ELI Fall 2012 Bulletin Board by Extended Learning Institute

News from ELI to you!

ELI Bulletin Board EXTENDED LEARNING V O L U M E

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www.nvcc.edu/ELI

Welcome

703.323.3347 1.888.4DL.NVCC INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Greetings from ELI,

New Courses to ELI 2 Semmler Scholarship 3 Recipients ELI Now on LinkedIn 3 eResources

Faculty Spotlight

Fall is coming to a close and we recognize that everyone is busy with school work. We hope that your semester is going well and would like to remind you that we have many services available to assist you with becoming a more successful learner. Please visit our

website at http://eli.nvcc.edu/ for more information regarding our resources and services. Our dedicated staff is here to assist you with any needs you may have. We would also like to invite you to visit and participate in our Virtual Student Union at http://elife.nvcc.edu/ vsu/. Please remember to check

out the Spring Semester 2013 registration dates and to contact your academic advisor as soon as possible for advising assistance. Best wishes for the rest of your semester! Sincerely, Deborah Wyne Director of Student Services Extended Learning Institute

ELI Chapter of NSCS 4 Tips to Prepare for Finals

New Staff at ELI

The Extended Learning Institute would like to extend a warm ELI Common Reader 6 welcome to the new employees that have joined our staff in the Are you Ready for 7 past few months. Please join us Next Semester? in welcoming them to NOVA! Fall into ELIfe

Get Involved with Student Life

WRITERS WANTED The ELI Bulletin Board is published by the Extended Learning Institute of Northern Virginia Community College to keep the ELI community informed and connected. We welcome comments and contributions from students, faculty, and staff. Contact elistulife@nvcc.edu for details.

Amanda Morley joined ELI in July as the new Student Life Specialist. She is responsible for managing the in-person and virtual student activities and programming for ELI. Amanda previously worked as a Resident Director at American University in Washington, DC where she worked with residential students. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Family and Consumer Sciences from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree

in Educational Leadership and Policy with a focus on Student Affairs from the University of Utah.

teaching and learning. She has worked in both public (State of FL college system) and private (Strayer University) education, and most recently at a non-profit memLaura Moroz joined ELI in July bership organization. Michelle is as the new part-time Faculty excited to be back in higher educaServices Assistant. Laura will be tion as it is where she derives the assisting with enrollment manmost passion and interest. Michelle agement, faculty development is currently working on her disserand data management. She tation for her Ed.D. from Nova holds a master’s degree in Southeastern University where she Adult Education and is currentis focusing on faculty development ly a student at the Loudoun for distance educators. campus studying horticulture as a hobby. Dr. Katherine (Kat) Hitchcock is the new Coordinator for ExcelMichelle Franz is the new lence in Online Instruction. This Faculty Developer here at position will focus on furthering ELI. She comes to us from a ELI’s excellence with respect to variety of professional experiinstructional practices, course deences that focus primarily on

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New Staff at ELI (cont.…)

sign, and assessment of student learning outcomes. She holds a doctorate in Psychology and currently teaches online courses in biological psychology, cognitive psychology, and research methods. Dr. Hitchcock previously worked at UMUC Asia where she was involved in faculty hiring, mentoring, and supervision. Christy Stanley joined ELI in June as a part-time Course Design Assistant. Her job is to assist Instructional Designers in the design process of ELI’s online courses. Before coming to

ELI, Christy worked with the Virginia Department of Education to design an online resource for parents of children with special needs. She recently graduated from George Mason University with master’s degree in Instructional Design and Development. Amanda Stokes started at ELI in March as a Course Specialist. She is new to distance learning and is enjoying learning everything it has to offer. Some of Amanda’s responsibilities are resetting exams, processing proctor requests,

answering the ELI Hotline and chat, and answering emails from both students and instructors. She is originally from the Northern Virginia Area and recently graduated with her Bachelors in Psychology. She is currently working towards her master’s degree. In Amanda’s free time she likes to read, spend time with family and friends, and travel! She is happy to be back in the area and looks forward to working with you!

