Student resources for online classes

Course delivery types

The University has implemented a phased approach for a safe and strategic return to campus with a number of policies and procedures. For summer and fall 2020, this means that some classes may be presented in a different format than they were originally scheduled. Different classes may employ different or new formats, depending on course size, content, lab work required, and instructor availability.

If you are unsure of your course modality, or if you have questions about how the course will work, contact your instructor. A few of the possible course modalities that will be taking place in summer and fall 2020 are listed below. Note that you may participate in a class that is a blend/hybrid version of the modalities provided below:

Fully online format

Courses that are listed as fully online will take place virtually, with no required campus attendance. Courses may take asynchronous (such as lecture notes or videos) or synchronous (such as live, scheduled Zoom sessions) formats. All course work will be submitted online, and all interaction between students and instructors will take place online.

Mixed-delivery format

Most courses will take on a "mixed-delivery format," meaning that students will not be required to attend all face-to-face course sessions. Students will be assigned to specific on-campus course attendance dates which will be communicated to students before the start of the term. On non-campus course attendance dates, students will be required to attend class virtually, either synchronously via Zoom, or asynchronously in a manner determined by the instructor.

Fully face-to-face format

Some classes will continue in their original modality of face-to-face (f2f) instruction. These classes may be similar to the f2f classes you have taken in the past, but with social distancing recommendations in place.

Introduction to WebCampus tools

• The Canvas student app for mobile devices

  One tool that may be helpful as you move to remote learning is the Canvas Student app, available on your Smartphone or other mobile devices to have quick access to all the courses that you are taking.

  Visit What is the Canvas Student app.

  To navigate within the app

  1. Tap the To Do button to view assignments you haven't submitted yet.
  2. Tap the Courses button and choose any course to see the course schedule and discussions.
  3. Tap the Inbox button to view messages and communicate with your teacher or fellow students.
  4. Tap the Grades button to see a summary of how you are preforming in each of your classes.

  Canvas Student for iOS

  • How do I download the Canvas Student app on my iOS device?
  • Canvas Student iOS Guide

  Canvas Student for Android

  • How do I download the Student app on my Android device?
  • Canvas Student Android Guide
• Updating your notification preferences in WebCampus

  Notifications are emails or texts sent from WebCampus to your email or phone number, which alert you to activity in your course, including messages from the instructor, discussion points, grade deadlines, assignments which have been graded, and other information. Each WebCampus user can adjust the Notification Preferences in his or her personal Settings to fit his or her needs.

  Please note that during this period of remote instruction, it may be best to reconsider what notification settings you choose. Communication during this time will be key, and making sure that you are informed of any changes to your class, deadlines, or additional information will help you to stay on track.

  WebCampus notifications tutorials

  Please see the following Canvas Guides for more information and step-by-step instructions.

  • How do I set my Canvas notification preferences as a student?
  • How do I add contact methods to receive Canvas notifications as a student?
  • How do I add an additional email address as a contact method in Canvas as a student?
  • How do I change my default email address in my user account as a student?
  • How do I add a text (SMS) contact method in Canvas as a student?

• Participating in an online discussion in WebCampus

  Discussions allow you to have conversations online. Your instructor may assign asynchronous online discussions to take the place of in-class discussions.

  Note that sometimes an instructor sets up a discussion so that you can't see what others have posted until you submit your response. Don't wait to see someone else's reply before submitting your own.

  Tip: You should compose and save your discussion posts locally on your device, using a program like Word or Google Docs, and then copy/paste it into WebCampus. It’s too easy to have a glitch or inadvertently click the back button and lose all your work when composing online.

  Netiquette

  Netiquette, or network etiquette, refers to the guidelines and recommended practices for online communications. In a nutshell, it is the etiquette for the internet, and should be used in all areas of communication in your class: email, chatting, blogging, discussion forums, messages, etc.

  Even in remote or online learning, students must still adhere to the University's student conduct requirements, and all students are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that is respectful and upholds a supportive, mutually beneficial learning environment.

  Please see 365 Learning's Netiquette page for more information.

  WebCampus discussion tutorials

  Please see the following Canvas Guides for more information and step-by-step instructions.

  • How do I view discussions as a student?
  • How do I view and sort discussion replies as a student?
  • How do I reply to a discussion as a student?
  • How do I attach a file to a discussion reply as a student? 
  • How do I embed an image in a discussion reply as a student? 
  • How do I link to a YouTube video in a discussion reply as a student? 
  • How do I edit or delete discussion replies as a student? 
  • How do I like a reply in a course discussion as a student?
• Submitting an assignment on WebCampus

  Your instructor may choose to have you submit assignments online. Make sure you are clear on how your instructor wants assignments to be submitted. While most instructors will choose to use WebCampus Assignments for online assignment submission, some instructors may ask that assignments be submitted in another format (such as via external email), and some instructors may use Turnitin. If you are unsure how your instructor wants an assignment submitted, please contact your instructor for specific information.

