CGCE Policies for Online & Hybrid Courses

The following CGCE Policies typcially appear in the syllabi of online & hybrid courses. Students should refer to the syllabus of a specific course for detailed policies as they pertain to that course. The policies as they appear on this web site are subject to change at any time.

Course Structure

About CGCE

All online and hybrid courses are delivered through the Rowan University College of Graduate & Continuing Education (CGCE). All student services registration and enrollment services are managed through the CGCE Office of Academic Services. For assistance related to course registration, add/drop, withdraw, and related enrollment services, please email CGCEAcademicServices@rowan.edu.

Definitions

CGCE Student Tech Portal

Students should access all technology services (Blackboard, Tech Support, Email, etc.) via the CGCE Student Tech Portal located online at http://students.rowanu.com. The portal is designed to house technical information that is specifically for CGCE students. Resources outside of the portal, i.e. tech support provided on the Rowan.edu main web site, may contain information that is intended for Rowan traditional students and not CGCE students. While much of this information is similar, many of the technologies for CGCE students are independent of the main Rowan campus facilities.

Blackboard

All online, hybrid, and web assisted courses offered through the CGCE are hosted in the CGCE Blackboard System. It is important to note that Rowan University has two Blackboard systems: (1) the on-campus Blackboard system and the CGCE Blackboard system. All CGCE courses will be available in the CGCE Blackboard system ONLY. All other non-CGCE courses will be available in the on-campus Blackboard system ONLY. To access the CGCE Blackboard system, visit the CGCE Student Portal at http://students.rowanu.com.

Format

Each week of an online or hybrid course will begin on a Tuesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time (ET) and end by 11:59 PM ET on the following Monday (just prior to midnight). This gives students the benefit of a full weekend to work on and complete assignments each week.

Style

All online and hybrid courses are faculty directed, interactive courses and are designed to simulate a traditional, in-person classroom. The following aspects of course design are most notable to students:

• Courses have quality and rigor similar to that of a face-to-face class.
• Frequent interaction/communication between students and the instructor is required.
• Students are expected to participate in discussion with other students (not in real-time, but via posting of messages to discussion boards).
• Some courses require students to work and interact in groups.
• Hybrid courses will meet face-to-face several times during the course at a designated date, time, and location. 

Pace

• Most courses are offered as accelerated modules (i.e. 8 weeks, 12 weeks), meaning that the same amount of work conducted during a full 16-week semester course is conducted in shorter time-frame (except for some special offerings; please consult your course syllabus for details). Typically, weekly student work loads are increased in accelerated courses. Therefore, students should expect to devote more time per week to their online assignments. While the pace is faster, the advantage is that students able to complete their program of study in less time than a traditional program.
• Courses are paced based on a course schedule (including expected assignments & deliverables) that is presented in the course syllabus.
• Courses are not self-paced. Materials are released just in time or slightly earlier in order to maintain course pace and student focus on current course topics.
• Courses are designed to be convenient where work is issued at the beginning of a week and not due until the end of that week or later. 
• Due to the pace of the course, late assignments will not be accepted. The only exception is in the event of a documented hardship. Any due date flexibility is at the discretion of the course instructor and must be agreed upon between the instructor and the individual student well in advance of the due date.

Logistics

• All course dates and times will be based on Eastern Time (ET), USA.
• After a student has been registered for a course, that course will become available to the student in Blackboard 5 days prior to the start date of the course (unless otherwise notified).
• Some work may be done outside the Blackboard system, such as reading assignments, typing a paper, and in some cases, completion of fieldwork.
• For online & hybrid courses, Students are given a minimum of 1 week (7 days) to complete and submit written assignments. Some course activities, such as posting messages to a discussion board, may be due during the week. Students will always have up until 11:59 PM (ET) on the posted due date to complete mid-week activities.

Topography (For Online & Hybrid Courses Only)

Every online and hybrid course has the same organization in the Blackboard System. Below is a brief description of the left-hand menu for all online & hybrid CGCE courses.

