Student Success Centre

Small class sizes, interactive discussions, and engaging learning activities create meaningful and supportive connections with each of your instructors. The following tips will help you benefit from those connections.

• Tell your instructors who you are. In the Moodle learning management system, use your profile narrative, photo, and introductory post to share a little bit about yourself. When on campus, be prepared to introduce yourself during first week of classes, each term.
• Know your instructors. Whether on-campus or online, many instructors will schedule office hours. If office hours are not officially scheduled, consider requesting a meeting or phone call. These sessions are great for asking questions, exploring your instructor’s area of specialization, getting feedback on your preliminary ideas for an upcoming assignment, or requesting additional support. Take every opportunity to meet with instructors outside of class time.
• Recognize that instructors grade your work to help you learn, not simply to give it a mark. For instructors, providing feedback on assignments is one of the most important things they do and they put much time and thought into the feedback. Carefully review your assignment feedback and follow-up with your instructor if anything is confusing or if you want to learn how you might improve your grade on your next assignment. And be sure to integrate feedback into future assignments; repeated mistakes can make it look like instructor feedback is being ignored.

Participate in class activities and discussions: offer insights, extend the conversation, ask questions. Whether you are participating online or on-campus, share your experiences and ask instructors to share their professional expertise. This adds depth to every discussion and helps instructors remember you, which will be especially important when you need an academic letter of reference in the future.

Your peers can be important allies, providing a different perspective on course discussions and activities, supporting you through challenging times, and offering feedback on your work. Take every opportunity to build connections.

• Participate in class discussions. Many students reduce time spent with peers in order to focus on other priorities, such as assignments. Strive to be an active participant in course discussions, whether online or on-campus. Don’t ignore the value of these important activities to your overall learning.
• Link professional accounts. Your profile in the learning management system (Moodle) is a great place to share your professional accounts, inviting peers to connect with you on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Use the Student Lounge. Online students have access to a student lounge on the Faculty home page and in each course. Use this space to meet your peers on a more personal level, to start a study group, or to share resources. On-campus students often have many areas to connect outside of class time. Take time to meet up with your peers rather than arriving just in time for class, and leaving right after.
• Update your Profile Photo. Within Moodle and your Office 365 account, upload a recent and clear photograph. It really helps to put a face to a name.
• Connect in the Community. Remember that not all connections need to happen during school time, at a campus, or via Moodle. Consider forming study groups within your community, making it easier to meet with peers. Remember to always meet in public spaces, especially at the start. Do not give away your home address and don’t meet people you don’t know in private places.

Make Time to Network. You may never be surrounded by so many people with similar interests again, sharing the same experiences again. Now is the perfect opportunity to build your professional network.

Program Advisors are your first line of communication. They are always available to point you to resources, provide information, and, generally, to assist with any challenges you may be facing. Program Advisors can explain your plan of study, provide options that will help with work-life balance, and connect you with other supports.

To connect to your Program Advisor, submit a support ticket.

In addition to your instructors and program advisors, the Student Success Unit offers a wide range of supports related to mental health and wellness, academic accommodations, tutoring, and career services.