Welcome to Online Learning at the University of Phoenix :Welcome to Online Learning at the University of Phoenix This is a Crash Course Presentation in All things “Online” Created and Maintained by J. Westlake, MAEd, MBA


Overview :Overview Various Websites Lingo you need to know The Online Classroom Student Webpage How to be successful as an online student Tip: Print out the slides for this presentation so that you can take notes and reference your notes throughout your program. All screen-shot pictures used in this presentation are under copyright by the University of Phoenix ©2009.


Various Websites :Various Websites University of Phoenix – eCampus Site OLD https://mycampus.phoenix.edu   University of Phoenix – eCampus Site NEW https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/portal/portal/public/login.aspx   Backdoor to University of Phoenix Classrooms http://classroom.phoenix.edu/   Axia College of UOP – eCampus Site OLD https://axiaecampus.phoenix.edu/   Axia College of UOP – eCampus Site NEW https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/Portal/Portal/Public/Login.aspx Backdoor to Axia College of UOP Classrooms https://axiaecampus.phoenix.edu/ Backdoor to University of Phoenix Email https://cas.phoenix.edu/cas/ University of Phoenix – YouTube http://www.youtube.com/universityofphoenix  University of Phoenix – MySpace (Find students and faculty to network with all over the world) http://www.myspace.com/universityofphoenix   University of Phoenix Main Page http://www.phoenix.edu/  Axia College Main Page http://axia.phoenix.edu/


Lingo You Need to Know :Lingo You Need to Know OLS Online Learning System, refers to the classroom (Discussion) DQ Discussion Question Facilitator Your instructor Counselor Academic or enrollment counselor Individual (by an assignment) Means you need to do this assignment all by yourself Team or collaborative (by an assignment) Means that you will complete this assignment either with a team member or collaboratively with one or more classmates Axia UOP’s junior college UOP University of Phoenix Plagiarism Taking someone else’s work, words, or ideas and passing them off as your own (most forms of cheating fall under this category) Failure to cite and/or quote material properly Recycling work that you have done for another course and trying to pass it off for work completed for the course you are currently taking (some instructors have a problem with this, some do not – you should always ask) APA Manual American Psychological Association’s Publication Manual, a required writing resource (buy it online or through the school – this is NOT an eBook and does NOT come with your materials fee!). All of your papers, presentations, and much of your work will follow the APA formatting standards, without the Manual you will be lost.


The Online Classroom :The Online Classroom Overview: Forums Threads Posts and replies Attachments Message Tags Preferences Message formatting Participation vs. Attendance How to check your posts UOP email account Classroom links you need to know


The Online Classroom: Forums :The Online Classroom: Forums Main is where your DQs are posted and the ONLY place you can earn participation points. Announcements are also often posted here. ONLY the instructor begins threads in the Main forum. Chat-Room is where you post your bio, meet your classmates/instructor, and have off-topic conversations. Learning Team forum is where you work with your team to complete team assignments. You are assigned to a learning team by the instructor. Once you have your team assignment, you will go to your assigned forum (i.e. Team B uses Learning Team B forum) Learning Team E has sample team postings (for my classes only) The forum with your name on it is your “Individual forum” this is where you post all of your assignments – as noted in the syllabus (not DQs or participation). Only you and your instructor can see and post in this forum. Tip: A forum is essentially a “room” – each forum is dedicated to specific types of work/conversations.


The Online Classroom: Forums :The Online Classroom: Forums Course Materials is the forum which contains the Course Syllabus, additional course materials, and helpful information regarding the course. Note there is ONLY one source for assignment info in this course and that is the Course Syllabus posted in the Course Materials forum. Supplemental materials for this course are also posted in the Course Materials forum. Sometimes faculty post announcements in the Course Materials forum. Students cannot post in the Course Materials forum.


The Online Classroom: Forums :The Online Classroom: Forums When you see a number next to the forum’s name it represents the number of un-read messages you have in that forum. You cannot tell when someone else has viewed a thread or post, you can only see what you have viewed and not viewed. You do not need to read every post – we will talk about this later in the presentation.