• Dashboard: This is the first page you see when you click on a course in Blackboard. It provides a snapshot of important information in the course. Several informational modules load on the course dashboard including My Announcements, Alerts, What’s New, and My Calendar.
• Calendar: This link will provide access to your course calendar. The calendar will note any posted assignment due dates and related events for the given course.
• Course Content: This section of the menu contains links through which you can access the primary content posted in the course.
• Welcome Message: This link connects to a PDF document containing a welcome message from the course instructor. A brief biography of the instructor is also included.
• Syllabus: This link connects to a PDF version of the course syllabus.
• Lessons: This area contains lesson materials including lectures, assignments, assessments, and related information necessary for course instruction. This area is organized by each Week of the course (i.e. Week 1 through Week 8). New information is provided weekly and portions of the course are revealed to the student a week at a time, starting with Week 1. Typically, materials for the next week (coming week) are provided 1 week in advance to give students an opportunity to get a head start. All weekly information is available historically throughout the course (i.e. once Week 2 becomes available, it is present for the remainder of the course).
• Discussions: This area contains ALL course discussion and journal boards. Notably, it will contain the Office Hours Discussion Board and Student Café (both are public resources designed to encourage continuous, open communication between students and/or the instructor).
• Groups: This area contains workspace for group projects and assignments. Once a group has been designated in a course, the group will have access to utilize Blackboard tools (such as discussion boards) for group communication. All tools and materials created in the Groups area is private to the group which you are assigned (that is, other groups cannot see your group’s work).
• Tools & Support: This section of the menu contains links through which you can access Blackboard tools and Technical Support.
• Send Email: This will link you to the email tool in Blackboard. If you send an email to the instructor or a classmate (or if the instructor or a classmate uses this tool to send an email to you), it will use the recipient’s official Rowan issued email. This tool is for sending email only. You the recipient will receive the email message in their designated email inbox (in Gmail or Outlook).
• Messages: This will link you to the Messaging tool in Blackboard. This is a messaging feature that will allow you to send and receive messages to users (students and faculty) in the Blackboard system. It works much like an internal email system.
• My Grades: This will link you to the Blackboard Grading center where you can view your grades – if posted by the instructor – for work you have submitted.
• All Course Tools: This will link you to the section that will allow you to access ALL the tools available in the Blackboard system.
• Bb Help Center: This will link you to the Bb Help Center which is a site designed specifically for CGCE students who need any type of tech support and assistance.
• CGCE Student Portal: This will link you to the CGCE student portal web site.
• Course Copyright:This link connects to a PDF document containing copyright information about the course.

Access & Availability

• Course START. All courses in Blackboard become available for preview 5 days prior to the start date of the course (unless otherwise noted). During the preview period, students have access to the syllabus and (typically) the first week of course content. Students may get a head start on course work, but Instructors are not obligated to process or grade course work until the official start of the course.
• Course END. Courses are available in the Blackboard system for 30 days after the last day of the course. After this time period, the course will be archived and removed from the Blackboard System. Students are responsible for downloading and archiving their course work and materials from the system prior to the removal of the course. CGCE Division of Online Services does not retrieve materials from courses that have been removed from the system and archived.

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Communication Regulations (Netiquette)

The following regulations describe appropriate use of online tools and facilities provided by the Rowan University Colleges of Graduate and Continuing Education (CGCE). Rowan University student policies can be reviewed under Policies & Procedures at the Provost’s web site: http://www.rowan.edu/provost/policies.

Conduct

Student communication is always expected to be courteous, professional, and in conjunction with Rowan University's code of conduct (available at http://www.rowan.edu/provost/policies). Correspondence that denotes conduct unbecoming of a student will be reported to the office of student affairs.

Email

Email is the preferred mode of correspondence for online courses. All Rowan students must check their issued Rowan Student Email (username@students.rowan.edu). Important information and broadcast messages from Rowan University, CGCE, and instructors are delivered via this email address. Take careful note of the following email regulations:

• Rowan University student email employs the Google Email (Gmail) system. This allows students to have access to all the same functionality and features of the Google Email system while maintaining a student email address that contains a Rowan University domain name (@students.rowan.edu). Although Rowan’s student email is provided via the Gmail system, this does not allow students to combine existing personal Gmail accounts with their Rowan issued Gmail account.
• Rowan University, its staff, and instructors are not required to have record of any third-party email address for students. After you have been admitted to Rowan University, your Rowan issued student email will be your primary email address for all afore mentioned parties.
• If you use a third-party email address (i.e. Comcast, hotmail, yahoo, personal Gmail, etc.) and do not wish to regularly use your issued Rowan Student Email Address, you must forward your Rowan Student Email to your third-party address to ensure that you receive important information. Instructions for doing so can be found at the CGCE Student Portal (http://students.rowanu.com).
• For faster email responses from your instructor, your emails should contain the course number and/or name in the subject of the email. This will help the instructor to filter out email sent by students in this course and facilitate a faster response.

