UCD Online Students Getting Started Guide 2013/2014
UCD Online Students: Getting Started... 3 Key Links and Dates... 4 Policy and Regulations... 4 UCD Connect... 5 What do I need?... 5 How do I log in to UCD Connect?... 6 UCD Connect Tabs... 7 UCD Connect Single Sign- on Application... 9 Google Apps for Education... 9 Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE)... 9 Blackboard... 10 What do I need?... 10 How do I log on to Blackboard?... 11 Now What?... 12 My lecturer says we are going to use a discussion forum/wiki/blog/virtual classroom...?... 13 UCD Online and Google+... 15 Part 1: Create your UCD Connect Google+ Profile... 15 Part 2: Connect with UCD Online and the UCD Online Students Community... 20 Getting the most out of elearning... 24 Three steps to improved time management:... 24 Step 1: The Big Picture - Semester Schedule... 24 Step 2: Planning your Weekly Schedule... 25 Managing distraction, increasing motivation... 26 Understanding Netiquette... 27
UCD Online Students: Getting Started These pages are designed to guide new students through the processes and services involved in being a UCD Online student. While full and detailed information is provided via http://www.ucd.ie and its subdomains, we have compiled an overview that covers all you need to get started. At this stage you should have received your UCD Connect account details. This information gives you access to the Student Information System (https://sisweb.ucd.ie) where you will register with UCD. All students must register to confirm attendance, provide personal information, register to modules and pay fees. The photo you upload during this process will be used for your UCD student UCard. All students must pay their fees for the coming semester to complete the registration process. For a step-by-step Registration guide and online video tutorials on how to register visit http://www.ucd.ie/students/guides.html. The best place to start is by logging in to your UCD Connect account. UCD Connect is like your online campus. It provides single sign-on access to all your essential UCD services, as well as personalised information tabs that you can customise to suit your needs. Get to know the Blackboard Virtual Learning environment where your online learning will take place and experiment with Google apps (mail, calendar, drive) and circles for our new UCD Online students. Make sure you keep an eye on your UCD Connect email for important updates and announcements. Familiarise yourself with UCD s policies and regulations and schedule your time for the academic semester ahead based on the modules you are taking and UCD key dates.
Key Links and Dates The UCD Student Support webpage contains links to all UCD supports and services: http://www.ucd.ie/students/studentsupport.html The official source for key dates in UCD is: http://www.ucd.ie/students/keydates.htm Policy and Regulations As a registered UCD student it is important to remember that all UCD Regulations and Policies also apply to you and your studies. For a full list of UCD Regulations and Policies you should visit http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/index.html, or http://www.ucd.ie/registry/academicsecretariat/policyd.htm for UCD s Policy directory. In particular, we would like to draw your attention to: UCD Student Code Plagiarism Policy Acceptable Usage Policy for UCD Computer & Network Systems Policy on Dignity and Respect
UCD Connect UCD Connect is a private website that provides access to a range of University services and information. Staff and students can use this facility both on and off campus. Single sign-on to UCD Connect provides you with access to you email, calendar, files, Blackboard (Virtual Learning Environment) and much more. Think of it as your online campus. Visit http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/itsupport/ucdconnect-topic/#d.en.22125 for detailed information about UCD Connect. Here we provide a brief overview for UCD Online students. What do I need? All you need to launch UCD Connect is a browser. UCD Connect is fully compatible with the following browsers (from: http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/itsupport/ucdconnect/howtologintoucdconnect/):
How do I log in to UCD Connect? To log in to your new UCD Connect account you should first visit the UCD webpage at http://www.ucd.ie/. As illustrated below, UCD ask for your permission to store cookies in your browser. This is completely standard practice - cookies are used to make your visits to the website better. Enter your UCD Connect username and password and hit enter or press Log in. If you don t know your log in details email ithelpdesk@ucd.ie or contact the helpdesk by phone on +353 1 716 2700 between 9-5, Monday-Friday (Irish time).
Once you log in successfully you will be on your personal UCD Connect landing page. Take the time to look around and over time you will learn which features/services within UCD Connect matter to you most. UCD Connect Tabs On your UCD Connect landing page you will see a number of tabs. These tabs are designed in such a way that makes it easy for you to find up-to-date information relating to various aspects of your student life with UCD.
