all the above and got this far, then we have a reward for you, a couple of FUN QUIZZES. Click Here to try out a couple of simple quizzes and experience the potential of the system. Steve Tillotson June 19th 2013 Afghan Hound Times |