Discussion Boards

• Students are expected to participate regularly in every assigned discussion topic or question in the course which counts towards each student's overall participation. Grading for said participation is outlined in the Grading Section. Follow the instructions designated for use within each discussion board.
• The Office Hours Discussion Board (located in the Discussions Area of this course) is used as a public question and answer forum where all messages are intended to be addressed directly by the instructor. Students are requested to post overall course and assignment related questions to this board before emailing the instructor. This allows other students to visit the board and look for answers to similar questions that have already been posted. The instructor is expected to check and update (respond to posts) this board approximately every 48 hours unless otherwise noted. Correspondence of a private or personal nature should not be posted to this publically accessible discussion board.
• The Student Café Discussion Board is designated for student interaction for topics that are not germane to the course (i.e. conversations of a casual and/or personal nature between students). However, postings are expected to be in accordance with the Conduct regulation. Instructors have access to this board and may eliminate it from the course at their discretion.
• The scope of student postings on all the discussion boards (including the Office Hours Discussion Board, but excluding the Student Café) in this class must be limited to conversation that is pertinent to this course, its instructor, and/or the designated discussion topic at hand. Students are asked to refrain from using the discussion boards to discuss personal information or affairs that are not directly related to this course.
• The use of discussion boards to air complaints and grievances is strictly prohibited. Rowan University has formal complaint procedures which describe the proper process and venue for such matters. See Policies & Procedures at the Provost’s web site: http://www.rowan.edu/provost/policies/ for details.
• Students are strictly prohibited from broadcasting messages or announcements on any discussion board in this course unless it is required as part of an activity in the course.
• The instructor reserves the right to eliminate any discussion board and/or messages posted to any discussion board at his/her discretion. This may be done at any time and without notification in an effort to maintain order and a safe environment in the online classroom.

Phone

Students may contact the instructor or other students by telephone when the appropriate telephone number is provided in the syllabus (or elsewhere). Students are expected to observe appropriate calling hours or related calling guidelines when presented by the instructor and/or other students. Instructors are not required by the CGCE or Rowan University to provide regular telephone communication service for students. Where noted, course instructors may provision for phone conversations by appointment.

Participation

Your class participation will be evaluated subjectively, but will rely upon measures of completion of assigned tasks, familiarity with the required readings and lecture materials, relevance and insight reflected in discussion-based questions, and commentary. It will be judged by what you add to the class environment, regardless of your background. Online courses may rely heavily upon interactive discussion within the class as a means of instruction. Students will be expected to be familiar with the readings, even though they might not understand all of the material in advance. In general, questions and comments are encouraged. Comments should be limited to the important aspects of earlier points made, and reflect knowledge of the readings.

Students are required to utilize the communication tools offered in the designated online learning environment (i.e. Blackboard tools such as discussion boards, chat rooms, email, etc.) as all correspondence is recorded, time stamped, and later archived. This allows the instructor to accurately gauge active participation for each student throughout the course. Moreover, this recorded correspondence may be needed later to reconcile issues related to class work, group work, and/or participation. Correspondence held outside of designated systems, either using third-party software products (i.e. AOL Instant Messenger), phone communication, or in-person meetings, cannot be monitored and therefore cannot be taken into consideration for a student's participation grade.

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Policies

Academic Integrity

The vitality of any academic program is rooted in its integrity. It is essential to Rowan University that the grades awarded to students reflect only their own individual efforts and achievements. Each segment of the academic community, e.g., faculty, students and administration, is responsible for the academic integrity of the University. Academic dishonesty, in any form, will not be tolerated. Students found to have committed an act of academic dishonesty may be subject to failure in the course, suspension from the University, or both. For complete details of Rowan University’s Academic Integrity Policy, visit http://www.rowan.edu/provost/policies.

Plagiarism Prevention

As part of this course the instructor may ask students to submit written assignments to a plagiarism prevention tool called SafeAssign. Alternately, the instructor may choose to directly submit an individual’s work to Safe Assign at any time. If a student’s work is submitted to this tool, it will be stored in a database that is owned and operated by the company that provides this service. Students have the right to remove identifying information from their document submissions at their own discretion. Students further have the right to refuse either to submit work to the tool or have the university do so; invoking this right will not negatively impact any student’s ability to succeed in the course. Any student who does not wish to submit his/her work to the plagiarism prevention tool must notify the instructor by e-mail within 5 days of the official course start date. For any student who objects to the use of the designated tool, the instructor has the right to use other procedures, including online services that do not archive submitted texts, to assess originality.

