Zero textbook costs with NOVA Online Digital Open courses

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NOVA’s OER-Based Associate Degree Project is a comprehensive approach to addressing concerns over access, affordability and student success. The Extended Learning Institute (NOVA Online) offers nearly 40 courses that do not require students to purchase textbooks. Instead these courses, designated as Digital Open sections, use free open educational resources (OER) and library materials. NOVA students can earn a General Studies Certificate, or full Associate Degree, without having to purchase textbooks.

We developed our OER-Based Associate Degree Project to be delivered online, so that any student at any NOVA campus could have the opportunity to take these courses. Building digital content and resources into an online course helps to better engage the learner and is more conducive to learning online. This leads to better knowledge retention, better course outcomes, improved information literacy skills, and preparation to function more effectively in technology adapted careers.

We have seen immediate benefits of the OER-Based Associate Degree project, measuring cost-savings to students in excess of $800,000. And because every student in a Digital Open course section has access to all required course materials from day one, more students are able to successfully complete course requirements. Digital Open course sections offered at NOVA Online are identified in the online schedule of classes so that students can find which sections use free digital and open content, with no textbook purchase required.

Click the playlist in the upper right corner of the video, and view – NOVA’s OER-Based Associate Degree Project.

Plan For Success on Your Next Test: A Compilation of NOVA Online Testing Resources

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test anxietyDoes your heart start pounding when a test is placed in front of you? Do you know the material but your mind goes blank? These are just a few of the common challenges students face when taking a test. To address these common fears, NOVA Online offers a wide variety of resources that will empower you and promote your testing success.

Take a moment now and explore the following resources to promote your way to an ‘A’.

If you learn best hearing or speaking (auditory learner), you will welcome the workshops offered through Student Lingo. These free workshops are presented online by a facilitator in an engaging format. Each workshop is about 30 minutes and will promote your way to an ‘A’:

  •  How to Reduce Text Anxiety
  • Taking Tests Online: Strategies for Success

If you prefer to read (visual learner) the short ELife Blog posts, referenced below are just for you! These ELife Blog posts referenced below, offer timely tips to help you organize and prepare for your next test:

If you prefer to be actively involved and busy as you learn (kinesthetic learner) you may enjoy the following study methods:

  • Quizlet or Study Stack Apps: Take your practice tests and review your flash cards on the go using these apps which will enable you to create flash cards along with practice tests and quizzes.
  • If you prefer, consider the tried and true flash cards made from index cards. This allows kinesthetic learners to flip around the cards, write notes and review at any location, walking, standing or sitting (as with an app). Just flip the cards while you are studying and walk around as you review. Write cues on the cards to help you remember. You can even be creative and develop a game using your flashcards.

If memory/recall is a challenge when studying for your tests, consider exploring the ELife Blogs highlighted below which are focused on strategies to trigger memory:

Stress and anxiety is another common challenge many students experience when testing. To combat your stress, click here to view a short video on stress, facilitated by NOVA Online’s PED instructor, Dr. Gamal Aboshadi. It will provide a better understanding of stress and empower you with valuable techniques to promote relaxation as you study and prepare to go to the testing center.

No matter what your learning style, as you plan for success on your next test, be sure to take time to put these resources into action! If you have questions or would benefit from additional strategies, reach out to a NOVA Online Success Coach today by calling 703.323.3347 or elisuccess@nvcc.edu. From test taking strategies to time management, we are here to answer your questions and help you access resources that will empower you to navigate the semester and pave your way to a successful academic journey.

For additional opportunities to promote your success, take advantage of our recorded webinar:

Tackling Math Anxiety!

To review a recorded session, click here.

Learn how to study more efficiently for mathematics and apply relaxing techniques to reduce your anxieties.

 Written by Adrienne, NOVA Online Student Success Coach

updated 7/6/17

Research Series: Finding Articles in Library Databases

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Did you know that NOVA Libraries gives you access to thousands of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles that are housed in over 100 databases? The good news is it’s pretty likely that we have information on the subject you are researching. The bad news? It could be a little overwhelming.

