If you are reading this blog, you are probably a member of the Early College Online Program that takes place in the school library/study hall at WA. Getting a head start on your college education will not only make you better prepared for your future college experience but it will also save you money! I am sharing the information below to help you -- not to scare you, so please be mindful to the information provided below.
Student's responsibility: 1. Be an independent worker! A student should be logging into his/her course(s) everyday to work on assignments and to check for any updates. 2. Check your university email regularly for information regarding your course. 3. Record your username and password in a safe place in case you need to retrieve it later on. If you change your username and password, please inform Mrs. Porter. 4. Stay on task & meet course deadlines...when assignments are due, they really are due on that date. *Very few instructors will take late work, and if they do, most likely, it will be with a severe grade deduction. *Do NOT ever ask a professor for extra credit if you have not completed all assignments/quizzes/tests/projects on time. A professor probably will not respond to such a request, and if the professor does, it will not be pleasant :) *If you are sick or have another issue that may prevent you from meeting a deadline, contact your instructor prior to the due date rather than after you missed an assignment due date. 5. When problems or conflicts arise (including with Blackboard or Canvas not working properly or with a grade that you received), communicate with your course instructor through email/phone...Do NOT procrastinate! 6. If you are having a problem with your class or because an instructor is not responding, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Porter/Mr. Lynch immediately. 7. Students receive dual credit for online college courses. Students should be working on the college course assignments during the assigned periods in the library/study hall. It is NOT a study hall for the use of other courses and attendance is essential to the success of each course taken by a student at WA. Periodically, exceptions may be made to this rule; however, only with Mrs. Porter's/Mr. Lynch's approval. Mrs. Porter's/Mr. Lynch's responsibility: 8. Provide guidance/troubleshoot for students as they progress through their online courses. 9. Mrs. Porter and Mr. Lynch are NOT tutors for your course work; however, they will provide you with assistance or make suggestions as to where you may receive extra help whenever possible. Your course instructor should always be your first line of help. 10. Mrs. Porter/Mr. Lynch will conference with students on a regular basis regarding grades and progress. If Mrs. Porter/Mr. Lynch does not believe that a student will be successful in a course, they will discuss it with the student and refer the student to the Guidance Office to see if the course may be dropped. Dropping a college course is subject to the college's deadlines for dropping courses. Be mindful of these dates. If a course is dropped past the refund dates, the student is still responsible for fees and the cost of the textbook. Please note, if a student withdraws from a course past the withdraw deadline, then a "W" will be on the college transcript for the course. Syllabus (Print or save a copy on the desktop of your computer): 11. Please refer to your syllabus often. A syllabus will include course requirements and expectations along with due dates for homework, quizzes, exams, and projects. Also, how you will be graded and contact information for your instructor can be found in the syllabus. *Please note: Guidelines & instructions for projects, discussion board posts, etc. may be provided in the syllabus. Professors expect students to be familiar with the syllabus; therefore, guidelines may not be provided again through weekly announcements. Purchasing Course Textbooks & Materials: 12. Information regarding purchasing textbooks & materials can be located in the course syllabus and/or through the university's bookstore (usually more expensive) using the course number, purchased through Amazon or from a past student. When possible, it is recommended to purchase used or rented textbooks and materials as it is much cheaper. Rentals must be returned at the end of the semester to Amazon. WA is not responsible for the returning of textbooks. Conducting Research: 13. Please remember to check your syllabus regarding the types of resources required (Are Googled sources okay? if so, what types?, library databases, peer-reviewed, dates, etc.) for research. In addition, the type of formatting (MLA/APA) required for writing papers should be located in the syllabus; otherwise, contact your teacher...never assume! Citefast is a great resource for citing sources and provides both APA & MLA for free! Plagiarism & Cheating: 14. The use of digital resources makes it extremely easy to detect plagiarism or cheating. This may carry a heavy penalty including failure of the the course. Remember to cite your sources in all written work and make sure it is clear what you are allowed to do when testing...for example: Open book/Open notes/Google or no assistance at all; Does my exam need to be proctored? If so, please let Mrs. Porter/Mr. Lynch know so that arrangements can be made. Testing: 15. Be prepared for exams and quizzes. Some instructors will allow for multiple chances on a quiz but rarely will instructors allow students to do this on an exam to obtain a higher grade. Use this opportunity to your advantage. Go back and review the quizzes before taking the exam. Find the answers to the questions that you got wrong. Ask your professor for assistance if you cannot figure it out on your own. Often these same types of questions will be on the exam. *Make sure you read your syllabus and any instructions regarding exams and quizzes prior to the testing. Unlike most high school