• What is SafeAssign?
  Rowan University has a licensing agreement with SafeAssign (as part of the Blackboard license; Blackboard, Inc. is the parent company of SafeAssign; http://www.safeassign.com), which is an online service that checks submitted documents against a large archive of electronic texts, including web content, newspapers, magazines, journals, books and student papers. This comparison results in a plagiarism report that shows matches to existing documents and providing a “Similarity Index,” a percentage score reflecting the proportion of the content that is similar to content in the texts that were compared to the submitted document. The report is simply a comparison of the texts; it cannot evaluate the intent of the author or the significance of any similarities. For example, if the submitted document incorporates information from a source that involves the use of a great deal of technical terminology, the Plagiarism Prevention Tool will document the occurrence of this terminology in the submitted document. However, said tool cannot distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate uses of similar terminology.
• The Role of Plagiarism Prevention Tools in This Course
  The goal of using Plagiarism Prevention Tools in this course is to prevent plagiarism. Proper paraphrasing and summarizing of source material, along with proper methods of citing sources, will be a focus of the course. Effective research methods will also be emphasized. Applying these skills takes care and practice. Plagiarism Prevention Tools are a very efficient in checking whether a submitted work uses sources appropriately and calls attention to improper presentation or citation of source material. Each student will be allowed to view his/her Originality Report, evaluate his/her use of sources, and revise and resubmit his/her paper if necessary before it is viewed and graded. It is possible that a plagiarism report will suggest that plagiarism has occurred. In such cases, students will have the opportunity to respond and, if necessary, explain any similarities documented by the tool. If the instructor does receive information from the tool that leads him/her to judge that a student has committed plagiarism, the instructor will follow the procedures outlined in Rowan University’s Academic Integrity Policy.

Online Attendance

Statistics regarding student usage are collected in the Blackboard system. Faculty and administration can track student usage throughout the system including the number of times a student logs into Blackboard and every section, tool, page that a student visits within the system (duration of time spent in the system is not tracked, nor does it have any bearing on attendance).

To officially be considered “present” in the online portion of the course, system tracking reports must show that the student in question has visited each page, tool, or assignment as is reasonably necessary to conduct class work by the end of that week. This includes at least one visit to all materials and tools presented in the current weekly lesson folder as well as any other materials associated with class work for that week as specified in the current weekly overview. Instructors may actively check attendance and provide students with written notice regarding their attendance records at their discretion. Additional policies regarding attendance and consequences for failure to meet the attendance requirements for this course, if any, are provided in the Grading Section of the syllabus.

Tuition Reimbursement Notice

Your employer may use specific final grade criteria in determining cutoffs at, or below which, tuition and fees will NOT be reimbursed. Please review your employer’s latest criteria for minimum required grades for tuition reimbursement and make sure that your performance corresponds to that level or greater. Additionally, your employer may have specific timelines and criteria for final grade submission for reimbursement. While grades are typically issued within two weeks of the last day of class, Rowan University, the CGCE, and its employees are not responsible for ensuring that your transcript will reflect your final grade for this course within the timelines and regulations set forth by your employer.

Student Obligation

Upon registration for this course, students have made a commitment to conduct assigned coursework within the schedule and terms presented in this syllabus. Note the following regulations related to a student’s obligation for this course:

• In general, there are no breaks in the course schedule to observe holidays. Students are expected to continue work over holidays and associated holiday weekends or breaks. It is acceptable for work to be due on a holiday.
• Online and hybrid courses are scheduled according to specific CGCE course schedules which may not coincide with the Rowan University academic calendar. Traditional breaks (i.e. Spring Break or Winter Break), may not be included in CGCE schedules and therefore this course may carry on during Rowan University scheduled breaks and holidays. To best understand the schedule and other requirements for this course and program, students should carefully review the CGCE schedule/calendar for their specific program and this course. For more information about the schedule for this course, see the Course Schedule section above and/or contact your instructor.
• Students that have plans to go on travel while taking this course must make arrangements to have access to the online learning environment for this course (Blackboard). It is recommended that students bring a laptop (or ensure computer access at the travel destination) and make arrangements for Internet access. Other options include using technology facilities local to the planned travel destination including those at a hotel, a library, an Internet café, etc.

