Are your career plans in FOCUS?

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Dual Enrollment Coordinator

As you plan your fall schedule, prepare to transfer, or get ready to begin a new job take a moment to focus on your career development.Are you attending NOVA to pursue a certificate or degree, but unsure about what career options might be available to you? Have you decided on a major, but have difficulty answering the question – “What can I do with a major in _____? Do you need to fine tune your skills or add to your skill set in preparation for a career change? Learn more about career options by utilizing FOCUS 2, an online interactive self-guided career and education planning system that can help you:

Select a major based on your interests and aspirations

Discover occupations matching your personal preferences and attributes
Map out your career plans, present and future
Make informed career decisions

FOCUS 2 is free for NOVA students. Access the system at NOVA’s Career Services website.

Simply click on the FOCUS 2 button, create your free account, and begin your exploration.

Also check NOVA Online’s webinar schedule for offerings of the 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.

Need some help? Have a question? Contact Christy Jensen, NOVA Online Career Counselor, at chjensen@nvcc.edu.

How to Log into a Blackboard Collaborate Session

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Dual Enrollment Coordinator

A webinar is a live, online instruction session using a web conferencing service called Blackboard Collaborate. You can participate in a webinar from any computer or mobile device with reliable, high speed, Internet access. NOVA Online offers several webinars throughout the semester and some NOVA Online courses have live, virtual meetings. You might also have the opportunity to meet with your instructor via Blackboard Collaborate for Virtual Office Hours.

Whether you are using Blackboard Collaborate to access a class session, meet with an instructor for office hours, or participate in an NOVA Online Webinar, the instructions below will help guide you.

You can test your connection in advance by visiting Behind the Blackboard and clicking on “Blackboard Collaborate Web Conferencing” under “First Time Users”.

If you are attending a NOVA Online Webinar, you can register by following the link to the NOVA Online Webinar page. Once you register for a session, you will receive an email with a link to join the session live. Click the link provided to access the live session. If you are using a mobile device, you will be directed to download the app first. All times understood to be Eastern Standard Time, unless otherwise noted.

If you are attending a live class session, you will locate the link in the tools section of your Blackboard Course Site.

The first time you log in, you will need to download the Blackboard Collaborate Launcher. Download the Launcher – save the file and select “join”.

Once you open the link, you will be asked to enter your display name. Please enter your first name and the first initial of your last name (ex. Katie A.). Note that all participants will see your display name.Once you enter your name, you will be taken to a site like the one below. Make sure your browser security settings will not block this site from downloading to your computer.
A new window or message will pop up asking whether to open or save the file. For Firefox, make sure that Open with is set to Blackboard Collaborate Launcher (default). Then Click OK. For Internet Explorer, click Open.

The file should download and automatically open for you. You will see a window like the one below. Make sure you allow this application to run on your computer.

Once you run the application, you will see the download begin. This may take a few minutes.

A screen like below will pop up and you will know Blackboard Collaborate is loading.

Once you are in the live session, you will be able to run your audio check and participate in the presentation. Plan to log in at least 10 minutes before your scheduled session, to give yourself enough time to load Blackboard Collaborate and run the audio check and troubleshoot any issues you may have.

To view the hardware and software pre-requisites for Blackboard Collaborate please visit Behind the Blackboard.

To view a video to help you get set up using Blackboard Collaborate, follow this link.

Geoscience Field courses at Annandale

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Dual Enrollment Coordinator

It’s summertime, and that means one and two-credit Geoscience field courses are offered at NOVA – Annandale. Consider enrolling yourself! If you have friends or colleagues whom you think might be interested, spread the word.

1. GOL 135-052N (Index #12879): Miocene Geology of Calvert Cliffs, MD. A full one-day field trip Sat., 6/28/14 (9 AM-6 PM); Rain date Sun. 6/29/14. This one-day trip considers Miocene seas spread across the Chesapeake Bay region ca. 10-20 million years ago. We visit the Calvert Marine Museum collections, and study ancient sediments, stratigraphy, and paleoenvironments preserved along the western shore of the Maryland Chesapeake within the world-famous Calvert Cliffs. An additional $6 museum fee required. NO PREREQUISITES!

2. GOL 299-051N (Index #12031)- Natural History and Environmental Processes of Chesapeake Bay. A full two-day, two-credit hybrid (lecture/field) course (Mon., 7/14/14 on-campus lecture, and Wed., 7/16/14 field trip on the Bay). This hybrid two-day course considers the natural history, environmental processes, and current health of the Chesapeake Bay, our largest estuary. Course includes background readings, on-campus lecture/lab, coastal field studies, and an offshore boat trip on the Chesapeake. Additional $15 boat fee required. This is an introductory-level, multidisciplinary course well-suited to educators. NO PREREQUISITES!

