Course Overview

About this Course

“Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you had made you holy and has always protected you.”

~ St. Clare of Assisi

Welcome to the online student orientation!

The above quote from St. Clare reminds us that as we venture forth on new paths, we are not alone.

To continue, click the forward arrow below.

For many of you this course may be your first experience in an asynchronous online course. Being asynchronous, you, your instructors, and your fellow students are not always online at the same time together. For many, this is an advantage to online learning in that you can balance your coursework around your life. For some this can seem lonely at first but as you become more experienced with how the course system and class structure works, you will soon find yourself conversing with your fellow students and building relationships just as you would in a traditional classroom. Still, as you begin, know that the entire University of St. Francis community is here to support you.

continued on next page...

The course you are about to take is segmented into four distinct modules designed to help you succeed as an online student. We begin the course by looking at the history and core values that all members of the University of St. Francis community strive to reflect each day. From there we frame these values in terms of how they apply to successful learners in the classroom as we explore the systems and processes of an online course. We then take you to your online connection to the university, the MyUSF portal. And we close the course by examining all the ways you are supported in your instruction.

Click the forward arrow to continue...

You have two weeks to complete this course. It should take no more than three hours total time, but you are highly encouraged to begin early in the week. We recommend that you work through the class in a linear order. The Next and Previous buttons are a good guide. If you get lost along the way, click the Home button to get back to the homepage of the course. Feel free to stop and start as needed by your schedule; but do check in regularly. (You will soon learn that the most successful students check in daily!). If you have any questions please post them in the Course Q&A discussion forum.

Proceed through the rest of the Getting Started module and then begin to learn more about the Franciscan University Experience.

Click the forward arrow to continue...

Course Objectives

By the end of this course you will

• Recognize and apply the core values of USF.
• Articulate your goals for graduating from USF.
• Apply the skills and habits of effective online learners to successfully complete this course.
• Identify the information resources available on the MyUSF portal.
• Demonstrate the ability to use the USF learning management system, Canvas.
• Identify the resources available to support students.
• Define your own personal support systems and those available at USF.

You have reached the end of the overview. Click the forward arrow to continue, or the home button in the lower left corner to zoom out.

About Your Instructor

Instructor Contact

cmarks@stfrancis.edu

815 740-5080

Hello!

I’m Christine Marks and I will be your instructor during this orientation. My regular role at the University is Learning Technologies Specialist in the Department of Academic Technology. As such, I am one of the many folks who work with faculty to develop and maintain the online course system. I’ve been a college instructor for nearly 13 years and have worked in the Technology field for over 20 years helping faculty and students. It is my hope that, through this course, you learn all the ins and outs of online student success. If you ever have a question during this course simply click the following link to visit the Course Q&A forum or click the Home button and find it under Getting Started. Here you can post questions so all students in the class may benefit from the answer. For questions of a personal nature please use the Inbox (but more on that later).

Office Hours

Virtual meetings can be held by request. Please email, call, or inbox me to arrange a time.

Technology requirements

Just click on a text block to zoom in on it.

If your computer does not meet these minimum specifications you will need to find one that does in order to be successful in your online courses. Your local library is a good resource for a back up computer should you ever need one.

Important! In addition to the specifications above, your computer must be able to run the latest web browsers. We recommend using either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. Use of any other browser (including Internet Explorer) can cause issues with Canvas including the inability to view media or take exams. If you are currently viewing this course with something other than Chrome or Firefox, visit the links about to download and install the latest version of one of these.

Some courses may include additional technology requirements such as a webcam and microphone. Please see your course syllabus or check with your instructor to see if these are needed. 

Before we get too far along in the course, let's take a moment to review the technical requirements of the USF learning management system, Canvas.

Screen Size: A minimum of 1024x600. That is the average size of a netbook. If you want to view Canvas on a device with a smaller screen, we recommend using the Canvas mobile app.

Operating Systems

• Windows 7 and newer

• Mac OSX 10.6 and newer

• Linux - chromeOS

Computer Speed and Processor

• Use a computer 5 years old or newer when possible

• 1GB of RAM

• 2GHz processor

Mobile Operating System

• iOS 7 and newer

• Android 4.2 and newer

Need Help?

• 24x7 Canvas Support
• Canvas Support is available anytime you need it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To access Canvas Support select the Help menu from the top right corner of the screen.

The Technology Support Center (TSC)

The TSC provides a one-stop location for all technical support requests within the University. It supports online, campus, and classroom technology needs for all faculty, students, and staff. 

The TSC operates from 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:00 – 4:30 p.m. on Friday.

You can contact the TSC by:

• Phone: 1-815-768-TECH (8324)

• Email: Techsupport@stfrancis.edu

• Web: http://techsupport.stfrancis.edu

Microsoft Office

It is assumed that as an online student you have access to Microsoft Office. If you do not have the software, as long as you are a student, you can obtain it at no charge. For details please visit https://techsupport.stfrancis.edu.