ONLINE & HYBRID ORIENTATION


This orientation is not specific to your course, and every course is a bit different. So be sure to read your Syllabus and check with your instructor for if there are any extra instructions and requirements for your individual class! If you're a UA Online student you've already seen a lot of this, so feel free to skim with that in mind.

Basic Requirements

As a student in your class there are some general technical skills which you should have. Before beginning this course, please make sure that you are able to:

  • Connect to the internet
  • Send and receive emails with file attachments
  • Create and submit files using Microsoft Office or similar programs
  • Copy and paste content
  • Download and install software as needed

Understanding of Online

If you're not new to what the internet is and what being online means - feel free to skip ahead. If you are new to being online, we want you to be sure this is right for you - please talk to your advisor and take this brief assessment. Online is very different than face to face and we would hate to have you fail or withdraw simply because of bad fit with the delivery of the information. It's our goal that each one of our students succeed.

If you're extremely new to online you can start by reviewing the following pages:

  • Internet 101 (includes browser basics and search engine information)
  • Internet Basics (includes how to stay safe online)
  • Also: If there is some term being used online or in our class that you don't know, this internet dictionary may help.

We also highly recommend signing up for free courses at your local library or community college if you are very new to online. You will need the foundation those courses can provide to be successful in our courses.

Computer Requirements

TIP - TEST FIRST!

We recommend you head over to https://d2l.arizona.edu/ FIRST before you run any of the tech checks mentioned in the video, just to see if it works for you already. If it does, you don't need to do all the checks the video mentions.

These are the basic requirements for effectively accessing your online course. Remember - lots of software is free or cheaper for you as a UA student. Be sure to check the Office of Student Computing Resources site before you buy anything new.

Supported Hardware/Operating Systems

Supported Browsers for Desire2Learn (D2L)

If you're not sure what a browser is, or which one you're using - try this link to find out about your settings. You can then call 24/7 IT with that information in hand to get some help if you need it.

Software required for most UA Online courses

  • Microsoft Office (Microsoft Works is NOT supported. However, OpenOffice and Google Drive can export files in acceptable formats, it just requires that you do that quick extra export step.)
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader or some other PDF reader (FYI: Google Drive can now open PDFs.)
  • An up to date installation of Java (watch out for it asking you to install any add-ons, you don't need those.)
  • Some other software may be required, if it is your instructor will let you know and will support your usage of any that is not considered standard here at the UA (for standard software 24/7 IT will be your main support as only they can troubleshoot most things delivered by the UA system).

Important Links

We recommend bookmarking most of the following pages as you will absolutely need most of them during a typical semester. (There should also be a link to a menu of Resources in your D2L class which you may find helpful).

  • UA Student Help Guide (inc. D2L)
  • 24/7 IT - We also recommend printing this and keeping it by your computer or in your wallet, basically anywhere handy for when you may be doing coursework. Remember you can call them for ANY IT issues, not just problems with your classes. You can also just save their number to your phone for future reference.

The UA offers many other types of support for you that you should be aware of. The libraries have computers, scanners and an equipment lending program. OSCR (Office of Student Computing Resources) maintains labs and lends gear such as cameras to students. UA South also has additional resources available at our locations (including labs, loaner equipment, etc.). If you need to know where to go to get something or if you can get some equipment from UA South, please contact Deb Hoeft.

Navigating D2L

Review our D2L @ UA page before moving on in this orientation.

Student Success in an Online Course

Review our Steps to Success page before moving on in this orientation.

Netiquette: Common Standards for Online

  1. Communication. Maintain the same standard of behavior and ethics that you would follow in a face-to-face context.
  2. Tone. Treat others with respect. Be mindful of your tone and how that is conveyed in your writing style. DO NOT USE ALL CAPS. It is considered shouting and not appropriate in a classroom. Avoid sarcasm and irony as it is easily misinterpreted in an online environment.
  3. Clarity and Content. Be succinct. Write, reread, and then post. Carefully consider what you have written. Does it make sense? Is it free from errors? Is it substantive? Is it unnecessarily confrontational or offensive?
  4. Contribute. Share your knowledge and insight. Be an active contributor to the learning community.
  5. Be forgiving. If someone makes a mistake or does something inappropriate, address it privately and politely. You can always let the instructor know and ask them to address it as well.

Just in case you want to review a bit more, or need some additional tips, here are two more links:

Note: All University of Arizona students have agreed to abide by the standards for behavior set forth by the Arizona Board of Regents. The Student Code of Conduct is in place to create a safe, healthy and responsible environment that allows UA students, faculty, and staff to be successful in their daily endeavors and long term goals. Sanctions may be imposed for acts of misconduct that occur on university property or at any university-sponsored activity (including the online environment). As further prescribed in these rules, off-campus conduct may also be subject to discipline.

Congratulations, you're oriented!

You should now be very well prepared to succeed in online courses with us - we're looking forward to learning with you!

How to Take the Orientation Quiz: If your instructor has asked you to take the quiz on this information - follow this link to do that (the quiz will open in a new window/tab). You only have to take it once for ALL LDRV classes, but you do need to be ready to either print the email you'll receive or the final report page (look for the small adobe icon in the top right when you're done). Either of those can be turned in to a D2L Dropbox to all of your instructors to receive credit for completing this orientation.

See you in D2L soon!

Attributions

Netiquette guidelines are based on The Core Rules of Netiquette, excerpted from the book Netiquette, by Virginia Shea.

Video content was developed and authored by the UA Office of Digital Learning.