Are you ready for Online Learning at ELI?

Online learning is different in from traditional face-to-face learning in many respects.  Some individuals feel more comfortable learning in an online environment than others.  

Are you a good fit for online learning?  Find out by completing the SmarterMeasure assessment.  It will take you about 30 minutes from start to finish but you may log out and complete it later if necessary.  After you login, you will receive an email from SmarterMeasure with a PIN number that will allow you to log back in later or view your results again.

SmarterMeasure is meant to be an interesting experience by which you may learn more about yourself, online learning, and how to succeed!  Your SmarterMeasure score will not prevent you from registering for online classes. Take your time to rate yourself honestly. It is a tool that will help you assess your strengths and opportunities for growth related to online learning in 6 areas.

      1. Life Factors

      2. Individual Attributes  

      3. Learning Styles – what is your predominant learning style?

      4. Technical Competency, Skills, and Knowledge

      5. Reading Rate and Recall

      6. Typing Speed and Accuracy

You will receive a full color report immediately following the completion of all areas of SmarterMeasure.  You may email this report, print it, or download and save for future reference.  It also provides some remedial tools related to each area.

To obtain the log-in information for SmarterMeasure, email ELICounselors@nvcc.edu from your VCCS email account. You can also plan to join us for a SmarterMeasure webinar to learn more about the assessment. More information about the webinar can be found here.

 

Northern Virginia Community College is closed for the Winter Break

We will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2014

If you have common questions, the following information may be helpful:

Grades: Fall 2013 grades will be accessible through your NOVA Connect.  Grades are posted within 7 days following the last day of class.

Blackboard Course Availability: If you are visiting Blackboard to access your Spring 2014 class, it will not be available in Blackboard until the first day of class (some classes may be available one-two days before the start date). 

Course Start Dates: 1^st 16 week, 1^st 8 week, 1^st 12 week  and 1^st 4 week (MTT only) sessions will begin on January 13, 2014.

Registration: If you have not registered, Spring 2014 registration is underway.  Although the College is closed, online registration is open. For registration information, please click here.  Additional step by step registration instructions can be viewed by clicking here.  If you need assistance with your course selection, ELI Counselors will be available at, elicounselors@nvcc.edu, when we reopen on January 2, 2013. Emails will be answered in the order they are received. 

Pre-requisites Satisfied at Another College:

If you are attempting to enroll in a course at NOVA for which you believe you have successfully completed (a grade of “C-“or higher) the required pre-requisite(s) at another regionally accredited institution, you will need to submit a copy of your unofficial transcript to an ELI counselor for review.  Using your NOVA email, please send an email to the counselors at: elicounselors@nvcc.edu.  Please include the following information with your unofficial transcript:

-       NOVA seven digit student identification number (EMPLID)

-       The specific course that you are registering for (Example: ENG 111 E55N, #45689)

-       Your telephone number 

Requests are reviewed and processed in the order in which they are received.  You should expect to receive a response about your request within three business days after we re-open.  

Promote Your Success: Online Academic Resources: If you have any downtime during the break, it would be an excellent opportunity to explore the free online workshops offered by Student Lingo.  Student Lingo workshops focus on time management, career development, mastering the job interview, resume writing, stress management techniques, writing techniques, study skills, test anxiety and more!  They are an excellent resource that will enrich your academic and career growth. 

We wish you a safe and restful holiday break!

Enhancing Your Leadership Through ELI

Looking to enhance your leadership skills? Join ELI for the Leadership Mason Conference @ GMU on Saturday October 26^th!  This 1 day workshop will assist in enhancing your skills and fostering leadership with the Mason IDEA model.  You will also get a chance to interact with students from ELI, NOVA, and several different Virginia schools.

Student Life is sponsoring up to 10 interested students at no cost.  Sign-up with now here! Deadline to register is October 13^th!

For more detailed information on the conference, please visit:  http://leadershipmason.onmason.com/

Annual Fall Into ELife Festival - Tomorrow, October 9, 2013

Join the Extended Learning Institute for our annual Fall Into ELife event!