Course Details

• ACCESS TO THE COURSE.
  Students with current registration will gain access to their online/hybrid course(s) during Preview Week which begins 5 days prior to the official start date of the course unless otherwise noted by CGCE. Students whose registration is added to the course after the start of Preview Week can expect to have access to the course within 24-48 hours depending on the registration circumstances (contact technical support for assistance/advice related to this matter). Students who drop the course will lose access to all materials within 24 hours of the processing of the official drop within the University registration system (Banner).
  
  Enrolled students will retain access to the course for 30 days after the official end date of the course. After the 30th day, student and faculty access is automatically removed and the course is archived and deleted from the Blackboard system. Students are responsible to using this 30 day period to archive their own submissions and graded materials from the CGCE Blackboard system to a personal storage location. Once a course is archived, no portion of that course will be restored to the system, nor will any materials be retrieved from the course without a written request from both the course instructor and department chair of the academic department that owns the course. There are no exceptions to this policy.
• COURSE WORK.
  All assignments are to be completed and submitted by the posted due date. Assignments will NOT be accepted late. Exceptions will only be made in the event of a documented hardship. Official documentation should be produced (by fax, email, or delivered to the appropriate office) to the instructor upon request. Unless otherwise noted by the instructor to the class, all assignments are due by 11:59 PM Eastern (Midnight) of posted due date.
  
• ASSIGNMENT & DISCUSSION RESETS (Cleared Attempts).
  In the event that a student submits a technical support request to have an assignment attempt reset or cleared from the Blackboard system, or requests that a discussion board post be deleted from the course, CGCE Technical Support must receive permission from the instructor before processing the request. The technician assigned to the ticket will make the request directly to the appropriate course instructor. Once confirmation is received from the instructor, the attempt or post will be cleared and the technician will notify the student.
  
• ONLINE EXAMINATIONS (Tests & Quizzes).
  All exams (including tests and quizzes) offered electronically in this course should be conducted in accordance with the specific instructions provided in the course for said exam as well as any additional instructions provided by the instructor. Students who experience technical difficulty while taking an online exam and are subsequently unable to complete the exam (i.e. locked out of the exam, time has expired for the exam, exam submitted in an incomplete state but before the time limit, etc.) must immediately submit a technical support request to CGCE Advanced Support’s ticket system with a request to have the exam reset. CGCE technical support staff members are required to seek approval directly from the course instructor prior to performing a reset of an exam. Approvals must be received in writing from the instructor. CGCE technicians will request the instructor to recommend exam offering period extensions when appropriate.
  
• WEBINAR & COLLABORATION TOOLS.
  The Adobe Connect webinar system is provided for use with CGCE courses and may be employed by the instructor(s) to deliver supplemental course content and activities. Students should be advised that participation in real-time, webinar sessions is recommended but not mandatory. Students that are unable to attend a planned webinar session due to prior obligations should notify the instructor in advance of the session. In many cases, it will be possible to record the webinar session and provide an online video of the session to students who could not attend. IMPORTANT: Technical support for using the Adobe Connect webinar system is managed by the course instructor(s) at the time of a planned session. The instructor will advise students in advance of the session as to the preferred method for requesting support. Students should not contact the CGCE Tech Support Hotline or submit a ticket to CGCE Advanced Support for Adobe Connect issues.
  

Required Materials (Textbooks)

Students are expected to acquire all materials, including textbooks, publications, equipment, and software that are listed in this syllabus as "required" prior to the start of the course. Students enrolled in the course after the start date (part of add/drop) must acquire all materials at their earliest convenience. Materials required for all CGCE courses as well as information regarding how and where to purchase them are listed in the CGCE Section Tally (http://banner.rowan.edu/reports/reports.pl?task=Section_Tally_CPCE) and can be viewed by clicking on the “Materials Required” link located under the “AddInfo” Column. (If there is no link for “Materials Required” that means your texts are not yet posted but should be soon.)

CGCE orders texts through the official Rowan Bookstore system and unless stated otherwise in the Tally, students may purchase their books in person or online through the Bookstore. (Please allow extra time for shipping if texts are ordered online.) While students may choose to purchase materials from vendors other than those recommended, there will be no acceptable excuse for not having obtained the required materials by the indicated deadline.

