Academic Support Resources New to Online Learning Setting Up Moodle Setting Up Your Dashboard Update Your Profile Set Your Timezone When you are working at home, it is very important that you set your timezone if you are outside of the Central Time Zone.  If due dates are time-sensitive, being off by two or three hours can be significant.  Steps: 1. Log in to Moodle and start at your dashboard. 2. In the upper-right corner, locate the area where your profile picture appears.  Use the drop-down arrow to find the menu: 3. Select "Profile" 4. From the next page, click on "Edit Profile." 5. On the next page, scroll down to find the Time Zone selector.  Select your Time Zone. Suggestions for Succeeding in an Online Learning Environment Philosophy To many students, "online" is synonymous with "I can do this whenever I want."  That is true to only a very limited degree.  There are still due dates to meet and schedules to keep. There are still many demands on your time. Many associate  "online" with "easier."  Absolutely not true!  Distance learning requires a great deal of effort and concentration.  You don't have an instructor readily at hand to answer questions immediately.  You don't have classmates to run something by.  It's up to you to know "what you know" and, more importantly, " what you don't know ".  It's up to you to use your resources to address "what you don't know." Some may associate "online" with "I'm on my own."  Absolutely not true.  You have a network of people with whom you can communicate.  Your professor is still available.  You have classmates, tutors, and Network Services available for support.  In addition, you may be required to attend live sessions or work on group projects. Time Management This aspect of online learning is absolutely critical, and it can't be overstated.  If procrastination is detrimental in face-to-face courses, it is lethal in an online course.  You will have multiple courses to manage.  Each one carries due dates and deadlines.  Different courses may require live sessions or group work.   These demands require careful scheduling. Procrastination is incredibly easy in online courses.  All you have to do is walk away from the computer, and there is nothing to bother you.  Once things start piling up, discouragement sets in, often followed by resignation.  Don't let this be you! Set up a regular schedule for completing work.  Set up a regular space for online work.  This time and space must be free of distractions.  Get away from the TV.  Put the phone away.  Time spent does not always mean productivity.  This requires planning and discipline. It must become a habit.  Resources Your instructors assemble and provide resources to help you succeed.  Screencasts, tutorials, help sessions, question and answer forums, and web links are all there to assist you.  They are available for a reason.  Make use of them! Technology and Tools At first, getting used to different technologies and tools can be discouraging.  Credentials to manage, URLs to keep straight.  Understanding the features and functions.  All these can be daunting.  Look for support.  MLC has this portal specifically for you to use if you get stuck.  This help portal is searchable - type in some keywords and you're off. There are additional helps.  Most tools have a "Help" link or a "FAQ" (frequently asked questions) link.  You can post a question to the advisor.  You must rely more on your own resources and initiative when courses are online. The Good News In spite of the challenges, there is good news.  You can succeed with an online experience.  Onlne experience do offer some advantages.  You have more freedom in prioritizing your time. You can concentrate your efforts where needed, instead of sitting in a classroom.  You can move at your own pace, within reason.  Finally, be assured that the Lord will bless your efforts.  Those efforts are not always as visible to others, but they do bear fruit. God's blessings to you!     Organize Your Email Inbox This video shows you how to have GMail automatically label messages based on rules.  I recommend that you set up a filter and label for each course so you don't miss an important message. Moodle Mobile App If your family is limited as to the number of devices available, or you would like to be more portable, Moodle offers a mobile app that allows for most of the utilities that the web portal offers. Follow this link for more information. Writing Resources APA Formatting MS Graduate students are expected to follow APA Manual (7th Edition) in formal writing, and follow the MLC Form and Style Sheet . Below are some sites to assist you with citations and APA style. The Writer's Handbook: APA Documentation Guide  (UW-Madison) Purdue OWL: APA Formatting and Style Guide  (Purdue) This information is for students in the MLC Graduate program. Undergraduate students should check with their course instructors for citation and formatting guidelines. Society of Biblical Literature Formatting MATS Graduate students are expected to follow the Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style in formal writing, and follow the MLC Form and Style Sheet . Below are some sites to assist you with citations and formatting. The SBL Handbook of Style (MLC Library - use your MLC login information to access the PDF) SBL Style Guide (MLC Library) Student Supplement for  The SBL Handbook of Style   (PDF) This information is for students in the MLC Graduate program. Undergraduate students should check with their course instructors for citation and formatting guidelines. Citation Tools Citation Management suggestions from the MLC Library Grammarly MLC has purchased a site license for Grammarly Premium. Some of you may be using the free version, but Premium offers some advanced options. This tool is to be considered as a resource primarily for writers as they compose and edit their writing, whether academic or professional.  