Before we begin our semester of study together, it is important that you review all of the material on the course orientation pages (there are several) and on our course syllabus. These resources will help prepare you to be successful in this course, particularly if you have never taken an online course before. Please make sure that you carefully go through each item listed on the right-hand-side.
The following is an overview of the activities you are expected to complete for the Course Orientation. Detailed directions are located within this orientation. (You may want to print this page to serve as a checklist as you go along.)
If you have any questions, please post them to our Help Discussion Forum (not email), located in Canvas. I will check that discussion forum daily to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.
On the following pages, you will find important information about the course structure, requirements, scheduling, and technical requirements and assistance—all of which you'll need to know in order to pass the course. Remember, you are also responsible for the information located on the course syllabus. Use the links on the right at the top of this page to continue with the orientation.
This course will be conducted entirely online. There are no set class meeting times, but you will be required to complete weekly assignments. Registered students in this course will need to navigate between several environments. These include:
The instructional materials in this site include lessons, plus the Orientation. Each lesson contains an introduction, reading assignments, links, assessments, etc.
Canvas is the learning management system currently being used by Penn State University. In Canvas, registered students may consult course calendars; communicate with instructors, teaching assistants, and fellow students; submit assignments; receive feedback from the instructor and teaching assistant; take online quizzes and surveys; and check assignment scores and course grades. A link to Canvas appears on every page.
Following is information about Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS). In Canvas, registered students may consult course calendars; communicate with instructors, teaching assistants, and fellow students; submit assignments; receive feedback from the instructor and teaching assistant; take online quizzes and surveys; and check assignment scores and course grades. A link to Canvas appears on every page.
If you are new to Canvas, it is strongly recommended that you complete the PSU: Canvas Student Orientation [2].
You may also want to review the Canvas Student Guide [3] to acclimate yourself further, and watch the following video:
200 - Canvas Overview for Students [4] from Canvas LMS [5] on Vimeo [6].
In this video, you will learn about your Canvas Dashboard and Global Navigation links. You’ll also learn about navigating a course and accessing assignments.
When you log in to Canvas, the first thing you see is the Dashboard. It provides a high-level overview of your current courses. You may be able to select from three different viewing options.
Card View displays a course card for each of your favorite courses. Each card can include clickable icons for Assignments, Announcements, Discussions, and Files.
List View displays all course To Do items in an agenda view to help you easily manage tasks across all of your courses. List View opens to the current date. You can scroll up and down on the page to view past or future items.
The last dashboard view is Recent Activity, which displays a stream of recent notifications from all your courses, including announcements, conversations, assignments, discussions, and peer reviews.
Canvas displays a Global Navigation menu that gives you direct access to your courses and other areas of Canvas.
From the Account link, you can modify your user settings, specify your notification preferences, upload personal files, manage ePortfolios, and log out of Canvas.
Click the Dashboard link to return to the Canvas Dashboard at any time.
Click the Courses link to quickly access your favorite courses and to view a list of all your courses.
Click the Groups link to access any current groups in which you are enrolled or to view a list of all your groups.
Click the Calendar link to view your personal calendar and course calendars.
Click the Inbox link to view and send conversations to your instructors and peers within Canvas.
And finally, click the Help link to access help resources for your institution.
Now let’s take a look at the Course interface. Click the Courses link and then click the name of the course you want to visit. Canvas automatically opens courses to the course home page set by your instructor. The course interface consists of four main components. Course content displays in the Content Area. You can use the Course Navigation links, breadcrumb navigation, or the Sidebar to navigate to different areas of the course.
The course home page sidebar includes a To Do list displaying items that you need to do in your course. You can click any assignment name to view the assignment, and to submit the assignment click the Submit Assignment button. Return to the course home page by clicking the Home link in Course Navigation or the course name in breadcrumb navigation.
If your course includes student groups, you can view a list of your groups in Course Groups. Click the group name to view the group homepage.
You can view recent assignment feedback in Recent Feedback. Click the assignment name and view feedback in the Submission Details page.
