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A: If this is
your first time
taking an online
course, here are
some further
questions and
answers to help
guide you.
This is my first
online course, how
do I learn how to
take this course?
Why do I get a 'time
out' or 'timed
out' message?
What computer
skills do I
need?
How are online
and traditional
courses different?
What is the
difference between
synchronous and
asynchronous
learning?
What is a chat
room?
What is a
discussion thread?
Why can't I
access the chat room
or discussion
area?
Am I required to
be online on certain
days or times or
can I set my own
hours?
I am not a U.S.
student. If I
go back home, can I
finish my online
program from home?
I was informed that
I need to take two
foundation
courses. Do I
need to finish these
to continue in the
program?
Is there any
specific hardware
and software
requirements for
online courses?
How do I register
for classes?
This is my first online course, how do I learn how to take this course?
There is an orientation course, called the Student Orientation course that should be accessed once you login (it is listed under “Special Courses” above the classes for which you’re registered. You may refer to it at any time, but you must be registered in a course).
If you experience problems, contact the faculty
member whose course you are or will be taking.
C ontext-sensitive help is always available
from any screen while in the Philadelphia
University Online environment.
If your problem cannot be addressed by your
faculty contact or on-screen help, contact the School of Business
Administration's in-house technology specialist,
Professor Matt London at 215.951.2559 or LondonM@PhilaU.edu.
There are many other resources available. "E-Learning
Companion: A Student Guide to Online Success"
by Ryan Watkins and Michael Corry is an
inexpensive resource which provides some sage
advice about how to approach taking courses
online.
What computer skills do I need?
You need to know how to:
- word process documents
- send, receive, and respond to e-mail with file attachments
- browse the Internet
- access the course web site
- download information from the Internet
In some cases, it is also useful to know how to design and use spreadsheets, participate in chats and discussion threads.
Top
How are online and traditional courses different?
Online learning allows people to take classes or courses where and when they want. This environment also allows users to progress through the materials at their own pace, rather than the more structured traditional classroom setting.
Online learning requires self-discipline and a good deal of commitment though. While you do not have to attend class, research has shown that people who set aside a specific time and day every week for their class reading, assignments and interactions with others tend to be much more successful than those who try to catch a few moments here and there at work and between their responsibilities at home. The online format is designed to provide flexibility, but the amount of work is equal to, if not more, than what you find in the traditional classroom.
You work independently, but not alone. Faculty, technical support and fellow students are only a click away.
Online classes seem smaller still because of the amount of contact time between the faculty member and each student. In both the traditional and online classes, questions and interaction are encouraged, but the answers are provided to individuals in a printed format more often in the online class than in the traditional classroom setting, where most questions and answers are presented verbally. Therefore, in an online class, students can refer back to instructors’ responses as often as they choose. However, some of this interaction can take place through synchronous chats, or threaded discussions, so more will be exposed to the same discussions, and there are FAQ (frequently asked question) pages that can be developed. Nevertheless, instructions that are provided in writing tend to be a bit more explicit and detailed than when provided as spoken instruction and there is always some repetition. This all means more contact time per student which means more individualized attention from the instructor.
Those seeking content mastery tend to be more comfortable with an online course than those seeking a social and cultural experience, in addition to the learning experience.
Philadelphia University boasts of its small class sizes, and while most classes are smaller, there are some cases when there will be between 30 and 35 students in a traditional classroom. That’s still pretty small compared to the 300 and 400 seat lectures held in some universities. It seems that the optimal online class size is somewhere between 15 and 20 students.
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What is the difference between synchronous and asynchronous learning?
Synchronous means that the participants (faculty and students, students, or one-on-one student and faculty) are taking part in an exchange at the same time. For example, you ask the faculty a question via e-mail and they respond immediately – as if you were facing them. Asynchronous, on the other hand means there is a delay between when the e-mail correspondence (for instance) is sent and when a reply is received. The delay could be as little as an hour, or as long as two or three days.
What is a chat room?
A chat room is a virtual space, actually just a time in a shared electronic space, during which the participants agree to interact through electronic means (e-mail). While online, a user may type in a comment or question, another participant enters a response, rebuttal, or confirmation message, and so on. Chat rooms are a type of synchronous interaction – where the participants are all in the virtual space at the same time.
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What is a discussion thread?