This short 5 minute video will introduce you to library databases and give you some search tips.

NOVA Online-Searching Library Databases

And, as always, if you need help finding information or using any library resources, we’re here to help. E-mail your NOVA Online Library staff at NOVA Online-Library@nvcc.edu.

Digital Open Courses

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Have you started thinking about your schedule for next semester? 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! This week, March 9-13 is National Open Education Week, check in with the blog, and follow  or @openeducationwk on Twitter for more.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 Counselors at elicounselors@nvcc.edu or 703.323.2425.

ToBeMe@NOVA: First Generation College Students Resources

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I would like to thank all those students that shared their experience and let us get a glimpse of what it is like to be a First Time Generation College Student at NOVA. Below you will find tips and resources for students and faculty to help enhance the experience of First Time Generation College Students at NOVA.

For Students:

Be an advocate for yourself. Being the first to attend college, you may have to learn about college life on your own. Much of your success will depend on the initiative you take to get things done. You will have to seek out the information you need in many instances and be prepared to do the necessary follow through to get what you need accomplished.

Ask questions and follow through. Don’t be intimidated by what you do not know and ask questions whenever you are unsure. Learning to ask the right questions is an invaluable skill that will serve you well throughout your matriculation at NOVA and beyond and you can start practicing it now.

Use your student support services. You don’t have to stumble through college making mistakes as you go simply because you don’t know where to start. You have an entire support staff here to guide you. If you have questions about where to begin, are uncertain who to talk to about a specific matter, reach out to our NOVA Online Student Success Team at 703-764-5076 or elisuccess@nvcc.edu who can point you in the right direction. If you would like to get information on campus, click here to learn the resources available at the student services center at your nearest campus.

Learn from the experiences of others. Find a mentor, friend, family member, etc. that can help coach you through what adjusting to college life is really like and give you information on what to expect. Getting the perspective of another student or former student can offer you an outlook that talking to a staff member cannot always provide.

For Faculty:

Be mindful of students balancing multiple responsibilities. Many students pay for school out of pocket and have to work full-time or part-time jobs to fund their education. It is always helpful to have instructors that understand the importance and demand of working while in school and that are flexible with students, when appropriate. Sometimes simply communicating that you acknowledge and respect their other responsibilities can be enough to help students feel more comfortable to reach out when mitigating circumstances arise.

Keep lines of communication open with students. Invite students to reach out to you with any questions they may have. You can be a great resource for your students and, often, a great referral source.

Acknowledge that this is a very diverse group of students. These students come from families that may not have college degrees but they may be entrepreneurs, career military, skilled tradesmen, or other professionals that worked their way up without a degree. So often it seems that the term “first generation” is used broad based to mean students who have lots of risks to success. There are certainly students on all parts of the spectrum and faculty and staff should try to be mindful not to make assumptions about students and get to know them as individuals. Each student comes with their own experiences that make them unique and valuable.

If you would like more resources, please reach out to the NOVA Online Success Team at 703-764-5076 or elisuccess@nvcc.edu.

-Jennifer, NOVA Online Student Success Coach

Procrastination and Stress: How are they Related?

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According to author Eric Jaffe, from the Association for Psychological Science, procrastinators have higher levels of stress and lower levels of well-being1.  Procrastination is defined as the voluntary delay of a task for which an individual knows they will suffer. While it is said that everyone “procrastinate[s], not everyone is a procrastinator.”1

Mounting assignments and exams to study for can cause the most ambitious student to become a procrastinator.  Students are a leading culprit of procrastination.  This can be contributed to the number of responsibilities on a college student’s plate – work responsibilities, family responsibilities, and personal responsibilities may all cause a college student to procrastinate on their school responsibilities.  Many times, procrastination is the “result of putting off their work to pursue more pleasurable activities”1.  If a person has a “poor concept of time”, this is sure to exacerbate ones willingness to procrastinate1.

