Student Support Resources

As you are working to finalize your schedule, now is a good time to be sure you are aware of the variety of resources and services NOVA offers to support your academic success and well being.

As a NOVA Online student there are a variety of resources you can access to support you in your academic success without ever stepping foot on a campus!

Smarthinking– is free online tutoring available in variety of content areas.

Hoonuit– provides short, easy-to-view tutorials give you just-in-time answers to your “How do I do that?” software questions.

Student Lingo– provides video resources to overcome barriers to academic success, and help students reach their personal, academic, and professional goals.

Library Services-gives access to dedicated library services for students in online courses.

Take advantage of live and recorded webinars produced by NOVA Online staff with topics that can support you during the various critical points of the semester.

As a student you also have access to a wealth of technology resources that range from free software and cloud services, to Google Apps and even wireless discounts!

Sometimes life happens, making balancing personal and academic commitments difficult. The Financial Stability Program offers resources, services and referrals to help you gain academic traction through financial stability.

As the semester gets busy, make sure you are taking time to take care of yourself! Check out these blog articles for suggestions on how to focus on your emotional and physical wellness through self care even in times of stress. NOVA Cares can provide additional referrals to on and off campus resources to help support you.

Also be sure to take advantage of NOVA Online Student Success Coaches who are available to provide one on one support with stress management, study and test taking skills, time management and can make referrals for resources, services and tools that will best support you in your academic success. Please reach out by sending an email to onlinesuccess@nvcc.edu.

What resources have been most valuable to you as a NOVA student? Let us know in the comments!

Destress as you prepare for your next semester

Winding down from one semester, and planning for your next can be a significant adjustment. With the demand of approaching deadlines, it is easy to get overwhelmed in the blink of an eye. As you gathered information from advising week, and prepared for registration, we want to provide you with some resources to help you unwind, and refocus on preparing for your next semester.

Yoga has more benefits than I can list but the ones I want you to take advantage of right now is it’s capacity to reduce anxiety and stress. Taking time to stretch and twist the body, releases chemicals that our bodies naturally produce when stressed. Beyond the physical movements, yoga has a meditative component that ignites your inner strength in a way that will empower you to tackle any obstacle, help you maintain peace when feeling harried, and turn down the volume of the loud voice of self-doubt. Yoga DogIncorporating yoga into your daily practice has been made easy with the use of technology. Here are some free apps you can download today that can jump-start your yoga practice! There is no greater obstacle to overcome than your own mind, feed it with positivity and it will help you accomplish great things! Namaste.

YogaQuote: Gives you daily inspirational yoga quotes and mantras.

Daily Yoga: Gives you live training with  videos and a professionally made yoga program for you to follow without needing to go to a gym. This app even has yoga to help you destress at your desk (great to do right before writing a paper)!

As you move into your next semester, continue to follow NOVA Online for tips on:

  • Familiarizing yourself with resources to help you with your academic planning.
  • Focusing on your career planning.
  • Checking to make sure you are on the right path to achieve your goals.
  • Gaining skills outside the classroom.
  • Taking some time for reflection.

Have a question, but not sure who to ask? Start with a Success Coach! They can be reached at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.323.3347.

What Do I Need to Complete the FAFSA

There are several items you will need to complete the FAFSA. The 2018-2019 FAFSA covers Fall 2018, Spring 2019 and Summer 2019. For 2018-2019, you will need financial information from 2016. All students will need the following information to complete the FAFSA application:

  • Your social security number
  • Your name and date of birth must match your records with the Social Security Administration
  • Your 2016 federal income tax return
    • Internal Revenue Service (IRS) form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ
    • Foreign tax return, or tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, Marshall Islands, Federal States of Micronesia or Palau
  • Your 2016 W-2 forms and other records of money earned in 2016, if any income was earned
  • Your 2016 untaxed income records, if applicable (i.e. child support received, interest income, veterans’ benefits, etc.)
  • Your current bank statements
  • Your current assets held outside of retirement accounts
  • Your alien registration or permanent registration card, if applicable (if you are not a U.S. citizen)

If you are a dependent student, you will also need to provide the following information for your parents:

Note: A dependent student is a student who does not meet any of the criteria for an independent student. An independent student is one of the following: at least 24 years old, married, a graduate or professional student, a veteran, a member of the armed forces, an orphan, a ward of the court, someone with legal dependents other than a spouse, an emancipated minor, someone with a court appointed legal guardian, or someone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. 

  •  Parent(s) 2016 federal income tax return and W-2s
  • Parent(s) bank statements and current records for all non-retirement investment and asset accounts
  • Parent(s) social security number, date of birth (day, month and year)
  • Date your parents were married, widowed, divorced or separated

If you are married, you will also need to provide the 2016 federal income tax return information for your spouse.

Federal Student Aid Information Center

8:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Monday – Friday (EST) and 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Saturday – Sunday (EST)

Phone: 1-800-433-3243 | International: 1-334-523-2691 | Hearing Impaired: TTY calls only 1-800-730-8913

Questions about your Financial Aid award? Financial Aid assistance is available by creating a case at https://mysupport.nvcc.edu or uploading documents that are accepted electronically through the To Do List. You may also fax documents to (703) 323-3494.   Questions about financial aid eligibility? Check out the Financial Aid Blog.

