ePsychology Degree Completion Program
New Student Guide
About the B.S.in Psychology: ePsychology Program
The B.S. in Psychology: ePsychology Program is an e-degree completion program within the Undergraduate Program of the Department of Psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences of Drexel University. It is designed for students who want to major in Psychology but who are unable to attend on-campus classes.
Students in this program must satisfy the required course and elective requirements according to the curriculum outline on the graduation checklist. A copy of the checklist is attached to this guide. You should review it and use it in planning your course selections during registration. If you have transferred in credits from another college, you should check your transcript in Banner to see which course requirements have been satisfied and which requirements still need to be fulfilled.
How to Get Started
As a new student, you should have received an email giving you a list of things you need to do to get started. The list included:
- Pick up your Drexel computer accounts
- Establish access to Drexel e-mail
- Work with your academic advisor to register for your initial courses
- Purchase course materials (textbooks)
- Participate in the online orientation course (mandatory)
- Begin classes
Let's take a moment and find out more about these action steps.
1. Pick up your Drexel computer accounts
2. Establish access to Drexel e-mail
It will be necessary for you to have your Drexel computer accounts and Drexel email accounts in place by the beginning of next week. If you have not set these up, please do so immediately. If you are having difficulty setting these up, please contact the IRT Accounts Office at Accounts@drexel.edu or call (215) 895-2698.
We will be communicating with you through your Drexel email account. So, you may want to set up your Drexel email account to forward any messages to your main or regular email address.
In setting up your accounts, you will get a username and password that you will need to use when you log into the Blackboard computer system to access your ePsychology courses. This username and password will also enable you to access Banner (the computer system that is used for your student records) and BbVista (the online course support program used for on-campus courses).
A Word on Banner, Blackboard and BbVista (WebCT)
Banner is the computer system that contains your student records and accounts. You can access Banner by clicking on the DrexelOne Portal navigation button on the Drexel University home page at http://www.drexel.edu.. You will need to log in using your Drexel username and password. You may want to spend some time getting acquainted with the information you can access in Banner. For example, you will be able to see what transfer credits you received by going into the Transcript option. You will also be able to see what courses you are registered for by clicking on the Student Resources tab and then on the My Courses button and then using the buttons and/or pull-down menus to get to the information you want.
Both Blackboard and BbVista (formerly WebCT) are computer systems that are used for classes and instruction.
- Blackboard is the computer system that supports the online ePsychology courses. You can access Blackboard by going to this URL: http://drexel.blackboard.com.
- BbVista (formerly WebCT) is the computer system that is used to support on-campus classes. It is referred to as BbVista or Vista. You can get access to Vista by going through the DrexelOne Portal on the Drexel home page.
The two systems are separate and you cannot get into courses that are provided on Blackboard by going into Vista and vice versa. ePsychology courses are offered on Blackboard.
3. Work with your academic advisor to register for your initial courses
Your transfer credits are evaluated by an Academic Adviser from the College of Arts and Sciences. Each department - including the Department of Psychology - has a checklist of courses and credit hours that must be completed in order to graduate. I have attached a copy of the checklist for our program for you to review. The Academic Adviser determines which courses on the checklist have been satisfied by your transfer credits and which courses you will still need to take. Based on this determination, s/he will register you in classes for your first term in the program.
Please note that the process of reviewing transfer credits and working with new students to be cleared for registration may take several weeks. As a result, you should not expect to be cleared for registration for an upcoming term unless there has been adequate time to conduct a complete transfer credit review. Academic Advisors do not want to register you for classes for which you are already entitled to transfer credit and the only way to ensure that this does not occur is to complete the transfer credit evaluation process before registering.
New students are classified as ePsychology majors on a provisional basis. This means that the Academic Advisor determines if you have met the criteria for this major while reviewing your transfer credits. If you don't meet the criteria, the Academic Advisor may suggest an alternate schedule of classes or other major until you have met the criteria for ePsychology.
If you have been out of school for several years, you may be advised to take a course that will re-introduce you to the rigors of academic life or re-visit fundamental coursework that may have changed since you were last in college.
Future course registration: You will be responsible for registering for your classes for every term after the first. Registration is done electronically and you will get information about when you may begin registering for the next term. Students in the ePsychology Program have a priority status when registering for ePsychology classes. That means that you will have the opportunity to register in ePsychology courses before other students. The opportunity to register for ePsychology courses is restricted to ePsychology students for only a few weeks. Then, registration will be opened to other students on campus enabling them to enroll in any ePsychology course that has any remaining openings. Because of this, you should make sure that you register early to ensure that you can have a "seat" in the classes you need to take. We cannot guarantee space for late-enrolling students.
4. Purchase course materials (textbooks)
Students should try to get copies of their books before the term begins.