Technology

• In order to successfully take part in CGCE courses that utilize online technology, students must have access to a typically configured personal computer and the Internet. Students must have the authority to administratively operate and maintain the computer (install software, make necessary changes to the computer configuration, etc.). The computer and related technology must meet the CGCE Student technology requirements (available at http://students.rowanu.com). CGCE strongly recommends that each student own a personal computer that will serve as the primary computer for use with CGCE online technology and courses. Students who use a computer that they do not own (owned by a third-party) as their primary computer for use with CGCE courses are advised against doing so and choose to do so AT THEIR OWN RISK.
• Students are strongly encouraged to use a high-speed Internet connection (approx. 3 Mbps or better download speed) in conjunction with online course materials. While all online course materials and learning environments will be available to users with slower connections (i.e. Dial-up Internet Connection), presentation of multi-media used in conjunction of the course will not be stream-lined for slower connections. Some supplementary online learning tools, such as webinar projects (Adobe Connect), may have limited or no available support for slower Internet connections.
• Rowan University and CGCE does not provide personal computer support (beyond assistance in preparing and configuring your computer to work with CGCE provided Technology and Services). Students are required to maintain their own personal computer and take reasonable steps to ensure computer “health.” Proactive steps may include installing and maintaining a virus protection software package. It is also recommended that students make provisions for support through your computer manufacturer or a third-party technical support service (i.e. Geek Squad) for personal computer support. Students should plan in advance for alternative or emergency computer and Internet access in the event of a personal computer failure or system error.
• Rowan University and CGCE do not provide support or technical assistance for third-party owned computers (computers for which the student is not the owner). This includes but is not restricted to computers owned by a student’s employer or a computer used at a facility such as a library, hotel, computer lab, etc.
• Rowan University and CGCE do not provide support for blocked or filtered Internet connections at a student’s place of work or other third-party locations (specifically, on any Internet connection that is not provided via a residential Internet Service Provider). Some employers may choose to block or filter certain web sites or Internet connections on their networks. Certain Rowan web sites and online services have been known to be inaccessible from within the network of an employer that utilizes network Internet filters, firewalls, etc. It is strongly recommended that students obtain their own reliable Internet connection outside of work; preferably via a residential Internet Connection supplied by a recognized Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as Comcast or Verizon. Students who choose to access CGCE online course technology via an Internet Connection that they do not own or is not provided by a residential ISP do so AT THEIR OWN RISK.
• Whenever a CGCE course syllabus requires the use and purchase of additional equipment or software, CGCE Division of Online Services will provide purchasing recommendations in the course syllabus. CGCE will provide technical support for recommended products ONLY. Students who use equipment or software other than the recommended make and model may be required to provide self-support for said products and do so AT THEIR OWN RISK.
• Rowan University and CGCE do not retrieve student work or files from courses that have been removed and/or archived from the Blackboard system. Students are responsible for maintaining, protecting, and backing up all data and files related to their courses (outside of the Blackboard System). Students are advised to maintain their own copies of all work submitted and received via the CGCE Blackboard system. This includes graded documents that may be required at a later date for review (i.e. Portfolio or Benchmark review). Students are strongly encouraged to have a secure and reliable backup solution other than their personal computer (Writable DVD/CD media, external hard drive, flash drive, cloud storage, etc.). Note that student work is archived, but only made accessible to authorized University administration in matters of grade review or grade challenge. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this policy.
• Students are required to test and prepare their personal computer system for use with CGCE course software in advance of the course start date. This can be done as part of the online student Tutorial (see TRAINING section below for details) or during the Course Preview Week (5 days prior to the start of your Online/Hybrid course). Visit the Bb Help Center from within Blackboard and select the option to check system compatibility.
• All submissions (homework, reports, etc) must be completed using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) 2003 or newer version software. No other document formats will be accepted unless specifically stated in the course syllabus.

Blackboard Training

All students registered for a CGCE courses will automatically be enrolled in the CGCE Blackboard Tutorial. Students will be able to access this Tutorial in the CGCE Blackboard system 21 days prior to the official start date of their first CGCE course. The tutorial is a brief training session designed to prepare students for using the online course technology and services (including Blackboard). The typical duration of the tutorial is 30 minutes. Before their CGCE class begins, all students are responsible for ensuring that they have used the resources in the Tutorial to test their computer equipment with CGCE’s online technology. Students should be aware of how to access the course technology and how to obtain technical support as needed. All of this information is covered in detail in the tutorial. Completion of the CGCE Blackboard Tutorial is considered obligatory for all students enrolled in any CGCE course that will utilize the CGCE Blackboard System. Students who do not complete the tutorial do so at their own risk. Failure to complete this tutorial can put the student at a loss for specific information about CGCE courses (including important policies and support services) and may disrupt the student’s ability to be successful in CGCE course offerings.