You may be able to view your course grades by clicking the Grades link in Course Navigation. You can also access the course grades page from the Course Card and Recent Activity dashboard. Click the View Grades button and click the course name. The Grades page displays your current course grade and a clickable list of all the course’s graded assignments and assignment details.
You've now completed this Canvas Overview Video for Students. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, please visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.
The Canvas Help Center provides extensive, up-to-date documentation [7] on making sure your computer is configured properly for Canvas. Failure to follow these recommendations may result in significant issues while viewing materials, taking assessments, and using drop boxes. Use of unsupported browsers is at your own risk.
Before you begin working through the course content, you need to make sure the computer you are using is configured properly for the multimedia that you will encounter. Below are specifications and tests to help make sure everything is in working order.
For this course, we recommend the minimum technical requirements outlined on the World Campus Technical Requirements [8] page, including the requirements listed for same-time, synchronous communications.
Access to a reliable Internet connection is required for this course. A problem with your Internet access may not be used as an excuse for late, missing, or incomplete coursework. If you experience problems with your Internet connection while working on this course, it is your responsibility to find an alternative Internet access point, such as a public library or Wi-Fi ® hotspot.
This site is considered a secure website, which means that your connection is encrypted. We do however link to content that isn't necessarily encrypted. This is called mixed content. By default, mixed content is blocked in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. This may result in a blank page or a message saying that only secure content is displayed. Follow the directions below to view the mixed content.
We have YouTube video material in many of the lessons in this course. Chances are pretty good that you already use a Web browser that is configured to view YouTube videos, but to be safe, here is a "test" file that you should try out now to make sure you won't have problems later in the course. If this video (2:30) runs smoothly for you, then you're ready to go. If you can't get the video to play on your computer, then please refer to the steps at the bottom of this page to troubleshoot your problem.
Dr. David Lee (Associate Professor of Special Education): World Campus brings all the expertise that Penn State can bring to bear, and all the technology that Penn State could bring to the table, and puts it in one package for students.
Dr. Jeffrey Pinto (Lead Faculty, Project Management): You have a world-class University offering a world-class degree and that speaks for itself.
Alicia Swaggerty (Instructional Designer): We are continuously researching teaching, learning, design and technology, to bring the best possible online classroom to our students.
Dr. Craig Weidemann (Vice President, Outreach): We have a lot of faculty that are really finding what's happening, as far as trends in their fields, coming to the world campus for developing programs, that are really providing people with the skill sets to make them more marketable in today's economy.
Alicia Swaggerty: There's many tools that we can use to offer our students the flexibility, the anytime anywhere. We have students from all ends of the world. We strive to enable them. They're working adults. They have families . We want to make sure they're comfortable in online classroom.
Outside the classroom we offer Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and our World Campus blog, to bring that social presence to our students, so they feel part of the Penn State community. And in inside the classroom, we go into different tools so you are in constant contact with your faculty, your instructor, and your fellow classmates.
Alicia Swaggerty: Illuminate Live is a videoconferencing system. Illuminate Live is nice where you can have a whiteboard, so you can bring your assignment inside the classroom.
Background: The object is going to strike the ground six seconds after launch.
Alicia Swaggerty: We don't want our students to stumble with technology, have any frustration with technology. We want that to be as transparent as possible for our students. We want them to have fun with the learning part and concentrate on the material, on the assignments.
Barb Weber (Student, Special Education Program): The faculty are wonderful. They support the student 100% of the way. I think they make themselves extraordinarily accessible.
William Wells (Student, Psychology): All the professors very easy to communicate with. They have posted office times where you can call them and get them on the phone. You can email them. You can communicate with them within the course itself. So there's many different avenues to communicate with the professors.
Dana Aldrich (Student, Project Management Program): It's very interactive and it's a great learning experience.
