Orientation for Online Students

Online and hybrid courses feature the same readings and assignments as their fully onsite counterparts. The amount of time you will spend in hybrid, or online classes completing readings, participating in discussions, and working on assignments should be about the same as those in the traditional experience. 

How they differ though is that hybrid courses have fewer, and fully online ones have no, in-person class meetings.  As such, be sure to mind the due dates provided by your instructor. With the possibility of not having to physically hand in papers, it can be difficult to keep track of deadlines. 

Considering the demands of part-time jobs, travel plans, family care, and other obligations, it is especially important to be able to make time for hybrid, and online coursework. Remember that these course formats require the same amount of work as a fully onsite course.  Only now, that same number of work hours will be delivered via a mix of in-class and online, or fully online instruction. 

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Check e-mail 

Check your Manhattanville e-mail account regularly to receive messages from your professor about the course. Also, please use only your Manhattanville e-mail for school business.   

Prep your phone 

• Set up your device to receive Manhattanville e-mail.  Search for “Outlook” in the Google Play Store, or iOS App Store. 

• Want to access your class from a mobile device?  Brightspace is available via mobile browser.  Download the Microsoft Teams app as well.. 

Purchase books and supplies 

In the days before your course starts, check your Manhattanville e-mail for a Brightspace Announcement from your professor on how to get started with the course.  You may need to purchase any necessary books, media, order supplies, or set up accounts.  Your instructor may have also listed the books you’ll need to purchase in the “Mville Textbooks” tab in your Brightspace course.  You can find the Mville Textbooks tab in the red navbar in Brightspace under More > Course Tools.  

Try out the tech … 

Brightspace

Your online course materials will predominantly be on our learning management system, Brightspace.  

Navigate course content, find assignments, and other important communications about your classes.   

Microsoft Teams

Most classes meeting synchronously use Microsoft Teams.  This platform allows professors and students to interact via video, audio, text chat, shared screens and files, and more.  Check out the tips below for the best class experience. 

Download the app and log in few minutes early to squash any technical bugs.  This will allow you to make sure your mic and camera are working.  You may also be able to use the time to chat with your professor or other students in the class.   

If you experience poor Internet bandwidth during your session, close any unnecessary browser tabs and apps, especially those playing streaming media (Spotify, Netflix, YouTube, etc.).  This will also help you stay focused on the class!  If you continue to experience bandwidth problems, turn off your video, and explain to your professor why you are doing so.   

Students are encouraged to turn on their cameras during class.  This contributes to your social presence in the session, helping everyone put a face to your name.   

When not speaking though, be sure to mute your microphone!  This prevents any background noise from your area being transmitted into the session, preventing distractions.  Just be sure to turn it back on when it’s your turn to speak!   

Microsoft Office 365 

Explore the University’s Office 365 apps.  In addition to e-mail, check out Calendar, To-Do, and Planner to stay organized.  Microsoft Teams, and OneNote are also powerful collaboration and organizational tools.  Need to create a survey?  Try Microsoft Forms for an easy, web-based way to distribute your form and summarize results.  Microsoft also offers Sway as an online animated presentation tool.  You can log into all of these with your Manhattanville e-mail credentials.   

Get Organized! 

With courses taking place both on-site and online, it can be easy to lose track of class schedules and due dates.   

Examine your syllabi carefully and determine when you’ll be on campus for class, or when you’ll be online.  Within online weeks, note when the work will be self-paced (asynchronous), or when you will have to log on to a video conference at a certain day and time.  If you know you will be working in different locations, keep everything in a dedicated bag or other case; laptop, chargers, folders, notebooks, textbooks, etc. Consider this your mobile office.   

Figure out when assignments are due.  These can include due dates for readings, discussion board posts, assignments, tests and quizzes, papers, presentations, etc. If you’re in a hybrid class, make a note of what can be handed in through Brightspace versus what should be submitted in class. 

Create a work schedule!  Designate a place in your home, and if you’re sharing a computer, coordinate time if necessary.  Perhaps communicate different needs for time and space to do asynchronous work, versus the need for greater privacy for class video chats.  If you need to care for relatives, discuss with your family on how to work that in. Consider posting a physical schedule in the home to keep coordinate everyone’s needs around space, time, and technology.   

To help with your own academic planning, experiment with paper calendars, notebooks, or online calendars if you haven’t already.  Manhattanville offers Outlook Calendar as part of its Office 365 subscription.   