  WebCampus & Turnitin assignment tutorials

  Please see the following guides for more information and step-by-step instructions.

  Viewing assignment information

  • How do I view Assignments as a student?
  • How do I view the rubric for my assignment? 

  Submitting assignments

  • How do I submit an online assignment? 
  • How do I submit a text entry assignment? 
  • How do I enter a URL as an assignment submission? 
  • How do I upload a file as an assignment submission in Canvas? 
  • How do I submit an assignment on behalf of a group?
  • How do I know when my assignment has been submitted?

  Assignments using Turnitin

  • Turnitin's Student Guide to Turnitin
• Taking a quiz or test in WebCampus

  The WebCampus Quizzes tool can be used for online quizzes, tests, or exams.

  Taking quizzes in WebCampus

  At any point during the quiz, you can view a summary of your quiz to the right of your screen. Questions you've answered will be faded out and identified by a checkmark icon, while unanswered questions will be bolded and identified by a question mark icon.

  You can flag the questions you want to go back to by clicking the flag by the question. The flag will change color to yellow to remind you to finish the question. The yellow flag will also appear in the question overview in the sidebar.

  You'll also see a timer showing your progress on the quiz. For untimed quizzes, the quiz shows as the elapsed time. If you are taking a timed quiz, the timer shows the running time and counts down until time expires.

  WebCampus quizzes tutorials

  Please see the following Canvas Guides for more information and step-by-step instructions.

  • How do I view quizzes as a student?
  • How do I take a quiz?
  • How do I take a quiz where I can only view one question at a time? 
  • How do I answer each type of question in a quiz?
  • How do I resume a quiz that I already started taking? 
  • How do I submit a quiz?
  • How do I view quiz results as a student? 
  • How do I view quiz comments from my instructor?
  • How do I know if I can retake a quiz? 

  Remote proctoring

  Some instructors may choose to use the remote proctoring tool, Proctorio, for high-stakes assessments such as unit tests or final exams. Proctorio is a fully- automated online proctoring software that uses the Chrome browser to monitor student test-taking behavior. It offers students a secure and convenient way to take proctored exams online. For more information,  see our webpage on taking exams remotely with Proctorio.
• Giving presentations online

  Many instructors invite students to present course content or their own work to their peers.

  Depending on your instructor's plans for class presentations, your presentation may be presented synchronously or asynchronously. Details on each option are outlined below.

  Synchronous student presentations using Zoom

  If your instructor is hosting live Zoom sessions in place of your face-to-face class meetings, you may be asked to give your presentation in Zoom. The instructor may create the Zoom session, then hand over the floor to student presenters. Here, you can present using video, or toggle over to present your screen in order to narrate a PowerPoint or other presentation format.

  See Share Screen and Screen Sharing a PowerPoint Presentation for tutorials on how you may present during a Zoom meeting.

  Asynchronous student presentations

  Another option that your instructor may choose for student presentations is for students to record their presentations and then submit the video as one of the following:

  • A discussion posting: You may be asked to post your presentation as a video on a WebCampus Discussion board. Here, you can post your video and include questions to inspire conversation about your topic amongst your classmates.
  • An assignment: Your instructor may ask that you only submit your presentation to him/her, as opposed to sharing with the class.

  Posting video in WebCampus

  Once the presentation video has been created, it will need to be uploaded to the student's MyMedia page in WebCampus, then deployed in an assignment or discussion. Directions on how to deploy videos in these locations are provided in the links below:

  • Submitting a video as an assignment in WebCampus
  • Submitting video in a discussion in WebCampus
• Checking your grades and instructor feedback

  Many instructors have already been using the WebCampus Gradebook to log student grades. If this is the case, you will access your grades for each class in the same way you did before the move to remote instruction

  Finding your grades

  Once you have entered into a course you are taking, click the Grades link on the left side in the course navigation. You can view the name of the assignment, the assignment due date, the score you earned, the total point value of the assignment, and icons for any assignment details. You may also see an icon in the score column indicating the type of assignment you submitted. Once your instructor has graded your assignment, the icon will be replaced by your score.

  WebCampus grades tutorials

  Please see the following Canvas Guides for more information and step-by-step instructions.

  • How do I view my grades in a current course? 
  • How do I use the icons and colors in the Grades page? 
  • How do I approximate my assignment scores using the What-If Grades feature?

  Viewing Instructor Feedback

  • How do I know when my instructor has graded my assignment? 
  • How do I view assignment comments from my instructor? 
  • How do I use DocViewer in Canvas assignments as a student?
  • How do I view annotation feedback comments from my instructor directly in my assignment submission? 
  • How do I view rubric results for my assignment?