New Courses @ ELI PLAN HEAD! Dec 11th-17th- (16-week) Fall Session final exams. Dec 17– Fall Class and exam end date. Jan 14- (1st 8 and16-week ) Sessions begin. Jan 22– (1st 8-week) Refund date. Jan 30– (1st 8-week) Inactive students drop date Feb 1st- (1st 16-week) Refund date.

Every semester the Extended Learning Institute is working hard to make more NOVA courses available to distance learning students. We’d like to highlight a few of the new courses we’ll be offering in the Spring 2013 semester! Nutrition I (DIT 121)-This course will help students recognize the relationship between good nutrition and the health, well-being, and productivity of individuals. The student will acquire a knowledge of the various nutrients required by the human body, their function, and the process of how our body digests and utilizes food. History of Garden Design (HRT 120)- Studies the development of gardens as they chronicle the develop-

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ment of civilization. Introduces the periods, in both Europe and North America, beginning with settlement, on through industrial development, land and space utilization to current environmental concerns. Explores physical and cultural influences on garden design and utilization. U.S. Government I (PLS 211)- Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the American political system. It includes topics such as democracy, the Constitution, Federalism, political behavior, civil liberties and civil rights. Developmental Psychology (PSY 230)This course is a composite of Psychology 231 and 232

in a one-semester format. The course provides students with important guidelines about how people grow and develop over time, enabling them to better monitor their own growth and development and that of others. Understanding how we have become the people we are today contributes to greater self-awareness and greater appreciation of the forces that shape all people. The course also offers scientific and practical guidance to those who work with, care for or raise children. Click here to find out more information on these and other course offered next semester at ELI.

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ELI Recognizes Semmler Scholarship Recipients On Friday September 14th, the Extended Learning Institute hosted the annual Semmler Scholarship recipient recognition ceremony. This scholarship is given to students who have been recognized by ELI faculty for academic excellence in their courses. Each student was awarded $500 to use toward their educational expenses. This year’s recipients are:

Bouchre Ezzine, Michelle Benko, Shawn Koss, Alex Chacaltana, Herman Padilla, Natarra Phelps, Christine Amatangelo, Fatma Polat, Jeremy Spittle, Debbie De La Ruz, Constance Dunham, Tung Nguyen, Paul Tucker, Abdull Abu-Dayeh, Julie Glascott, Keya Salvary, Faye Svec and Lisa DeMelo.

thousands of dollars to this cause. Semmler also sponsors a technology grant for faculty who are interested in purchasing supplies that support technology in the classroom.

This scholarship is named after one of our ELI Math Faculty, Dr. Richard Semmler, who in his time at NOVA has been an advocate for student access to education and has donated countless hours and tens of

Dr. Semmler was also recognized earlier in the semester by the ELI staff for all that he has contributed to our students and the department.

ELI is now on LinkedIn If you have a LinkedIn account you can now “link” with the Extended Learning Institute! Connect with us on our page and find great resources. From networking and career development to news on what is new in distance learning, we hope to provide a way for ELI students to connect with us as well as other students and provide

NEW!

access to educational resources. We also encourage you to share resources with us as well! Don’t have a LinkedIn Page? Not sure if it’s beneficial to have one? Click here to find out more about “The importance of Having a LinkedIn Account.” We look forward to linking with you in our professional network.

Learn more about the Semmler Scholarship and others offered HERE

Join our LinkedIn Page now!

eResources Looking for different educational resources that you can use during your ELI courses? Did you know that as an ELI student, you have access to several different virtual programs at no cost to you? Check them out! Student Lingo– This resource provides a wide range of facilitated workshops that focus on student success. This site not only focuses on

academic goals but also personal career goals and future achievements. Atomic Learning– This site is supported by NOVA and provides over 35,000 short technology tutorials. From software programs such as Adobe suite, and Microsoft Office to

social media sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr and Skype. Smarthinking– This program offers free online tutoring to students taking distance learning courses. This resource provides live tutoring one on one with an experiContinued on page 7

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Faculty Spotlight: Jill Mitchell