Since most online students purchase their textbooks online, the on-campus bookstore will have a limited supply of these textbooks. Students may decide to use the designated online bookstore, MBS. To order a textbook, students should start by going to the website: http://www.drexel.com. Click on the Current Students tab near the top of the page. This will take you to the Current Student Information page. Scroll down the page to the Drexel eLearning Online Bookstore link and click on the link. This will lead you to a page with a navigation button called Buy Course Materials. Click on Buy Course Materials. Then, select College of Arts and Sciences. Then, click on the courses you are enrolled in and you will be able to see pictures of the textbooks and find out about costs and ordering.
5. Participate in the online orientation course (mandatory)
By now, you should have received an email notifying you that you now have access to Blackboard and can begin the Orientation to Online Learning in preparation for the beginning of classes.
Go to this URL: http://drexel.blackboard.com. This is the opening page for any courses offered using Blackboard. You will need to log in by using your username and password. Then, you will see a Welcome screen that contains a list of the courses you are registered for and other information. The Orientation to Online learning is the mandatory orientation unit. Click on it and review the material. It should take approximately 1-2 hours to review all the information.
If you have never taken an online course, you will find that they are structured much the same as on-campus courses. Students get a syllabus explaining the instructors' expectations. Instructors will give lectures, assignments, exams, and discussions in online courses just as they would in on-campus classes.
Students often ask if they have to be at their computers at any particular time to be able to participate in their classes. Most courses are structured around the idea of asynchronous participation. This means that students will be able to participate in the course at times that are convenient for them rather than on fixed days or times. However, this will vary based on the course, instructor, or activities. So, students should check the syllabus and ask their instructors if synchronous participation will be required at some time during the course.
Classes for each term begin and end according to the Academic Calendar posted on the Drexel University website.
Instructors have control over when course materials are viewable to students. Students might click on a Unit folder and get a message that the folder is empty. In reality, the folder is probably full of course materials that the instructor does not want the student to have access to until later in the course. This allows the instructor to control the pace at which students work through the material and helps students to have a similar experience to that in on-campus classes. This means that instructors can open and close the viewability of course materials or create assignments with strict time limits, such as a timed test. You will need to know if materials will be open indefinitely or if there is a limit to the access so that you can plan your participation accordingly. You will need to ask your instructor about this if it is not clear from the syllabus or course information.
Online courses can be quite rigorous. Students should be prepared to be actively involved in their courses from the first day and remain involved throughout the course. A 3-credit course taught on campus would mean that students are in class for three hours per week and will spend several hours each week in out-of-class homework, reading and assignments. Online students should expect to spend the same amount or more time devoted to their online classes.
Going Forward
It is important that you get a student ID card as soon as possible. ID cards are called DragonCards. To get a DragonCard, email the DragonCard Office manager at mdl23@drexel.edu and request a DragonCard for an online student.
You should become familiar with library resources as soon as possible. The Hagerty Library has extensive online resources for Drexel students and has a superb staff of reference librarians who can help you find the information you need for projects, papers, and assignments.
Students should be aware of the Academic Calendar as they work through their courses. Our classes operate on the quarter system. This means that there will be ten weeks of class followed by a finals week. During the fall term, there is an eleventh week to accommodate days off for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Students in ePsychology classes may add, drop, or withdraw from classes in accordance with the policies of Drexel University. Students should read the Student Handbook to review these policies and procedures. Students who want to add online courses after the term begins will need to contact Tara McNair, Academic Coordinator of Undergraduate Programs in the Department of Psychology. Students in online courses who want to drop or withdraw from classes will need to email their instructor for authorization. The instructor will then forward the authorization to Tara for processing.
Students who receive Financial Aid should know that their financial aid packages can be adjusted each term based on the number of credits they are taking, the number of credits they have already taken and other factors. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid for information about forms, deadlines, and other information.
If you experience any technical difficulties within the Blackboard system, do not hesitate to contact tech support at Drexel.com. For all other technical difficulties, go to the IRT website for assistance.
Do not hesitate to let your instructor know if you are having any problems with your course, the materials, or other course-related matters so that you can receive help as soon as possible.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, problems, or concerns.
I look forward to working with you and helping you to achieve your academic goals.
Professor Marlin Killen
Faculty Coordinator of ePsychology
Quick Contact List
Marlin Killen
Faculty Coordinator of ePsychology
marlin.killen@drexel.edu
(215)895-1068
PSA Building -Room 202C
Doug Chute
Faculty Coordinator of ePsychology
chute@drexel.edu
(215)895-6111
PSA Building - Room 301
Tara McNair
Academic Coordinator
tara.y.mcnair@drexel.edu
(215)895-0487
PSA Building - Room 109
Roseanne Lovelick
Secretary, Department of Psychology
roseanne.t.lovelick@drexel.edu
(215)895-2543
PSA Building - Room 107
Jennifer L. Gallo
Undergraduate Director
jlg37@drexel.edu
(215)895-2805
PSA Building
Linda Hartman
Academic Advisor
lsh33@drexel.edu
(215)895-2620
Drexel eLearning
info@drexel.com
(877) 215-0009 (toll-free)
(215) 895-0500
3001 Market Street - Suite 300