A Letter From the President
Welcome to this online section of Foundations of American Education. At Utah Valley University, Distance Education extends the reach of the campus and gives you greater flexibility in managing your courses. However, even though you are taking courses at a distance, we hope you feel connected to the university.
Utah Valley University is a teaching institution which promotes student success through highly engaging and rigorous course activity. This online course has been designed to standards of rigor and engagement that maximize learning in the online environment and prepare you with professional knowledge as well as lifelong skills of critical thinking, communication, and collaboration. Not only do I hope you master the course content, but I hope you also take the chance to immerse yourself in university life through participation in the vast number of campus events, activities and clubs on campus.
You are an important part of UVU's community and success in all of your courses is important. Even if you are taking several courses online and do not come to the main campus often, please familiarize yourself with the academic and support services available to you as a student. Distance Education has placed links to all of these services in the "How to Succeed Online" button in Canvas. Take advantage of these resources — they are provided so that you will grow and excel during your time at UVU. I commend you on your decision to further your education and wish you the very best success in this and subsequent semesters.
Sincerely,
Matthew S. Holland
President
Using the Learning Management System (Canvas)
Look at the left navigation bar. This is a quick and easy way to get to where you want to go. The modules button is where all the course lessons will be for the semester. Content is broken up into 12 lessons for the semester. Each lesson is equivalent to about a week of instruction/classes and in each you will be presented with the lesson objectives, overview, activities, content, discussions and assignments as they are given; a summary; and optional feedback. Use this feedback survey as a way to tell your instructor what did or didn't work in that particular lesson.
The next page in Canvas is either Instructor Information (meet them!) or the Course Orientation (equal to the Syllabus in face-to-face courses). You will need to review all of this information and the Social Contract in Lesson 1 to pass your Introductory Survey & Social Contract Acceptance which, when passed with 100%, will let you access the rest of the lessons.
If you are new to Canvas, or would like more resources for Canvas, visit our Canvas Tutorials Page.
5 Tips for the First Week of Class
- Textbook/Required Materials — Find out what you need for this class by going to the Course Orientation Page. Buy materials as soon as possible so that you do not fall behind. Make sure that items will be shipped to you in time to successfully complete your first assignment. You can use local college book stores, online sites (such as Amazon.com) or the UVU Bookstore. Be sure to check your browser and make sure it is updated. Google Chrome and Firefox browsers work best with Canvas.
- Due Dates — There are four easy ways to find course due dates.
- Your primary source for staying on track with assignments is through the modules tab on the left navigation. This will give you access to the lesson content that you won't be able to find elsewhere. Due dates are displayed on the right of the assignments within the lesson.
- On the left navigation bar you will find a tab that says "Assignments." You can print this page as your schedule of assignments or refer to it when you would like to know about upcoming assignments.
- On the right side of most Canvas pages there will be a list of "Coming Up" Assignments to help you stay on top of deadlines.
- Another source for helping you keep on track is the "Calendar" link on the top navigation. Here you can look at all of your assignments for one or more of your classes as well as connect these to the calendar of your choice (Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook, etc.). How to Use the Canvas Calendar.
- Study Time — Plan study time each day or particular days each week at certain times. It is essential that you set this time aside and use it to study. Prioritize your to do list before you get to your study time. Make sure your study environment is free from distractions and learn how to improve your concentration. This includes not multitasking (close any applications that have nothing to do with the task at hand) so that you will produce better quality work. It also means taking 5-10 minute breaks between tasks — walk around, eat a snack, stretch. Know when you are most effective, think about what time of day you are most awake and ready to learn; do your studying then. Check out more tips for studying here.
- Set Goals and Anticipate Assignments — Take a Multiple Intelligences Test to see what type of learning style you have. Understand your learning style and be creative with the ways you learn the material. Set goals for this semester. Setting goals is extremely powerful in motivating you to do your best and get things done. Above all, don't procrastinate. Start your assignments early so that you can get the help you need.
- Networking — Get to know your instructor, TA, and classmates early through Canvas and email. Create study groups or look for a study buddy in your class — it's as simple as sending an email, and can be helpful at exam time or when things get harder to understand.