The default starting point for students is the Home tab. However, incoming CAO students and new UCD Online students will see a First Year tab as their starting point for the first month of their studies. While the Home tab provides current calendar and email information, announcements and links to important services; the First Year tab guides our newest students through the registration period by providing important links and information relating to module selection, registration and fees. The My Library and IT Services tabs provide you with direct links to support services offered by these UCD units. The Library offer a number of support services for new students including search tools for finding information and tutorials. IT Services provide a technical support helpdesk and resources.
UCD Connect Single Sign-on Application Single sign-on means that when you log in to one platform you gain access to many; just like when you create accounts for web services using your social media or email log in details. UCD Connect supports single sign-on for many services you will come to rely on as a UCD student. Google Apps for Education Your UCD Connect account comes with email, calendar and drive that are powered by Google. By simply clicking on the relevant icon, your UCD Connect email or calendar will open in Google Mail/Calendar in a new window. No further logins are required. You will also find a link to Google Drive on your UCD Connect Homepage. Already use Gmail? Don t worry, it s easy to identify your UCD Connect account as it has the UCD Connect logo at the top. You have 30GB combined storage space with Google Mail and Google Drive. That s more space than you will ever need! You can also access these applications on your smart phone. For more information see http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/itsupport/ucdconnect/studentmail/. Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) While you should consider UCD Connect your online campus, the Blackboard VLE is akin to your online classroom. Blackboard is used extensively by UCD academics in support of diverse modules, as a supplement to face-to-face teaching as well as for online and blended delivery. For online learners, all modules are delivered through a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) such as Blackboard. Each module has its own designated place in Blackboard, where academics and tutors provide you with learning materials, engage in learning activities with you and encourage peer participation in the module discussion forums.
Blackboard Blackboard is a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) used to provide e-learning services to staff and students. It allows lecturers to share course materials, post announcements for students, and run quizzes and surveys. Blackboard also includes a Virtual Classroom facility, discussion forums and various other course tools. Blackboard is used extensively by UCD academics facilitating both blended and fully online learning. There are extensive support resources available for using Blackboard which you can access through UCD IT Services here: http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/itsupport/blackboarde-learning-topic/. Here we provide a getting started guide for new UCD Online students. What do I need? All you need to use Blackboard is a web browser. The following table lists which web browsers are supported for users with Blackboard. Details of supported browsers are kept up to date on the IT Services web site here: http://www.ucd.ie/itservices/itsupport/blackboardelearning/aboutblackboardelearning/supportedbrowsers/
Blackboard Collaborate, a real time web conferencing tool, may be used for the delivery of live online lectures, or to otherwise enhance your online learning experience. In addition to one of the above browsers, Blackboard Collaborate requires you to have an up to date version of Java. You will be prompted to install this when attending your first Blackboard Collaborate session, if required. How do I log on to Blackboard? You can log in directly to Blackboard by visiting http://elearning.ucd.ie and logging in with your UCD Connect username and password. Alternatively, you can take advantage of single sign-on to UCD Connect. Once you have logged in to UCD Connect (via http://www.ucd.ie/) you can access all of UCD s online services, including Blackboard. Look for the Blackboard logo on the top right of your UCD Connect landing page. Once you are logged in to Blackboard you will see an overview of the modules that you are registered to as well as a list of tasks, appointments and tools available for you to access. It is important to note that when you start at UCD, it may take a few days before you are set up in Blackboard. This is because your modules have to be assigned to you before the system grants access.