Digital Open Courses

Have you started thinking about your schedule for next term? Spring registration is now open! Are you interested in taking a class that doesn’t require you to purchase any textbooks or course materials? A Digital Open NOVA Online class might be right for you!

Mobility conceptNOVA Online offers several online courses that do not require students to purchase textbooks or other course materials. Digital Open courses use free online material and Open Educational Resources (OER) instead of expensive textbooks. You can try one or two Digital Open courses, or even complete an entire AS degree track. Instead of requiring traditional textbooks, all readings and materials used in the courses will be available to students free of charge online as OER, or through NOVA’s library resources.

Are you ready try one of NOVA Online’s Digital Open courses? Just look for the notification in the notes section in the online schedule of classes stating: This is a digital open course. No textbook purchase required.

Save time and money with a Digital Open course at NOVA Online! For more information about registering for one of NOVA Online’s Digital Open courses, contact the NOVA Online Success Coaches at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or 703.323.3347.

Where does the time go?

Do you know where your time goes? It seems that the older you get, the more responsibilities are put on you. Take this brief quiz via Virginia Tech’s website to determine just how much time you have to dedicate to your studies.

If the time left over is not equivalent to at least twice the number of credits you are enrolled in, you do not have enough time allotted for your studies. But, there are things you can do; such as reducing the time spent on some activities/responsibilities, adjusting your work hours, or adjusting the number of credits you take in a semester.

When one can’t reduce their time on activities or responsibilities or work; that leaves the number of credits one should take in a semester. Many students I talk with want to be able to do it all – work full-time, go to college full-time, take care of their family, etc.

Course load is often the only factor that can be manipulated; but students do not want to delay their educational goals. This is certainly admirable; but, if one does not have enough time to complete their course work accurately and on-time, and study effectively for exams; one’s grades will suffer and it can take longer to reach your goals. Take a look at the weekly study time chart to plan out your schedule.

I encourage you to take the quiz to see where your time goes and ask yourself: Do you have enough time in the week to dedicate to your studies?

Are you using the time efficiently?

Do you find you do not have enough time?

What can you reduce or eliminate from your schedule to make more time?

Watch the Time Management: Strategies for Success video by StudentLingo to obtain some great tips on managing your time effectively!

-Written by NOVA Online Counselor, Kim Burkle

NOVA Online Counselors can be reached at 703.323.3347 or NOVA OnlineCounselors@nvcc.edu.

Spring Registration

Open registration for new NOVA students for the spring semester  begins today, Monday, November 13!

To review a list of available courses, please click here (Select NOVA Online under Campus/Center).Computer screen

If you need assistance, we are here for you:

Do you need help registering for the course?  For step-by-step online registration instructions, please click here.  If you need additional assistance, please contact us at 703.323.3347 or NOVA OnlineSuccess@nvcc.edu.

Do you need help with course selection? If you have not been assigned a faculty advisor you can contact a NOVA Online Counselor at elicounselors@nvcc.edu for assistance with course selection. If you would like to schedule a phone call with an academic counselor, please include your contact information. Use your VCCS student email and include your student ID# when emailing.

Are you a visiting/transient student? If you are attempting to enroll in a course at NOVA for which you believe you have successfully completed (a grade of “C“ or higher) the required prerequisite(s) at an accredited college or university, you will need to work with an advisor before being permitted to enroll in courses at NOVA. More information at the Visiting and Transient Student webpage or reach out to a Virtual Advisor at AcademicAdvising@nvcc.edu.

Are you new to NOVA Online?  We encourage you to attend a NOVA Online webinar! The NOVA Online Orientation will focus on answering key questions to getting started. For more information and to register for a session, click here.

Do you have questions about Tuition and Payment? For payment due dates, methods, and online payment instructions, please click here. Make sure to have your tuition paid or financial aid in place before the deadline, so you are not dropped from your courses.

If you are looking for additional resources to help you achieve academic success, the NOVA Online Student Services Team is here for you! You can access free online tutoringwebinars, and free online workshops to help you succeed in your NOVA Online courses.

We also encourage you to take the SmarterMeasure assessment to gauge your readiness for online learning.

You can reach us at 703.323.3347 or visit us at http://eli.nvcc.edu/

Wrap up from advising week blog series

That’s a wrap for our Advising Week blog series, but that doesn’t mean it’s over! Still have questions about spring registration? Let us know!

Take some time to reflect on what you have learned this week. Go back and review past posts to dig a little deeper. Missed any of the live sessions? Request a recording.

Here are a few tips to help you move forward:

coffee breakUse the Student Success Planner to build your academic plan and compare your plan to program requirements.

Take a moment to facilitate a time study. Summer sessions will run at an accelerated pace, so make sure you are planning your schedule around the shorter session length availability. For fall, you have different options for session length (16, 12, or 8 weeks). Make sure you have enough time to devote to the courses you take on. What has worked in the past? What hasn’t worked? Check out StudentLingo and NOVA Online webinars on time management.

