How to get Comfortable with Technology for Online Courses .

Studying for online courses requires some unique considerations for you to understand in order for you to be comfortable, and thus effective, in completing your course.

Now, some people have the impression that online education can be lonely and voice the concern that they feel isolated at their computer with nowhere to go for help or guidance. Part of the underlying reason for this is many students do not have a total understanding of the obligations of the student when it comes to online education.  So let’s look at some of the technical issues that can help an online student be most successful.

TECHNOLOGY

The first thing you need to have is an understanding of the technical aspects of online education.  The goal is to be comfortable with the technology so you can focus purely on learning.  With this in mind everyone has different comfort levels with technology, and let’s face it technical issues will happen.  The question becomes what can you do to fix the problem?  By acquiring some fundamental computer skills, you can help make your studying easier and more effective.

• Ask and make sure your computer’s operating system and browser are compatible with the online curriculum.
• Make sure you are comfortable with doing general computer work:  being able to type a document or email, knowing how to search the web, clear cookies, enable or disable pop up blockers and attach documents, etc.
• Know how to routinely backup your files in the event of a computer malfunction or virus.
• Make sure to organize files in a basic manner so that you can easily find what you need to work on.

PROGRAMS AND EQUIPMENT

Be prepared to purchase some equipment and or programs you should have available or installed so that you can focus on learning the curriculum in your program.

You should have a printer and ink cartridges available for printing any necessary materials for review.  Don’t forget to have extra paper on hand!

•  Have a PDF reader installed on your computer.  PDF files are a common way to view course material offline or outside a course.
• Sometimes, documents are in other formats besides a PDF file.  In this case the student should have Microsoft Word, Open Office or Google Docs installed and ready to use when needed.
• Review FAQs for the course so you can see questions other students have had, and sometimes you may find tips on any additional equipment you should need.
• Check with your instructor to make sure you are getting all equipment for the program (such as headsets, foot pedals, textbooks, etc.) or if your school is shipping your equipment; ask for a tracking number and estimated time of arrival.

  INTERNET ETIQUETTE

Communicating in any medium should involve good conduct and respect for everyone involved.  Here are a few helpful tips you can implement to make sure you convey this online:

• Do not write emails in all caps—this is considered yelling at someone. Instead, underline or bold words that you wish to highlight.
• Contact your instructors during their working hours.  If you have an urgent issue, give your instructor a call or request to schedule a conference in advance to guarantee that both of you have time to speak.
• Remember that anything you write in an email can easily be forwarded to anyone.  So choose your words wisely and do not say things in emails that you might be embarrassed about should they be circulated.
• Student forums are also a way of communicating with other students (and instructors) on the Internet. Be polite and professional.  It is fine to make personal connections, but be careful not to raise inappropriate topics.

By becoming comfortable with the technology used in your online program you can ensure that you can overcome any obstacle that prevents you from focusing on your studies.  Be confident about your technical knowledge, and good studying to you!

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Article by Kelly Fuhlman, Director of Social Media  for World Education , and is personally involved in helping others make a better life for themselves through education. World Education is one of the main partner of the University of Alabama for Online Certificate Programs

How to Help Veterans Transitioning To Civilian Life ?

“Military training does not result in a pleasant segue to the civilian world, and it can be difficult to forge a career change. A comprehensive transition program is necessary whether the separating veteran is looking for higher education or employment (American Council on Education, Veteran Success JAM 2010, p. 21).”

Researchers, policy makers and federal agencies have been slow in coming to terms with the realities of being in a worldwide conflict in multiple countries with no end in sight and the impact that has on service members, veterans and their families (Pryce, Pryce and Shackelford, 2012). In a recent article, J. R. Romaniuk (2012) stated:

“We must assume the challenge of returning veterans as our own. A social worker confronting an OIF/OEF veteran for the first time must recognize the history of the person he or she encounters. Listening to and understanding each individual’s history and matching it with our own professional training and what we know about how these young people live is vital to successful treatment” (pp. 2-3).”

Service Member to Civilian (S2C), a national summit to address the current and emerging needs of service members transitioning to civilian life, will be held at the Bryant Conference Center December 1-3, 2014. S2C will examine how service members from all branches of the military transition to civilian life and how we can improve that transition through translational science and service. This summit will bring together service members, veterans, their families, and community stakeholders to meet with advocates, researchers, clinicians, educators, and policy makers from around the nation to better understand and explore ways that all stakeholders can improve the transition from service to civilian life.

The scope of the need is great: between 2002 and 2012, nearly 1,500,000 veterans left active duty. Multiplied by the average three family members, the impact is enormous – in 2009, the 2,258,757 active duty personnel had 3,093,709 family members (Pryce, Pryce and Shackelford, 2012). There are approximately 22.7 million veterans nationwide, the highest percentage (40.4%) of whom lives in the South; over 400,000 veterans live in Alabama alone.

S2C is the first national, interdisciplinary summit to focus on translational research to better understand and improve the transition from military service to civilian life. S2C incorporates four themes – the roles of higher education, families and children, communities, and employers in the transition – interactively. These themes collectively reflect the objectives and aims of the summit to build a research consortium, present current research, develop multidisciplinary future researchers, use current research to illuminate critical issues, identify research needs relevant to demographic shifts in the Armed Forces, and build a cadre of new professionals inclusive of current graduate students, interns, and diverse researchers underrepresented in the academy

The S2C objectives are to:

• Present current research and best practices for improving military to civilian transitions.
• Build research and practice consortiums that bring service members, including National Guard and Reservists, veterans, and their families together with researchers, Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) clinicians and decision makers, civilian employers, researchers, students, and higher education leaders.
• Articulate short-term and long-term translational agendas for research and practice in four core theme areas.
• Provide job acquisition training and access to employment opportunities.

The video below will be presented as an introduction for our speaker panel, in September:

 

 

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Article by Dr. Karl Hamner,  Assistant Dean for the UA Capstone College of Nursing and the School of Social Work overseeing research and is Co-Chair of the Service Member to Civilian Summit.