To log in, follow these directions: Go to  grammarly.com/enterprise/signup Provide your name, your @mlc-wels.edu email, and email password. Check your inbox for the email and click on the activation link. (If you have the free version, log in at this location and follow the directions — including the email activation link. Authorship Instructors may require you to use Grammarly's Authorship feature for writing assignments. Please follow the instructions below to access this feature. If you have not done so already, follow the instructions above to activate your Grammarly Premium account. Authorship in Google Docs Step 1: Open Grammarly in Google Docs Open your Google Doc using the Google Chrome browser. If you do not have Google Chrome, you can download it here . Make sure you have the Grammarly extension installed in your Chrome browser. Click on the Grammarly "G" icon on the right side of your document. Step 2: Turn on Authorship When Grammarly opens, look for the Authorship fingerprint icon in the bottom left corner. Click it to activate the tool. If it’s your first time, Grammarly may give you links to learn more about how Grammarly Authorship works. Click OK to continue. Grammarly will ask for access to your clipboard to function properly. Click "allow access" to use the tool. When Authorship is enabled, the fingerprint icon will be green. You can also click the icon to check that tracking is on, access the report, and check for AI and plagiarism.     Step 3: Complete Your Assignment If you have to leave the document and come back, check that Authorship is enabled each time you open it again. Step 4: Review the Authorship Report Click the green fingerprint icon and then the "See report" button to access your Authorship Report. You can review the various stats that Grammarly tracked as you were writing. Step 5: Share With Your Instructor After clicking the "See report" button to access your Authorship Report, click the green "Share report" button at the top right corner of your report.  Click the toggle button to make the report visible to anyone with the link. Copy the link and send it to your instructor following the directions they provided.   Authorship in Microsoft Word Follow these instructions to install the Grammarly program on your Windows or Mac computer.  After you've installed Grammarly, follow the instructions above to use Authorship. Getting Help from the Writing Center The Writing Center is available most evenings while school is in session. Check out the Writing Center web page for specific information. Using the Safe Exam Browser for Students Some professors may require the use of the Safe Exam Browser to take quizzes and tests in Moodle. The Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is an internet browser that will limit you from opening other tabs or programs while you're taking the quiz or test. You will only need to download the SEB once on your device. After that, you can take the quiz or test without downloading the SEB again. Downloading and Installing the Safe Exam Browser When you open the Moodle quiz that requires the use of the Safe Exam Browser, you'll see a button to download the SEB (see #1 below). Click the button to open the download page.  On the download page, click to download the correct version for your device: Windows, macOS, or iOS. The SEB is  not compatible with Chromebooks. If you have a Chromebook, you will need to use an iOS device (an iPhone or iPad), borrow a device, or use the MLC computers outside of the Biology lab. Open the downloaded file and follow the prompts to install the SEB on your device. If you need support, please contact IT Services.   Using the Safe Exam Browser Make sure you have followed the instructions for downloading and installing the SEB before continuing. From your Moodle course page, click on the quiz or test to access it. You should see a screen similar to the one below. Click  Launch Safe Exam Browser (see #2 below). You'll likely get a prompt asking if it's ok for your computer to open the SEB app. Click  Open Safe Exam Browser or whatever the affirmative choice is. As the SEB launches, it will look for applications that cannot be running while SEB is running. Zoom is one such application. The SEB will then try to close those applications. You may have to click to allow the applications to close. The SEB window will open with the familiar Moodle login screen. Log in with their MLC username and password. After logging in, you will be taken right to the quiz page where you can start the quiz.  When you have submitted your quiz, you can close the SEB and return to your normal browser by clicking the power icon  in the bottom right corner of the screen.   The SEB will try to relaunch the applications that it closed. You can continue in Moodle as normal.