All learning takes place online, and students are expected to comply fully with the instructions in the course syllabus and to participate actively in required discussion forums by posting responses to questions and comments posted by Course Instructors and other students. Students are encouraged to seek clarification and assistance from other students as well as their Course Instructors to enhance the learning experience in each course.

New Student Orientation – UoPeople Graduate Preview UNIV 0001

The University’s student orientation program, UNIV 0001 UoPeople Graduate Preview, introduces new graduate students to UoPeople’s Learning Management System (LMS), Moodle, as well as to the opportunities, responsibilities, and resources that exist for all students at the University. Set up as a mini-course, graduate students gain an advanced understanding of UoPeople’s academic setting and study process, as well as of its support services, with the goal of making a successful transition to the start of their graduate studies.

Participation in orientation is strongly encouraged, but not required; students who are accepted to the University and/or sign their Introductory Courses Agreement within the three-week period before their first term of study at UoPeople are not guaranteed an opportunity to participate in orientation.

The Term Schedule

Courses take place over a nine-week term in Moodle. Each term has eight weekly learning units and a four-day period for submission of end of term final projects. Students are advised to check their course syllabus and the UoPeople Academic Calendar for important deadlines at the end of the term.

The University terms are divided into Learning Weeks and all work for a particular unit must be completed within that Learning Week. Students decide for themselves when to complete their work during the seven-day period of a given Learning Week. There are no specific times when a student must be logged on to study, nor are students obligated to attend a course session at any specific time during the study week.

The Learning Week starts at midnight between Wednesday and Thursday [more precisely, on Thursday at 12:05 am UoPeople Time (GMT-5 time zone)] and ends on the following Wednesday at 11:55pm UoPeople Time (GMT-5 time zone). The weekly study units are made available one week at a time at the start of the new Learning Week and students always have access to the completed units. Note that all reference to time in the study process and schedule is according to University of the People Time (GMT- 5 time zone).