The Online Classroom: Threads :The Online Classroom: Threads Main forum & Course Materials forum – Only the instructor begins threads Students begin threads in the following forums: Individual Chat (for off-topic conversations, not for bios) Team Tip: A thread begins a conversation.


The Online Classroom: Threads :The Online Classroom: Threads To begin a thread: Click on the forum Make sure there is not already a thread for what you want/need to discuss Make sure you are NOT in the Main forum At the top of the screen under the forum name locate the “Post New Thread” link and click A new message window will appear Title your thread appropriately and type in your message; add attachments if you need to, then press “Post Message” Tip: Thread titles, aka subjects, should tell the reader (1) brief overview of content like “assignment for week 3,” (2) if a response is needed (respond by), and (3) when a response is needed (i.e. Wk 3 day 2).


The Online Classroom: Posts & Replies :The Online Classroom: Posts & Replies Most of your work will be placed into the classroom via posts and replies. Posts and replies are indented Posts one level Replies multiple levels Deciding which you want to make Selecting a thread says “here is my original response to the thread’s topic of discussion (like my DQ response) Selecting a post says “let’s have a conversation” (i.e. “wow I like how you explained x because I could understand t, u, and v better.) Starting a thread when there is already one started for a conversation breaks up a conversation and makes it more confusing because the forum gets disorganized. Tip: You can collapse or expand a conversation by clicking on the box next to the thread, post, or reply.


The Online Classroom: Posts & Replies :The Online Classroom: Posts & Replies To make a post or reply: Select the thread, post, or reply you wish to respond to On the right hand side of the selected message click on “Reply” A new message window will appear Type in your message, rename the post as appropriate (like adding your name to the subject line or changing the subject line); add any attachments as necessary ( Do not add attachments in the Main forum unless directly told to do so or unless you are posting a PowerPoint presentation Click Post Message Check your message to make sure it went through and appears how you intended it to appear – if you can see the message by clicking on the forum’s name your message went through; if you can see your attachment when you click on your sent message, the attachment went through. Tip: Always verify that your attachments were actually “attached” to your message – many students think they made an attachment but pressed “Post Message” too fast.


The Online Classroom: Posts & Replies :The Online Classroom: Posts & Replies Post Message – Posts your message regardless of whether it is a thread, post, or reply. Quote Original – will make the message you are responding to appear below your message or signature. Insert Signature – wherever your cursor is currently located your signature will be inserted – save yourself time and frustration, use an auto-signature (we will discuss this under the preferences part of the presentation). Discard draft – completely deletes the message, even if you have saved it Cancel –gets you out of the message, but if the message was already saved the most recent version saved will be in your “Drafts” – without attachments. Draft Saved – tells you the time of the last “save” if you want to save again or manually click “Save Draft.”


The Online Classroom: Attachments :The Online Classroom: Attachments How to attach a file: Click the Browse button in the Attach File area Locate your file using the pop-up window Hint: always save files so they are easy to locate; I suggest creating a folder on your desktop for each class and keeping all work in that folder Select your file and click Open Wait for your file to appear in the Attach file box Click the Attach button in the Attach file area Wait for your file to appear under Attached Files before posting


The Online Classroom: Attachments :The Online Classroom: Attachments How to tell if you have attached a file. Always check your messages to make sure your attachments made it properly. Tip: To download an attachment open the post then click view or download next to the file’s name No attachment File Attached No file attached yet


The Online Classroom: Message Tags :The Online Classroom: Message Tags Thread Tags Instructor Post Graduation Cap Announcement Red or orange exclamation Always read these Discussion Question (DQ) Blue or purple question mark You should reply to this thread with your response to the DQ/Activity posted as a message in the body of the post (in other words do not attach your work) Personal Post by Student (something you posted) Small person icon Message Tags – Only you and the instructor can see tags on your messages Substantive or work counts towards activity (i.e. participation) Green S Does not count for credit, you either went off topic, didn’t post correctly, didn’t answer the question, or the conversation does not count towards participation Not necessarily bad Red U Discussion Question (DQ) response Blue or purple question mark Means you answered the DQ Flags You add these, only you can see your flags, you determine what color to use. Tip: Message Tags are like secret notes between you and the instructor.


