FAQsFrequently Asked Questions
Who can take UMassOnline courses?UMassOnline is ideal for working professionals, military personnel, stay-at-home parents, people with disabilities, human resources managers looking for new opportunities for employees, and, of course, UMass alumni. Any person with a high school diploma or its equivalent (GED) may register for noncredit, undergraduate, or graduate courses. However, you must have a bachelor's degree to be admitted to a graduate degree program. Some courses may require prerequisite college-level work. You may enroll in courses before being formally admitted to a degree program. Enrollment does not imply acceptance into a degree program. Massachusetts residency is not a requirement.
How is online studying different?The major difference is your location. You do not have to travel to the campus. You can participate in your course from your home, office, or while traveling. You do, however, have the same access to the excellence of UMass professors/instructors as do those physically on campus. Courses on UMassOnline include exercises, projects, and collaborative assignments. The rich learning environment features tutorials and courses with audio lectures, photo materials, discussions, chat rooms, readings, illustrations, and video.
What do you mean by "Anytime, Anywhere"?"Anytime, anywhere" education means that you do not have to be at a specific location at a specific time or date. Online learning takes place, for the most part, where and when you choose. This could be early in the morning or late at night at home, during your lunch break at work, when the kids are finally sleeping, or when you are traveling. UMass courses are rigorous and require you and your classmates to complete work by set deadlines, but you get to choose the times and location that suit your schedule.
Can I start a course at any time?Courses generally follow the campuses' standard academic calendars and begin in early fall, spring, and summer. Click here for Registration & Admissions information.
How much are tuition and fees?Tuition and fees vary according to the campus and type of course. Generally, noncredit and undergraduate courses range from $165-$800 and graduate-level courses range from $600-$1850. All students, regardless of residency, pay the same tuition. For more information about the tuition of a course, go to the course information page by clicking on the course name. For degree programs, contact the degree program administrator by selecting "Inquire Now" on the degree page and requesting information about tuition.
How much time does an online course require?Although in most cases an online course mirrors its on-campus counterpart in terms of subject matter covered, homework, and research, studies have indicated that online students do spend more time on their coursework. This is due in part to students' enthusiasm for participating in class discussions.
Do I need to be a computer wiz?No. If you've ever sent or received e-mail or surfed the Web, you have the basic skills needed to successfully participate in an online course.
Does my computer meet the minimum requirements to take an online course?Please check the Technical Requirements to make sure you have the hardware and software items you need in order to participate.
Is UMass fully accredited?UMassOnline is an outreach effort of the University of Massachusetts campuses, which are fully accredited. Click here for accreditation information.
Are these "real" courses?They sure are. Courses at UMassOnline are taught by resident UMass faculty, adjunct professors, and experienced real-world professionals. The courses meet the same stringent academic requirements as traditional on-campus courses.
How do I interact with my professor?Instructors answer e-mail questions, participate in online discussions, and personally evaluate assignments. Instructors also update course content to insure that courses stay on the cutting edge. Instructors keep scheduled "office hours" each week. Interaction with the instructor is an important aspect of a quality online education.
How do I interact with the other students in my class?You will be able to communicate with other students and with your instructor through e-mail. You will also be able to post questions and comments to your course's threaded discussions. This forum allows you to hold virtual conversations with other classmates and your instructor, without having to be online at the same time.
How do I register for a course?Each campus has its own registration process; for more information, check the Registration & Admission requirements for each campus.
How much does it cost?Each campus has its own fee structure, and fees vary by program depending on whether the course offered is noncredit or for credit and the level of that credit - undergraduate or graduate. Fees for each course are listed with the course description. Residency (in state or out of state) does not affect the fee structure for students enrolling in courses and degree programs offered through UMassOnline.
Can I qualify for some kind of financial aid?Availability of financial aid varies depending on course status and matriculation. Check with your adviser to determine your eligibility and application procedures. Click here for more information.
Will the UMass credit I earn transfer to the other campuses?Credit earned by successfully completing UMass courses from one campus can, in most cases, be transferred to other campuses, colleges, and universities. However, course credits are not automatically transferable from one campus to another. The transferability of the course is at the discretion of the accepting campus or school. It is your responsibility to confirm whether your campus or school will accept the transferred credits.
What if I want to take courses offered by more than one campus?You may take courses simultaneously at any of the UMass campuses. You may, however, encounter different policies, procedures, academic calendars, and fees.
