It’s Advising Week

Advising Week is offered every fall and spring at NOVA as a time for students to reflect upon their academic goals and career development in preparation for planning and evaluating their schedule for next semester. Advising week for spring 2018 will be held this week – November 6 – 10. Priority registration for continuing NOVA students begins on Monday, November 6.Get the most out of Advising Week by following the steps below:

  1. Attend the Advising Week Webinar Series: Getting Ready for Your Next Semester webinar designed specifically for you to select your next semester courses, verify your degree plan on your account and revisit your academic and career goals. Learn more about the webinar and register for the session.
  2. Use the Student Success Planner to build your academic plan and compare your plan to program requirements.
  3. Review your Advisement Report.  Access NOVAConnect to run an advisement report to view your progress and outstanding degree requirements.
  4. 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 consider attending a webinar or two in the Career Development Webinar Series to Support National Career Development Month.  Learn more about the webinars and register for the session.
  5. Communicate with your advisor about your academic and career goals.  Be sure to take a moment to review your plans for the spring 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. Open spring registration for all students begins on Monday, November 13.  Priority registration for continuing NOVA students begins on Monday, November 6.

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.

Get Ready for Advising Week

Advising week is almost here! To make the most of the interaction with your advisor there are a few things you can do to prepare. Are you ready

Participate in the Advising Week Webinar Series: Getting Ready for Your Next Semester webinars will be available over the next two weeks to help you select your next semester courses, verify your degree plan on your account, and revisit your academic and career goals. Learn more about the webinars and register for a group advising session.  

Verify your program of Study:  First it is important to verify your student record reflects the program of study you intend on completing here at NOVA. Visit the Academics section of your Student Center in the Student Information System to verify your plan. If your plan needs to be updated make contact with an academic counselor or advisor to determine which plan is the best for you based on your goals.

Run an Advisement Report: Once your program of study is accurate there are several tools you can take advantage of to see your progress towards your plan’s requirements and the courses you have left to complete. You can run an advisement report to view your progress and outstanding degree requirements.

Review program requirements: Now that you’ve run your advisement report, review the report to see how the coursework you have completed has been applied towards your degree requirements and what you have left to complete.

Plan your semester: You can use the Student Success Planner to create a plan, allowing you to map out when you will complete your remaining courses. As you plan out these courses semester by semester, strive for balance in your course schedule. Use these tips to help you strategize. Don’t delay in taking courses that are challenging for you, especially math.

Request to meet with your Advisor: Once you have our courses mapped out in the Student Success Planner you can even send a meeting request to discuss your plan to your advisor.

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.

Online Course Format

As you are thinking about future online courses through the Extended Learning Institute (NOVA Online) give thought to the course format and pacing of online courses.

As you prepare for advising week and registration, think about the course format that will work best for you at this time.

  • Format
  • Technology
  • Time Required

Although online learning and on-campus courses cover the same content, the format is different. NOVA Online courses are flexible, with stated deadlines, meaning, you can work on your course at any point throughout the week, but will need to meet weekly or even mid-weekly due dates. NOVA Online requires proctored/supervised exams to be completed within the stated course deadlines. Some courses may also be accelerated with the instructor’s permission.

Technology provides content and interaction. NOVA Online courses use Blackboard as the course management system to communicate and facilitate class discussions. Students are required to use their VCCS student email account to communicate with the instructor.

Online learning courses usually require at least as much time as you would spend taking a campus-based course. You should plan to study at least 2-3 hours a week for each credit. In other words, for a 16-week, three-credit course, you would study 6-9 hours per week. For 12, 10, 8 or 6-week courses, more time would need to be scheduled to complete your requirements. When you compare this time with what you spend in class and studying outside of class, it is about the same.

Here is a chart that illustrates the general amount of time per week you should expect to study per credit hour based on the course length. For example, if you enroll in an 8-week, 3-credit class, you can expect to spend 12-18 hours per week studying for this class. In general, the shorter the class length (8-, 12-, 10-, or 16-week), the more hours of study time you can expect to spend per week per credit.

(Click on chart to enlarge picture)

We encourage you to participate in an NOVA Online Orientation to help as you are getting started in your first online course. You can view short videos from Blackboard to review how to submit an assignment, post on discussion board, check grades, etc.

For more information about getting started at NOVA Online, please email elisuccess@nvcc.edu or call 703.764.5076. Have a question, but not sure who to ask? Start with a Success Coach!

Advising week is almost here!

Advising Week is almost here!

Advising Week is held every fall and spring at NOVA to help students prepare for their next semester and create an academic plan that works for them! Advising Week for spring 2018 will be held Monday, November 6 – November 9. Priority registration for continuing students begins Monday, November 6. Registration for all NOVA students begins on Monday, November 13. College Student Having Meeting With Tutor To Discuss Work

Follow this NOVA Online Student Blog next week as we help you prepare to get the most out of Advising Week.