When: Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Where:  Woodbridge Campus – (Patio outside Seefeldt Cafeteria)

Time: 11am-2pm

Meet the ELI staff and have fun as you enjoy games, free food, giveaways, AND participate in a service project to make pet bed/blankets to donate to a local animal shelter. 

Whether you are a current ELI student or have ever considered taking an online course, this is a great opportunity to get connected with our Student Life events. To learn more about ELI events that are happening throughout the semester, visit our Virtual Student Union

We look forward to seeing you there!

Promoting Your Success: Treasure Chest of ELI Resources

If you are searching for resources to help you achieve your academic goals, look no more!  As an ELI Student, you have access to a ‘treasure chest’ of free resources to help promote your academic and career goals!  Some of our popular resources include:

ELI Student Success Coaches:  Your ELI Success Coach can help you with any questions or concerns you may have as an ELI student.  They can also provide referrals to academic resources as well as assistance with Blackboard navigation and help with time management concerns.  If you are experiencing any challenges with study skills, complex assignments, communicating with your instructor or have any other concerns, promote your academic success by contacting your ELI Success Coach at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076

Smarthinking: Online tutoring offered 24/7 exclusively to ELI students. Log in and set up an appointment today for your one-on-one online tutoring session. You can even receive feedback on your papers through their online writing lab. The online writing lab provides students with the ability to receive a detailed, personalized critique of any written assignment. Be sure to take advantage of this service throughout your academic journey at ELI. If you prefer one-on-one tutoring, ELI students are also eligible to take advantage of free tutoring on our campuses.

Student Lingo: Short online/on-demand workshops, available 24/7, on time management, test taking/test anxiety, study skills, job interviews, stress management, and more – just click and learn!  These online workshops are an excellent resource to promote your college study skills.

ELI Webinars: If you need help with time management, getting started in an ELI online course or experience math anxiety, sign up for an ELI Webinar today.

ELI Counselors: Need help with Academic Advising, Academic Counseling and Career Counseling.  Contact our counselors at, Elicounselors@nvcc.edu or 703.323.2425.

Library Assistance: Need help locating a book or research article?  Contact the ELI Librarian today. She is here to help with your questions!

Quizlet: This study aid is sure to help you get that A on your exam.  Students love it!  Create your own flashcards and practice tests or use study aids already created on the website or via their app. Click here to visit the Quizlet website.

ELife Blogs:  The ELife Blog provides timely information on ELI and College policies, resources and upcoming events.  It also contains excellent study and success tips, stress buster recommendations, helpful academic resources, and more. Become a regular reader today!

The Success Coaches invite you to contact them anytime.  They are here to help you experience a successful academic journey.

ELI Welcome Week Events

The first day of the fall semester is quickly approaching!

Mark your calendars join us for our Fall Welcome Week events @ ELI!

August 21st	First Day of Classes!  Follow our social media sites for tips for success on the first day of classes!
August 22nd	Live Q &A with ELI: Join our Google Hangout to connect with staff and other students to get a jumpstart on your fall semester!
August 23rd	How to Succeed in Distance Learning Courses: This 45 minute webinar will focus on strategies and tips for being successful in distance learning courses Topics covered will include time management, schedule planning, learning preferences and support services. Sign up here!
August 26th	Common Reader Program Begins! Follow the blog here to learn more:
August 27th	Student Life @ ELI: Join us on Google Hangouts to learn more about programs and events offered online and in-person to become more connected and involved during the semester.
August 28th	ELI will be hosting an Open House on Wednesday, August 28 from   5:30 – 7:30 at our new facility in Fairfax. Drop in for a great opportunity to meet faculty, staff and fellow students while getting more information about support services available to help you successfully complete your online course(s). Food and raffle prizes will be provided. We hope to see you there!
August 29th	Common Reader Chat: Join us for our first book chat with our common reader participants through Google Hangouts.
August 30th	ELI Technology Fair: Visit ELI at the Manassas Campus as we answer all your technology questions as you getting started in your ELI courses. Stop by and enter to win a technology prize pack
Sept 1st	Join ELI’s online Fantasy Football League visit our Virtual Student Union (VSU). Compete with other students and win prizes. Sign up here!
Sept 5th	ELI Technology Fair: Visit ELI at the Alexandria Campus as we answer all your technology questions as you getting started in your ELI courses. Stop by and enter to win a technology prize pack.
Sept 12th	ELI NOVA Day:  Join us for virtual events including an online scavenger hunt and a Student Life Google Hangout chat to celebrate the ELI online student community!

