Are You Ready for Online Learning?

Taking an online course is different than going to a classroom.

A “yes” answer to most of the following questions indicates that online courses may be right for you.

Do you have reliable access to a computer and the Internet?

To be a successful student in this ALCTS Web course, you need to have regular unlimited access to a computer and the Internet. At a minimum, we recommend using at least a Pentium II-based PC or a G3 PowerMac machine.

You will also need a reliable Internet connection. If you experience frequent busy or dropped signals, you may have difficulty completing courses on time and participating in chat sessions.

Do you enjoy writing and participating in discussions?

Most communication in an online class consists of written messages between you and the instructor and discussions among class participants. If you have difficulty with an assignment or have questions, you must be willing to "speak up" to inform the instructor. Good typing skills also are a plus.

Do you frequently use e-mail and browse the web?

You must login to your online course and interact several times a week. This can include working on assignments, participating in discussions, and responding to e-mail. If you're not accustomed to routinely accessing the Internet, it may be difficult to motivate yourself to do the work. You must be disciplined enough to keep your coursework current.

Do you read course material carefully?

All of the material you're required to read for this course is online and you must read it carefully. Some students just print out the syllabus and key information to read offline. It's important to realize you can't just skim over the content and be able to have a clear understanding of when assignments are due and what is expected of you.

Does your schedule make it difficult to attend classes on campus?

One of the major reasons students register for online classes are for the convenience of being able to take the course without having to travel to the course location. Do keep in mind you still must spend about the same amount of time on coursework as for any normal course or workshop.

Do you like to plan ahead and finish assignments a few days ahead of schedule?

It's often tempting to wait until the last minute. If you're a procrastinator, you may have already learned that sometimes things don't work quite as well as you had hoped. With online courses, it's better to get your work done a little ahead of time so if problems do occur, they can be resolved prior to the deadline.

Do you enjoy solving problems and learning new programs on the computer?

Sometimes learning new programs or applications on the computer can be frustrating if they don't work exactly as you expect. Taking an online course may require you to learn new techniques beyond just e-mail for interacting with other students in the class.    

Qualities of a Successful Web Course Student

Successful Web course students are committed to their studies. While Web courses offer more flexibility and convenience, they can be more demanding of time and energy than regular courses or workshops. Web course students need to:

• Know how to use technology (e.g., email, use a Web browser, learn to navigate through the course).
• Login regularly to participate in the class - at least 3 times per week. Some students login as much as twice a day.
• Commit approximately 6 hours per week.
• Use good time management skills and exercise self-discipline to ensure enough time to study and complete all assignments.
• Take notes as they study.
• Enjoy communicating in writing and reading the writing of others.
• Seek help when problems arise.
• Good communication is an essential element of the ALCTS Web course. You must be willing to share your thoughts, experiences, and ideas with the group and carefully consider your responses with professional respect and courtesy.

Retrieved from: http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webcourse/webctready

Why Every Nurse Should Have A LinkedIn Profile

By Keith Carlson, BSN, RN, NC-BC     

www.linkedin.com

LinkedIn is the largest online network for working professionals. Nurses’ careers can greatly benefit from LinkedIn, and creating a solid profile is a great place to start building your nursing and healthcare network. 

With over 400 million users, the potential for making positive connections with like-minded professionals is high. Nurses can use LinkedIn to strategically network with other nurses and healthcare colleagues. 

If you’re a nurse planning to move to another city or state and find a job quickly, LinkedIn’s search function can help you find local healthcare professionals who may shed light on employers and facilities you’re interested in. 

LinkedIn groups are highly useful forums for getting your questions answered and meeting other nurses with similar interests. 

In order to use LinkedIn well, having a strong profile is important. Here are 10 tips to help you build a profile that will work for you and your nursing career. 

1. Profile Photo 

You need to have a relatively high-quality headshot on your profile. Other users want to know who you are, and a photo says a lot. A smart phone can usually do the trick, but a professional headshot can really help you shine. 

2. Your Credentials

LinkedIn doesn’t give you a place to put your credentials after your name. You can hack this problem by simply putting them after your name in the last name field. This way, they’ll show up right at the top of your profile where they belong. 

3. Your Headline 

Your headline is the area right below your photo and name. Rather than just “Registered Nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital”, why not say something that really describes you? 

