ACCESS How do I get access to my classes? First time on-line learners receive a user name and password at the beginning of the student's first term. Students should use these on the On-Line Learning Homepage http://www.ubisonline.ch/ to sign in. Once on the home page, students will see the link(s) to their class(es) and can click on them for access. Returning on-line learners should use the same user name and password on the same On-Line Learning page http://www.ubisonline.ch/ to log in and will see the new class(es) listed in the top right hand corner of their home page. Students only need to click on that link to access their class. When will I get access to my classes? Students should normally have received this information by Monday morning of the first day of the new Module. What should I do if I don't get access? For students who do not receive access, either by not receiving their user name and password if they are new students, or by not receiving the link to the new class on their home page: a) graduate students should notify Administration/Assistant Dean On-Line, Dr. Svetlana Mitereva (smitereva@ubis-geneva.ch ) of the exact problem b) undergraduate students should notify the technical service by email (help@student.potomac.edu) or by phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the Potomac College On-line Technical Support (1-877-442-4837 in the USA); undergraduate students should also notify the Administration/Assistant Dean On-Line, Dr. Svetlana Mitereva (smitereva@ubis-geneva.ch ) of the exact problem. How long will I have access to my classes/courses? Undergraduate & Graduate classes/courses last over an 8-week term. Students should have access from the first Monday of the term until the course closes, usually midweek of the 9th week. After which, when the link is clicked on, a message will appear stating that the course has been closed. Why do my links to old classes remain when I can no longer access them? This is part of the record keeping, and allows you to see at a glance what courses you have already taken. 0
Do I get a new user name and password every term/time I take a new class? No, your user name and password remain valid as long as you stay enrolled with on-line. If you have not taken a course on-line in the previous module, you should still look for your new link through the old user name and password at the beginning of your next on-line course, since it will be reactivated. ASSIGNMENTS What kind of assignments are there? Students are expected to participate in the weekly discussion question as well as submit at least one weekly assignment on time. What other kind of work am I expected to do for my classes/courses? The course syllabus will list the exact assignments, but in general, everything that is in the lesson for the week is expected to be reviewed and understood by the student. This can include but is not exclusive of, reading assignments from the textbook and teacher selected material(s), slide show presentations, on-line videos of course lectures, or other presentations that are to be watched, chat room discussions, etc. How often/when are my assignments due? There are two main assignments on a weekly basis: The Wednesday discussion question and the Sunday submission. There can be more or supplementary assignments such as quizzes, projects, group work, supplementary discussion questions, etc. on top of the main workload. How much time should I expect to spend per day/week on my work? On-line courses are structured to imitate regular classroom but offer added flexibility to the times when a student chooses to study. Therefore, you need to plan on spending a minimum of about 4-6 hours a week doing the necessary reading and preparation work as well as the assignments to be submitted for evaluation. What are the expectations of teachers for discussion questions? Teachers often post their expectations directly on the class chat room or as an announcement/email at the beginning of classes. In general, students are expected to submit at least a 200 word paragraph on the topic as a first submission and then comment appropriately on their classmates submissions, all before the due date (Wednesday midnight, Eastern Standard Time) Graduate students can be expected to submit lengthier, more researched pieces. 1
What are the expectation of teachers concerning weekly assignments? Teachers often post their expectations directly on the class chat room or as an announcement/email at the beginning of classes. In general, students are expected to carefully read the instructions and submit the appropriate work, through Angel on time (by Sunday, midnight, Eastern Standard Time). requires that all research and citation work use the APA format. CLASSES/COURSES How do I access my classes/courses? Once the student has received the user name and password and used them to sign in to the on-line learning site via ECollege, the class/course name should appear in the upper left hand side of the home page. The student can click on this link, which will take the student into the class site itself. The home page has a number of links that take students to the class chat page, grading and reports link, and most importantly, the weekly work assignments. Everything for the first module of the course is