TIPS FOR ONLINE LEARNERS

Congratulations!  You have chosen to enroll in an online course at JSU!

Tips for Successful Online Learning

• Take time prior to the first class session to review all the help files available within Canvas, e-book, i-book, or other online content.
• Spend time navigating through the online course and becoming familiar with the links and information formats.
• Manage your time. You will find that time management is crucial to success in an online class. Why?
  • Because it is very easy to spend either far too little time or far too much time on the class. Set designated blocks of time for course work.   Doing this will help you manage and complete course assignments and be interactive in the course.
• Download or print pages for reference and review away from the computer.
• Set priorities and pay close attention to what your instructor says about priorities.
• Ask for help immediately, if you are experiencing technical issue or having challenges with the class environment. Do not spend excessive amounts of  time trying to solve a problem; simply email the (1) Help Desk at oithelpdesk@jsums.edu, (2) call the PC Support Help Desk at 601.979.2069; or (3) contact the Canvas Help Desk at 1-888-578-5483.

Communication

• Communicate often with your instructor and classmates.  Remember, neither you nor your instructor will have the verbal cues that you get in the physical or face-to-face classroom. Your teacher will know if you are having trouble if you do not tell them.  Words on the screen help the instructor “see” you much more clearly. The teaching style used in online courses may be different from the traditional college model.   Post questions to the discussion board; a classmate may have a solution to your issue.
• Taking a class online means you will not be sitting quietly in the classroom; participation is essential for everyone involved.   You are responsible for initiating contact and for being persistent when you do not understand something.

Using your Computer

It is very important that you have prior experience using a computer before taking an online course. Keyboarding skills are critical for your success and experience with word processing, email, and Web browsing are essential.

Required skills:

• Accessing your Internet service provider account
• Composing, sending and reading email messages
• Attaching files to an email message
• Reading and saving attached files from an email message
• Using your Web browser to view, navigate, and mark Web sites for later viewing
• Creating a document using a word processor
• Saving and retrieving files to and from your hard drive

Academic Honesty

Jackson State University expects and insists that students are honest in their efforts to obtain an education at the University.  Any student found to be dishonest in acquiring, using or reporting information, or in any other manner that violates established academic codes of conduct will face a stiff penalty for the assignment/requirement in question.

Students must be honest in all their endeavors of academic matriculation at Jackson State University. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other act of academic dishonesty is not tolerated. In cases where evidence is sufficient to establish that a student cheated or was otherwise dishonest in completing a test, paper, report, etc., the penalty will range from repeating the assignment to expulsion from the University.

Online instructors may require that students engage a proctoring service which will verify student identity while testing.  The service typically requires a secure log-in with picture identification and the use of a webcam. Instructors may also use SafeAssign, a tool that helps students properly attribute sources and deters plagiarism.

ADA Statement

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and ADA Coordinator (as early as possible in the course).  Their office hours are: 8:00 a. m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The telephone number is (601) 979-3704 or (601) 979-6919 (TTY) and the facsimile number is (601) 979-6918. The mailing address is: Office of Support Services for Students and Employees with Disabilities, P.O. Box 17156, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217.