Things to watch for to help you prepare for Advising Week:

  • Creating a schedule that works for you.
  • Connecting with your advisor.
  • Communicating effectively with your advisor.
  • Taking time for yourself.

Questions to ask yourself as you prepare for Advising Week:

  • What is one change I can make to my schedule to be more successful next term/semester?
  • When would be a good time for me to connect with my advisor?
  • What questions do I have for my advisor?
  • What is one thing I can do this week to help manage stress?

Pay attention to the tuition deadline so you are not dropped for non-payment. Contact Financial Aid with any questions.

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.

This Week at NOVA Online!

Advising week and spring registration is approaching! Follow this blog to make the most of advising week and prepare to register for spring semester courses. We will run a two week advising week series that begins tomorrow.

Join NOVA Online Counselors for a Getting Ready for your Next Semester Webinar. This group advising session will help you prepare for spring registration! Review the link above to review the dates/times and register for a live session.

Join NOVA Online’s Career Counselor for a Career Webinar Series each Wednesday in November. For more information about the webinar’s available review the registration form above.

Money Management Webinar – Wednesday, November 1 from Noon-1pm. Are you interested in learning more about managing your finances? Would you like to review how you can create a budget, reduce your expenses, create an emergency fund, and save for long-term goals? If so, please join us for a money management webinar! We’ll also discuss credit cards, credit scores, credit reports, responsible borrowing and the free financial coaching services that are available for NOVA students. We look forward to you joining us! Register now!

Have a NOVA Online exam coming up? Not sure how to test? Check out NOVA Online’s testing site or your taking exams tab in your Blackboard course site for details.

It is very important to monitor your VCCS student email for updates and announcements from NOVA Online, NOVA and your instructor. Look for emails from NOVA OnlineSuccess@nvcc.edu throughout your course.

 

Become a NOVA Online Student Blogger. Love to write? Become a NOVA Online Student Blogger! This group will be geared toward students who enjoy to write or blog and are possibly interested in pursuing a career in media and/or journalism. Members of this group will directly contribute to the NOVA Online student blog. For more information, fill out the NOVA Online Student Bloggers Interest Form.

Engage in your Community! We want to learn more about how NOVA NOVA Online Students are engaging in the community! Email us at elistulife@nvcc.edu and tell us where and when you are volunteering and we will send you a FREE NOVA Student Life T-shirt to wear!  Coming Soon! (Community volunteer booklet to learn more about the variety of non-profits participating and volunteer opportunities available).

Don’t forget to sign-up for NOVA AlertNOVA Alert is a free alert system that allows NOVA to contact you during an emergency by sending messages to your cell phone and email.

Apply for Financial Aid in Three Easy Steps

STEP ONE:  Create a Federal Student Aid ID or
FSA ID
by visiting https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm. If you are under the age of 24 and considered a dependent student, your parent must also create a FSA ID using a separate email address. This FSA ID will be used every year to complete and sign your FAFSA application for NOVA or any other college.

*Keep this login safe and secure.

STEP TWO:  Complete the FAFSA application by choosing “Start A New FAFSA” at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Northern Virginia Community College’s School Code is 003727. Allow 3-5 business days for your FAFSA application to be sent to NOVA.

*Returning students can renew their FAFSA application by choosing the “Login” option.

STEP THREE:  Once your FAFSA application has been received by NOVA, check your “To Do List” in your Student Center by logging into myNOVA at www.nvcc.edu for any additional documents or verification required by NOVA. Awards are usually posted 2 weeks after all documents have been received and the verification process has been completed (if required).

*You will receive an email to your NOVA email account 3-5 business days after submitting your FAFSA.

  • Navigating to the “To Do List”: NOVA’s Website > myNOVA > VCCS SIS > Student Center > To Do List.
  • NOVA’s Financial Aid Support Center Contact Number (Open 24/7): 1-855-323-3199.
  • FAS Online Verification (School Servicing Center) Contact Number: 1-855-328-4400.
  • The FAS Online Verification can be completed at sscwp.org by signing in under “Students”.

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? Contact them by phone, live chat, or email through the Student Support Center.

 

National Disability Awareness Month

NOVA is observing National Disability Awareness Month during October. Please join in this observance by viewing an interactive, informative and inspiring disability awareness video created by  NOVA’s Extended Learning Institute.

(Click on photo to play video)

For more information about Disability Support Services and requesting accommodations at NOVA review the Disability Support Services website.

