eCollege Tutorial

Master of Arts Graduate Program in Communication and Leadership

Program Director, Dr. J. M. Noe

 

Dr. Aitken's Advisees: Capstone of Reflection or Project or Thesis - Comprehensive Exams - Defense of Thesis or Project

 

General Information: Books & Course Materials - Communication with Faculty & Peers - Courses to Take Next - Ethics - Expectations of Students - Facebook Group - Graduation - Faculty and Staff - Financial Info - Homepage for MA in Communication and Leadership - Online Learning Help - Park U's Graduate School - Program Requirements - Registration - Success for Grad Students

 

 

 

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You will be using a new version of eCollege, so pages may look different.  Operation is the same.

Course Access Information

You should be able to login here http://parkonline.org  That page will tell you what the User ID and Password is and whom to contact if you don't know them.  A picture of the page is below.



Once you log in, the page should have the course(s) in which you enrolled.  eCompanion for onground students is typically not available until the first day of the class or a few days later because your professor will have to add the materials.  eCollege for online students is typically available before the first Monday of the term.

Now, here's how you access the course.  Click the little arrow icon to the left of the term in order for the courses to appear.  The little arrow icon has to point downward.

Then click on the course.  Begin with the button "Start Here" on the lower left.  This link will explain how to navigate within the course.  You'll notice you have to click the arrow icon to change the dropdown menu for each button on the left.  With some practice, you will learn how the system operates.  Typically, weekly links are set to be available one week at a time.  If you were in an onground course, you if are absent, you cannot participate in class.  Many professors set up online courses in similar ways.  By going through one week at a time, the professor can help pace students and engage students with each other as they learn content together.   Remember, each unit/week may disappear after the week is over, so make sure you post assignments by the deadlines.

For technical assistance with the online classroom, email eCollegeHelpDesk@parkonline.org or call the helpdesk at 866-301-PARK (7275).  To see the technical requirements for online courses, please visit the http://parkonline.org website:  click on the "Technical Requirements" link, and click on "BROWSER Test" to see if your system is ready.

Don't hesitate to call or email your professor for help, no matter what the question or problem. 

Online Classroom Technical Support:  For technical assistance with the Online classroom, email eCollegeHelpDesk@parkonline.org or call the helpdesk at 866-301-PARK (7275).  To see the technical requirements for Online courses, please visit the http://parkonline.org website:  click on the "Technical Requirements" link, and click on "BROWSER Test" to see if your system is ready.

Go to eCollege login page: http://parkonline.org/

Login

LOGIN
Use your OPEN password.  Park Helpdesk:  If you have forgotten your OPEN User ID or Password, or if you need assistance with your PirateMail account, please email helpdesk@park.edu or call 800-927-3024.

 

COURSES
Select the appropriate term and course and click the blue link to enter.

Notice CDL 200, which is the Online Writing Lab (OWL) where you can submit draft of writing material.

Notice CDL 500, which is help for graduate students.

 

 

See the left navigational bar is for this course.  The numbers refer to each unit.  Expand the listing of the buttons on the left by clicking the arrow > sign. On the left you will see a series of buttons. To open, click on the arrow on the far left. Then you can click on the word that describes what you need.  The numbered buttons represent the 8 units of the course (comparable to an 8 week course). 

 

NAVIGATION
Within each unit, you will see a lecture overviewing the unit information and a self-check quiz to help you retain the information.

Across the top are buttons related to overall functions of courses in eCollege, such as the Gradebook and communication links.

Help function is available for each page in the upper right corner.

General tools functions and the gradebook tabs are across the top.

"Author" and "Course Admin" are for instructors only, so you probably will not see those.
"Gradebook" will provide information about your grades, including your my written feedback.
"Email" will provide a way to email people in the course.
"Chat" gives you a way to instant message with class members, when others are logged in.  The Tuesday night synchronous time provides an option for those students who want to chat.  The chat may be public and have a record of all interactions.
"Doc Sharing" allows us to upload documents for each other to view.
"Webliography" is a place where you can share webpages with the class. 
"Dropbox" is a place to submit major assignments online.  Within the Dropbox is a "Dropbox" on the left and a "Journal" function on the right.  The Journal can provide you with the opportunity to keep an ongoing journal during the course, either private or shared.


 

Course content and discussion buttons are in the left column.  The content for each week or unit is accessible.  Double click on the button to expand the view to see the sub-links.  In most courses, the content is revealed on the Monday of the appropriate week.

COURSE HOME
Contains general course information.  You will see the Assignment Checklist in the right portion of the Course Home screen.  Notice the "Announcements" area.  Please read any new announcements for the course.

 

 

 

UNIT HOME
Each Unit homepage has the learning outcomes.  Click on the Unit home to access the Discussion of weekly assignments "Discuss / Post."  The Lecture gives an overview of the reading assignments.  The Study Guide provides the weekly work in one place.  The quiz will give you a way to check your retention of the content.
 

GROUPS
Your professor may set up groups for problem-solving and study tasks.  In this case, your professor will set up the group through the Course Admin function.  Although a little unusual, students can benefit from this process because of the new developments of online task groups in the workplace.

Students can access their groups through the "Chat" function.  Note, if you miss a group chat session, you can access the Chat Log--which is a transcript--at the right of the chat page.

Remember to logout when you are finished--lower left of screen--if you are working at a public computer.  Your connection will time-out if you are not active.

There are other tutorials available on the Internet, such as the one at Northwest Missouri State University:  http://cite.nwmissouri.edu/ic/eCollegeTutorial/

The links on the lower left may be most helpful to you.

Remember, you can contact eCollege with any question. 

Online Classroom Technical Support:  For technical assistance with the Online classroom, email eCollegeHelpDesk@parkonline.org or call the helpdesk at 866-301-PARK (7275).  To see the technical requirements for Online courses, please visit the http://parkonline.org website:  click on the "Technical Requirements" link, and click on "BROWSER Test" to see if your system is ready.