Online class participation - Synchronous 

If you’ll be joining your class via video conference, participate via hand raising, text chat, polling activities, reactions, etc., heeding your instructor’s guidelines.  They want to hear from you!  However, be sure to mute your mic before entering the room.  This prevents ambient sound from your location from being heard in the class. Simply turn on your mic when it’s your turn to speak.  Turn on your webcam if you feel comfortable doing so. Synchronous rooms also have text chat functions you can use to make additional comments and ask questions.  Your instructor will let you know how they will be incorporating this feature into the class discussion.   

Show up on time as you would in on-campus classes.  Close apps and windows that may distract you from fully paying attention.   

Even if the synchronous class is recorded, attend as best as you can.  Though slides, conversation, and text chat are captured, watching a recording will not provide the best opportunity for you to ask questions and contribute to the discussion.   

Online class participation - Asynchronous 

Class participation may be required in asynchronous classes, as well!  Find out what tools the course will be using; discussion boards, blogs, journals, or other tools.   

If your course has online discussion forums, post to them early and often, per the instructor's directions. Read the professor’s question carefully, and make sure your response addresses all the points. Make yourself known in the space. Commenting on classmates’ posts is key to making the most of the discussion. Demonstrate to the professor that you are present and engaged with the class. As with an onsite experience, learning is a social process, and is best done with others. 

Enjoy the discussion forums, as they are designed to cultivate new ideas and directions in thinking. But also treat them formal academic spaces. “Speak” in them as you would in class. Mind your audience and remember that the professor is grading your contributions to the conversation. 

Also be sure to check your Manhattanville e-mail regularly.  This will be the main method your professors will be using to communicate important updates to the class.  It can be a very important way of keeping up with the class.   

Assignments 

Read assignment instructions carefully. If you have questions, see if your course has a Q&A forum, or contact the instructor directly. Heed the stated deadlines. In some cases, assignments may not be available after they are due.  Your instructor may also require a certain file format such as .doc, or .pdf.  If so, be sure not to submit things like links to Google Docs, or Mac OS Pages files.   

Time management 

Hybrid, and online courses take discipline to stay on top of. Though the online portions can be self-paced, designate time for working on the readings, activities, discussions, and assignments. Set yourself up for success by creating a structure that fits with your schedule to spend quality time on the course. 

Recognize the need to be independent. Unlike the regularly occurring meetings of an onsite course to help orient the student, hybrid and online classes do not have the same level of physical presence to make sure you stay on track with the material. 

Log into the course regularly. There will almost always be continuing activity in the discussion forums, or small updates to the curriculum. 

Recommended reading;  The Savvy Student’s Guide to Online Learning 

 

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Typically, it’s best to wait until your professor sends a welcome announcement stating that the course is ready and guiding students to the best places within the course to get started.  This usually happens within a week of semester start.   
 

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Readings and other materials may take the form of print books for purchase, electronic textbooks for purchase, files uploaded by the instructor, online films available for free via the Manhattanville Library, YouTube videos, or movies available in the commercial market (Netflix, Prime Video, etc.). 

Your instructor will provide information on how to obtain these resources.  Check your course’s syllabus for details. 

Textbooks may also be listed in your course’s Brightspace site in the “Mville Textbooks” tab.   This can be found in the red navbar, under More > Course Tools.  

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You will generally submit work via the Assignments tool in Brightspace.  This video, on Brightspace assignments illustrates how to do so.  But please check your syllabus for the specifics for your course regarding where and how assignments should be submitted. 

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Grades will be visible in your Blackboard course under, My Grades. 

You will only be able to see your own grades. 

 

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Brightspace is available via mobile browser, allowing you to conveniently view upcoming assignments and notifications, as well as check grades.   

Via the course selector grid, you’re able to browse through your current and past enrolled courses. Click on a course and you’ll be brought to a page that shows your course grade, lets you know if there are any upcoming due dates, and allows you to view course materials.

 

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Check your syllabi for the contact information your instructor prefers; e-mail address, phone number, or online meeting tool such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.

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Contact the Center for Student Accommodations. 

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If you need help getting access to a laptop or wifi, please e-mail helpdesk@mville.edu with the subject line, “Technology Barrier”.   

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You may submit a ticket to the Manhattanville Help Desk, by e-mailing helpdesk@mville.edu, or calling 914.323.7200.  

For questions about how to use Brightspace, contact the Office of Instructional Technology. 

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In the Brightspace site for your course, click on the “NetTutor” tab. This can be found in the red navbar, under More > Course Tools.  

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