The Online Student

Faculty Visits to the Wasatch Front

Each semester, at least one faculty member travels to Salt Lake City to meet with current and prospective students. the meeting days and times are announced in advance through Canvas. Students are encouraged to schedule appointments or attend the open sessions

Technical Requirements

Students who enroll in online courses must become very familiar with SUU’s learning management system, Canvas. SUU provides extensive technical support that can be accessed through your Canvas course home page.

In general, online courses follow a weekly schedule of nonsynchronous (independent with no virtual classroom) assignments. However, most instructors will establish a few synchronous sessions (virtual classroom where everyone can chat) sometime during the semester. The expectations for those sessions should be included in the syllabus, so be sure to check with each instructor and mark your calendar accordingly. The synchronous sessions can be recorded for later viewing should the instructor decide to do so.

Students are strongly encouraged to purchase a headset with a microphone and a webcam (or a laptop/tablet with a built in webcam) prior to their first online class. The headset helps prevent audio feedback and allows you to easily be understood by your classmates. Also, students are strongly encouraged to test their Internet speed before enrolling in their first online course. Be sure your hardware must be capable of supporting your online course. Some Canvas functions are available on mobile devices. Seek details through Canvas Help or FAQs.

Both online and on-campus students often make great use of the technology that is available to them. For example, Google Docs, Prezi, AdobeConnect, Google Hangout, FaceTime, texting, etc. are great ways to communicate with your classmates when working on group projects or networking for professional reasons. We do not restrict the use of these options in the online classroom. Be sure to keep your instructor informed if you’re uncertain about a software or method that you’d like to use.