Now What? Click on a module link to view what materials the academic giving that module has already made available. If there is a module introduction/overview, read it and familiarise yourself with how the module will be delivered over the coming semester. If you haven t already developed a study plan - now is a good time to start! Most modules will have a similar layout. For example, you may find a list of buttons like this on the left hand panel of your module page: This structure is very common for a module delivered by UCD and is informed by UCD Teaching & Learning. Not every module will have the same look/theme, but the order and labels of the buttons, and therefore the module structure, should be similar. The announcements page usually hosts information and deadlines that you must be aware of. If your module has an announcements button make sure you keep an eye on it. The Module Information page provides you with an overview of the module and sets out the lecturer s expectations of you and what you can expect from your lecturer and/or tutor. The Learning Materials page is where your lecturer uploads academic resources such as lecture materials, links to external resources, and media related to the course. While campus based learning materials are often organised by week (e.g., weeks 1-12 in a 12 week
semester), academics delivering online modules are mostly moving towards a topic based breakdown, encouraging students to study at their own pace rather than stages of the semester. Assessments may be 100% continuous (spread over the semester), 100% end of module exam (during the scheduled exam period), or somewhere in between. If assessments are continuous and online, you will most likely find them on the Assessments page. Module Tools, including Discussions, are used to enhance your online learning experience through engagement with your peers and academic supports, using both synchronous and asynchronous means. My lecturer says we are going to use a discussion forum/wiki/blog/virtual classroom...? One of the exciting things about online learning is the modern learning tools and techniques you become accustomed to. Online learners may not have regular face-to-face interactions with their lecturer but they are supported through various other means. Discussion forums, wikis, blogs and virtual classrooms are just some examples of tools that may be used to enhance your online learning experience. Some modules place more emphasis on some tools than others. This varies depending on the learning outcomes defined by the lecturer and the teaching methods, or pedagogy, applied to the delivery of the module. Discussion forums make up for not being able to ask your lecturer a question at the end of a lecture, ask a question during a tutorial, or engage with your classmates during a lecture. Forums also support peer engagement and learning meaning you and your classmates will benefit from each other s support and camaraderie. Blogs are a great tool for reflection allowing lecturers and TA s to get to know each students perspective on module topics. Students who blog regularly for the duration of a module can expect to see the evolution of their own thoughts and ideas around the topic of interest. Peer blog reviews can encourage healthy academic debate and discussions further enhancing the learning experience of all participants. Wikis facilitate group work, whether it is synchronous or asynchronous. Each member of a group has access to the same wiki and edits made by one member, which are reflected in real time to others. Wikipedia is a well known example of a single document developed and maintained by many. Virtual Classrooms can be used to provide real time lectures, tutorials and meetings for both online and blended teaching scenarios. They can be customised by the lecturer to replicate a traditional lecture where students watch/listen to the academic in real time and can raise their
hand to ask questions in real time. Tutorials and practical work/demonstrations can be facilitated through web/document/application sharing features as well as group whiteboards, which allow collaboration.
UCD Online and Google+ Connect with the UCD Online Student Community through your social campus University College Dublin has recently made the 'big switch' to Google Apps for Education as a cloud service provider for applications including mail, calendar, docs and now, Google+. UCD Online students are among the first in UCD to have Google+ enabled for their UCD Connect account. It is our hope for Google+ to facilitate the development of social relationships between you and your online classmates. During this first year of UCD Online, we will explore how G+ can best support your UCD Online social experiences and evolve our use of G+ based on experience and feedback from the UCD Online community. All students who are part of the five UCD Online pilot courses have Google+ activated for their UCD Connect account. If you see +you at the top left of your page when viewing email through Gmail, this means G+ is activated for you, but (because it says you rather than your name) that you have not yet created your G+ profile. UCD students are advised to familiarise themselves with the following University policies and their applications to social media: Student Disciplinary Code Policy on Dignity and Respect Acceptable Usage Policy for UCD Computer & Network Systems Part 1: Create your UCD Connect Google+ Profile When you log in to UCD Connect, then click on the mail icon (on the top right of your UCD Connect homepage), you will be brought to Gmail. +You at the top left of the page is your link to your UCD Google+ profile.
Click on +you to be brought to the Google+ setup page as below. Some of your information will likely be filled in for you, as in the example below. Fill in the remaining pieces of information and click upgrade. The following page gives you an opportunity to add people you know. Don t worry if you can t find your new classmates here, you will be able to find them through the UCD Online Student Community later on. Click add beside the people you wish to follow and choose which circles to place them in. For example, you could have separate circles for family, friends, work colleagues and classmates. Other G+ users will never know which circles you added them to. Scroll down to find other options for connecting with people on G+.
When you press continue, the next page offers a starting point for you to find people and pages that may be of interest to you. If any of the suggestions seem like your kind of thing, simply click follow and their updates will be included in your personal G+ stream.
Now you are ready to start filling in your UCD Google+ profile. Below is an example of how a profile appears partially auto filled by Google. Fill in your details, add a photo and click continue.