Transfer Planning Webinar

Thinking about transferring after NOVA and not sure where to start? Want to make sure you have options available to you if you decide to transfer? Start planning now! Join us for a Transfer Planning Webinar tomorrow!

It’s never too early to begin your planning to transfer another institution. This one-hour webinar will discuss the basics of transfer planning; information about Guaranteed Admission Agreements, Articulation Agreements, and Transfer Guides; and a provide web tour of NOVA’s transfer website.

Join us live Wednesday, October 25th, 12:00pm-1:00pm or request a recording.

This Week at NOVA Online

Is today the first day of your NOVA Online course? Today is NOVA Online’s last start date for the fall semester!

Review the Critical Enrollment Dates blog post to make sure you get off to a great start. Join us for today’s NOVA Online Orientation webinar or request a recording to help you get started!

All courses beginning today are 8-week courses. These courses will run at an accelerated pace to cover the full 16-week semester’s material. Make sure you are comfortable with the pace of the course from day 1. An NOVA Online Student Blogger has shared her experiences preparing for an accelerated course!

Have a NOVA Online exam coming up? Not sure how to test? Check out NOVA Online’s testing site or your taking exams tab in your Blackboard course site for details.

It is very important to monitor your VCCS student email for updates and announcements from NOVA Online, NOVA and your instructor. Look for emails from NOVA OnlineSuccess@nvcc.edu throughout your course.

 As a college-wide initiative intended to highlight LGBTQ History Month, Student Life will be hosting the Gender and Sexuality panel entitled Intersectionality and Me on Tuesday, October 24th from 2-4pm. Livestream instructions can be found at: http://eli.nvcc.edu/studentlife/. Find out more information about the event and the panelists!

The VALHEN 2018-2019 Scholarship Application is now open. The Virginia Higher Education Network (VALHEN) is dedicated to assist Latinx/Hispanic students to pursue higher education within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Scholarship awards are for one year and are paid directly to the recipient’s college or university, to cover tuition, books, and/or fees. Application deadline: Dec. 1, 2017

Financial Literacy Contest– Have you entered NOVA’s CashContest for the chance to win $500 while learning more about managing your personal finances?  It only takes about 45 minutes… Simply follow the Official CashContest Rules posted on NOVA’s Financial Literacy Blog and complete a short course at https://fa.financialavenue.org/ by the deadline for a chance to win a $500 award.  Complete all four courses for additional chances to win one of the ten $500 awards.

Join our Virtual Student Union. Are you taking online classes and looking to connect with other students outside of a classroom setting? Check out our Virtual Student Union or VSU. This is an engagement hub where NOVA Online students have access to create a profile, join discussion forums and connect with other students. In celebration of our new site launch, students will be eligible for raffle prizes once they create an account and interact on the site. Drawings will be done weekly and monthly through the fall semester. Join now!

Become a NOVA Online Student Blogger. Love to write? Become a NOVA Online Student Blogger! This group will be geared toward students who enjoy to write or blog and are possibly interested in pursuing a career in media and/or journalism. Members of this group will directly contribute to the NOVA Online student blog. For more information, fill out the NOVA Online Student Bloggers Interest Form.

Engage in your Community! We want to learn more about how NOVA NOVA Online Students are engaging in the community! Email us at elistulife@nvcc.edu and tell us where and when you are volunteering and we will send you a FREE NOVA Student Life T-shirt to wear!  Coming Soon! (Community volunteer booklet to learn more about the variety of non-profits participating and volunteer opportunities available).

Don’t forget to sign-up for NOVA Alert.  NOVA Alert is a free alert system that allows NOVA to contact you during an emergency by sending messages to your cell phone and email. https://alert.nvcc.edu

The VALHEN 2018-2019 Scholarship Application

The VALHEN 2018-2019 Scholarship Application is now open.

The Virginia Higher Education Network (VALHEN) is dedicated to assist Latinx/Hispanic students to pursue higher education within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Scholarship awards are for one year and are paid directly to the recipient’s college or university, to cover tuition, books, and/or fees. Application deadline: Dec. 1, 2017

Applications available at: bit.ly/valhenscholarship

Visit: www.valhen.org/scholarships/

Contact the Scholarship Coordinators at scholarship@valhen.org

Applicants must:

  1. Be of Latinx/Hispanic heritage
  2. Live in Virginia
  3. Have a minimum of 2.5 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale)
  4. Be a high school senior or graduate of a Virginia high school and either have been accepted to, or be already enrolled as a full-time student, in a degree-granting public or private college or university
  5. Be able to demonstrate leadership through involvement in school and in the community, government, non-profit organization, work/job duties, or in another manner not mentioned here

*Important note: Essays of 300-500 words are required for all applicants.*

For additional information or questions, please contact the Scholarship Coordinators at scholarship@valhen.org