Welcome Students

On this page you will find guidance as well as answers to some of the questions you may have about what it means to be an online student.

How do I know if my in-person course moved to a virtual format?

All CSUF courses will be virtual starting March 25, 2020 . This means different things for different courses and different instructors. All CSUF faculty are required to facilitate their courses through Titanium.

I don't have Internet access or a computer. What am I supposed to do?

Contact the Dean of Students who will direct you where to go for hotspots, laptops and other tech.   

Dean of Students: http://www.fullerton.edu/deanofstudents/

CAPS: http://www.fullerton.edu/caps/

College Assistant Deans' contact information: http://www.fullerton.edu/assistantdeans/deans/

What do I do if I am feeling overwhelmed?

First, understand that is okay to feel overwhelmed. Know that you more than likely are not alone with feeling this way! Many of your professors may be feeling overwhelmed as well. You have many resources available to you. Student Affairs is providing virtual student services. CAPS is offering online sessions and you can always contact your College’s Assistant Deans .    

How will I find my courses?

You will need to log into the CSUF portal and select “Titanium” to find your courses. You can find directions for how to access Titanium here . Make sure you are selecting Summer 19- Spring 20 button. You can also chat, call or email the help desk. Student IT Help Desk StudentITHelpDesk@fullerton.edu (Remote Only, 24/7)  or dial (657) 278-8888.

How will I know what to work on each day?    

  • This will vary depending on how your instructor has designed their virtual instruction. Once you have logged in to your class in Titanium, spend some time looking over the course. Start with looking at the announcements to see if your instructor has given any general course directions. Check your csu.fullerton.edu email several times a day.
  • In order to be a successful online student, you should continue to follow a routine. Consider the routine you may have, and determine if this routine still works. This will vary greatly depending on your ‘Safer at Home’ environment.
  • You should organize your days so that they are balanced. This means carving out time for working on your CSUF courses, time for your other commitments, and time for yourself.
  • One way to plan for working on your CSUF courses is to consider that for each hour of ‘on campus’ class time you had each week, you should plan at least 1.5 - 2 hours of virtual time each week. The reason for this is the inclusion of ‘homework’ and course readings.
  • As part of the virtual experience, your instructor may schedule Zoom sessions or may have you working independently.
  • If you are not sure what you should be doing, contact your instructor using the contact information provided on your syllabus.

My class has labs? What am I supposed to do?    

Your instructor or lab instructor will provide you with alternatives for completing labs. This may be in the form of completing virtual labs or simulations, at home labs, or other alternative. You need to check with individual instructors about this portion of their class.

I usually have classes on M/W or T/Th. Is that going to be the same now we have virtual learning?

This will vary based on how individual instructors have set up virtual instruction. What we suggest is that you develop a schedule that allows you to work on courses each day and be available for any synchronous (all together at the same time) sessions your instructor may have scheduled. If your instructor listed work you should complete by the end of the week asynchronously (on your own, on your own time frame), to avoid getting overwhelmed and confused, we recommend creating a schedule.

A Sample Schedule might be:

Sunday: Reading and preparing for all courses

Monday - Thursday: Participate in one (or perhaps two) courses per day. This could include such tasks as participating      in discussions, completing readings, listening to audio, watching videos, working on assignments, and participating in group projects.

Friday: Revisit all course participation.

Saturday: Take a day off!    

I have never taken a class virtually. What are the basics I need to know in order to be successful?      

Transitioning from in-person to virtual instruction requires a different approach. The difference is similar to when you transitioned from being a High School Student who was ‘told’ what and when to do class work, to being a College student who had to be accountable for your own learning. Visit this site and hover your mouse over the blue circles for specific tips and tricks.      

How do I even get started on my virtual classes?

You can find self-help guides for Titanium here . You will find help on sending emails, submitting assignments, checking grades, and where to get help.

Some Important Resources to get started:

How do I learn how to use Zoom and other tools my instructor might be using?

There are many resources available to support you in using technology that you may not have already used. For example, you will find a short tutorial on how to access and use Zoom . Additionally, make sure you visit the Student Technology Services website to access free software. For example, you will see a button for email and Titan Apps that will provide you with directions for how to get started. Additionally, you can contact the Student IT Help Desk via email or even chat.

How can I complete a group project?    

Completing a group project in a virtual environment is not much different than completing a group project for an on-campus course.

  • First, be the group member you want others to be. Since people are stressed, you would not want your fellow group members to worry about someone not participating or contributing.
  • Second, be a good communicator. If you are having trouble understanding the group project or the group dynamics, email or text your group members. You can send a message to your classmates in TITANium.
  • Third, take advantage of collaborative tools available to you. You have access to Titan Apps through the CSUF portal . Titan Apps is our version of Google Drive. You can collaborate on a document, create a shared slide presentation, work on the same spreadsheet, create surveys, and websites using Titan Apps. If you have not used Google Drive before, spend some time looking at these tutorials . You can find help for Titan Apps on the Student Services page and specifically in the section titled “Documents”.
  • You can also schedule - and more importantly attend your own group Zoom or Google Meet sessions. We recommend you do this at least once a week for the entire project.

