Graduate Electronic Admissions Booklet

WELCOME TO THE PIONEER FAMILY!

Congratulations on taking the lead to your own success! GET STARTED

Use this booklet to navigate your first days, weeks, and months as a Pioneer, and continue to use it as a resource throughout your educational journey. And remember, we are here to help you every step of the way!

Congratulations on your admission to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, and welcome to the Pioneer family. We’re honored you chose us!

As you start your educational journey, you’ll find a wealth of information and resources in this booklet that will serve you throughout your time as a student. While you’ll make many connections at UW-Platteville, the most important one may be with your advisor. An advocate for you, they will assist you in choosing courses that best match your educational and career goals. You’ll communicate with your advisor many times while working toward your degree. The better they know you, the better they can serve you.

Along with your advisor, the entire Office of Professional Program Support Staff is here to support you. Whether you need help with your UW-Platteville email, PASS, your degree plan,

MEET YOUR ADVISING TEAM

financial options, textbooks, or getting involved as a student, we are here to guide you every step of the way. We want you to feel welcome to contact us with your questions—if we don’t know the answer, we’ll find someone who does.

We understand that you have made an important, life-changing

decision, and we are here to provide the support you need for success. After you’ve finished your final course, there’s nothing more we’d like than to meet you in person at graduation. But until then, best wishes for a great educational journey as a Pioneer!

Alyssa Zasada, Patti Foster, Jane Laufenberg, Tania Pitzer, Joanna Muller, Lori Wedig, and Rebecca Bartusewich (not pictured: Madison Haack).

Get to know your advisor

Your relationship with your advisor is one that is mutually beneficial, and the way to ensure a great working relationship is to communicate. The better your advisor understands you, your goals, and your circumstances, the better they will be able to provide you with the most appropriate guidance and motivation.

How the student-advisor relationship works

Now that you have been admitted to a program, you’ll be assigned an academic advisor. Your advisor will reach out to you to schedule an initial advising session.

Your first conversation with your advisor is an important one. Talking points will include your acceptance into the program, any transfer credits you have received/ earned, the courses you need to take to complete your degree, and registering and paying for your first courses.

Your advisor will continue to reach out to you as you work through your program to help you successfully earn your degree.

How your advisor helps you

 Serves as your primary contact and academic resource

 Motivates, guides, and coaches you toward your educational goals

 Refers you to appropriate staff and resources when necessary

 Is an advocate for your best interest

 Is responsive to your request for information in a timely fashion

 Respects your individual needs

 Acknowledges and respects your individuality

 Assists you in overcoming challenges and conflicts

 Encourages timely advising sessions

How to maximize the relationship

 Remember that you are responsible for your education and decisions

 Work with your advisor to schedule an initial advising session

 Be prepared and on time for your advising sessions, and have all materials requested by your advisor

 Inform your advisor in a timely manner of any conflicts or concerns

 Be respectful, flexible, and open

 Utilize the Degree Progress area in PASS to track your progress

 Review your academic plan on a regular basis

 Check your UW-Platteville email account regularly and respond in a timely fashion

 Know your advisor

We are here to help you

 Your advisor is your primary point of contact. You should contact your advisor about topics such as registration and your academic plan.

 Contact the help desk for technical support such as NetID/login, course access, course navigation, and password resets.

 Unsure of who to contact? Call 800.362.5460 or 608.342.1468, or email DistEd@uwplatt.edu.

Bookmark these resources

 Visit advising and student resources for all the resources available to online students.

 You will use PASS (Pioneer Administrative Software System) for course registration, payment, financial aid, administrative functions, and more.

 Browse the list of graduate level distance education courses offered.

 We are an accessible university community. Here are resources for students with disabilities.

Watch

The Student Services team will help you reach your education goals. Amy Foley, Wendy Pothour-Miller, Stephanie Cooley, Nick Pitzer, Deb France, Pam Mootz, and Lisa Naderman

our Student Resources Video for an overview of the resources available to distance students.

Log in to your accounts

Enrolling in Duo

All students at UW-Platteville are required to use two-factor authentication to access campus systems like PASS, Canvas, and Office 365. For instructions, visit Enrolling in Duo and Managing your Devices.

Email account

As a new student, you have been issued a UW-Platteville email account.

All university email communications will be sent to this address, including information from your advisor, course instructors, the financial aid office, etc. It’s extremely important to check this email on a regular basis.