The Online Classroom: Preferences :The Online Classroom: Preferences What you can do in “Preferences” Set up your default message font Set up your name that appears on your messages Turn on spell check Set up an auto-signature Color messages so they stick out (like all instructor messages are purple) Tip: Preferences is a link located in the classroom on the lower left-hand side under the forums in the See Also box.


The Online Classroom: Preferences :The Online Classroom: Preferences My Display Name Should have a first and last name, last name should ALWAYS be the one you have on-file with your official student documents Compose Message Select font size small or Medium Select a font type that you like Click YES to enable spell check Scroll to bottom of the page and click on Save Preferences Tip: My Display Name and the Compose Message boxes are located on the General Tab in Preferences.


The Online Classroom: Preferences :The Online Classroom: Preferences My Signature Every message you write should have a “signature” at the bottom of your message Click in the text box (looks like a blank Message) Select the font and size you want to use DO NOT use difficult to read fonts or colors – nor fonts that are too big or too small Type in your signature, then format Suggested content: Name, time zone, and UOP and/or alternative email address From the drop-down menu next to “Apply To” select All Messages Click Save Preferences Tip: The My Signature box is located on the General Tab in Preferences.


The Online Classroom: Preferences :The Online Classroom: Preferences Color Messages A good way to spot your posts or the posts of someone like the instructor is to change the color of the posts. Select the author Select a color to assign the author by clicking on the color palette (T with palette around it) Click Apply Color Tip: Color Messages is a box under the Organize Messages tab in Preferences.


The Online Classroom: Message Formatting :The Online Classroom: Message Formatting B – Bold I – Italics U – Underline ABC – Cross out text Paper with the magnifying glass – Preview Message Scissors – cut Two pieces of paper – Copy Clipboard with piece of paper – Paste Clipboard with Letter T on it – Paste Plain Text (means no formatting) Clipboard with W on it – Paste from Word (or other MS Office Program with formatting) Printer – print message ABC with check mark – spell check Curved arrow pointing left – undo Curved arrow pointing right – redo Binoculars – Find as well as Find and Replace A B with arrows – Find and Replace (like when you use the wrong word repeatedly there instead of their) The square with the blue and teal marks – Select All Eraser – Remove format T with color palette – Text color Paint bucket – high-light color Grid – Insert and edit table A with dark line above an A – Insert horizontal line Arrow pointing at two sections – Insert Page Break Tip: The formatting bar is located above the message you are typing.


The Online Classroom: Message Formatting :The Online Classroom: Message Formatting Number/Number – Word / Character count (very useful when answering DQs) Format drop down – Add special formatting Font drop down – change font Size drop down – change font size 1, 2, 3 with lines – numbered bullets Squares with lines – shapes for bullets Lines with left straight edge – align left Lines with no straight edge – center Lines with right straight edge – align right Smiley face – emoticons Block with letters on it – Insert special character (like math symbols and tildes) Blue box – Maximize or Minimize the editor size


The Online Classroom: Message Formatting :The Online Classroom: Message Formatting Do not leave your message blank and just type in the “Quote original” section – the reader will have no clue where you added your comments Do not write long paragraphs, break up your work into short passages Always use complete sentences so the reader is not clueless. Always use spell check If you have a difficult time writing using proper grammar draft your message in Microsoft Word then copy and paste it into the message. Message Formatting Tips: Do not use bright colored font, like pink, neon green, etc – it is too hard to read Do not type in all capitalized letters – this makes it look like you are yelling at the reader Do not keep changing your font style or color – it is annoying and hard to read Do not use a font that is curvy or in italics – these are hard to read Do not use font that is too big (Large +) or too small (x-small or xx-small) Do not quote original then type your responses into the original message without changing your text color – you have to have a way to tell what is the original and what is yours]