For example: “Seasoned nurse with extensive experience in ICU, trauma, and critical care,” or “Houston-based RN leader with career focus on quality improvement and nursing staff development.” These headlines tell us much more about the person behind the profile. 

4. A Summary 

Your professional summary is where the rubber hits the road. It’s recommended that your summary be in the first person. Talk about yourself, your strengths, your experiences, and what you bring to the table as a nurse. You can also mention opportunities you’re looking for and what kinds of professionals you’d like to meet. 

The summary is like a love letter to visitors to your profile -- be warm and personal, but always professional. 

5. Personalized URL

When you edit your public LinkedIn profile, you can create a personalized URL (web address). This is a form of personal branding, and allows you to showcase the fact that you’re savvy about LinkedIn. 

Your personalized URL might look like this: LinkedIn.com/in/SusanJonesRN. This can look very nice on your resume, cover letters, letterhead, and business card. 

6. Experience 

You can copy and paste most of the information you need for this section of your LinkedIn profile right from your resume. 

One difference between your resume and your LinkedIn profile is that you can say a lot more since you have no limits on space. Feel free to add more meat to the bones of the descriptions of your work experience and your areas of expertise and accomplishment. 

If you’ve participated in research, held a seat on a committee, or otherwise been involved at work, make sure to describe your position and what was achieved by both you and the group. 

7. Recommendations 

An important aspect of LinkedIn is that your colleagues, professors, mentors, preceptors, managers, and supervisors can write recommendations about you right on your profile for everyone to see. These recommendations are a form of “social proof,” elevating you in the eyes of others. 

LinkedIn recommendations show the world what others think of you. Connect with colleagues on LinkedIn and agree to write testimonials for one another. 

8. Keywords 

LinkedIn is actually a very powerful search engine disguised as social media. Use keywords throughout your profile so that those terms work for you within the search engine. If you’re all about ICU, trauma, and critical care, make sure those terms show up repeatedly in your profile. 

9. Skills and Endorsements 

The skills and endorsements section of LinkedIn is important. This is where you choose what skills you’d like to be endorsed for. As you accumulate endorsements from other users for certain skills (for example, “nursing”, “Med-Surg”, or “ICU”), those keywords become more important for you in the LinkedIn search engine. This can help others find and connect with you more easily. 

10. Make Connections

Making connections on LinkedIn will lead to more connections, and more connections can lead to more opportunities. Building a robust professional network is smart at any point in your nursing career. You can use LinkedIn to find your tribe of like-minded nurses and healthcare professionals. 

Get Started

LinkedIn is an essential tool for professional development. Getting your profile up to speed is only the beginning, but it’s the perfect place to begin upping your game on this popular platform. 

Professional networking is lifelong. A strong LinkedIn profile will get you noticed, open the door to new professional relationships and opportunities, and enhance the forward movement of your nursing career.  

The Learning Process

How to Check Your Financial Aid Award

Check your Financial Aid Award:

1. Log into your UMass Dartmouth Account (umassd.edu) click the log in button on the top right

2. Enter your username and password

3. Click the QuickLaunch tab on the upper right

4. Then click COIN for students

                    5.On the left side click Financial Aid Center >> Under account management click

View Current Financial Aid

                    6.Select Financial Aid Year

How to Register for Classes

If you are already a matriculated UMass Dartmouth student, you can register through COIN online.

If this is your first UMass Dartmouth online course, you will need to activate your UMass Dartmouth email account. All online course correspondence is done through your UMD email, not your personal email. Also, the first semester RN-BS online students will be registered automatically.

Students register for classes in COIN, UMass Dartmouth's student information system, located in the myUMassD portal.

Before registering, each student must meet with his or her academic advisor to review course selections and for the advisor to lift the academic advising hold on the COIN account. A student will not be able to register for classes until this hold is lifted.

Be sure to note the class numbers in the course listings for the classes you want to take. Then:

1. Log in to the myUMassD portal
2. Select COIN from the Launch Pad
3. Log in to COIN and click on Academics
4. Select add/drop/swap a class
5. Select the upcoming term
6. Select add classes
7. Enter your class numbers; Once they have been entered, click on submit

COIN should indicate why a student may have trouble registering for a class. If you need any additional help, please visit the IT Student Help Desk for one-on-one assistance.

How to Remove Holds

If you have a hold on your account, COIN will block you from enrolling until the hold is removed.