Review your Advisement Report. Access NOVAConnect to run an advisement report to view your progress and outstanding degree requirements.

Take a moment to reflect upon your career planning. If you need more information about career options or would like to learn about a resource to help you build a career plan. Go back and review past blog posts posted by NOVA Online’s Career Counselor to help you Focus on Career Planning, and take advantage of Free Job Search Tools!

Communicate with your advisor about your academic and career goals. Be sure to take a moment to review your plans for both the summer term (registration is occurring now) and the fall semester. Plan to have your academic plan,  advisement report, and/or career plan handy when communicating with your advisor.

If you have not declared a program of study or are not pursuing a specific program at NOVA connect with an academic counselor or advisor for assistance.

Ready to enroll? Follow this tutorial to help you add your courses in NOVA Connect.

Reach out to the Student Services offices or Virtual Advisors with any questions you have as you are planning your courses.

This Advising Week Series will focus on academic planning, connecting with your advisor, and preparing for your upcoming terms. Throughout Advising Week the NOVA Online Student Blog will provide you with tools to plan effectively, resources to help guide your decisions, and answers to frequently asked questions throughout the process. Take advantage of Advising Week events on campus or virtually as you plan your schedule and register for courses. Reach out to the Student Services offices or Virtual Advisors with any questions you have as you are planning your courses.

NOVA + ODU

Happy National Distance Learning Week!  You know the convenience of online classes with Northern Virginia Community College’s Extended Learning Institute, but do you know how easy it is to continue your education and earn a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University’s ODUOnline? A partnership with the Virginia Community College System and Old Dominion University allows students a nearly seamless transition between an associate and a bachelor’s degree.

With a fully transferrable associate’s degree from a VCCS school, your general education requirements may already be fulfilled. You could get started on more than 44 degree paths in anything from accounting to teacher preparation! You’ll have support every step of the way, from unofficial transcript evaluations before you apply to career help with our Career Services Center after you graduate.

If you’re not quite ready to start with ODUOnline, an ODU Enrollment Coordinator will continue to work with you until you are eligible to apply. They offer support and guidance for as long as you need.

If you are interested in continuing your education with Old Dominion University, stop by and see an ODUOnline Enrollment Coordinator today or visit online.odu.edu to explore your options.

Questions? Email NOVA OnlineCounselors@nvcc.edu for more information about transferring to ODUOnline!

Connect with your Faculty Advisor

Your Faculty Advisor is a valuable asset in your academic journey. They can provide insights and recommendations based on their education and real world experience. Take advantage of their knowledge and expertise in your program of interest!Plan early for your next semester with your Faculty Advisor and have your courses selected and be ready to register on your Priority Registration date. This will give you the best chances at getting the courses you need. Registering early will also be beneficial for students who use NOVA’s TMS payment plan allowing for a lower down payment and more months to break up your remaining tuition balance.

How can my Faculty Advisor help me?

  • Create an academic program completion plan, which maps out which courses you need to take for your major/program of study.
  • Select which electives will support your academic goal/career plans.
  • Connect with NOVA resources you need and make referrals.
  • Submit the appropriate forms for substitution requests or changing your major.
  • Reflect on your academic performance, so you can be successful.
  • Serve as a reference or assist in preparing letters of recommendation for applications (transfer, employment and scholarship).
  • Review your academic progress to help assure you complete your program based on your goals

How do I address my Faculty Advisor?

  • Address the Faculty Advisor as “Professor and their last name.” If you know they have earned a Ph.D., or Ed.D. address them as “Doctor and their last name”. (i.e. Professor Jones or  Dr. Smith).
  • Be sure to send your email from your NOVA student email account and include your Student ID number.
  • As a NOVA Online student, you may not meet your Faculty Advisor in person. Project yourself as a professional and dedicated student by composing a well-organized and thoughtful email. Take advantage of these Ten Quick Steps to Email Your Instructor.

What can I include in my correspondence to my advisor?

  • Outline topics or questions you would like to discuss. (i.e. transfer plans, career opportunities, extracurricular/club involvement).
  • Review your program requirements in the catalog and ask any questions you may have about unsatisfied requirements.
  • Identify courses you may be interested in for the upcoming term and year.

Suggested Questions and Topics to discuss:

  • What courses do I need to complete my academic program?
  • What are the prerequisites for the courses I plan to take or where can I find them?
  • I would like to discuss my academic goals.
  • What do I need to know about transferring? Are there deadlines and scholarships?
  • I need a tutor.  How do I find one and access other services when I need help?
  • I need to work. How can I arrange my classes around my work schedule and how will working impact my studies?
  • I am interested in participating in extracurricular and co-curricular activities.  Can we discuss my academic goals and extracurricular and co-curricular activities.
  • Ask your advisor to share how they chose their major in college.

The last part of the semester is always hectic, reach out to your faculty advisor now!

Attend a Getting Ready for Your Next Semester webinar.  Learn more about the webinar and register for an upcoming session here. Undecided or just getting started on your degree plan? Talk to an Academic Counselor to help you get started with your next term classes. NOVA Online Academic Counselors can be reached at NOVA OnlineCounselors@nvcc.edu.