Happy 4th of July! NOVA campus offices, including the Campus Testing Centers, are closed today, Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th in observation of the Independence Day holiday weekend. ProctorU is available on those dates if the service is available for your course exams.

Plan ahead – NOVA Campus Testing Centers will be closed Friday, July 3rd & Saturday, July 4th for the Independence Day Holiday Weekend. ProctorU is available on those dates if the service is available for your course exams.

Are you thinking about an online course through NOVA Online, but not sure if it is right for you? Review our Furthering your education with NOVA Online recording to see if online learning is a right fit for your current educational needs. You could also take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

Have you utilized Student Lingo On-Demand Workshops? Take advantage of a wide variety of recordings available to help you manage your course load, plan for the future, or tackle your math anxiety … Just to name a few! Interested in working with your Personal Success Coach to create an action plan? Contact your coach at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or 703.764.5076.

Are you participating in the Summer Wellness Series? Review the past blogs to get more information and share your stories!

What are your summer plans? Have an internship? Traveling? Taking a class? Day Trip? We want to hear about your adventures. Use #NOVA OnlineAdventure on Twitter to share pictures and stories.

This week’s summer wellness series focuses on social wellness. This area can include developing healthy relationships, having a strong support network, nurturing pro-active and reactive habits (online and in-person), and boundary development.

When I started thinking about this topic, I immediately thought about my housing community and the stress that it causes me on a daily basis.

How many of us have had/currently have that loud upstairs neighbor that you know exactly when they get up in the morning until when they go to bed at night? I’m currently in this club! I will say, having a loud neighbor makes me more aware and conscientious of the neighbors below me! This Buzz Feed article makes light of the constant struggle of shared walls! Seriously what are they doing up there?

How are the relationships in your community? How do you communication your frustrations about your neighbors – both online and in-person? Do You? Remember when you are communicating via email or online discussion boards to use appropriate netiquette.  Sometimes we feel brave behind our computer screen, but at the end of the day, does it really make us feel any better about our situation? Social wellness is about building and developing healthy relationships within our community and ourselves. We learn to express our concerns in a healthy and appropriate ways. Easier said then done, when lack of sleep and frustration comes into play though!

What picture stood out to you in the Buzz Feed article? What makes you feel better after frustrating situations?

Continue this conversation with us in our Virtual Student Union. Connect with peers on this topic and learn more about resources to maintain your social wellness!

Open registration for fall classes is currently underway. Check the schedule of classes in NOVA Connect and follow this tutorial to help you search for online classes through NOVA Online. Make sure you change the date to reflect the term you are looking to register for (summer ’15 or fall ’15).

Are you thinking about an online course through NOVA Online, but not sure if it is right for you? Review our Furthering your education with NOVA Online recording to see if online learning is a right fit for your current educational needs. You could also take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

Plan ahead – NOVA Campus Testing Centers will be closed Friday, July 3 & Saturday, July 4 for the Independence Day Holiday Weekend. ProctorU is available on those dates if the service is available for your course exams.

Tuesday, June 23rd from 1:00-2:00 pm – Participate in a New Student Orientation Webinar – This one hour webinar is required for new-to-college students aged 17-24. New Student Orientation will focus on academic and career goals, reading degree plans, and registering for classes. All are welcome. Register here.

Have you ever been assigned a paper or project and don’t know where to start? Are you curious what library resources are available to you without going to a campus library? Join the NOVA Online Librarians for the Beyond Google – Basic Library Skills for Online Learners webinar on Thursday, June 25 from 6:30-7:15. This 45 minute webinar will give you a brief introduction to what library resources are available to you as an online learner. There might be more than you expect! Register here.

Social Wellness – This area can include developing healthy relationships. Having a strong support network that can give you guidance when you are stressed or need stress relief. Nurturing pro-active and reactive habits that can aid in the development of healthy communication (online and in-person) and boundary development. Use #SummerWellness to share your pictures and stories.

What are your summer plans? Have an internship? Traveling? Taking a class? Day Trip? We want to hear about your adventures. Use #NOVA OnlineAdventure on Twitter to share pictures and stories.