immediately available on the page. Students can look through the syllabus, as well as the week's work to see what reading, writing and other assignments are required at which dates and so as to better plan his/her study schedule. Each Monday a new week's lessons will be made available for review and planning the workload. How often a week do I have classes/courses? There are usually no actual classes that have to be attended at any given time during the course, however teachers usually have live office hours during which a student can contact the teacher and receive immediate feedback, and occasionally, teachers will organize conference calls or other important live meetings to cover difficult problems with the class. How long does the class/course last? Undergraduate amd Graduate classes/courses are held over an 8-week module. 2
ECOLLEGE What is ECollege? ECollege is the portal that hosts on-line classes. ECollege is a Webbased course management and collaboration portal that enables educators to manage course materials and to communicate with students. ECollege can function both as a complement to traditional courses and as a site for distance learning. With ECollege, students take surveys, quizzes, and tests; send and receive course mail; post messages to threaded discussions and chat rooms; upload assignments using online drop boxes; and more. Students can check their progress and grades at any time during a course. They can also create groups and teams for project or committee work. What programs does my computer need to have in order to access ECollege properly? In the left hand column on the On-Line Learning Home Page (http://www.ubisonline.ch/ubis/), there is a title called Technical Requirements When you go to that page, you will see a button called Browser Test that check if you have what you need to function properly. Windows Users Windows XP, Vista, or 7 28.8 kbps modem (56K recommended) Soundcard & Speakers Internet Explorer 8.0 Mac OS User Mac OS X or higher (in classic mode) 28.8 kbps modem (56K recommended) Soundcard & Speakers Safari 4.0 2. Screen Resolution We recommend setting your screen resolution to 1024 x 768 pixels. If you currently see a horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of your screen and would like to eliminate this, you can do so by resizing your screen. You need to use one of these browsers: New versions of supported browsers will be tested within 30 days of their public release date. If a browser is not listed below it has not been tested on the online platform or we have identified issues that need to be fixed before we can announce our support. A user risks running into problems with the course software if they choose to use a non supported browser. 3
Windows Users Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0 Microsoft Internet Explorer 8.0 Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 Google Chrome 5.0 and higher Mozilla Firefox 4.0 Mozilla Firefox 3.5 Mozilla Firefox 3.0 1. Mac OS Users 1. Safari 5.0 2. Safari 4.0 3. Safari 3.0 4. Google Chrome 5.0 and higher 5. Mozilla Firefox 4.0 6. Mozilla Firefox 3.5 7. Mozilla Firefox 3.0 You can access your classes on your mobile phone if you meet these requirements: Mobile Sites iphone: ios Safari 3.1.3 and above Android: OS Browser 1.5 and above Windows: OS Browser 7.0 and above Blackberry: OS Browser 5.0 and above webos: OS Browser 1.4.1 and above Symbian: OS Browser 3.0 and above Native Apps Native Apps Android: is 2.1 and above iphone: ios 3.0 and above Windows: Windows Phone 7, 480 800 resolution You can check the Feature Requirements and Additional Information at http://www.ubisonline.ch/ubis/ You must have a dependable computer with a reliable internet connection to take on-line courses 4
GRADING How will I be graded? The grading system is marked in the syllabus of the course and on the page where the grade report can be calculated. In general, grades are allocated for the weekly discussions, weekly assignments and the final project or exam. How can I know my grade on my assignments? After clicking on the class/course link, the student must click on the tab at the top of the page that is marked reporting/grades. This will bring up a new page and the student must select grades. The page will re-figure itself and present in bold all grades to present and in lighter print, all grades to come. By looking at this page, the student can see what is counted towards the final mark. How can I know my average grade for the class I am taking? After clicking on the class/course link, the student must click on the tab at the top of the page that is marked reporting/grades. This will bring up a new page and the student must select grades. The page will re-figure itself and present in bold all grades to present and in lighter print, all grades to come. By looking at this page, the student can see each individual grade for each assignment as well as the total average at that point in time for the class. When will I get my final grade for the class? Final grades are posted on the grade page as soon as all assigned work is submitted and those grades added to the grade book page. These grades are then transferred from Potomac to and added to your transcript. You can consult your transcript at any point in time by requesting it from the registrar: registrar@ubis-geneva.ch What do I do if my final grade at does not correspond to my grade on ECollege? Please be sure to check your official grade with each time you finish a course. Please make sure your official final grade corresponds to your expected grade from the web grade book page. If there is a discrepancy, please notify the registrar registrar@ubisgeneva.ch and the Assistant Dean On-Line, Dr. Svetlana Mitereva (smitereva@ubis-geneva.ch ). immediately. Please indicate the grade expected (providing a screen shot is very helpful) and the grade received. 5