Check your COIN account prior to your registration date and address any of the following holds. Typical holds which will block enrollment include:

Academic Advising Hold:
Academic advising holds can be lifted by meeting with your adviser or attending a group advising session.

Bursar’s Hold
 A bursar’s hold is placed on student accounts having a past due balance. Your student support coordinator or faculty advisers cannot remove a bursar’s hold. You will need to go to the 2nd floor of the Foster Administration Building to resolve the problem with the Bursar.

Emergency Contact Hold
In order to remove this hold, students need to log on to their COIN account to verify their emergency contact information in their Personal Data section.

Immunization Hold 
The Immunization Hold is placed on student accounts by Health Services and will not block enrollment during the Fall semester. If the Immunization Hold is not removed, it will block your enrollment in the Spring semester. To remove the Immunization Hold, students need to upload their immunization record to UMD’s Health Services Office. Here is the link to access the online portal: http://www.umassd.edu/studentaffairs/health/

Graduation Process

1. Contact your faculty adviser to make sure all classes have been met towards your degree.

2. Make sure your graduation term is correct. Contact Diane Rodrigues to make sure the term is changed. Her email is drodrigues1@umassd.edu, (Make sure when you email her you include your student ID.)

3. Fill out intent to graduate form (this comes out in November)

4. After you apply, the Office of Registrar forwards applicant names to the appropriate academic department for careful review and certification that all requirements have been met. Once all final grades have been posted, the department will send your degree certification to the Office of Registrar for posting of your degree on your transcript.

5. Here is a link with more information about applying for graduation.
http://www.umassd.edu/registrar/graduation/

Study Strategies to Reduce Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is when a student excessively worries about doing well on a test. This type of anxiety is more than the average anxiety all students may experience from time to time. Severe text anxiety can become a major hindrance on test performance and cause extreme nervousness and memory lapses, among other symptoms.

Recognizing Test Anxiety

• Freezing up 
• Panicking 
• Being easily distracted 
• Physical effects; sweating, shortness of breath 
• Lack of interest in test or topic 

How to Combat Text Anxiety Being well prepared for a test is the best way to reduce test anxiety.

1. Space out your studying over a few days or weeks, and continually review class material. Don’t wait until the night before to try to learn all the material.
2. Try to maintain a positive attitude while preparing for the test and during the test.
3. Exercising for a few days before the test and throughout the semester will help reduce stress.
4. Get a good night’s sleep during the entire semester and before the test.
5. Stay relaxed. If you begin to get nervous take a few deep breaths slowly to relax yourself and then get back to work.
6. Read the directions slowly and carefully.
7. If you don’t understand the directions on the test, ask the teacher to explain them to you.
8. Skim through the test so that you have a good idea how to pace yourself.
9. Write down important formulas, facts, definitions and/or keywords in the margin first so you won’t worry about forgetting them.
10. Do the simple questions first to help build up your confidence for the harder questions.
11. Don’t worry about how fast other people finish their test; just concentrate on your own test.
12. If you don’t know a question, skip it. Go back to it later if you have time, and remember that you don’t have to always get every question right to do well on the test.
13. Focus on the question at hand; don’t let your mind wander onto other things.

UMass Dartmouth Student Success Website

You may need some help as you navigate your path to graduation.

Our checklists, tools, and advice are designed to guide you on that path to a college degree.

Academics are the most important part of why you’re here and we understand that there are other aspects of your education that enrich your experience—like community involvement, faculty engagement and developing a sense of belonging. Click here for more information.

How to Study

Here is a great resource to find tips/strategies to study. https://howtostudy.org/
You can find information on Time Management, Procrastination, Stress Management and so much more!

 My favorite is the Assignment Calculator. Just plug in start and end date of an assignment and get the steps you need to take day by day to get it done!

 Want me to help you one on one?
 Let me know by making an appointment by phone or office click here to make an appointment.


   

Time Management and Study Skills

Complete your FAFSA today!

Apply now! Federal Student Aid has more than $150 billion available to help you pay for school!

Create your FSA ID before you start your FAFSA application.  UMD school code that you will need is 002210

Helpful Tips

• Be aware of deadlines. Do not wait to be accepted for admission. Complete the FAFSA as soon after October 1 as possible. Priority consideration deadline is March 1.
• Keep a file for your records of all financial aid materials. Keep copies of all documents including the FAFSA.
• Respond promptly to all requests for information. If additional documentation is required, your application file cannot be completed until we have received and reviewed requested documents.
• Be sure your name and student ID are on all correspondence.
• Notify Financial Aid Services in writing of all outside scholarships, awards, additional resources, or unique family circumstances.