This week we focus on Intellectual wellness. This involves utilizing your surroundings and resources available to engage your curiosity and learn new things. People who stay in tune with their intellectual wellness are more likely to embrace new ideas, think critically and seek out new challenges. Learning does not have to end in a formal classroom. Making learning a life-long priority can help you maintain good cognitive function as you age.

Intellectual wellness can be finding learning opportunities in an educational setting, but also in personal interests or active participation in community activities.

Here are ways you can start cultivating your Intellectual wellness this summer:

Summer Reading– When you are in school, it can sometimes be hard to find time for leisure reading, but reading for the mind can be compared to exercise for the body. It can even help improve your memory and vocabulary!  Here are references to some great leisure  reading material this summer:

17 Awesome New Books You Need To Read This Summer

Goodreads Summer Reading List 2015

Looking to connect and discuss a book with peers? NOVA Online also has a Book Club that you can join! email our NOVA Online Librarians for more information.

Current events – A great way to stimulate your intellectual wellness is staying knowledgeable with what is happening in the world. Digital media has become so prevalent that you can do this from practically anywhere you have internet. Check out these top phone apps to keep up with current events.

Teach yourself something new-Have you always wanted to learn a musical instrument? Thinking about doing some home repairs? learning a new skills is a great way to keep your critical thinking and problem solving skills sharp. Check out one of the many online resources that provide how-to’s for new skills: 100 Amazing How-To Sites to Teach Yourself Anything.

What are something things that you have engaged in outside of the classroom, maybe as a hobby that promotes your intellectual wellness?

Continue this conversation with us in our Virtual Student Union. Connect with peers on this topic and learn more about resources to maintain your intellectual wellness!

Open registration for fall classes is currently underway. Check the schedule of classes in NOVA Connect and follow this tutorial to help you search for online classes through NOVA Online. Make sure you change the date to reflect the term you are looking to register for (summer ’15 or fall ’15).

Are you thinking about an online course through NOVA Online, but not sure if it is right for you? Review our Furthering your education with NOVA Online recording to see if online learning is a right fit for your current educational needs. You could also take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

Monday, June 15th from 12:15-1:15 pm – Participate in an NOVA Online Orientation Webinar – This one hour webinar will focus on getting started in your courses, navigating your Blackboard course site, and identifying tips for success and student support services. The NOVA Online Orientation is highly recommended for students who are new to online learning. Register or request a recording here.

Plan ahead – NOVA Campus Testing Centers will be closed Friday, July 3 & Saturday, July 4 for the Independence Day Holiday Weekend. ProctorU is available on those dates if the service is available for your course exams.

Intellectual Wellness – Staying curious and engaged in learning new things. Being a lifelong learner won’t just make you a well-rounded individual, it will make you healthier. Engage in creative and mentally stimulating activities. Read for pleasure, be aware of social and political issues, or join a club or group that focuses on enhancing intellectual interests. Use #SummerWellness to share your pictures and stories.

What are your summer plans? Have an internship? Traveling? Taking a class? Day Trip? We want to hear about your adventures. Use #NOVA OnlineAdventure on Twitter to share pictures and stories.

To kick off our summer wellness series, we wanted to start with the topic of physical wellness. Often times the first thing we think of in connection to physical wellness is nutrition and exercise. Although these are very important, we also want to make sure we touch on other factors that can help or hinder you to feel your best self.

Physical Activity:

Our bodies are made to be active so it is important to keep them in the best state that we can. Why? There are SO MANY benefits to physical activity that directly relate tour overall health! Physical activity and exercise can help you sleep better, manage stress, and is a very strong predictor to reduce risks of health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure. The American Heart Association outlines these and many more here: Physical activity improves quality of life.  

Nutrition:

Eating well is also an important aspect of physical wellness.  Many of us have heard the saying “You are what you eat,” and while it is not to be taken literally, there is truth to this statement. What we put into our bodies provides us with the energy we use each day, so we want to be mindful that what we are using to fuel our bodies is making us feel our best! The USDA and their MyPlate guidelines give a great overview of the major food group and how they contribute to a healthy diet.

