Communication from POC:
Fall 2009 Announcements – sent on 8/28/09
Good Day Rensselaer Student!
I hope that this email finds you in great health. Welcome back! On behalf of the Graduate School, I wish you continued success and the best of luck this semester. At this time, we would like to bring your attention to the following:
Fall 2009 webpage - Please visit http://www.rpi.edu/ewp/distance/registration/index.html for pertinent course and registration information. Here you will find important dates (Academic Drop deadlines, Financial Drop Deadlines, etc.), Fall 2009 graduation requirements, important semester announcements, etc. that you should be aware of. In addition, you can find the Fall 2009 course descriptions and class meeting times at http://www.rpi.edu/ewp/distance/academics/schedule_f09.html.
Fall 2009 registration - At this time, you should be registered for your Fall 2009 course(s). The online registration period is currently closed. If you would like to add or drop a course at this point, please complete the attached registration form and fax it to 518.276.8026. Please note that course information memos have been distributed to your RPI email account for every course that you are registered for. These memos are very important as they direct you to Rensselaer’s Learning Management System site where you will find your course’s syllabus and other course-specific information. Please note that all courses this Fall follow a LIVE schedule. This simply means that you will be expected to submit your assignments, projects, and homework at the same time that the on-campus students submit theirs. Please note that some courses either require or strongly recommend live/synchronous participation, however.
Plan of Study – All matriculated students should have an up-to-date Plan of Study on file. A Plan of Study is an Institute requirement but is also used by our office to assess which courses are needed to be offered in order for everyone to graduate in time. Plan of Study forms list all of the courses a student will take and has taken to be applied to their degree. The Plan of Study should be an accurate reflection of a student’s academic record. The exact titles, course numbers, and terms need to be listed on the Plan of Study. This is so that both you and your Department are able to see how you will meet your degree requirements. No student should be taking courses blindly and without the direction of their Department. You cannot graduate without one. In addition, the forms assist us as we project course enrollment, assess what classes are necessary, and what classes ought to be cancelled. If we are not aware of the intent of our students, we cannot accurately assess the demand for certain courses.
Potential Fall 2009 Graduates should be aware of the following requirements:
- All graduates must be registered during the semester in which they intend on graduating. If you are not taking a course at Rensselaer during your last semester or if you are transferring your last course from another institution, please contact our Office as soon as possible. You will need to be registered for ADMN 6500 – Final course/degree completion which is an Administrative registration code that maintains your active status during the semester in which you are applying for degree clearance.
- You must have an approved and accurate Plan of Study (POS) on file. An approved Plan of Study is one that has your signature as well as your advisor’s signature. It also must reflect EXACTLY how you completed your requirements (i.e. correct course numbers and titles). If you need to revise your plan, please submit a new (signed) one and make sure that there aren’t any cross outs. You cannot graduate without an up-to-date and accurate Plan of Study. Please go to http://www.rpi.edu/ewp/distance/downloads/download_forms.html to access your Department-specific Plan of Study.
- You must submit a DEGREE APPLICATION by Friday, September 25, 2009. The link can be found at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/srfs/degreeAppWithMajorCodes.pdf. Please fax to us at (518) 276-8026 and not to the number on the form. We will review it for errors and then forward it to the Registrar’s Office. A copy will be kept in your file as well.
Students pursuing a certificate – Upon completion of your fourth course, please notify our Office. Once the grade of your fourth course has posted, we will see to it that a certificate is generated. You will receive your certificate 3-4 weeks after notifying our Office.
Independent Study - Any student planning to do an INDEPENDENT STUDY course this Fall needs to submit an Independent Study form. We need to know the faculty who you will be working with, the course title, and the number of credits. This needs to be approved by the faculty member before we can register you.
Independent Study forms can be found at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/srfs/independent_study.pdf. Please complete the form and fax to 518.276.8026. Our office will then forward it to the faculty member for their signature/approval.
