Dear Online Student, 

 

Temple University’s Distance and Summer Programs would like to welcome you. You have registered for a Summer Session I, 2009 online/videoconferencing course. Some online courses meet face-to-face on occasion, while others are taught exclusively via Blackboard, with interaction with instructor and classmates taking place via e-mail, text/voice discussion boards, or Live Classrooms. As such, please visit the following web site to see the contact information of the faculty member that will be teaching your online course.
http://www.temple.edu/courses

 

We recommend that you contact your course instructor within the first three days of the semester. It is your responsibility to do this in order to find out details about the course, such as the course’s procedures, syllabus, required texts, etc. We also recommend that you purchase your text books prior to the start of the semester.

 

As with any other course, it is always a good idea to consult with your advisor to make sure the online course that you have registered for meets your academic requirements.

IMPORTANT! PLEASE NOTE:

  1. Temple E-mail Address: All students taking online courses are REQUIRED to get a Temple University e-mail account and use it for their online classes, even if they already have an e-mail account by another provider (e.g. gmail, yahoo etc). Obtaining a Temple e-mail account is a free, easy, and quick process: all you have to do is go to https://accounts.temple.edu and follow the instructions. After you do this, you’ll have a Temple e-mail account in no later than 24 hours.

Once you have obtained a Temple-based e-mail account, you can check it by going to http://tumail.temple.edu and entering accessnet username and password. 

To learn how to forward messages that you receive in your @temple.edu inbox to your preferred e-mail account, please go to: http://www.temple.edu/cs/tumail/help/webmail/ 

  1. Access to Blackboard and TU Portal: After you obtain a Temple-based e-mail account, you can access Blackboard, the University’s online course management system by going to http://blackboard.temple.edu or via TU Portal by going to https://tuportal.temple.edu and entering the same username and password you use for your Temple e-mail account. Before the semester begins, ask your online instructor whether your course will use Blackboard and, if so, login to Temple’s portal and click on the “Blackboard” link on the top screen menu. 
  1. Textbooks: To view textbook information for your course and to purchase your textbook(s) online, please go to: http://temple.bncollege.com and click on “Textbooks”

4.   Dropping/Adding Courses: Please note that the deadline to drop a course through the Online Learning Program for the Summer I 2009 semester is Monday, June 1st.  The deadline to withdraw from courses is Monday, June 15th.  For detailed information on add/drop and withdrawal policies, you can check the registrar website at: http://www.temple.edu/registrar/registration_info.html

 

We encourage you to visit our website to get detailed information about some of the technological tools you will use for your course. Please visit: http://oll.temple.edu/ 

 

Feel free to contact us with further questions at 215-204-2712, or online@temple.edu

 

Getting Started with Your Online Course: 

 

As you begin your online learning experience, it is crucial to get familiar with its platform as quickly as possible. Your instructor will provide detailed information about how your online course will be arranged, but before classes begin, it is important to understand the following terms: 

1. Course Platform: Course Platform: Some online courses use Blackboard; however, your instructor may use another platform or web site. Please make sure to ask your instructor which platform he or she is using.  

2. VOICE TOOLS: Some blackboard courses have access to voice tools for email and discussion board interactions.  If you have access to a computer microphone and web camera, please inform your instructor that you would like to use this tool. If your instructor is using WIMBA Live Classroom in Blackboard, please refer to the following tutorial on how to access and use this tool: http://oll.temple.edu/informationalvideoseries.htm

      3. Useful resources and contact information

            - Distance and Summer Programs: http://www.temple.edu/distanceandsummer

            On our website you can find information on academic calendar, courses offered, tuition, other students’ observations, as well as getting help in Blackboard. We    strongly recommend you to visit our website to get familiar with all the online        tools you need before starting your course.  You can also reach us by phone    215-204-2712, or by e-mail online@temple.edu, anytime you need help or for        further questions. 

            - Computer Services Help Desk: http://www.temple.edu/helpdesk/

                       

                        Phone: 215-204-8000

                        E-mail: help@temple.edu

                       

                        Contact the help desk if you have questions about your e-mail address or Blackboard.

           

            - Wimba Help Desk (24/7 service)

.                      

                        Phone: (866) 350-4978

                        E-mail: help@wimba.com

                       

                        Contact Wimba if you need assistance with voice messages, voice discussion board, or live classroom

 

             - Library Resources

                       

                        By phone: (215)-204-8212

                       Online (Ask a Librarian): http://vrl.temple.edu

 

Congratulations on selecting a Temple Online Learning Course. You will be invited to submit an electronic Student Feedback Form (SFF) at the end of the semester to evaluate your course. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Melanie Gebhardt

Distance Learning and Summer Programs

Temple University

215-204-2712

online@temple.edu

http://www.temple.edu/distanceandsummer