To log into your uwplatt.edu email, visit Go.UWPlatt.edu/email. Log in with the same username (NetID) and password that you have been using. You can reset your password at any time via Self-Service Password Reset.

PASS access

In addition to accessing your UW-Platteville email, your username and password is also used to access Pioneer Administrative Software System. You’ll use PASS to update your contact information, view your advisor information, view your holds, tasks, and to-do items. This is also where you’ll register and pay for classes, view and accept financial aid, and view your grades.

Canvas resources

With your username and password, log into Canvas, the course management system we use to house all of our online courses.

Karrmann Library

You also have access to Karrmann Library, where you can find online search databases and additional resources.

Office 365

Current students have access to free licenses for Office 365 to install on personally-owned devices. For details, go to the UW-Platteville ITS Knowledge base.

Need assistance?

There are helpful resources available in the Pioneer Portal. Enter your topic in the search bar at the top of the Pioneer Portal and search; then select the “Knowledgebase” tab at the top navigation to view training documents related to your search. If you still have questions, please contact the help desk at 608.342.1400 or helpdesk@uwplatt.edu

Plan your degree path

The Degree Progress area and the Academic Requirement Report in PASS are the best way to track your path to a degree. They allow you to see what courses and requirements still need to be completed. Your advisor will discuss this with you further during your initial advising session.

Time management calculator

When planning your schedule for each term, it is important to consider how much time you have to devote to your coursework. Utilize the time management calculator to assess how much time you have to devote to your classes based on other commitments and review our Time Management Tips.

Your Introduction to Online Learning

Online Student Orientation is a selfpaced, non-credit course designed to introduce you to the resources available to you as an online student and the staff who will help you throughout your journey. You will also become familiar with Canvas including course format, how to take an online quiz, and how to participate in online discussions. Watch for your email invitation to join the Online Student Orientation Course.

System Requirements

Review System Requirements to ensure you have the necessary hardware and software for online courses.

Pay for your education

The total cost of earning your degree at a distance from UW-Platteville will vary with each program, the type of courses you take, and how many previously earned credits are accepted for transfer. You can estimate the amount of money it will take to pay the tuition and fees associated with your program based on the number of credits you need to earn. You can make payments online or by mail.

Financial Resources

Scholarships, financial aid, state and federal veterans benefits, and employer assistance may be resources for financing your education.

Direct Deposit Refunding

UW-Platteville requires students to sign up for direct deposit to ensure refunds are received in a timely manner. For information visit Direct Deposit Refunding.

Textbooks

Textbooks are provided through the UW-Platteville textbook rental service (excluding courses in the Collaborative Programs). Students pay Segregated Fee (B) for textbooks for each term enrolled. The fee is prorated based on the number of credits enrolled, with a maximum charge per semester. Each term, students will complete a textbook agreement that outlines textbook center policies and procedures, including textbook distribution, returns, fees, and replacement policies. Please visit our textbook site for full details. Note that the Textbook Center will not ship textbooks internationally.

Engage with Your Classmates

The Office of Professional Program Support is always looking for ways to engage with students and improve the distance learning experience. We understand that, as distance learners, you don’t have a physical student union to interact with your peers. We believe that being engaged with your classmates will improve your academic success. There are several ways for you to engage with other students.

• The Student Advisory Board is made up of volunteer student representatives from our programs who act as advocates for all distance education students. The board advises the Office of Professional Program Support regarding student concerns, suggests new initiatives, and acts as a mentoring resource for new and prospective students. We encourage you to reach out to a representative if you have any concerns, suggestions, or questions.

• In your courses, you will engage with your classmates through various Open Forums in the Discussion area of Canvas. You will have the opportunity to Post Your Introduction, engage in formal Discussions, as well as informal conversation through Pioneer Crossing. We invite you to learn more about these in our Online Student Orientation course.

• Depending on your program, you may have the opportunity to join the Community of Support, a unique virtual student union. Once you have logged into Canvas, you will receive an email invitation to join this “community”. After accepting that invitation, you will see an icon in your course list for your program’s Community of Support. While the community is facilitated by your advisor, this space is designed to help you engage, network, ask and answer questions, and get to know your peers and your advisor outside of the classroom.

Pioneer Resources

We can’t wait for you to join us. In the meantime, here are some resources you can use to familiarize yourself with UW-Platteville.