POTOMAC COLLEGE Why do I get emails from Potomac College and not from concerning my user name, password and technical service? Potomac College hosts the undergraduate on-line courses and therefore offers the same services and care to students as to its own students, without differentiation. This enables undergraduate students who are studying for their double degree, which includes a business degree from Potomac to achieve both degrees as well as offering quality care to students studying on-line. Why do my undergraduate classes have Potomac College all over the place? Potomac College hosts the on-line courses and therefore offers the same services and care to students as to its own students, without differentiation. This also enables undergraduate students who are studying for their double degree, which includes a business degree from Potomac to achieve both degrees as well as offering quality care to students studying on-line. SUBMISSIONS How do I submit my assignments? There are usually a minimum of 2 weekly submissions expected per week: The Discussion Room questions: These can and should be prepared and saved on your computer, for the sake of record keeping, but also in case of any technical glitch when submitting your work; especially as there is a limited amount of time a session stays open. New postings are submitted directly into the discussion as a New Post. Students should click on the button that says New Post with their mouse and then copy and paste their work onto that area before hitting Save The new posting should appear in the list of conversations available on the discussion site with the student's name on it. Students can respond to another student's post by opening the posting, reading it and hitting respond. Again, students should copy and paste their work onto that area before hitting Save. The new response should appear in the list of conversations available on the discussion site with the student's name on it. If it does not appear, the student should resubmit the work until it appears. In a worst case scenario, the student should submit the work directly to the teacher by email through the ECollege mailbox with an explanation as to why it s being submitted this way. The student should also contact technical services to make sure the problem is identified and corrected. 6
Weekly Assessment/Assignments: These can and should be prepared and saved on your computer, for the sake of record keeping, but also in case of any technical glitch when submitting your work; especially as there is a limited amount of time a session stays open. Assignments are submitted directly into the submissions box or as an attachment, with whatever cover letter the student feels necessary for the teacher. The student must be sure to click submit before leaving the page. A message should appear saying the submission has been successful. If it does not appear, the student should resubmit the work until it appears. In a worst case scenario, the student should submit the work directly to the teacher by email through the ECollege mailbox with an explanation as to why it s being submitted this way. The student should also contact technical services to make sure the problem is identified and corrected. SUPPORT How do I get help with my computer problems? Students can notify the technical service in writing by clicking the link marked Contact Us on the left column of the home page (http://www.ubisonline.ch/) and completing the form to describe the exact problem. Students can also contact technical support via e-mail (help@student.potomac.edu) or phone. Students in the US can notify the technical service by phone by calling 1-877-442-4837. This phone service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have Skype, you should be able to call this number by typing in 001-877-442-4837 Students outside of the US can notify the technical service by phone by calling +1(202) 521-1309 If the call is placed between 7 AM - 10 PM weekdays or 8 AM 7 PM weekends (Eastern Standard Time), they should receive a call back within one hour. What can student tech support help with? Student tech support will help students with these to include requests to get or reset their user names and passwords, help accessing the systems, problems once they log in, etc. Students can contact technical support via phone and email. How do I get help with my class/course problems? Students having problems with class/course work should discuss these problems directly with their teacher. 7