How long have you been students achieve their academic teaching at ELI? What classes and career goals! I am also a CIA do you teach? (Certified Internal Auditor). My first ELI class was during the Do you have any other inSpring 2012 Semester. I teach volvement with the NOVA ACC 211 for ELI. I also teach community? ACC 212 and ACC 241 (Auditing I serve as the College Wide FaculI) at the Annandale Campus. ty Advisor for the National Society How did you end up at NOVA? of Collegiate Scholars (www.nscs.org). NSCS is an naI always share my background with students to let them know it tional honor society for students is okay if they haven't determined who have earned 12 credit hours their majors yet, as I started at the and 3.4 GPA. There are numerous scholarships available to members, University of Georgia as a dance major! Due to an injury my fresh- as well as community service and man year, I changed my major to leadership opportunities. As a member of NSCS at NOVA, stuManagement Information Systems. After receiving my Bachelor dents' memberships transfer with them to their four year instituCheck out photos of of Business Administration, I obtions, helping to ease the transition tained my Master of Science in to a larger college experience. I the fall induction Accountancy from the McIntire School of Commerce at the Uni- enjoy working with the officers, ceremony for NOVA’s versity of Virginia. I was part of a offering them guidance as they prepare campus and online events for program for non-accounting maChapter of NSCS members. NSCS has over 1200 jors, Your Master Plan, that was current members at NOVA! sponsored by Ernst & Young, LLP. I then began my career with What do you enjoy most about teaching an online EY in the Miami office where I course? audited some of south Florida's largest public companies for four I enjoy getting to know the stuyears. After my son was born, my dents sometimes without ever husband's job was relocated to meeting them face to face! It's DC. I applied as an adjunct inamazing how connected the stustructor at NOVA. However, a full dents and faculty become all time position was available. I apthrough discussion boards and plied for the position, and it was emails! I also enjoy the flexibility the best career change I ever that the course offers students made! I love my job! I appreciate (and myself!) for learning at their the ability to stay current in the own pace given all of the other accounting profession, while helping responsibilities and commitments

they have in their lives. What advice would you give students to be successful in their ELI courses? The best advice I can offer to students is to stay organized. It is critical that students manage their time wisely. This involves staying on top of course deadlines. Deadlines are set in order to ensure student success. If there are no deadlines, the students will not be able to keep up with the work, especially in the fast-paced eight week courses that I teach. Also, communication is key. If a student has any issues, the student should reach out to the instructor sooner rather than later. What are you doing when you’re not teaching? Most of the time I am teaching and emailing students! I also teach an accounting class at George Mason University so I work a lot, but I love it so much! In my spare time, I am keeping up with my six year old son and two dogs (a senior and a puppy). I am learning how to golf, and I also take Tae Kwon Do lessons with my son. My husband and I are huge college football fans, so we are either watching the Georgia Bulldogs on TV or going to the games. We sometimes go to UVA games, and we also enjoy Mason basketball!

Become a ELI Member of NSCS ELI students are encouraged to consider membership with NOVA’s chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. We are excited to connect students with this wonderful organization! Student Life is proud to introduce Wendy Gazzelli. Wendy is one of the Vice Presidents of Student Activities for NOVA’s NSCS chapter executive board, and currently an ELI student. Wendy will be working

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with our Student Life Specialist, Amanda Morley, to create leadership and service opportunities for ELI students involved in this organization. NSCS will be reaching out to qualified students in the spring semester. For more information on NOVA’s NSCS chapter click HERE. Please contact elistulife@nvcc.edu for any ELI specific questions.

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ELI Tips to Prepare for Finals With finals just around the corner, it is never too early to start preparing for your exams. ELI would like to provide some helpful tips for you to feel prepared to complete your courses and wrap up the semester.

Before Your Finals Review your syllabus and course materials. This is an important step not only to identify what will be covered on your finals but when you will need to complete a final for a particular course. This will also give you an idea regarding what course material will be covered on the exam. Will the exam be comprehensive or on a specific unit of the course?

Know what works for you. Think about the previous assignments and exams that you have completed for a course and decide what has been the most successful to prepare. Also consider what setting works for you to study. Does it motivate you to study with others in a group or are you more successful preparing for an exam independently? Recognizing these before you begin to prepare for a final will help you use your time effectively.