A discussion thread is a type of asynchronous interaction, where one participant poses a question or makes a statement. Other members of the discussion group may be logged on to the system and respond immediately, but it is more common that they log on to the system at some later time and respond or comment on the original question or statement, or statements made by others. That is, it is not necessary for all the users to be online at the same time. In a discussion thread, main ideas or ‘threads’ are tracked as people add more and more statements.
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Why can't I access the chat room or discussion area?
We have found that people trying to access these features from work, or from home through a work server have more difficulty than those using a personal or private Internet Service Provider (ISP). The reason is that many firms have sophisticated firewall safety measures that will not allow the transmission of data necessary to conduct chat or discussion threads, The firewall and other safety measures prevent or at least reduce the chance of your work server being infected with viruses and less susceptible to ‘hacking.’ Your firm likely keeps sensitive data about its employees, suppliers and customers that it wants to protect, unfortunately the use of firewalls also means it is more difficult to participate in chats and discussions online.
The only solution is to access the class through your private ISP when you want to participate in the chart or discussion thread components of a course. You are also always welcome to come to campus and use Philadelphia University facilities, but that means less flexibility for you and in part, defeats the purpose of taking the course online.
It is recommended that you use either Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer as your browser because from time-to-time, we have also experienced difficulties with other browsers like America Online (AOL).
Top
Why do I get a 'time out' or 'timed out' message?
At one time or another, most of us have seen the dreaded "Timed out. Connection terminated." message when browsing on the Internet. This occurs because nearly all Internet browsers require some activity (upload or download) to maintain the connection between computers. The reason for this is that by establishing a link between computers, users are reserving connection points or ports, and as long as these remain open, they cannot be used by others. While there may be many, the number of ports are not unlimited. If someone has established a link between computers but is not using it, it can be compared to parking a car in a travel lane on the highway -- others must find a way around the parked vehicle. If enough people park on the highway, it becomes unusable as a link between two points. Rather than ‘wasting’ this connection, Internet browser software is designed to ‘time out’ and ‘bump the user off’ – break the connection. Sometimes there is an error in the software and this occurs even if there has been some activity.
What constitutes activity? Software detects activity as something (data or a command) being sent between the connected computers. If someone is typing, that activity is taking place on one computer, and that is why typing is not interpreted as activity between or among computers. If the user moves from one page to another on the Internet, they are requesting information to be transferred from some other computer to their computer (text and graphics). If the user saves something while working on a shared document on the Philadelphia University site, for example, they are sending information from their computer to the Philadelphia University computer. Both of these activities constitute a ‘live’ or active connection. Inactivity at the Philadelphia University site is limited to 45 minutes. If nothing is sent from or received by the PhilaU site, the connection will be terminated.
Am I required to be online on certain days or times or can I set my own hours?
Primarily, you will be able to set your own hours. We would expect, however, that there will be some activities that will occur live and that to be able to actively participate (ask questions and voice your views as opposed to just reading the text of what happened, you will need to be on line at a particular time. This should not pose a problem.
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I am not a U.S. student. If I go back home, can I finish my online program from there?
As long as you have Internet service, you will have no problem participating in courses.
I was informed that I need to take two foundation courses. Do I need to finish these to continue in the program?
You will need to complete these courses before taking the MBA courses.
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Is there any specific hardware and software requirements for online courses?
Yes, but most of the hardware and software are pretty standard for newer machines. You must have access to a computer, current standard word processing and other suite software, a connection to the Internet, a valid e-mail address, and it is recommended that you use either Netscape Communicator or Internet Explorer as your Internet browser. (AOL, Prodigy, CompuServe and similar ISPs provide their own browsers which may cause occasional access problems. Please see the recommendations associated with using these ISPs under the “Technical Requirements” section of the Philadelphia University Online web site – www.PhilaU.org.) Specific hardware and software requirements are also described on the “Technical Requirements” page.
How do I register for classes?
Fill out a registration form and either take it or send it to the business office (fax: 215.951.2112) where payment will be verified. The business office will transfer the information to the registrar, who will in turn inform our information technology specialist, Professor Matt London (ph: 215-951-2559; LondonM@PhilaU.edu) , who assigns the access codes. Professor London will send you and e-mail note as soon as you have been registered on the Philadelphia University Online system.
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