Request Help. If you still have not had any success, then it is time for you to contact the HelpDesk. University Park or Commonwealth Campus students should contact the IT Service Desk [9], and World Campus students should contact the Outreach Helpdesk [10]. It is in your own best interest to be as specific as you possibly can. Vague descriptions of a problem only delay assistance. Try to include information such as:
Your Canvas Profile and User Settings let you control your personal information in Canvas. Take a few minutes to personalize your Canvas profile and set your Notification Preferences, by following the instructions below.
Task | Instructions |
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Personalize your Canvas Profile |
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If you use PSU OneID |
Students who are enrolled with OneID will not receive emails automatically from Canvas due to not having PSU email access. We advise that students set up a personal email address for notifications.
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Set your notification preferences |
You have the option to select how, when, and for what information you would like to receive notifications. This can be very helpful when keeping track of items such as discussion posts, assignment due dates, and exams. Visit Canvas Notification Preference Support [12] and follow the instructions for setting up your notification preferences. The video below this table provides additional information. To ensure that your Canvas e-mail messages forward to your regular e-mail account immediately, check the "Notify me right away" option (the checkmark) for each item under "Conversations" in Notification Preferences. |
Set your timezone |
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Download the Canvas App | For information on using the app by device, please see the following:
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In this video you will learn about Notification Preferences.
To get started, click the Account link in the Global Navigation menu. Then click the Settings link.
To add additional contact information, use the options in the Ways to Contact section.
To add an email, click the Add Email Address link. Enter your email address in the provided field and click the Register Email button. After your email has been registered, you will receive a confirmation email. To complete registration, click the link provided in the email.
To add a mobile number, click the Add Contact Method link. Enter your phone number, carrier and, if applicable, your SMS email. Then click the Register SMS button. You will then be sent a text with a short code. To confirm your phone number, enter the code in Canvas and click the Confirm button.
The Web Services section allows you to link your Canvas account with your existing Twitter, Google Drive, Skype, and LinkedIn accounts. By default, Canvas does not disclose your information to other users within the system unless you give consent.
To change how often you receive notifications, click the Notifications link in the settings navigation menu. Notification preferences are divided into sections including: Course Activities, Discussions, Conversations, Scheduling, Groups, Alerts and Conferences. Contact methods linked to your account will be listed in individual columns. You can set notification preferences for each category and contact method separately.
To change how often you receive notifications, select one of the notification icons. To receive notifications immediately, select the checkmark icon. To receive notifications daily, select the clock icon. To receive notifications weekly, select the calendar icon. To opt out of notifications for a feature, select the X icon. Notification preferences set on this page will apply to all of your courses.
You've now completed this tutorial video on Notification Preferences. For additional information on this or any other topic about Canvas, please visit guides.canvaslms.com. You can also ask questions and engage with other Canvas users by visiting community.canvaslms.com.
To be sure you are able to access reserve readings and other library resources in this course, visit the library’s Online Students Use of the Library [16] site. This guide outlines all that Penn State libraries offer you as an online student. It is strongly recommended that you watch the Library Orientation Videos [17] and visit the Services for Students [18] page.
If you have questions, just ASK! [19] a librarian! The ASK! page will connect you to librarians in a manner that meets your needs; e-mail, phone, or chat for a quick response.
Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when preparing to be successful in an online course:
You should plan to devote at least the same amount of time to your online courses as you would to attending lectures on campus and completing assignments. Other good study habits, such as attending class (logging on) regularly and taking notes, are just as important in an online course as they are in a lecture hall!
You should plan to devote 10-12 hours per week to completing lesson readings and assignments. Your learning will be most effective when you spread this participation out and engage with the course on a daily basis, if possible.
Take every opportunity to interact with the content, the instructor, and your classmates by completing assignments and participating in discussion forums and group activities!
Keep in sync with what's going on in the course and stay on top of deadlines and upcoming assignments.
Ask for guidance when you are in need of clarification. You can also use the Discussion Forum to ask general questions about the course set-up or content.
The links below will connect you with other resources to help support your successful online learning experience:
This website provides links to many resources on everything from taking notes online to managing your time effectively. Please note that you must be a World Campus student to receive some of the support services mentioned on this website.