Verify the testing center hours.

center, give yourself plenty of time to send in your proctor request and have it approved. ELI recommends at least 5 business days for requests to be processed. Questions about proctor requests can be directed to (703) 323-3347 or 1-888-4DLNVCC or email elicoursespecialists@nvcc.edu.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to ask questions. If you are preparing for a final and realize that you do not understand some of the material, ask for help. Look into office hours for the course to speak with your professor or reach out to other students for clarification. You want to make sure that you are as prepared as possible with the correct course information to take an exam.

studying and planning what course content to focus on.

Fuel yourself for the day Make sure you plan a time to eat before or in-between finals. This is especially important if you have more than one final in a day. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be distracted during a test because you are hungry. You want to make sure your body has fuel to focus.

Interested in learning about more tips and strategies to prepare for finals? Follow the link below to our ELIfe blog.

Remember to rest. Sleep is vital for your body to recharge and feel prepared to take an exam. Finals can often create a feeling of stress for students and it is important for you to feel your best during high stress times. It is not recommended to pull an all-nighter the night before a final exam.

You can also visit our Virtual Student Union for additional Final Survival Strategies and learn about opportunities to have your ELI finals questions answered.

Day of the Final Know what you need.

Make sure you are prepared with all If you are planning to take an exam the supplies that you need before ELI wishes the best of luck to all you leave for an exam. Are you alat a testing center, make sure you lowed to bring notes? Is your exam students during their final exams, are aware of the hours they are open and when they stop adminis- multiple choice or essay format? and hope to see you back for the Answering these questions will also tering exams each day. If you are spring semester! having your exam proctored some- help you in your strategies when where other than a NOVA testing

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ELI’s “Fall into ELIfe” Event Comes to the Manassas Campus

ELI’s annual fall event “Fall into ELIfe” was held Wednesday, September 26th at NOVA’s Manassas campus with beautiful weather and a great turnout! Over 75 students, faculty, and staff came out to visit our ELI staff and learn more about distance learning at NOVA… and let’s not forget the free food! Several members of the Student Services staff were available to give students more information about topics such as — Registration, Financial Aid, Student Life, Orientation, Advising, Student Success and Library

Resources. Along with learning more about ELI, students enjoyed some food and fun including a photo booth, airbrush tattoos as well as popcorn and snow cones. The event served as a great opportunity for our current ELI students to meet face-to -face with ELI staff. One student commented that by attending the event, they were able to identify specific staff within ELI, their job functions and how they can be utilized in their online education. Likewise, ELI student services staff en-

joyed talking with students about their online learning experience and sharing information with interested students. A big thanks to everyone who helped out and attended! If you weren’t able to attend this event? No worries! We will be hosting a Spring Fling event at another NOVA campus next semester. Stay tuned for details!

ELI Common Reader Program

(Above) Photo of Henrietta Lacks and Author Rebecca Skloot

(Below) Pictures of Speakers Ivan Amato and Karla Hethorn at Lyceum Event

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The Extended Learning Institute’s common reader program offers participants the chance to connect with fellow ELI students, faculty, and staff over a common experience while introducing them to a variety of opportunities available as an online student.

Students have been participating in the program throughout the fall semester by using the common reader blog to discuss this book. The Common Reader blog can be found here.

The 2012 ELI Common Reader selection was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. The book details the life, death and legacy of a poor African American tobacco farmer from Virginia who changed the course of medical research, yet remains virtually unknown. Each chapter raises powerful questions about ethics, race, medical science, and social justice.

Students have also had the opportunity to participate in virtual chats using Blackboard Collaborate, the web conferencing system ELI uses for its classes.

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ELI partnered with the Annandale Campus Science Seminar and Lyceum Speaker Series to co-host the NOVA Literary & Science Event at

the CE Theater, Ernst Cultural Center, Annandale Campus on Friday, October 26. This event featured author, science journalist, and editor Ivan Amato as well as NOVA Faculty (Ph.D. Geneticist) Karla Hethorn. These presenters gave scientific perspective to different topics highlighted in the book including the use of HeLa cells in medical research and the ethics behind physicians taking Henrietta Lacks’ cells without her consent. If you would like more information about participating in the program or being a Common Reader mentor for the fall 2013 program please email elilearn@nvcc.edu.