Visit our ELI event calendar to learn more about these events and other programs at ELI! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to the Fall 2013 Semester - Getting Started in Your ELI Class

As you prepare for the new semester, the information referenced below will help answer your questions about online learning and get your semester off to a great start!

Blackboard Course Availability:  Your online ELI class should appear in Blackboard on the day that your class is scheduled to begin.  Some instructors may make their course available a few days early.  If your class does not appear in Blackboard by the scheduled start date, please email us at elisuccess@nvcc.edu. 

Logging Into Blackboard: If you need help logging into Blackboard, please view the How to Log In tutorial on ELI’s website. 

ELI Attendance Requirements: To meet attendance requirements for your course(s), you must log in and complete at least one assignment by the census date.  IMPORTANT: Please be aware that faculty may require one or more assignments be submitted prior to the census date.  Please review your syllabus in Blackboard for your specific course requirements. 

NOVA Email:  Please be certain to use your NOVA email for communication with NOVA faculty and offices.  For instructions to access your NOVA email, please click here.

Review Your Syllabus:  Your syllabus is located in your course Blackboard.  Be sure to review it thoroughly and familiarize yourself with due dates to include testing due dates.  To promote your success, we recommend that you be proactive and try to take your tests a few days early. 

August 21-September 12: ELI Welcome Week Events--ELI will be hosting a number of events to welcome our new and continuing students.  Plan now to participate!  Please click here for a complete listing of our upcoming Welcome Week events!  

Beginning August 21: Campus Welcome Week Events--As an ELI student, you are welcome to take advantage of on-campus resources and events. Many NOVA campuses will be hosting a plethora of Welcome Week activities to include giveaways, games, free food and more!  If you live in the area, consider participating in these events at a nearby campus.

 

August 19 and August 21: ELI Orientation Webinars:  If you are new to ELI or have not participated in an Orientation, you are encouraged to sign up!  The 45 minute Orientation webinar for NOVA ELI students will focus on answering key questions to getting started at ELI.  Please click here to register for one of the sessions referenced below.

• Monday, August 19 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
• Wednesday, August 21 12:15-1:15 pm

Textbooks:  Course textbooks are referenced on the Alexandria Campus Bookstore website at, http://nvcc-eli.bncollege.com/.  Please click here  and click on SHOP NOW. Next, enter your class via the drop down boxes and then click on ‘Add Course’ (located under the drop down boxes). Next, go to ‘Step Two’ and click on ‘View Textbook List’.  You textbooks will be referenced.

Proctor Requests:  If you are out of the area, it is not too early to submit your Proctor Request.  Requests take 3-5 business days to process so please do not wait until the day before your test to submit your request!

Student Success Coaches:  Questions or concerns, the ELI Success Coaching Team is here to assist you!  We are here to partner with you and provide assistance and resources to promote your academic success. For more information, please email elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076.  ELI offers many resources and tips through our social media channels, so be sure to follow NovaELIfe on Facebook and Twitter.

We wish you an enjoyable and successful semester!

ELI - Back In Time

ELI began offering distance learning courses in January 1975, long before email and personal computers were a part of our daily lives. How could a distance learning course be taught without computers, Webinars, iPads or email?  Dr. Betsy Tebow, Annandale Campus Professor of Art History and former ELI Professor, recalls the early days of ELI sharing,   

I have fond memories of the "pioneer days" of ELI.  I'd barely started teaching on the Annandale campus when I found myself assigned to writing and producing a TV series on American Art.  I was fortunate to work with a brilliant co-author who had moved from teaching at NOVA to a position at the Hirshhorn and with a talented director. We were three 25 year-olds, still wet behind the ears, but daring enough to take on the challenge.