3. GOL 135-058N (Index #12882)- Building Stones and Historic Quarries of Baltimore, MD. A full one-day field trip Sat. 7/26/14 (9 AM-8:30 PM); Rain date: Sun. 7/27/14. This one-day walking and driving tour will visit buildings and monuments of Baltimore Metro area, as well as historic quarries and natural outcroppings of Texas-Cockeysville area. Focus will be the long geologic history of the region, and the rocks used to construct buildings and monuments in Baltimore and Washington, DC. NO PREREQUISITES!

For any and all questions email Ken Rasmussen at: krasmussen@nvcc.edu.

Have a look at photos from past trips: http://www.nvcc.edu/home/jbuecheler/Photos.html

NOVA Online Summer Pedometer Challenge

Posted on June 9, 2014 by kshagan

Join The NOVA Online Fall Pedometer Challenge as part of our Health and Wellness Interest Group!

What is it?

Compete and share experiences with other students by tracking your average daily steps for a month as well as create personal health and wellness goals.

How does it work?

1) Once you have signed up for the challenge, you will receive a confirmation within 24-48hrs.

2) On June 13th, you will receive access to a Google spreadsheet where you will record your pedometer steps as well as keep track of what types of activity you took part in for the day/week. You MUST provide your VCCS email (the email that NOVA has provided you) to have access the spreadsheet.

3) Pedometer steps will be recorded daily by each participant starting June 16th.

4) The first 50 participants that sign up will be mailed a FREE pedometer to participate/ otherwise you will need to provide your own pedometer.

5) Challenge begins on June 16th and ends at 11:59pm on August 8th. Prizes will be given for several categories including: weekly winners, best average, overall step count…etc)

6) Throughout the challenge, you will added to our NOVA Online Health and Wellness Google group via Google Communities. This will be used for participants to share their progress in the challenge and great health and wellness motivational articles and tips. You can view it here: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/114584935764858832728

How do I sign up?

You can sign up by following this link: https://elistulife1.wufoo.com/forms/summer-2014-pedometer-challenge-signup/

Questions? Contact NOVA Online Student Life at elistulife@nvcc.edu

Create a Google+ Account

Posted on June 6, 2014 by kshagan

Have you created a Google+ account through your student Gmail account? NOVA Online Student Life hosts several online events that you can participate in by having one. Check out the below instructions to see step by step instructions:

1) Log into your vssc email from the ‘My Nova’ (https://nvcc.my.vccs.edu/jsp/home.jsp) page on the colleges’ website.

2) After logging into your Gmail, you will then be logged into Google. On the top right of your screen you will see your first name and a + in front of it. Click there.

3) You will be taken to a new page (as seen below), scroll down and click the ‘continue’ button. A little pop up will appear and ask you if you are sure you don’t want to ‘follow’ anyone right now. Click ‘continue anyway’. You will receive the option again to add followers after your profile is created.

3) You will now be taken to page to fill out your personal profile. Feel free to add anything to describe you in these fields. Then hit finish.

Once you have completed your account, You can find us under the unsername NOVA Online to learn more about how you can get involved in our virtual events/activities!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact elistulife@nvcc.edu. We look forward to connecting with you soon!

NOVA Online Summer Book and Cinema Club

Posted on June 4, 2014 by kshagan

Do you enjoy reading and looking for a place to share a common read with other NOVA Online students this summer?

Join our NOVA Online virtual Book and Cinema Club. This summer we will be reading/viewing Divergent by Veronica Roth

You are probably asking yourself, how does this work?

This group provides an opportunity for students to connect virtually while discussing book/movie topics. This is done in a few ways:

1) Contribute to our discussion forum through our NOVA Online Google Community page

2) Participate on our virtual book chats via Google Hangouts

3) View a live screening of the movie from your home computer

The Summer Book and Cinema Club will run from June 9^th-August 8^th For more information on this event, feel free to contact NOVA Online Student Life at elistulife@nvcc.edu

Connect with NOVA Online

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Dual Enrollment Coordinator

NOVA Online is active on social media and our Virtual Student Union. We hope you join the conversation on our sites and participate in student life events throughout the semester. We offer both virtual and in-person events each semester. Follow this link to access our NOVA Online Student Life Calendar.

Join fellow NOVA Online students in the NOVA Online Google+ Community and follow us on Twitter at @NOVANOVA OnlineFE, Facebook, and on LinkedIn. This blog is a great resource for announcements, updates, and tips for success. If you would like to share your story with fellow NOVA Online students, please email us at elistulife@nvcc.edu.

You can always call us – 703.323.3347 or email us with any questions you have about your NOVA Online classes!

Forwarding your Student Email

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Dual Enrollment Coordinator

When juggling school, life, work, and family, it is very easy for important events and deadlines to get lost in the shuffle. When it comes to events and deadlines related to your schoolwork and life at NOVA, we try to keep you informed through this blog, Twitter, Facebook, and through emails to your student email account.

Your NOVA Online Instructor(s), the Financial Aid Office, the Business Office, and the Central Records Office will also send important communications that you would need to be aware of to your student email account. If your student email account isn’t the one you are used to checking every day, you might miss something important.