courses, online exams and even some quizzes are timed. Some exams will allow you to open and close the exam multiple times before the deadline but others will not. Make sure you know the limitations of the exam prior to starting the exam. If you are unsure, contact your professor prior to the exam. *When a professor says you may use your book/notes, do NOT think that you do NOT have to study. If 60 minutes are allowed for the exam duration, Blackboard or Canvas will shut the test down. This means that any unfinished questions will be marked as incorrect and points will be deducted from your grade! You will be required to work quickly. You probably won't have time to look up all your answers. *Remember college level testing requires critical thinking and application of ideas. Memorizing terms will not be enough to get you the grade you want. You will need to know how to apply terminology to scenarios and essay questions will be multifaceted. You will be expected to use correct grammar and punctuation as well as use evidence to support your thoughts and ideas. Essays require a minimum of five paragraphs (basic level essay, not necessarily college level work) including but not limited to an introduction with a thesis statement and a conclusion. If the professor has provided a rubric for the essay/project or has requested specific questions or content to be covered, make sure you use this as a checklist for completing the assignment. *On another note...if Blackboard or Canvas shuts down in the middle of an exam before the time is up, IMMEDIATELY send an email to your instructor explaining what happened, contact Blackboard or Canvas system manager (see syllabus or Bb), and let Mrs. Porter/Mr. Lynch know as well. *Furthermore, often the syllabus will provide you with dates as to when you will have your exams, quizzes, and other assignment due dates. It is my recommendation to start studying at least one week prior to the exam. Time management is critical to becoming a successful college student. At the college level, exams may cover 4-7 chapters at a time. Studying the night before will not be enough time to prepare and be successful for an exam of this type. Contact your professor if you need information clarified or refer to outside resources such as Khan Academy or YouTube. YouTube if often a college student's best friend! :) Discussion Board Posts: 16. Please make sure you know the criteria for discussion board posts. This is how a professor makes sure you are doing the reading, and it will be part of your final grade. For example, your professor may require you to respond to a question or an article with a substantial post and then respond to the posts of two of your classmate's posts in order to receive full credit for the week. Simply stating whether you agree or like what someone wrote is not enough to gain full credit for your weekly participation. Students are expected to be respectful in their responses and to use correct grammar and punctuation. Communicating with a professor: 17. Use your university email/identify your course number/name in subject line. Please remember to use proper etiquette when conversing with your professor. When using email to contact your professor, address him/her by Dr. (Jones) or Professor (Jones). Please remember to write in complete sentences using correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Do not use slang! Be polite and don't forget to finish your email with a "Thank you" and sign your full name. Again, it also helps to identify your course name in the subject line; otherwise, your email may end up in your professor's junk mail. If you need assistance formulating an email to your professor, please to not hesitate to contact us. Students may also contact professors through phone contact. See your syllabus for office hours and contact and information. Calendar Year: 18. Remember, the WA yearly calendar is different from a college calendar. School vacations are often not the same as WA's vacations/days off. Please pay close attention to deadlines because course work and exams may be due during during WA's school vacations. It is our recommendation to input all due dates for major assignments and testing into your google calendar. MaineStreet: 19. Students are responsible for paying for books & materials for courses as well as all fees even if a student drops a course. Please check MaineStreet Portal for bills. Bills may be paid online through the university portal. WA is not responsible for billing. Please check with the university for any outstanding bills. Final grades can be located here as well. MyUMainePortal: https://umaine.edu/portal/
Mrs. Porter MaineStreet Portal: Forwarding Email to School Email account; Text messaging (school cancellations, contacting teachers, etc.) UMS Account Management: lost or changing password, activating your account, etc. UMFK Portal UMFK Academic Calendar UMFK Rural U Orientation Introduction UMFK Textbook Ordering UMFK Navigating Blackboard UMFK Navigating Your Course in Blackboard UMFK Submitting an Assignment in Blackboard UMFK Viewing your Grades in Blackboard UMFK Email Management UMFK Composing an Email UMFK Using your Email Account UMFK Library One Search Overview - Accessing Articles UMFK Library Anatomy of a Record in One Search UMFK Library One Search Facets and Filters UMFK Library Finding more Filters in One Search UMFK Library Understanding Peer Reviewed Materials UMaine Portal: Blackboard, Library, Email, & Mainestreet UMaine Academic Calendar UMA: add/drop schedule UMA Academic Calendar Husson University Student Portal Husson University Academic Calendar Husson U Canvas Log In Husson U Gmail Husson Canvas Tutorial 1 Husson Canvas Tutorial 2 Husson Submitting an Assignment in Canvas Husson Checking your grades in Canvas UM of Southern Maine UM Presque Isle UMM Portal UMM Add Drop Procedures UMM Academic Calendar USM Academic Calendar |
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