I taught a course using 20-1/2 hour video lessons that resulted for over a decade and their institutions around the country also purchased them and used the textbook I co-authored under my maiden name, Lang, with Mary Ann Tighe, published by McGraw-Hill.  (I was even sent to San Francisco to meet with some of the teachers who would be using it).  Videos were the cutting edge technology for ELI at the time and, ELI produced several video courses in NVCC's studio in the CT building at the Annandale Campus.  

Students sent in their assignments via United States Postal Service.  We communicated on telephones!  ELI moved a few times to various buildings at the Ravensworth area of Fairfax County, but retained a friendly, welcoming environment and the opportunity to interact with colleagues from other disciplines and campuses.  Looking back, as I prepare to hang up my remote control and retire, ELI was a highlight of my NOVA experience.   

ELife would like to thank Dr. Tebow for today's blog contribution and for her commitment and dedication to ELI!  Without visionary professionals like Dr. Tebow, ELI would not be the leader in distance education that it is today.  Dr. Tebow continues to write and has recently co-authored, Washington Art Matters:  Art Life in the Capital, 1940 - 1990 (with Jean Cohen, Sidney Lawrence, and Benjamin Forgey). 

We invite our ELI students and faculty to contribute to the ELife blog.  Please send your submissions to ELISuccess@nvcc.edu.

 

ELI - Back in Time

ELI began offering distance learning courses in January 1975, long before email and personal computers were a part of our daily lives. How could a distance learning course be taught without computers, Webinars, iPads or email?  Dr. Betsy Tebow, Annandale Campus Professor of Art History and former ELI Professor, recalls the early days of ELI sharing,   

I have fond memories of the "pioneer days" of ELI.  I'd barely started teaching on the Annandale campus when I found myself assigned to writing and producing a TV series on American Art.  I was fortunate to work with a brilliant co-author who had moved from teaching at NOVA to a position at the Hirshhorn and with a talented director. We were three 25 year-olds, still wet behind the ears, but daring enough to take on the challenge.  

I taught a course using 20-1/2 hour video lessons that resulted for over a decade and their institutions around the country also purchased them and used the textbook I co-authored under my maiden name, Lang, with Mary Ann Tighe, published by McGraw-Hill.  (I was even sent to San Francisco to meet with some of the teachers who would be using it).  Videos were the cutting edge technology for ELI at the time and, ELI produced several video courses in NVCC's studio in the CT building at the Annandale Campus.   

Students sent in their assignments via United States Postal Service.  We communicated on telephones!  ELI moved a few times to various buildings at the Ravensworth area of Fairfax County, but retained a friendly, welcoming environment and the opportunity to interact with colleagues from other disciplines and campuses.  Looking back, as I prepare to hang up my remote control and retire, ELI was a highlight of my NOVA experience.    

ELife would like to thank Dr. Tebow for today's blog contribution and for her commitment and dedication to ELI!  Without visionary professionals like Dr. Tebow, ELI would not be the leader in distance education that it is today.  Dr. Tebow continues to write and has recently co-authored, Washington Art Matters:  Art Life in the Capital, 1940 - 1990 (with Jean Cohen, Sidney Lawrence, and Benjamin Forgey).  

We invite our ELI students and faculty to contribute to the ELife blog.  Please send your submissions to ELISuccess@nvcc.edu.

 

5 Mid-Semester Testing Tips You Need To Know

Late June – early July is the period of heaviest testing for the Summer 2013 semester at ELI.  Exams are due for all sessions, 6, 8, and 12 week.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind when taking exams during this period.

1.       Never wait until the last minute to test.  Crowds can be large, lines long, and Blackboard can be affected by the volume.