Technical Support

CGCE provides its own technical support for all CGCE students. CGCE students should not use the Rowan University Main Campus Support Desk or related services unless referred there by CGCE Advanced Support. The proper procedure for obtaining technical support is outlined below. Students must take care to follow this procedure carefully as it will expedite a resolution to their technical issue. Course instructors are not required (nor expected) to provide technical support unless otherwise specified in the course syllabus.

Rowan CGCE offers a 3 Tier Support System.
Students are expected to attempt to resolve their issue by starting with resolutions offered in Tier 1 and then moving up toward Tier 3 as necessary or recommended by support personnel. Attempts to circumnavigate any of the tiers without going through the proper channels may result in delays in resolving a tech support issue. Once a student has submitted a ticket or request, the student should not submit subsequent request (or duplicate requests) with the same support Tier or additional support Tiers unless directed to do so by support personnel.

• TIER 1 – Bb Help Center

  The Bb Help Center is a highly customized self-service portal and knowledge base where students can find self-directed assistance and support. The Bb Help Center is available at a click in every Online, Hybrid, and Web Assisted CGCE course in Blackboard. Using an interface that asks questions to common problems, students can quickly narrow down their options and find the resolution they need. Many of the resolutions in the Bb Help Center are provided as Step-by-Step handouts (with screen shot images), videos, and turn-by-turn written instructions.

• TIER 2 – 24/7 Tech Hotline

  The 24/7 Tech Hotline is a service employed by CGCE to provide students with real-time support via a live operator. This service is offered through by Presidium Learning, Inc., a subsidiary of the Blackboard Corporation. The technicians who answer this line are experts in providing Blackboard support. Statistically, they are able to resolve approximately 90% of student issues over the phone. Technicians will also engage students via live chat and email request. The tech hotline is available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (even during holidays). The toll-free Tech Hotline phone number can be found in the Bb Help Center.
  NOTE the following:

• When calling the Tech Hotline, have your Rowan ID number, Course Number, and Course Name (if applicable) for your current course at the ready. The technician answering the phone will likely request this information.
• The Tech Hotline is recommended primarily for Blackboard issues. For issues with the Banner System, Registration, or other non-Blackboard problems, you should seek the proper channel by following the instructions in the Bb Help Center.
• The Tech Hotline has an average hold time of 3 minutes. During peak periods (in evenings and during the start of a semester or module), hold times may increase by several minutes.
• Technicians answering the Tech Hotline are NOT Rowan University employees. They should never ask you for our account password, and if they do, you should not provide it to them.
• In the event that a Tech Hotline technician cannot resolve your problem, then he/she will escalate your issue to TIER 3 support (see below). Should you feel that a Tech Hotline technician has not adequately resolved your problem, you may request that the technician escalate the issue for you.

• TIER 3 – CGCE Advanced Support

  CGCE Advanced Support is provided by the staff members of the Rowan CGCE Division of Online Services. Advanced Support is offered via EMAIL ONLY (except in rare cases where email is not available) as all responses and correspondence is managed via the CGCE Support Ticketing System (for record keeping purposes). Advanced Support staffs are available during University hours of operation which is typically M-F (M-Th during the summer) from 8am to 4:30pm.
  NOTE the following:

• Requests to CGCE Advanced Support can be created via the Bb Help Center or through a 24/7 Tech Hotline technician initiated escalation.
• Any request directed immediately to a member of the CGCE Staff (by phone or email) will not receive a support response. The staff member will request the student to submit the request via the proper channels.
• Once a student has received an acknowledgement that CGCE Advanced Support is handling his/her support request, the student should not attempt to contact any other support entity or duplicate the CGCE Advanced Support Request.