You will now see your brand new Google+ profile as below. If you are unfamiliar with Google+, follow the tutorial by clicking see what s new. You can stay connected with UCD on the go by downloading the G+ app for your smart phone or tablet. Continue following this guide to find and follow your UCD Online classmates and community.
Part 2: Connect with UCD Online and the UCD Online Students Community Now that you have created your profile on Google+, you are ready to begin connecting with the UCD Community and your new classmates! Students in the following courses will be automatically invited to join the UCD Online community: MSc/Dip/Cert Environmental Sustainability (Negotiated Learning) MSc Food, Nutrition & Health Dip Data Analytics Dip Education Studies (Leadership) Dip Architecture Any other online students who wish to access the UCD Online community should enquire by email to online@ucd.ie or send a message to us on G+. The email you receive, inviting you to join the UCD Online Students community looks like this:
Click on the Preview Community button in the email to be brought to a screen like this:
As indicated on this screen, the UCD Online community is a private one and only people who have received an invitation may join it. This means you have a social space that is exclusive to UCD Online students. You know that all participants in this Community are connected to you through studying with UCD and that your posts within this community will not be visible to anyone other than community members. Click the red Accept Invitation button to continue.
Congratulations! You are now part of the exclusive UCD Online Students Community. Introduce yourself by posting an update and feel free to share a photo, video or link to your personal website so that your classmates can get to know you better. Take a look at the different categories that have been defined for the Community. There is one for each of the five UCD Online pilot courses. Post a message within your course category so you can be sure that your classmates see it. There are plenty of other pages and communities on G+ that are topic focussed. Such communities or pages are a great resource for students who are interested in engaging with people in their field of study. Explore them for yourself and if you find something good make sure to let your classmates know.
Getting the most out of elearning Much of the information that follows was adapted from guidance and advice provided by UCD Student Advisors. For more information about Student Advisors in UCD see http://www.ucd.ie/studentadvisers. Online learners are required to be independent, motivated and self-disciplined. The key to achieving these requirements is to plan your time effectively and to manage any potential distractions. Three steps to improved time management: University life is busy; especially for the online learner who also has additional demands on their time. If you don t plan and organise how you use your time, the weeks can slip by before you realise the amount of work that you need to complete. It is important to try to make the best use of your time and get the right balance between the activities/commitments that are important to you. Using the following three steps you will be able to create a schedule to help you achieve this balance: Step 1: The Big Picture - Semester Schedule Record all your assessments, e.g. assignment due dates, MCQ dates and the exam period. This lets you know when you are likely to have high academic demands and when you will have more flexibility. Record all online and on-campus requirements, e.g. the exam period, campus based workshops for blended learning modules. This lets you know when you have demands on where you need to be at a particular time. Record your co-curricular activities, e.g. sports training, social/virtual meetups, weekends away and work hours. This will give you a more accurate picture of how full or open your schedule will be throughout the semester. Review and update your semester schedule regularly to take account of any changes or additions to due dates or planned activities. Keeping an accurate semester schedule facilitates the next step of the process; assessing and planning your weekly workload.
Step 2: Planning your Weekly Schedule Make a list of what you have to accomplish for the coming week including class assignments and class attendance. Everything takes time whether it is reading a chapter, working out a problem or writing an outline for a project. List your co-curricular activities. Include exercise, meals, time with friends and work hours. Preparing dinner and cleaning up afterwards can take as much time as reading a chapter or attending an online discussion. Review and update. Review your previous week s schedule to see if there is anything you need to bring forward to this week. Update your schedule during the week if you need to take account of unexpected events or other factors that affect your time. Estimate how long each task will take. To use your time effectively this is an essential, but overlooked step in the scheduling process. Be conservative with time estimates if you don t know how long something will take. If you finish early you can use the time to do other things you like, but if you haven t allocated enough time you will have to take time away from another task. Identify the day on which you will accomplish each task keeping in mind the amount of time the task will take and other things you must also do that day. This will facilitate the next step of the process; making a daily schedule. Use this type of grid for your weekly schedule. Use different colours for the different activities, e.g. blue - UCD related work, red - social activities green - work hours, orange - regular day-today activities. 7-8am Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Step 3: Daily Organiser Plan each day. Write out a daily schedule each morning or the night before. Use your weekly schedule to identify and set priorities and goals for yourself and try to achieve them. Carry the schedule with you so you can refer to it as needed and mark items as completed when appropriate - providing you with a sense of accomplishment for meeting your goals. Assess your priorities. Some activities must be done on a particular day, while others might be optional for that day. You can use the A, B, C system of prioritising your tasks. A = must be done that day, B = important but not as important as A s, and C = optional. Try to accomplish all your A tasks before moving on to the B tasks and then the C tasks.
