JSU's first doctoral program, a 100% online Doctor of Science in Emergency Management, has been approved! This will be the fifth 100% online program in the Department of Emergency Management. Visit http://www.jsu.edu/distance/degrees/index.html for a complete list of online degrees and programs.

Misty Cobb, Director of Distance Education at JSU, discusses with NBC 13's Wendy Garner the variety of courses offered at a distance and the advantages of online course delivery.

Jacksonville State University and ProctorU now offer students the opportunity to take their exams anywhere through the use of a webcam and a reliable high-speed internet connection. Please visit http://www.jsu.edu/distance/fac_res/ProctorU.html for more information about using ProctorU.

Blackboard Maintenance Scheduled - On May 28, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. until May 29, 2010 at 7:00 a.m. (Central Time), Blackboard will be unavailable while maintenance is completed. Please plan course activities in consideration of this schedule. Thank you!

5 ways to stay motivated in Distance Learning environment!

Many distance learners agree that the most difficult part of studying online is staying motivated. Because students must take the initiative to complete their courses completely on their own, without the physical presence of teachers and other peers, many students find it easy to become distracted and discouraged in their work. Don’t let this happen to you – plan ways for yourself to stay motivated before you’re tempted to stray from your books. Use these five motivational tips to stay on task....(click here to read more)

Blackboard is JSU's primary online course management system. If your instructor chooses to utilize the Blackboard system to teach your online course, or to supplement other types of courses, you can find information about Blackboard at http://www.jsu.edu/distance/blackboard/. If you are unsure of the location of course content, please contact your instructor.


Helpful tips:


To access a course, click the course in the "My Courses" module on the right-hand side of the "My Blackboard" page. If you are a student and do not see your course, it is the first day of classes or after, and you know you have been registered for the course at least 24 hours, please contact the instructor of the course to find out when the course will be made available for student access.


Your Blackboard User Name is the prefix of your assigned JSU email address. Your default Blackboard Password is the four (4) digits of your birth month and day plus the last 4 digits of your JSU ID number, not your social security number (i.e. if your birthday is February 29th and the last 4 digits of your JSU ID number are 4321, then your Blackboard Password would be 02294321). We recommend you change your password the first time you login.


Also, please remember that Jacksonville State University has established a 24/7/365 Blackboard support environment, which includes the following technical support options for all students and faculty:
24/7/365 Phone Support: Blackboard users may call 877.216.7064 to receive technical support for Blackboard and supporting software such as Respondus LockDown Browser and SafeAssign.
Support Portal: Blackboard users may visit the support portal at http://jsubbsupport.com, which includes options such as live chat and knowledge base articles.

The Office of Distance Education is seeking students who are enrolled in online courses and are interested in serving as a member of a NEW Distance Education Student Focus Group. The purpose of this focus group is to, upon request, provide feedback and opinions regarding Blackboard and other educational technologies and services supported by our office. Please note that this focus group will not have face-to-face meetings, but will instead conduct all meetings online. Selected students will be asked to serve from the date of selection through the end of the Fall 2010 term. Another call for student applications for the 2011 year will be issued in the Fall 2010 term. Please note that students will not be excluded for consideration based on graduation date.

If you are interested in serving in this capacity, please send an email to DLHelp@jsu.edu with "STUDENT FOCUS GROUP" in the subject line. Be sure to respond to the questions found below.

The deadline for receipt of the email application is Monday, March 1, 2010. Selected students will be notified via email during the week of March 1.

PLEASE RESPOND TO EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:

Name:

Major:

JSU email address:

Classification (i.e., Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate):

Approximately how many online courses have you completed? Please include and indicate courses completed via distance education at JSU and other institutions.

Please explain why you feel you should be selected for the Distance Education Student Focus Group.