Technology

Yammer

The UoPeople Yammer Network was established to provide a virtual collaborative environment for UoPeople students, faculty, alumni, staff and volunteers from across the globe to connect and share meaningful information, questions, and ideas with one another. It is an opportunity to meet other students and members of the University community outside of the Moodle classroom.

Participation in Yammer is optional; those who join the UoPeople Yammer Network must agree to the Yammer Terms of Use. All questions about Yammer should be directed to outreach@uopeople.edu for the English programs and outreach@ar.uopeople.edu for the Arabic Division.

Computing and Networking Services and Requirements

Although Moodle and Class Forums are not open to public access, students should note that these online spaces are neither private nor confidential. Neither students nor instructional personnel should assume privacy when communicating in the Virtual Learning Environment. The University may access and observe communications conducted in the Virtual Learning Environment for regulatory, accreditation, research, and other administrative purposes such as enforcing the General Code of Conduct, including investigating allegations of misconduct, suspected misconduct, or other complaints. Additionally, University of the People may provide limited access to learning resources to individuals other than students, alumni, instructional personnel, and staff.

Contact Information for Students

The primary form of official communication from University of the People is through e-mail. Students are required to main active e-mail addresses and are responsible for keeping their contact information accurate and current. Students should note that the email address they used to apply to the University of the People is the one maintained by the Office of Student Services unless they have subsequently submitted a request to change it. Students wishing to change information should do this via the UoPeople Portal using the “Change Personal Information” form.

Students should note that any change of contact information on Moodle at http://my.uopeople.edu is not considered a formal change of contact information. Finally, to ensure receipt of important announcements from the University, students should check that spam filters are set to receive email from University of the People.

Computer Requirements

Students are required to have access to a computer with a reliable Internet connection in order to complete all requirements for a course.

Students must also have the ability to save documents and files. Typically, University of the People learning materials are provided to students in either Adobe PDF or Microsoft Office compatible formats. Therefore, students need to be able to open and save documents in these formats as well.

1. 1. 1. Although the latest version of IE, Safari, Opera, and Chrome can be used to access the UoPeople Online Learning Platform, the university recommends that students use the latest version of the Mozilla Firefox browser (http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/). Please note that students using mobile phones, especially older models, may have difficulty accessing and using the site.
      2. The Adobe PDF Reader software is available for free at the following link: http://get.adobe.com/reader/
      3. Microsoft Office is commercial software which is not available for free. If you do not already have or are unable to obtain a copy of Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) please use one of the following free options:

• • • • • Download and install LibreOffice, a free and open source office suite that is mostly MS Office compatible (http://www.libreoffice.org/download/). When saving, please be sure to save your documents in MS Office format or PDF format, not the default Libre Office format. This is the preferred free option.
        • Use an online office suite such as Office Online from Microsoft or Google Apps from Google to view and edit basic Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files in a web browser. To create an Office Online account, please go to outlook.comor www.hotmail.com and create your account. To create a Google Apps account, please go to www.gmail.com and create your account. Note that whatever system students choose to use, all files shared with Course Instructors and classmates must be saved in either Microsoft-compatible formats or PDF format.

1. 1. 4. Other Software: Note that certain courses, for example computer science courses, may require the installation and use of other specialized software. This information will be listed in the relevant course syllabus.

Student Login Username and Password

Each student is assigned a designated username and password to log into the University of the People Online Learning Platform (Moodle) and courses. UoPeople students with technical issues related to Moodle should contact Moodle Support at support@uopeople.edu for the English programs and support@ar.uopeople.edu for the Arabic Division for assistance with login problems.

Students’ usernames and passwords are vital for the security of a student’s work. The responsibility for all activities carried out under a student’s username rests solely with that student. Please ensure you keep your password secret and do not give it to anyone else.

Moodle Support

Moodle Support is available to registered students through email at support@uopeople.edu for the English programs and support@ar.uopeople.edu for the Arabic Division. In order to troubleshoot the problem, students are asked to include the following information in the e-mail:

1. 1. 1. Student ID number and the student’s first and last names
      2. The course number and the course name (example: BUS 1103 Microeconomics).
      3. Provide a brief description about what happened when the error occurred.
      4. Include any error messages received. Another option is for students to press the ‘print screen’ button (located on the upper right corner of most keyboards) and copy and paste the image into the body of the email.

Record the exact time (University of the People time) that the error occurred

Library Resources and Services

UoPeople belongs to the Library and Information Resource Network (LIRN), a consortium of institutions that makes available to its members a rich and powerful collection of resources including over 60 million journal articles, books, encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, and audio and video clips. Students gain access to the ProQuest online data bases and GALE databases through the LIRN.

UoPeople also subscribes to JSTOR giving students online access to a wide array of journals to support research, writing and learning activities. JSTOR too can be accessed directly within Moodle and includes access to more than 2,300 academic journals and more than 50 million digitized pages.

All University of the People instructional personnel and enrolled students may use these resources free of charge. Additionally, students are provided at no charge with other open education resources including textbooks and course materials.

For questions or suggestions regarding the University of the People Library and Resource Center, including LIRN or open educational resources, students may contact UoPeople’s Director of Library Services at library@uopeople.edu for the English programs and library@ar.uopeople.edu for the Arabic Division.

Learning Resource Center (LRC)

The UoPeople Learning Resource Center (LRC) is a centralized resource center for students. The resources available in the Learning Resource Center include general and academic writing skills resources, learning strategies, and research orientated material.  These areas also include resources of the peer sssessment and guides on the writing process, research methods, ESL, APA format, and best practices to avoid plagiarism, the Learning Resource Center helps students develop and further polish their writing and editing skills.

The Learning Resource Center is an optional resource for students at UoPeople.