Thankfully, your student emails can be forwarded to another email address automatically, or you can set up your student email to receive emails from all of your other email accounts, so you can check everything in just one place.

To forward your student emails to another account, follow these steps:

1. Log into your student email account by logging into MY NOVA and select your student email from the list of choices.

**Make sure you have upgraded to a Google+ account.

2. Click on the head in upper right corner & then click on Account link.

3. Click on Edit settings link.

4. Scroll to “Notification delivery” and click on “Add email address” link. 5. Add the email address to use when forwarding your student email and click on the Add button.

6. A verification email will be sent to the added address. If you don’t receive it, you will need to resend the verification. You will need to go to that address and click on a Verify button in the email to complete the process.

7. You should see a message from Google+ stating that the new email address has been verified.

8. You can add or delete email addresses at any time.

Remember, that your NOVA Online Instructor will need you to respond to them using your student email, so you may not be able to just reply from a forwarded email. Instead, you might need to log in to your student email account to respond.

Keep in mind that all information which would be protected by privacy laws that an employee at NOVA would send you through email must be sent to your student email account to ensure a level of security. When you forward an email to another address, you take responsibility yourself for protecting your privacy regarding that information.

Having email lost because of forwarding does not absolve a student from the responsibilities associated with communication sent to his or her official email address. The VCCS is not responsible for the handling of email by outside vendors or unofficial servers.

Fun and Free Apps to Explore

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Dual Enrollment Coordinator

With thousands of apps available, it can be challenging to uncover an app that fits your needs. If you are searching for that perfect study app or an app to help you develop your career, the following apps may provide the inspiration that you have been searching for:

picture of mobile apps

Blackboard (Bb) Mobile Learn: Provides organized, on-the-go access to the latest course announcements, quick access to the discussion board and instant access to your journal posts, upcoming assignments and more.

Flipboard: Stay on top of information in your field with Flipboard! Flipboard is your personal magazine. Users can catch up on the news that they enjoy, explore information and articles from around the world, and stay connected to the people closest to them. Save and collect information into your own personal magazines such as articles focused on coursework, personal interests and more.

Flowboard: Storytelling and presentation app that en
ables the user to create side-scrolling publications with images, text, videos, links, and photo galleries. Flowboard allows you to create & present from your iPad, or share to any device. This app could also be used to maintain accomplishments and share in an interview or incorporate into an online resume.

Quizlet: Excel during your study time creating practice tests and quizzes, flashcards or take advantage of pre-made flashcards.

Screenchomp: Share course concepts and thoughts with friends or classmates. To begin, tap the record button; draw on the whiteboard with the app pen or markers and record a running narrative. ScreenChomp will record the user’s voice and drawings and uploads the creation to ScreenChomp. The user will be provided with a link which can be shared via e-mail, Twitter, or on the clipboard.

What are your favorite apps? Let us know in the comments below!

Transfer Planning 101

Posted on May 23, 2014 by kshagan

Kim Burkle, NOVA Online Counselor/Instructor Today’s NOVA Online blog post is provided by NOVA Online’s Transfer Counselor and Instructor, Kim Burkle. Kim is available to work with you to help with transfer planning. She can be reached at 703.323.2425 or elicounselors@nvcc.edu.

Your time at NOVA will go by fast. It is never too early to begin transfer planning. The more research you do now, the smoother the transfer process will be later.

Start by considering the following:

Do you know where you want to go yet?

Do you know what major you will pursue when you transfer?

Do you intend to obtain a degree at NOVA?

Do you know if you are in a college-transfer track program?

How will you pay for your education?

The Virginia Education Wizard offers a number of resources to assist you in obtaining your education goals. The Transfer Planner provides you a step-by-step guide, from assessing your preferred career through attending orientation at your new college or university.

NOVA has agreements with most of the 4-year institutions in Virginia, as well as several outside of Virginia. Some agreements are called Guaranteed Admissions Agreements; which means as a NOVA student, you are offered guaranteed admissions to a variety of four-year colleges and universities when you meet the requirements of the written agreement between NOVA and that college. There are also general Articulation Agreements that define the way courses, programs, or entire categories of programs transfer to another institution; and may include admission guarantees. You can view the list of GAAs and AAs via NOVA’s transfer webpage. It is important to read the agreements carefully, so you know what specific requirements you will need to meet. NOVA also has a great webpage that is all about Guaranteed Admission Agreements!

Check out the four-minute video: NOVA Guaranteed Admission Agreements.

Once you have identified potential transfer institutions, make time to visit them and speak with an admission representative, take a campus tour, attend an information session, etc. This will help you get a feel for the environment to see if it would be a good fit for you. If you are planning to transfer to an online program, attend an information webinar and test-drive a course, if available.

If you want to learn more, NOVA also hosts a variety of transfer events; such as college visits, transfer fairs, and webinars. The events calendar provides a list of upcoming events.