My class has group or individual presentations. How will we complete these?

In many instances, your professor will provide you with instructions on how to complete a group or individual presentation. If your professor has instructed you to determine the best method for your group, you might investigate VoiceThread. We are fortunate at CSUF to have access to Voicethread . Voicethread is great because you can upload a PowerPoint ® presentation and add audio. You can collaborate on the audio so each group member can contribute. You can find help with creating Voicethreads here .    

What does it mean to participate in a virtual format?

This will vary depending on how your professor has set up their course. Some professors will provide you with a recorded lecture or presentation. Others will give you resources to explore. Others will ask you to log in at your regularly scheduled class time to participate in a “live” session. All professors will offer office hours in a virtual format.

Your job is to check your course and CSUF email several times a week to see what your instructor has planned for you. Follow their directions and complete all tasks as outlined. Active participation is more than simply looking at content. It includes things such as joining discussions, taking surveys, turning in assignments, and completing other tasks assigned by your instructor.

How do I contact my classmates?

You can send a message to your classmates in TITANium. 

 What is the most important thing for me to do to be an engaged Titan Scholar?

In a virtual learning environment, it is important for you to be present. This means taking an active role in your learning, maintaining communication with your classmates and professor, and keeping an open mind about learning. You are now in control of your own learning. You need to stay motivated to learn within the virtual learning community. Logging into your course several times a week is necessary. It will help you stay engaged in what is going on in your course.

 

Will my professor take attendance?

One way a professor might take attendance is by noting who “attended” the synchronous class session at the regularly scheduled class time. However, another way might be to take attendance based on your TITANium log in record and your active participation in course activities. Titanium allows a professor to see when you logged in, what you viewed, and how long you were active. Additionally, professors might consider your active involvement in discussions and other activities as attendance.

 

How will my professor know it is me logged in and not someone else?

Authentication of student work is important in an online class. This is accomplished by requiring multiple measures of student performance, including discussion board postings, individual email conversations, and the multiple assignments students are required to complete. Just as our spoken words are unique to us, your written words will reflect who logged in. Your professor will know if you are completing your own work because we are over half way through our semester and they have a clear sense of your proficiencies. A sudden change in your work is a red flag to a professor. Your professor may also require you to submit work via Turn it In. Turn it in is software that detects plagiarism or work taken from the Internet.

Check your syllabus for the academic dishonesty policy for your class. It is probably something like this:

Academic dishonesty includes such things cheating, inventing false information or citations, plagiarism, and helping someone else commit an act of academic dishonesty. It usually involves an attempt by a student to show a possession of a level of knowledge or skill which he/she in fact does not possess. Cheating is defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work by the use of any dishonest, deceptive, fraudulent, or unauthorized means. Plagiarism is defined as the act of taking the work of another and offering it as one’s own without giving credit to that source. An instructor who believes that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred (1) is obligated to discuss the matter with the student(s) involved; (2) should possess reasonable evidence such as documents or personal observation; and (3) may take whatever action (subject to student appeal) he/she deems appropriate, ranging from an oral reprimand to an F in the course. Additional information on this policy is available from University Policy Statement 300.021 found at the UPS section of the Academic Senate website.PDF File

Keep in mind that the person you are deceiving the most when you are academically dishonest is yourself. You are robbing yourself of valuable knowledge and skills!

 

What is Netiquette and why do I care?

Netiquette is the act of online professionalism. Students are reminded that the Titanium forum is a professional forum and their participation in this forum should be respectful and professional at all times. With the increase of instant messaging, text messaging and personal email, it is easy to forget to use appropriate language when engaged in an online discussion for professional purposes. Please use professional language at all times. Refer to http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html for netiquette guidelines.      

 

How do I contact my instructor?

You should contact your instructor using the method they recommended in the syllabus. Your instructor will let you know when they are available and how long it will take to get back to you when you contact them.

Understand that your instructor will have multiple students to respond to each day.

Be thoughtful when contacting your professor. Get in the habit of using course number and section as the title/subject. Please understand that email is considered professional communication and you should not write what you would not be comfortable saying in person. Make sure you provide some context as well. For example, I am in section 57 and I have a question about the group project. It is common courtesy to include an opening and to close with your name. Your name is not always identifiable from your email address. If your email requires a detailed response, you may be asked to meet the instructor for an appointment virtually.

 

Page content  created by Dr. Tim Green and Dr. Loretta Donovan, Professors of Educational Technology and facilitators of the online MS in Educational Technology .

Follow them on Twitter @theedtechdoctor and @csuf_edtech

Reach them via email tgreen@fullerton.edu and ldonovan@fullerton.edu