What should I do if I have notified my teacher and I haven't gotten a response? Students should remember that teachers are not necessarily located in their home country's time zone, therefore students must give teachers a reasonable amount of time to respond (24-48 hours) If this time period has gone by without a response, students should notify Assistant Dean On- Line, Dr. Svetlana Mitereva (smitereva@ubis-geneva.ch ) of the exact problem TESTING/EVALUATION Are there tests or quizzes on-line? Tests and quizzes will be mentioned on the class syllabus. How do I take tests? No test will require physical presence in the US or Switzerland. All testing can be done on-line and are usually open book exams. How do I find out the answers after I have taken my tests? Some teachers provide the answers, some teachers need to be requested to give the answers. It is usually negotiated between the teacher and students. TEXTBOOKS Will I need a textbook? Yes, each course has a required textbook that students must order and purchase themselves. Textbooks are NOT provided on-line with the course. How do I get my text books? Students are required to purchase their textbooks independently of, however, the registrar does circulate a list of textbooks required for each course, if it is available on-line or only in hard copy and some possible places where it could be ordered/purchased. E-books are available directly on-line after paying a fee by credit card. Hard copy books have to be ordered and delivered. What do I do if my textbook doesn t arrive in time for my class? Be sure to notify your teacher immediately if your textbook is late. Sometimes other students in a class can help with a chapter or two, but students should never expect another student to scan and send an entire book. 8
Do I need a textbook for my on-line class? Yes, each course requires at least one main textbook. How do I know which textbook I need? The normal process at is that about a month prior the start of a new Module, students receive an email from the registrar listing the courses that will be available in the coming module. At the same time, students should receive an email from library@ubisgeneva.ch with the list of required textbooks that will need to be bought in time for the next start date. The best way to be absolutely sure that you buy the right book is to make sure you have the ISBN number of the book and use it to order your book. Students are required to get the LATEST edition of the textbook, and the ISBN will correspond to that edition. If you choose to purchase a used textbook, please remember they should not contain writing inside of them. The exact title, author and edition will also be mentioned on the class syllabus. You can also go to http://www.ecampus.com/schoolfront.asp?a=1030 which is the Potomac College site to see which books are needed for each class. Are my textbooks included in my fees? No, the fees you pay to are strictly related to tuition. It is your responsibility to make sure that you purchase or have access to the required textbook at your own expense. Where can I get my textbook? Students are responsible for procuring their own textbooks for each of their classes. The cost and effort of getting the necessary textbooks for classes is the students responsibility. Textbooks are not available as part of the on-line course and the price of textbooks is not included in tuition fees. There is no book store at, but students do have a number of options to help them get their texts in time for classes. The Registrar will suggest on-line book sites such as Amazon (new books) or Alibris (used books) and publishers' sites where students can buy the books directly. Students should remember mailing delays and purchase their books in a timely manner. 9
How can I get books on-line? The fastest and easiest is to go to http://www.ecampus.com/schoolfront.asp?a=1030 This is a virtual bookstore that we share with our sister school, Potomac College in Washington D.C. in the US. You can locate the textbook you need for your course by selecting the correct session (we call our Modules A, B, C, D, E and F, but they call them Sessions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) and then checking the code of the course you intend to take. Once you click on submit and wait patiently a minute or two, a list of the books available for sale will appear. You will have a choice between new and used textbooks as well as ebooks, which can be viewed on-line over a period of 3-12 months depending on the company. You can then make your selection and pay by credit card. If you prefer to look elsewhere, other on-line book vendors are: http://www.amazon.com/ (US site, and if you are in or near Europe, it will be faster to select a UK site; it takes about 1 month to receive books from the US) http://www.amazon.co.uk/ (UK site and, if you are in or near Europe, will have faster delivery as long as you make sure that you buy from a UK bookseller) http://www.alibris.com/ (US site, and if you are in or near Europe, it will be faster to select a UK site; it takes about 1 month to receive books from the US) http://www.alibris.co.uk/ (UK site and, if you are in or near Europe, will have faster delivery as long as you make sure that you buy from a UK bookseller) All websites will require payment by credit card. Can't just give/sell/lend me my textbook? does not run a bookstore from the campus, so cannot sell or send/lend textbooks to students. 10