Jaffe further indicates procrastinators earn lower grades than other students and procrastinators report higher cumulative amounts of stress and illness1. As one may imagine, the work produced and the well-being of procrastinators is known to suffer due to their intentional delay. Individuals who procrastinate have heightened levels of anxiety1. WebMD states that some stress can be good because it can keep us alert and motivated2. But too much stress can make us sick. A person “constantly under stress can have physical symptoms, such as headaches, an upset stomach, high blood pressure, chest pain, and problems with sex and sleep”2. “Stress is also known to lead to emotional problems, depression, panic attacks, or other forms of anxiety and worry.”2

So, how do you avoid procrastinating?  See a list of suggested tips below:

  1. Plan your time. Use a day planner or an electronic calendar to schedule time to complete tasks you know you are likely to put off.
  2. Set a daily or weekly goal or to-do list for yourself. Make it your goal to complete these items by the end of the day or week.
  3. Reward yourself. If you complete a task early, treat yourself to a special sweet treat or outing.
  4. Stressed? You will not be able to think clearly if you are stresses about other things. Dr. Gamal Aboshadi, teaches PED 116 at NOVA Online and at the Annandale Campus. Take a moment to review a short video he created on stress relief/breathing techniques.
  5. Take the Overcoming Procrastination: Causes And Cures quiz on Student Lingo to see if you are a procrastinator.

Do you need help managing your stress and staying organized? Reach out to your NOVA Online Success Coach at elisuccess@nvcc.edu or 703.764.5076. Your Success Coach can help you map out your semester and provide tips to help you have a successful semester.

1. Jaffe, E. (2013, April 13). Why Wait? The Science Behind Procrastination. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/april-13/why-wait-the-science-behind-procrastination.html

2. Goldberg, J. (2014, October 13). How Stress Affects Your Health. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from http://www.webmd.com/depression/stress-anxiety-depression

This Week at NOVA Online

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Happy March, NOVA Online! Hopefully the warm spring weather isn’t far behind! How are your NOVA Online classes going? Any Blackboard questions? Check out Blackboard tutorial tips.

Join NOVA Online’s Book & Cinema Club! Read the book, How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff, watch the film, and join us for a discussion! #NOVA OnlineBookClub

Wednesday, March 4 from 12 – 12:45 pm – Participate in a Exploring Career Options webinar. This 45 minute webinar will focus on using various online resources to research career options. The relationship between programs of study at NOVA, college majors, and career options will be discussed. Resources presented will provide information on nature of work, educational requirements, job outlook, and wages. Registration is required.

While enrolled in courses, you may want to register for NOVA Alert to get emergency related messages, including closures due to inclement weather. Campus closures will affect all campus offices, including the testing centers, tutoring centers, and campus libraries. What a snow day means for your NOVA Online courses? Find out on this recent blog post.

Resource of the Week: If your mid term or final exams are quickly approaching, we strongly encourage checking out the Student Lingo recorded workshop entitled, Taking Tests Online: Strategies For Success.

Setting the Pace for an Online Course

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Online courses at NOVA are quite unique, in that, there is no scheduled meeting time for your classes and students set their own schedule for logging in, participating, and studying. Students can log into the course at any time and learn the course material at their own speed from week to week. The vast majority of NOVA’s online classes have weekly assignment due dates and all have a minimum of two proctored exams. In light of this, there is a more pronounced need to establish great time management strategies to ensure your success in the course. See below for tips for pacing yourself through your NOVA Online course:

Follow the course’s outlined schedule. Instructors map out which lessons will be covered from week to week as a guide at the beginning of the semester. Following this schedule will ensure that you cover all material in time for exams. Be sure to stay on schedule with all readings, videos, and other instructional material to avoid falling behind.

Set a schedule for starting and submitting assignments. Assignments are typically posted at the beginning of the semester and due on a weekly basis. To stay on track with all assignments:

-Make a calendar of all of your assignments due dates; construct a paper calendar, use a planner, use your phone, etc.

-Designate certain days of the week for starting assignments, editing assignments, and submitting them.