Check if your schedule is realistic. Given the amount of time for each task, is the schedule realistic? If not, remove some of the C and then B priority items to make the schedule more manageable. Did you accomplish everything on your list? If not, why not? Was your schedule unrealistic or was your time management ineffective? What adjustments can you make to allow your schedule to work better? Ineffective time management - all time can be useful. Identify your main time wasting habits e.g. watching TV, social media, mobile phone. When you are aware of them you will be able to take control of them. Reward yourself when you get things done as planned, especially the important ones. Managing distraction, increasing motivation First, you need to identify what distracts you. Is it: Too many things to do - don t know where to start? Nothing specific planned to study? Too tired? Interruptions - friends/family/tv? Personal problems - can t block them out? Thinking about other things? Keep a record of those things you set out to achieve but didn t, and list the reasons. Review them after a week and resolve to make changes. Think about re-designing your work environment to make it less distracting. Clear up your desk, ensure you have good lighting, fresh air and you have a place to keep your daily schedule in sight. Set goals and reward yourself for meeting them. Use the SMART model for setting goals: Specific: e.g. Pick a specific topic to study within a timeframe. Measurable: Develop a way to track your progress. Action related: The steps to take to achieve the specific goal. Realistic: Is your goal feasible given the time allocated and the nature of the task? Time based: Allocate the time you are going to need to do the task.
Understanding Netiquette Netiquette, or network etiquette, is the rules/guidelines for appropriate behaviour and interactions in an online environment. Just like when you visit a new place, you are expected to adapt to the culture and expectations of those around you; the same should be considered for online environments. Your online environments are any websites or web services that you contribute to, or where you interact with other users of the service, or members of the online community. For example, your UCD e-learning environment, forums and email account are all online environments. Not understanding different social protocols, or netiquette in online environments, can lead to unintentionally causing offence or misrepresenting your own, or others, intentions. The social protocol of an online environment is different to that of different places or cultures because the face-to-face element is missing. It is important to bear your audience in mind before you submit contributions online. Email will be relatively private in that you know precisely who you are communicating with. Forums in UCD Online s e-learning environments are visible to the group of students/academics involved with the particular module/course related to that forum. If not a private communication you do not know who is reading your online contributions. The person reading your contribution cannot see your facial expression or body language. They cannot hear your tone of voice or laughter. This means that compensations need to be made in order to ensure that your intentions and feelings are clearly understood. UCD Online s Netiquette Guidelines aim to help you understand how to communicate effectively in online environments. While every situation cannot be accounted for in these Guidelines it is hoped that they cover enough, in simple terms, to allow you to determine the appropriate behaviour for any online interactions or contributions you may make. 1. In online environments typing in ALL CAPS is considered as shouting and comes across as aggressive and, therefore, should be avoided. Typing in all lower case can be hard to read. Try to use normal capitalization. 2. If you want to emphasize a word or phrase consider using bold, italics, or *asterisks* instead of CAPS. 3. Lengthy text that is not broken up can be hard to read. Try to make your contributions easier to read by writing short and concise paragraphs. 4. Intention, humour, sarcasm, feeling can be lost in plain text. Emoticons can help you to express yourself in an online environment, e.g. thanks a lot :)
5. Respect the level of privacy of your online environment. Don t broadcast private emails on a forum and equally don t broadcast your classmates forum posts on social networks. 6. Debates in online forums/discussion groups are good but avoid making it personal. If you are challenging something make sure you communicate that it is the topic of conversation you are challenging rather than the person who has shared their thoughts. Constructive criticisms of a theory or opinion should always be backed up. 7. In discussion based interactions, try to keep your contributions relevant to the topic of the discussion thread or forum, as broad or as specific as that topic may be. 8. Remember that when contributing or interacting with others online you are not anonymous. Further, your online audience, be it one person or a group are people, and you should be considerate of them in making your contributions.