Fitness Fundamentals is designed to provide students with the basic skills and information needed to begin a personalized exercise program and maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Students will participate in pre- and post- fitness assessments in which they measure and analyze their own levels of fitness based on the 5 components of physical fitness: muscular strength, endurance, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, and body composition. In this course, students will research the benefits of physical activity, as well as the techniques, principles, and guidelines of exercise to keep them safe and healthy.

This fall, ND CDE will offer an all-new Alaska Studies course. Designed to meet the graduation standards for students in Alaska, this course covers many aspects of the great northern state. The lessons cover Alaska's geography, history (from the ice age to the present), local and state government, economy, environment, and native cultures. Just a few of the topics discussed are the geographical regions of Alaska, the Alaska gold rush, the Alaska pipeline, the ALCAN Highway, and the governmental structure of Alaska. The course is completely self-contained (no textbooks required) and the print version is available in full color. The course brochure and a sample lesson can be found here.

In this course, the student will study the properties of matter and its interactions with the environment, the importance of laboratory safety, the importance of accuracy and precision in measurements, scientific notation, significant digits, the structures and the components of atoms and compounds, covalent and ionic chemical compounds, and writing and balancing chemical equations. The student will also study the mole, stoichiometry, the different states of matter, gas laws, and solutions. In the print course, the student will use the components of a lab kit to perform basic chemistry experiments that compliment and support the content. A student enrolled in the online course will be given access to Late Nite Labs's REACTOR Chemistry software which allows students to receive a full chemistry lab learning experience. REACTOR's Lab interface completely mimics real wet lab conditions, procedures, and assignments.
Second Semester ... Coming Soon!

In this one-semester course, the student will study all about North Dakota from prehistoric times to the present. The natural world, early settlement, life on the northern plains, hard times and war, and modernization are all covered in detail. "Stereotypes, Myths, and North Dakota Prehistory," "Commerce and Conflict: A History of Pembina," "Frontier Housing in North Dakota," "The Washburn Lignite Coal Company," "Prosperity Rides on Rubber Tires: The Impact of the Automobile on Minot," and "Custom Combining" are just a few of the articles the students will read and discuss in this course.

Please note that this course will fulfill the legislative requirement that indicates that "high schools shall make available to each student, at least once every two years, one-half unit of North Dakota Studies." (NDCC 15.1-21-02)

ND CDE has upgraded to a new Course Management System (CMS). This will affect ALL current students and users of ND CDE's online course services. We encourage you to take a moment and activate your Moodle account so you can continue accessing all of your courses from this new system. Read the full announcement and find instructions here.

In this one semester elective course, you will be introduced to basic psychological concepts and terminology, which will allow you to apply psychology to your own life. This is a fascinating course explores psychological methods, biology and behavior, sensation and perception, consciousness, memory, learning, thinking and language development, intelligence, development over the life span, motivation and emotion, theories of personality, psychological tests, gender roles, stress and health, social cognition, and social interaction. If you're interested in how the human brain works, how we learn, and why we, as humans, do the things we do, then this course is definitely for you!

The North Dakota Center for Distance Education will be celebrating its 2008 graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 7th at 11:00 a.m. Matthew Musacchia, Fargo, ND will be speaking on behalf of the class of 2008. Barb Meidinger, ND CDE Principal, will be delivering the commencement speech. The ceremony will be held in Beckwith Recital Hall, with graduates arriving at 10:00 a.m. A luncheon reception will be served immediately following the ceremony.

ND CDE has been piloting the Moodle Course Management System with great success! ND CDE plans to migrate ALL student accounts and courses to the Moodle platform during the summer of 2008. This will affect all current students and users of our online course services. Specific details will be posted shortly.

Thirteen-year-old ND CDE student Drew Coughlin attended the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation Championships on April 12, 2008. Ranked 4th coming into the competition, Drew defeated the top player, earned 3.5 out of a possible 4 points, and took home the Oregon State Middle School Grand Champion Cup.
Click here to read more ...

This North Dakota Studies web site is intended to provide a host of resources for students, teachers, and the general public to use. The North Dakota Studies web site is a collaborative effort of the North Dakota Center for Distance Education, the North Dakota Humanities Council, and Prairie Public Television. We urge you to forward this website information to the social studies teachers in your school. Administrators and teachers will also be able to use the website to order 4th and 8th Grade North Dakota Studies curriculum that is now available.

Catch up on recent news regarding ND CDE and learn what some of our students have been up to this season.
ND CDE Fall Newsletter 2007

Did you know that online learning is the fastest growing segment of education with 2.3 million adults and 700,000 K-12 students taking a course and or completing their degree completely online. Those are amazing numbers. To find out why this type of learning has become so popular, browse the following links!
National Distance Learning Week Fact Sheet
National Distance Learning Week News Release
Is Online Learning Right for You?