Does UMassOnline grant degrees? Where will my degree come from?UMassOnline brings together all the online academic resources of the campuses in the University of Massachusetts system, but doesn't grant degrees. Degrees are awarded from the campus at which you were admitted to a degree program.
Is there a difference between the campuses?Each campus is unique and has its own strengths. Combined, the campuses in the University system offer students more benefits and access to academic resources than any one university could offer.
Are UMassOnline courses accessible to people with disabilities?Please see the Disability Services entries for each campus on the Student Services page for contact information regarding accessibility.
What student services are available?Academic advising, library facilities, textbooks, and more are available to online students. Click here to find out more about student services.
What is blended learning?Blended learning dates back to when technology started to become part of the means to educate students or train employees. It is a teaching/learning method that is embraced in both educational institutions and corporate training providers. Blended learning previously was simply defined as a method of instruction that combined technology with the traditional brick and mortar classroom setting thereby creating a new learning format. It was developed as a way to maximize the time spent in the classroom and minimize the time spent getting to class. As technology evolved, so have the core elements of blended learning. Now the blend can combine the face-to-face class with email, text messaging, podcasting, vidcasting, blogs, web conferencing tools and other tools used to connect learners to each other and to the instructor. It can mean that all class assignment (individual or group) are done online while the hands on learning is done in the classroom on-campus or on site in the lab. The definition has become quite personal according to the instructor creating the blend and the student who chooses it. A recent study released by Eduventures indicates that online students enroll with institutions that are closest to them geographically. This trend reveals a seemingly natural desire for students to affiliate with a bricks and mortar campus which is an ideal opportunity to offer a blended learning solution to satisfy this desire.
What are the benefits of blended learning?The most commonly cited benefit of blended learning is saving time:
Other learner benefits include:
Instructor and institutional benefits include:
When did UMassOnline start offering blended learning programs?January 2007, the Sloan Foundation, a national association that promotes online learning standards, awarded UMassOnline a $650,000 grant and more recently awarded a second round of funding to help expand access to the University of Massachusetts. The grant helped UMassOnline to develop, deliver, and market a new suite of online, blended programs and services. The Sloan Foundation selected UMass for this grant as it believes that the University of Massachusetts will set the new directions, best-practices and examples of blended learning within the larger distance learning marketplace.
How does UMassOnline refer to this learning model?UMassOnline refers to this method of learning and teaching as "blended" and define this as a combination of classroom and technology to deliver (or take part in) classes.
Who is the Sloan Foundation?The purpose of the Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C) is to help learning organizations continually improve quality, scale, and breadth of their online programs according to their own distinctive missions, so that education will become a part of everyday life, accessible and affordable for anyone, anywhere, at any time, in a wide variety of disciplines. Created with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Sloan-C encourages the collaborative sharing of knowledge and effective practices to improve online education in learning effectiveness, access, affordability for learners and providers, and student and faculty satisfaction. Sloan-C generates ideas to improve products, services and standards for the online learning industry, and assists members in collaborative initiatives. Members include (1) private and public universities and colleges, community colleges and other accredited course and degree providers, and (2) organizations and suppliers of services, equipments, and tools that practice the Sloan-C quality principles.
What are the UMassOnline blended learning programs offered?UMass Lowell is partnering with UMassOnline to implement the grant in with all five campuses. Each campus will develop or expand two programs, initially starting with the following:
The Sloan Grant will support 5 or more programs in FY08
Are there standards in place for blended learning programs?student services. Yes, and members from the campuses helped developed these standards or guidelines in conjunction with the Sloan Consortium. According to a recently published paper in the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN), "Characteristics of Successful Local Blended Programs in the Context of The Sloan-C Pillars," there are common characteristics that should be adhered to for developing successful local blended programs based which are largely based on the Sloan-C Pillars (educational guidelines developed as a framework for online programs). These are:
Where can I learn more about blended learning?
What are the UMassOnline website requirements?Our website technical requirements are the same as our learning management system technical requirements. Click here for more information.
|
Top Ten News Items
Loading News Items ...
New Online Programs
Loading New Programs ...
Something to Be Proud Of
"Something to Be Proud Of" 0:30 Click to watch a recent TV commercial featuring The University of Massachusetts prominent alumni, current students and professors. |
 |
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Back to top
Del.icio.us
This is an official page/publication of the University of Massachusetts.
©2008 University of Massachusetts.
UMass Amherst |
UMass Boston |
UMass Dartmouth |
UMass Lowell |
UMass Worcester |
UMass Club |
UMass System
This page last updated on July 8, 2008.