Call University Enrollment to find out if they received your FAFSA. It takes 5-7 Business days to process. 

University Enrollment Center, Foster Administration, first floor 508.999.8857 or 508.999.8866 

Scholarships

There are twelve scholarships available to students in the College of Nursing. 

Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors; RN-BS students; and graduate students are eligible for these scholarships. (Current seniors who will be graduating in May are not eligible, as you will not be in school next year.)

Scholarship awards are based on academic achievement and financial need.

To qualify, you must meet the criteria listed below for each scholarship. In addition, your GPA should be at least a 2.5 and you must submit a scholarship letter to the Office of the Dean of the College of Nursing, Dion 202, by March 31.

The Scholarship Committee may request recommendations from course/clinical faculty.

One letter will suffice for all scholarships, as the College of Nursing Scholarship Committee will meet and match scholarships with applicants. Recipients will be notified by mail and scholarshisp will be applied directly to your academic bill.

To apply for a scholarship, please submit a typed scholarship letter which includes:

• Your name, address, student ID, telephone number and expected year of graduation.
• A description of your nursing career goals.
• A short, sepcific statement supporting your financial need for this scholarship.
• Details of current employment, e.g., name of agency, number of hours/week.
• A list of your community involvement, volunteerism and leadership activities.

Submit your scholarship letter to: 
College of Nursing Scholarship Committee
College of Nursing
c/o Robin Couto 
Dean’s Office, Dion 202

Deadline for all twelve College of Nursing scholarships: March 31.

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1. Marie M. Howard Scholarship: Awarded to a nursing student who will be a Junior, who demonstrates high academic and professional accomplishment and a commitment to professional nursing, as well as financial need. (Approximately $400.00) 

2. Phyllis Porth Darrell Memorial Scholarship: Awarded to a nursing student who will be a Junior or Senior, who demonstrates high academic and professional accomplishment and a commitment to professional nursing, as well as financial need. (Approximately $475.00) 

3. Jeanne Castonguay Violette Memorial Scholarship: Awarded to a nursing student who will be a Senior, leading to the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. (Approximately $550.00) 

4. Rose Castonguay Memorial Scholarship: Awarded to a nursing student who will be a Senior, who demonstrates high academic and professional accomplishment and a commitment to professional nursing, as well as financial need. (Approximately $750.00)

5. Bristol South County Medical Auxiliary Scholarship: Awarded to an upcoming senior nursing student who is interested in developing a career in nursing, and is a permanent resident of Bristol County. (Approximately $600.00) 

6. Grace R. and Henry C. Lincoln, MD Scholarship: Awarded to a full-time matriculated nursing student, and is based on academic merit, as well as financial need. (Approximately $375.00) 

7. Robert John Fisher Memorial Scholarship: Awarded to a nursing student who will be a Junior or Senior, who demonstrates exceptional leadership ability and high academic and professional accomplishment. (Approximately $500) 

8. Arlene M. Oliveira Scholarship Fund: Awarded to a nursing student who will be a Junior, Senior or student in the Graduate program, who is employed by St Anne’s Hospital, Fall River, MA. (Approximately $525.00) 

9. Truesdale Hospital Nurses Alumnae Association Scholarship Fund: Awarded to a nursing student in the Graduate program who demonstrates financial need and academic merit. (Approximately $600.00) 

10. Professor Jacqueline Bazinet Cobert Memorial Scholarship Fund: Awarded to a full-time, matriculated graduate or undergraduate student in the College of Nursing. Award decisions shall be based on academic merit as determined by the appropriate university scholarship committee(s). (Approximately $375.00) 

11. Lepreau and Welch Scholarship: Awarded to a full-time matriculated undergraduate student in the College of Nursing. Award decisions shall be based on financial need, academic merit as determined by the appropriate university scholarship committee(s). Preference will be given to students living in the Fall River and Westport areas. (Approximately $1,100.00

12. Eleanora S. Fontaine: Awarded to a sophomore nursing student enrolled in the College of Nursing with demonstrated financial need and a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Preference is for a female student from the Greater New Bedford area. (Approximately $400.00).