2.       Avoid Saturdays, if at all possible.  If you cannot, please arrive at or before the testing center opening time.  If your course offers exam proctoring through ProctorU, consider using that option, keeping in mind item number one.  Blackboard is affected everywhere during high volume periods.

3.       Please note there can be lines during this period, even during what might normally be slow times at your campus testing center.  Plan to arrive earlier than you normally would at other times during the semester.

4.       Be sure to have your completed exam pass and your photo ID ready when you arrive.  Anything that speeds up the process of getting students into the center and exams started is beneficial to all.

5.       Please keep in mind testing center staff are doing the best they can with the resources they are provided.  A smile can go a long way to make everyone’s experience a pleasant one.

Interested in working in IT?

Virtual Internships

OnlineCollege.org has written a great article on how to find and embrace a virtual internship.  Perhaps the concept is not something you would have thought of or knew even existed but, in fact, it does!  As you look to expand your CV/Resume, check out the article. 

Ask! Ask! Ask!

The best thing to do when you’re lost is to pull over and ask for directions, so why not have the same mindset in your online classroom. Learning how to ask detailed questions in the online environment is one of the most important skills you’ll need to be successful in your courses.  Since students are not face to face with instructors as they are in traditional classrooms, communication skills through email and discussion boards is very critical. 

Email/Discussion Tips:

• On the first day of your Eli class, take note of your instructors email address.  Make sure to add it to your contacts in your VCCS-email account (note: instructors only communicate with your VCCS-email account). This is especially important for when your computer has technical issues and you need to contact your instructor but cannot login to the classroom.  Also, by adding the instructors email address it will prevent their responses from going into your Spam/Junk folder.

• Discussion Board forums are another way to contact your instructor.  Some instructors may setup a Discussion Board just for questions about the class, which they check regularly. This is a great place to ask questions about assignments, clarifying the late policy, and the assigned reading.  Everyone benefits from the discussion board, even the instructor. Essentially, if you have a question about the material chances are someone else does too.  It also allows the instructor to evaluate the class comprehension in regards to the curriculum.  

• Formulating emails to instructors should be informative. It’s not helpful for an instructor to receive an email that says “I don’t understand the week one assignment”.  It’s better to write, “I need some clarification about the week one assignment.  I’ve downloaded the template that contains the exercises for week one but I’m having trouble answering question two and three.  I did the reading and took notes but I’m still not grasping the concepts in regards to the Freudian theory. Any help you can give, I’d appreciate”.  Essentially if you give the instructor more detailed information they are able to offer you feedback quickly and tailor it to your specific question.  

Don’t forget to include your course's name and section number in the subject line of your email.  This aids your instructor to confirm which course you are enrolled in. Often times, instructors teach more than one course.

For assistance with academic resources or study strategies to include free online tutoring for ELI Students, please contact your ELI Success Coach at ELISuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076.

A Guide to Getting Started at ELI

 

Are you registered for an ELI course and wondering what’s next?  Below are some hints to get you started.
 

§  Sign up for Eli Orientation , a one hour webinar introducing you to Eli Classes.

§  Reach out to an Eli Counselor; they can clarify any concerns you might have regarding courses to take. They can also help you develop a plan to complete your degree or academic goals.  Visit the Eli Courses webpage to learn more about distance learning.

§  Get familiar with Blackboard , with some step-by-step instructions.

§  Receive Quick-Start syllabus , in the mail. The syllabus will explain where to begin in your ELI courses. If you have not received it within 3 days after the course has started, contact ELI Registration at elireg@nvcc.edu .

 

§  Know your Course Length/Dates. Online courses may be 16 weeks, 12 weeks, 10 weeks, 8 weeks, 6 weeks, or 4 weeks in length; each course has specific start, refund, first assignment due date, withdrawal, and end dates you should be aware of when you select a particular course. Click Here to view dates/descriptions.

§  Utilize your Resources. Know you have Student Success Coaches who aim to help students struggling with their distance learning courses. Email: elisuccess@nvcc.edu, (703)764-5076.