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Are you Ready for Next Semester? As we begin the last month of the semester, it is important for students to feel prepared for the upcoming spring semester before entering a long break from classes. One important way to feel prepared is doing careful academic planning to ensure that you are proceeding appropriately toward your academic goals. Here are some steps to help you determine what areas you might need to focused on to put yourself on a successful track for the spring semester. 1. Attend an ELI webinar. ELI offers a variety of 30-45minute webinars for NOVA students that focus on answering key questions students have about continuing their studies at NOVA and beyond. Topics covered include preparing for your next semester, exploring career options, conduct-

ing a job search, and identifying how to make proactive choices. Identify session dates and register at the ELI Webinar website. 2. Review your Advisement Report. This report will identify how the courses you have taken, are in the process of taking, or have received transfer credit for, apply to your declared program of study. Access NOVAConnect to view your advisement report. 3. Communicate with your advisor about your academic and career goals. If you have not been assigned an advisor, but have been program placed (officially declared a program of study) contact the Division Office on a NOVA campus that offers your program to be assigned an advisor. If you have not declared a program of study or are not pur-

suing a specific Introducing FOCUS program at FOCUS 2 is an online, interactive, selfNOVA, contact guided career and education planning system that can help you: an ELI counselor  Select a major based on your interests for assistance.

Open registration is currently available for all students. The ELI Registration page can help with frequently asked questions. We wish you the best of luck as you prepare for your next semester.

and aspirations

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Discover occupations matching your personal preferences and attributes

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Map out your career plans, present and future

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Make informed career decisions

Follow the steps below to create an account and begin using FOCUS 2.

1) Go to http://www.nvcc.edu/currentstudents/career-services/index.html 2)

under “Learn More” 3)

NEED HELP WITH A RESEARCH PAPER OR USING ONLINE RESEARCH DATABASES?

CONTACT ELI-LIBRARY@NVCC.EDU

enced educator for any ELI course, and 24 hour support with math classes. Tutoring is done through Smarthinking’s Whiteboard technology. Smarthinking also offers an online writing lab for students looking for papers to be critiqued. ELI webinars– ELI offers free online webinars monthly to students on a

Follow the instructions online

Contact Christy Jensen (chjensen@nvcc.edu) if you have any problems accessing the system, or to schedule a career advising appointment.

eResources (cont.…) DID YOU KNOW THAT ELI HAS AN ONLINE L IBRARIAN?

Click on the “FOCUS 2” icon located

variety of different topics such as How to Succeed in Distance Learning, Math Anxiety, Exploring Career Options and Getting Ready for your Next Semester. These webinars are live and administered through Blackboard Collaborate.

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Get Involved with Student Life

Are you interested in learning more about Student Life events happening with ELI? Click on the image below to visit our Virtual Student Union. Want to be notified by email about our upcoming events? Email elistulife@nvcc.edu for more information!

The Extended Learning Institute wants you to get involved with ELI student life or ELIfe! Every month, ELI hosts student activities and events for students both virtually and in-person to help online students develop stronger connections to ELI, to NOVA and to each other. Student Life has hosted several activities/events throughout this past fall semester including Online Scavenger Hunt, Fantasy Football, Technology Fair, Pedometer Challenge, Veterans Celebration and Weekend Meet-ups. There is one event still coming up in the fall semester: ď&#x201A;ˇ Follow our Virtual Student Union (VSU) during the month of December for Finals Survival Strategies and Tips. Find opportunities to ask your ELI finals questions and connect with other students. For more information on these and other activities and events through ELI , Visit our events page on the Virtual Student Union. We hope to connect with you at future events!

Have you visited our Virtual Student Union? We want to hear your feedback! Please email elistulife@nvcc.edu for more information. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE ELI BULLETIN BOARD Katie Aimone, Orientation Specialist

Deborah Wyne, Director of Student Services

Christy Jensen, Career Counselor

Amanda Morley, Student Life Specialist

ELI Instructional Designers

Jill Mitchell, ELI Faculty