Change in Personal Information - Any change of address, phone, etc. should be made by you, the student, in the SIS. We also require that you send a change of information notification email to Mecaila Smith via email as well. If you are changing your site location from where you were previously, please notify Mecaila Smith at smithm12@rpi.edu immediately. It is important that we have the new information as quickly as possible to ensure receipt of all course materials in a timely fashion. Failure to do so may result in material distribution/shipping delays.
Exam Liaison - If your exam liaison (not applicable to all students) has changed from the Spring semester or if you need one, please be sure to contact Mecaila Smith at smithm12@rpi.edu.
Campus Cohort Visits – Campus Cohort students are expected to come to campus 2-4 times a semester for every course that they are enrolled in. Any specified dates beyond the first day/night of class will be communicated in a separate email. Please be sure to confirm and/or inform our office of your intended travel so that we can provide you with directions, updated information, etc., so that you can plan accordingly and proper tracking can be done.
Updates –
- Technical Requirements and Support - All students and Site Administrators should be aware of our technical requirements. Please go to http://www.rpi.edu/ewp/distance/services/tech_requirment.html to review our technical requirements and support information.
- Library Services - You can access the Library's website at http://library.rpi.edu/setup.do. As an off-campus user, you will need your Library PIN. Please go to http://library.rpi.edu/update.do?artcenterkey=204 to access information on obtaining your PIN. You will need this PIN to access the library databases, ejournals and ebooks. Faculty who teach courses that originate from the Hartford's campus may utilize the Cole (Hartford) Library as their main source of articles, journals, etc. With that being said, it is always best to set up access to both sources. Access to the Folsom (Troy) Library can be done via the Library link provided above. Please go to http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/library/ to access the Cole Library. You will need your RH Network username as well as the password. Please go to http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/tis/forms/help.html and request your Network username and password. Be sure to include your RIN. Please note that not all faculty will utilize the Libraries, nor will all Hartford faculty utilize the Hartford Library. Colette Holmes is the Management Librarian and is our Main Contact. She can be reached at holmec@rpi.edu or 518.276.8331 if you have any questions.
- Learning Management System – To access, the current version of the tool, please go to http://rpilms.rpi.edu . If you encounter problems when trying to access the LMS, you should go to http://lmssupport.rpi.edu and go to the Frequently Ask Questions section (FAQ's). You may be able to resolve the issue by viewing the answers provided by the Help Desk. If you are unable to resolve the issue, you should submit a trouble report at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/arc/rpilms/web/forms/rpilmsprobrpt.html. Include as much information as possible so the Help Desk can resolve the problem. The Help Desk will need to know what browser you are using, what operating system is being utilized, and exactly where the problem is occurring.
- RCS accounts - Your RCS account provides you with access to a host of on-campus services: the Rensselaer Library, RPI LMS and other on-campus servers for course work. Your RCS userid, which is pre-created for you, consists of the first five characters of your last name and your first initial. If duplicate userids are created, a one- or two-digit number may be added at the end of your userid as needed to make the name unique. Your initial RCS password is a random sequence of letters, numbers, and special characters which you are given when you pick up your account and are told to change promptly.
To obtain your ID and password, please go to http://www.rpi.edu/dept/arc/rpilms/web/forms/rpilmsprobrpt.html. If you don't know your RCS/RPI LMS ID, you can obtain it by clicking on the look up your RCS id link at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/arc/webct/rcsidlookup.html. Enter your name and it will provide you with your email address and your RCS ID.
Once you have that information, go to http://www.rpi.edu/dept/arc/rpilms/web/forms/rpilmsprobrpt.html to complete a trouble/problem report. State that you have your ID but need your password.
Once you have your RCS User ID and the temporary password, you may change it. To do so, you will need to go to http://helpdesk.rpi.edu/update.do?catcenterkey=33 and click on change your password.
We look forward to another semester working with you!
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Thanks,
Ronnie
* This communication was distributed on August 28, 2009. Please contact your Point of contact if you need any of the forms or documents mentioned.
Ronnie Rowe
Student Services Administrator
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th Street
Troy, NY 12180
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