• Recommendations for Obtaining Support

  For the best possible experience and fastest resolution to your issue, take care to follow these recommendations when requesting support:

• Have your Student ID Number (Banner ID) ready when you call tech support. If you submit a ticket or email online@rowan.edu, always include your Banner ID number. This will allow technicians to quickly identify your account and student information in our systems.
• After submitting a trouble ticket, check your email frequently. CGCE Advanced Support will provide you with an initial response from a technician within a business day. Usually, initial responses will request more information or details from the user. The faster you provide a response, the faster the issue can be processed. After 72 hours of waiting for a user response, the ticket system will automatically attempt to contact you and close the ticket.
• Seek assistance through a SINGLE support request service. Do not submit simultaneous requests on the same issue to the tech hotline, ticket system, and/or various on-campus support services. Do not submit multiple requests to the same system. Since overlapping or multiple requests have to reviewed and resolved (or determined to be the same issue and later consolidated), much more effort is required in processing the initial request and the result is significant delay in finding a resolution to the issue.
• Always include details regarding your request
  • Details help technicians diagnose the issue. The more precise and comprehensive details you can include in your request, the faster the problem can be diagnosed and resolved.
  • Explain the steps you took that lead up to the problem. Be exact. Technicians will use these steps to attempt to replicate the issue.
  • Copy and paste any errors received. Specific errors can often be key in quickly identifying the cause of the problem.
• Check your computer’s compatibility. Most problems are caused by use of software that is not compatible with Blackboard or related technology. Visit the Bb Help Center in your course and click on the option to check your computer’s compatibility.

• Assistance when Blackboard is Inaccessible

  To request technical support assistance at a time when Blackboard is inaccessible or you have not yet established (or are experiencing an issue attempting to establish) a Blackboard account, visit the CGCE Student Portal at http://students.rowanu.com where you can submit a support request. This request will be managed by CGCE Advanced Support.

• Password Policy

  Technicians who are employees of Rowan University or part of a service employed/outsourced by Rowan University should never ask you for your password. DO NOT provide your password in any situation to any technician. Do not include your password in a trouble ticket submission or email. Do provide your password verbally in person or over the phone. In order to troubleshoot a problem with a password, a technician may need to change your password to a temporary password for you. The tech is required to ask your permission before doing so. After the problem is resolved, you will be required to reset your password on your own so that the temporary password is removed and only you know your new password.
  
  Only use your password to login on official Rowan web pages and systems. Use best practices to create secure passwords (See the following Rowan Password Guide: http://www.rowan.edu/toolbox/network/username_password/password/index.html). In the event that you have lost your password or need to reset your password, you must do so yourself using the Rowan Account Management page from the CGCE Student Portal (http://students.rowanu.com).

Course/Instructor Evaluation

CGCE Online and Hybrid courses may participate in the standardized CGCE Course Evaluation Survey offered in the final week of each course section offering. This survey is presented electronically to students with in the Blackboard System. Student evaluation of online & hybrid courses and performance of their instructor(s) is an important component of course effectiveness for the CGCE Rowan Online. It is therefore, an important part of the student’s responsibility to give reasoned opinions regarding aspects of the course. Student responses and comments will be carefully considered as the CGCE works to improve its offerings. These are results that may benefit you as soon as next semester.

Students should be aware of the following Course Evaluation guidelines:

• All CGCE course evaluations are completely anonymous and student anonymity is a priority in the evaluations process. The anonymous survey tool is used within Blackboard to distribute the course evaluations. No tracking information is recorded or maintained.
• Evaluations are issued and results are distributed to instructors by the CGCE Division of Online Services staff. No one else has access to the course evaluation information.
• Course evaluations are offered during the final week of an online or hybrid course. They are offered prior to the issuance of final grades to prevent student bias due to knowledge of his/her final grade.
• Instructors do not have access to the results of the evaluation until Final Grades are submitted.
• Students are given only ONE attempt to complete the evaluations. Since the survey is anonymous, CGCE is unable to reset incomplete evaluations for individual students.
• Students must attempt the evaluation in a single sitting and within the posted evaluation period (typically the last week of the course offering period plus a few extra days). Once the evaluation period ends, the evaluation results are tallied and kept secret until grades are posted. To avoid bias in grading or student responses, the evaluations are inaccessible before and after the evaluation period.
• Students may opt out of participating in the evaluation by emailing online@rowan.edu with a message containing the student’s name, Rowan ID, and the course number. The message should state the student’s choice to opt out of the evaluation.
• In accordance with Rowan University policies and AFT Union regulations, full-time instructors are not required to participate in the evaluation process. Should a full-time instructor decline to participate, CGCE will not offer an evaluation for that instructor’s class.
• Students will receive notification via email and Blackboard announcement notifying them of the evaluation offering for their course, the offering period, and related details.

Withdrawal

For the withdrawal policy and applicable dates specifically related to Rowan CGCE courses, visit the CGCE website http://www.rowan.edu/cgce.

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