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Are you attending Orientation July 22 - 25?
Are you interested in participating in a social event on the evening of July 23rd and/or July 24th, provided the cost per person remains under a certain dollar amount? We would go to a restaurant, local event, or boat/architectural tour of Chicago's lakefront.
Fall 2008 students should be aware that the clinical portion of the program will be ten weeks instead of the former eight weeks long. The clinical program will start January 19, 2009.
Below you will find answers to many questions incoming students have about attending the orientation, as well as the requirements for participation in our online portion. Please read this carefully!
What are the required tools for me to participate in NUPOC’s Blended Learning Program?
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PC notebook or desktop computer running Windows (XP or Vista)
Mac users: Northwestern University is a Windows "shop," so Mac is not necessarily well-supported with the software we use. If you absolutely have to use a Mac, please be familiar with Bootcamp.
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High-speed Internet access wherever you plan to do the most of your studying and videoconferencing. Cable modem, DSL, T1 or better will be great. Required upstream speed is a minimum of 384 kbps; downstream speed of 4 mbps is ideal.
- Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint
- Browsers:
- Windows Media Player v. 9.0+ (download free from Microsoft.com)
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (download free from Adobe.com - we recommend version 7.0 or higher)
- Instant Messenger software – we will have all students on a proprietary instant messaging server. Everyone will be using open-source software called Pidgin. We will help you install and set this up during Orientation.
- A certain proficiency in the above technologies is expected of students attending our program at a distance. Minimally, you should be able to use email, chat, instant messenger, and discussion boards. You should be comfortable attaching documents to an email, and to browsing on the Internet. Additionally, you should be comfortable using Microsoft Office, especially Word and PowerPoint.
- All students are required to purchase the following text:
- Using Medical Terminology, Judi L. Nath, Ph.D.
Must be the version that includes the Blackboard access code
Available for purchase through publisher for $81.95ISBN-10: 0-7817-5972-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-7817-5972-4
- Please note: much of our manual material is offered to you only on CD, so that you may print what you want and view the rest digitally. You will receive your BIomechanics workbook at Orientation. There may be an option to purchase a printed copy of your manuals for $200.
What are we doing at Orientation?
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Day Two
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Day Three
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Day Four
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8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Continental Breakfast
Welcome to NUPOC
Overview of the Term
Policies & Procedures
Orthotics and Prosthetics Meetings
Lunch
Student Opportunities Fair
University Services Presentations
Welcome Reception
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8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Continental Breakfast
Connecting to the NU Network
Using the Virtual Private Network
Net IDs & NU E-mail
Navigating Blackboard
Weekly Schedules
Communication via the CMS
Taking Quizzes Online
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8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Continental Breakfast
Instant Messaging
Virtual Classrooms
Videoconferencing at NU
Installing the PVX Software
IP to IP Calls
Bridge Calls
Troubleshooting
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9:00 am - Noon
Continental Breakfast
Learning Styles
Learning Online
Study Schedules
Keys to Success
Faculty Roundtable
We will be ending at
lunchtime on Friday.
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Where Should I Stay?
Students are responsible for their own lodging and expenses while attending Orientation. Hotel block information is forthcoming.
If you are interested in sharing a room, please send us an email and we'll do our best to match you up with a same-gender classmate. Room reservation instructions will be posted as soon as they're finalized.
When Do We Eat?
Students will be responsible for their own meals, with the exception of continental breakfasts and light refreshment breaks each day. We will provide a boxed lunch on the first day of Orientation. We suggest each student bring cash to purchase lunch for the following days. The RIC cafeteria, located on the 2nd floor of our building, offers daily specials, a salad bar, grill options, and custom-made sandwiches.
Students are welcome to make their own arrangements for dinner. We can make suggestions for you when you come to campus.
What Should I Bring?
First and foremost, please bring your laptop and power cord (if you are using a laptop; desktop users, don't worry). We will be doing lots of hands-on work together, and on Days Two and Three will be in a room that allows everyone to be online simultaneously. You may also wish to bring a folder, notebook and/or portfolio for notes and paperwork.
Many students may choose to purchase recommended texts while on campus; the Student Opportunties Fair on the first day will allow you the chance to see these books and discuss them with the faculty before purchasing. So you may wish to bring an extra bag to make it easier to bring any books home. While most of our manuals are generally provided in electronic form, any printouts that are available only in hard-copy form will be provided during Orientation.
While this is pretty standard for most people, please remember to bring some form of legal ID (such as a driver's license or state ID) so that you can obtain your NU Wildcard while you're on campus. The Wildcard serves as your student ID as well as your "pass" for student discounts and free intercampus transportation.
What Should We Wear?
While at NUPOC, students are usually encouraged to wear professional dress. However, during Orientation, business casual dress will be just fine. You may wish to wear layers in case it gets warm during the hands-on days. Also, keep in mind that we will be taking each student's photograph (shoulders and up) on Day One.
How Do I Get There?
If you are coming to the Chicago area by air travel, you may wish to take an airport shuttle or taxi from Midway or O'Hare to the hotel. Otherwise, you can "map out" your journey on public transportation by going to the CTA web site and selecting the "Trip Planner." (For example, if you fly into Midway Airport, you would take the Orange Line train from the airport to the State/Van Buren stop in Chicago, then transfer onto the Red Line train and take it north to the Grand Avenue stop.)
Where Should I Stay for Clinical?
All Blended Learning students are required to be in residence for their clinical courses, which take place during the final two months of the program. Students are responsible for securing their own housing, but can choose to stay downtown on the Chicago campus, or elsewhere in the vicinity. Students who reside in nearby Evanston may use their Student ID to board the NU Intercampus Shuttle, which runs from early morning until late at night every weekday.
The University Housing offices offer the following options:
Chicago Campus: Abbott Hall
Located one block from NUPOC, Abbott Hall offers some furnished studio and one-bedroom apartments to graduate students on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority is given to students with spouses, partners, and/or dependent children.
Evanston Campus: Engelhart Hall
Located on the Evanston Campus, Engelhart Hall has furnished studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. Housing rates include utilities, campus phone, data service and basic cable.
Off-Campus Housing (Apartments)
In addition to residence halls, Northwestern Housing keeps listings of apartments that are made available to students on a regular basis. The list is updated regularly and is subject to change with availability.
Other Housing Resources
The University offers various links to apartment and housing resources in the area. Students may also wish to check Craigslist for sublets, temporary housing and rooms for rent.
What If I Have Other Questions?
For questions about the curriculum, please refer to your program's director:
Orthotics: Desmond Masterton
Prosthetics: Mark Edwards
For questions about applications, tuition payment, deadlines, and/or financial aid, please contact our registrar:
Vicki Rachel-Graham
For questions about computers, technical aspects of online learning, and/or anything else that doesn't fall into the above categories:
Jodi Fox
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