-Do not wait until the night it is due to start the assignment, if you can help it. Starting assignments early allows for time to fix technology problems, to ask instructors questions about the assignments, and to receive responses to inquiries in a timely manner.

Schedule class time as if you were in a physical class. It is easy to forget about a class when you do not have to come to campus to sit in a classroom. Therefore, setting aside specific “class time” is important. Devote at least 2-3 hours per week for each credit you take; for example, a 3 credit course calls for at least 6 hours a week of studying.

Log into the course frequently. This is the instructor’s way of knowing that you are active in the course. Logging into the course regularly ensures that you do not miss any important instructor announcements, assignment instruction changes, changes in due dates, etc. Being inactive can lead to you being dropped from the course.

For more tips on time management and staying on track in your courses, reach out to our NOVA Online Student Success Coach team at 703-764-5076 or elisuccess@nvcc.edu.

Locating and Applying for Internships

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Original article by Amy Marie Charland and Mary Ann Lawson. Modified by Christy Jensen. Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

An internship allows you to test your career objectives, helps you identify your talents, and directs you toward an appropriate career, while helping you acquire essential practical and professional skills you need in the business world. It also lets you see how well you fit into a specific company’s culture. But finding an internship takes some preparation. Before setting out to find an internship, ask yourself these questions:

  • Where do I want to do an internship? My hometown? Out-of-state?
  • What type of work would I like to do? In what field?
  • What type of organization would I like to do an internship for?
  • What do I want to gain from an internship? What specific skills or experiences do I want to acquire?

Locating opportunities

After you’ve answered these questions, you’re ready to start searching for internships. Here are some suggestions for locating internship opportunities:

  • Check out College Central Network (CCN) – NOVA’s online internship and job database for students.   Through the database you can learn about internship opportunities with local companies as well as connect to a national internship board.  Did you know it may be possible to earn college credit for an internship?   Visit this website to learn more.
  • Attend job fairs. Employers often use fairs to identify students for internships as well as for full-time employment.  View the “Upcoming Events and Programs” and the “Announcements” sections of CCN to learn about upcoming, local job fairs.
  • Network. Talk with friends, family, co-workers, supervisors, instructors, administrators, and professionals in your field of study, and let them know you are searching for an internship.

Applying for an internship

Each employer has its own application process. Does the company want you to apply online? What is the deadline? What will the employer need from you to make your application complete? Start the process early. Here are a few tips to get you started:

  • Create your resume.
  • Write a cover letter, if required.
  • Utilize the resume builder and Job Search Kit in CCN to create your resume and cover letter.
  • Work with a NOVA career counselor to discuss internship opportunities, have your resume and cover letter critiqued, and discuss tips and strategies for getting the most out of an internship.

Choosing an internship

Your final task is to select the internship opportunity that is the best match for you. Review your goals for doing an internship and choose the opportunity that best meets those goals. An internship offers many benefits, including:

  • Valuable experience. Many employers want to hire people who have experience and can step into the job and be productive right from the start.
  • Information. An internship will help you make contacts, get ideas, and learn about the field.
  • Practical application. You will have the chance to apply theories learned in the classroom to a real-world setting. When you return to the classroom after your internship, you will better understand the many nuances of business operations that relate to the theories you study.
  • In many cases, an internship can lead to a job offer.

Join NOVA Online’s Book Club!

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Tired of intense course-related reading?  Join in with the NOVA Online BookClub and spend Spring Break giving your brain a much-needed respite from citations and footnotes!

image of the book cover for "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff

from ecm.ebscohost.com

How I Live Now, by Meg Rosoff, is an imagined, but wholly realistic, story of war in the 21st century of near-modern-day London, told from the perspectives of a visiting American teenager and her British cousins. Though the book is set in the near future, can we relate to what happens?

Read the book, watch the film (released in 2013) and then join us for an online chat session after Spring Break— more details coming soon! #NOVA Onlinebookclub

Of course if you have any questions or comments about the program, please contact NOVA Online’s library at NOVA Online-Library@nvcc.edu.