Here are some other areas of physical wellness that you might not think of right way that you should also consider with physical wellness:

Sleep:

We all at one time or another have felt like we have not gotten enough sleep. It is not always easy or realistic to get a full night sleep every night, but surprisingly the effects of sleep deprivation can effect your body both short and long term in your life. Making a point to go to bed an extra hour earlier a few times a week can give your body that extra time to recharge and help you feel your best.

Routine Medical Check:

A great way to be proactive with your health is to stay on track with any routine medical examinations. This includes a routine physical/dental exams as well as other procedures that might be suggested based on your age or family history. The CDC provides some great resources on how to prepare for your next routine exam so you can make the most of your time with your doctor or physician.

So now that we have introduced some of these areas of physical wellness, we want to keep the conversation going! Visit our Virtual Student Union and click on the Summer Wellness Series discussion forum to dive into this topic more!  We will explore goal setting, sharing experiences with other students and finding resources to help you improve or maintain your physical health!

How are you staying active this summer? Let us know know on Twitter using the hashtag #commit2fit

Open registration for fall classes is currently underway. Check the schedule of classes in NOVA Connect and follow this tutorial to help you search for online classes through NOVA Online. Make sure you change the date to reflect the term you are looking to register for (summer ’15 or fall ’15).

Are you thinking about an online course through NOVA Online, but not sure if it is right for you? Review our Furthering your education with NOVA Online recording to see if online learning is a right fit for your current educational needs. You could also take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

Have you ever been assigned a paper or project and don’t know where to start? Are you curious what library resources are available to you without going to a campus library? Join the NOVA Online Librarians for the Beyond Google – Basic Library Skills for Online Learners webinar on Thursday, June 11 from 6:30-7:15. This 45 minute webinar will give you a brief introduction to what library resources are available to you as an online learner. There might be more than you expect! Register here.

Physical Wellness – This week for Wellness Wednesday, the focus area of Physical Wellness emphasizes maintaining a healthy body. This includes upholding an active lifestyle, mindfulness of your eating habits, sleeping, managing stress, and the importance of preventative medical care.  Maintaining a healthy body is a key component to a long healthy life. Do you use wearable technology to help count your steps? What do you do to stay active? Use #Commit2fit to share your pictures and stories.

What are your summer plans? Have an internship? Traveling? Taking a class? Day Trip? We want to hear about your adventures. Use #NOVA OnlineAdventure on Twitter to share pictures and stories.

Open registration for fall registration begins on Tuesday, May 5. Summer registration is currently open for all students. Check the schedule of classes in NOVA Connect and follow this tutorial to help you search for online classes through NOVA Online. Make sure you change the date to reflect the term you are looking to register for (summer ’15 or fall ’15).

Are you thinking about an online course through NOVA Online, but not sure if it is right for you? Review our Furthering your education with NOVA Online recording to see if online learning is a right fit for your current educational needs. You could also take the Smarter Measure assessment to see how your personal learning styles will work with online courses.

Tuesday, May 5th from 12:15-1:00 pm – Participate in a Getting Ready for your Next Semester Webinar – This 45 minute webinar for NOVA students will focus on answering key questions students have about preparing for their next semester.  Topics covered will include program identification, course selection, college resources, schedule planning, and registration/payment tips. Register or request a recording.

Wednesday, May 6th from 6:30-7:30 pm – Participate in an NOVA Online Orientation Webinar – This one hour webinar will focus on getting started in your courses, navigating your Blackboard course site, and identifying tips for success and student support services. The NOVA Online Orientation is highly recommended for students who are new to online learning. Register or request a recording here.

Thursday, May 7th from 6:00-7:00 pm – Participate in the New Student Orientation. Not registered for classes yet? Have an enrollment hold on your account? Join us for the New Student Orientation to learn how to read your degree plan, register for classes, and get started with online classes. Register for a live session here.

Resource of the Week – Have you reviewed the NOVA Online Orientation section of the website? View the Orientation Modules to help you get started in your online course. You will find tips for success, student support resources available to you, and a guide to your role in your online classes.