As a student, you have access to several resources to help you improve your understanding of the course material or better use technology needed for your courses. This website provides instructions and links for accessing online tutoring, writing help, and assistance with learning technology.
This blog features posts by Penn State staff and students on a wide variety of topics relevant to online learning. Learn from online students and alumni, as well as staff members dedicated to student success, how you can get the most out of your online course experience.
The iStudy online learning tutorials are free and available to all Penn State students. They cover a broad range of topics including online learning readiness, time management, stress management, and statistics - among many others. Check out the extensive list of topics for yourself to see what topics may be of most use to you!
This website provides access to an extensive free online training library, with tutorials on everything from creating presentations to using mobile apps for education. There is a wealth of information here - all provided free of charge to Penn State faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students.
Meaningful interactions among students and instructors are the hallmark of a successful online class. Canvas supports several types of communication, as described below.
In addition, registered students have Penn State e-mail accounts (<Access Account ID>@psu.edu) that they need to monitor for any official communications that come from the University or from the Penn State World Campus.
Please note that this is a comprehensive list of communication tools available in Canvas. This course may or may not utilize all of the options below.
These are messages from your instructor that contain important information. Current announcements can be accessed through the Announcements link in Canvas. Announcements may highlight assignment due dates (also published in the course Calendar), lesson recaps, a preview of an upcoming lesson and other essential course information.
Conversations are the equivalent of e-mail in Canvas. It's great to use for a quick e-mail to another student, instructor, or a whole team. Keep in mind that the text editor is very minimal, and does not have much formatting capability. Please use course conversations only for private messages to instructors or fellow students.
Discussions allow students to interact with the instructor and other classmates. Threaded discussions allow multiple posts and replies. New posts appear in the Course Activity Stream page, so you will know when something has been posted.
Conferences allow instructors or student Groups to host synchronous meetings online. Canvas integrates with BigBlueButton, a conferencing tool similar to Adobe Connect. Recordings made in BigBlueButton are available for a period of only two weeks after creation.
Whenever you post a message in a forum or send course mail, please title every message with a descriptive subject line. Subject lines that include the gist of a question or comment increase the chances that students and instructors can retrieve the messages we're looking for. Poor subject lines, such as "Question" or "Lesson 1," are not very useful as search keywords. When replying to a prior message, consider whether or not the subject line should be altered to indicate the content of your reply!
Occasionally, the University or the World Campus needs to communicate with students. To do so, they use the @psu.edu e-mail address that each registered student has been given and not Canvas course e-mail.
In addition, a letter, in PDF format, that reports your final course grade will be automatically generated and sent to your @psu.edu e-mail address.
So it is important that you regularly monitor your @psu.edu e-mail account.
Links
[1] https://psu.instructure.com
[2] https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1780857
[3] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121
[4] https://vimeo.com/74677642
[5] https://vimeo.com/canvaslms
[6] https://vimeo.com
[7] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1284
[8] https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/general-technical-requirements
[9] http://itservicedesk.psu.edu/#
[10] http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/technical-support
[11] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1285
[12] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10624-4212710344
[13] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1559
[14] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1666
[15] https://vimeo.com/75514816
[16] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/onlinestudentlibraryguide
[17] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=516093&p=3540088
[18] http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/c.php?g=516093&p=3540332
[19] http://ask.libraries.psu.edu/?stream=8
[20] https://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/academic-support-resources/strategies-to-improve-online-learning
[21] http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/student-services/tutoring-technology-resources
[22] http://studentblog.worldcampus.psu.edu/
[23] http://istudy.psu.edu/
[24] http://lynda.psu.edu/
[25] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121#jive_content_id_Announcements
[26] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1293
[27] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121#jive_content_id_Discussions
[28] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-4121#jive_content_id_Conferences
[29] https://office365.psu.edu/
[30] https://www.work.psu.edu/
[31] https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-1294