
Online Essentials

Online Essentials contains information to successfully participate in online learning at Miami University Regional Campuses. Please read this information carefully especially if this is your first online or hybrid class.
How to Access Canvas
Miami University is in the process of moving to a new learning management system. All courses will be moving from Niihka to Canvas over the next few terms. All regional classes will be taught in Canvas by Winter 2016.
Students will access Canvas through log-in at www.miamioh.edu/canvas. Please take the time to take a look at the new portal page and pay particular attention to the resources available. You will want to bookmark this page for future use.
Use this quick reference to be sure you have the correct computer, browser, and settings for Canvas to work properly.
Canvas Student Resources
- Canvas Student Orientation Videos by Instructure
- Canvas Student Training by Atomic Learning
- Canvas Student Guide by Instructure
- Knowledge Base
Canvas Faculty Resources
On-Demand Resources
Atomic Learning is an online technology training and professional development tool for educators. Miami's license allows all faculty, staff, and students to access nearly 50,000 step-by-step tutorials on common software such as Google Apps, Microsoft Office, Adobe, and workshops and technology integration projects on emerging topics such as resume writing, interviewing, completing the FAFSA, plagiarism and how to be successful in online courses.
Using your Miami credentials, Atomic Learning is available 24/7 from campus or home, Atomic Learning creates flexible learning opportunities that make it easy for learners of all ages to embrace technology and develop critical skills for success at school, at work and in life. For more information, please visit Getting Started with Atomic Learning
E-Campus Topics via Atomic Learning:
Being an Effective Online Student
Effective Online Discussions
Successful Time Management Training
Searching the Web - Advanced
MLA (2009 Ed.) Research Paper Basics
APA (6th Ed.) Research Paper Basics
Creating a Research Poster
Strategic Use of Multimedia
Gmail Training
Google Calendar Training
Google Docs - Creating & Organizing Training
Google Mobile Apps Training
Miami University Student Handbook
Academic Calendar
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
Middletown campus: Contact the Office of Counseling and Disability Services at 513-727-3440 for more information.
Hamilton Campus: Contact the Office of Disability Services at 513-785-3211 for more information.
Oxford Campus: Students with ADHD/ADD and Learning Disabilities contact the Rinella Learning Center at 513-529-8741 for more information.
Oxford Campus: Students with Physical and Psychological Disabilities contact the Office of Disability Resources at 513-529-1541 for more information.
Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
Academic Integrity is at the heart of the mission and values of the university and is an expectation of all students. Maintaining academic integrity is a reflection of your character and a means to ensure that you are achieving the outcomes of this course and that your grades accurately reflect your learning and understanding of the course material.
As a Miami student, the University has high expectations for you and your future. Because of this, we want you to understand
1. What is academic dishonesty?
2. What is the procedure for dealing with academic dishonesty?
3. What are the penalties for academic dishonesty?
4. Can I appeal if I am found responsible for an act of academic dishonesty?
What is plagiarism?
Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or work and presenting it as your own. Sometimes it’s deliberate and sometimes it’s accidental. Please refer to the links below for helpful resources to avoid plagiarism:
Atomic Learning: Avoiding Plagiarism
integrity
Resources for students
Technology Success Plan
The recommended browser for Canvas supports the latest versions of all major web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Your course may require Flash and Java. See the complete browser requirements.
Technology Best Practices
In order to facilitate a positive online experience and avoid unnecessary stress throughout the course, the following processes are tried and true proactive steps to prevent the “unthinkable”. Working with time-consuming (at times) course activities; it is VERY important to have and use a technology plan for success in the online learning environment.
-
Maintain a strategy (folders, subfolders, file naming procedure) for organizing all of the course-related documents and files to quickly locate and access materials for online coursework.
-
The online experience is greatly impacted by your computer bandwidth. When accessing course materials that include images, video, or uploading/downloading course resources...this uses computer bandwidth and can decrease network speed. It is important when working with media-rich materials to ensure that you use a wired (ethernet) vs. wireless connection to improve your overall experience and speed of accessing course materials and submitting assignments.
-
Identify a second work location “computer” to be used in case your primary work location has a functionality issue such as software, hardware, Internet access, etc. Campus computer labs and local libraries are a great resource for free computer and Internet access. Please make sure to touch base with your local agencies to see what resources are available to you in case they are needed.
-
Install and maintain an antivirus software application and regular computer updates to protect the functionality of your workstation.
-
Identify and install any required course software (correct version) at the beginning of the term. This will give you time to ensure the software is running properly before you start to work on an assignment or activity.
-
Make a list of important course information such as the instructor’s contact information and technical support contact information that is stored outside of your computer. In the event that you lose access to the computer or the Internet, you will still have important contact information.
-
Make sure to give yourself adequate time to complete assignments and tests. Allow extra time when submitting assignments for unexpected delays (academic, personal, technology related). It is important when working with time-sensitive online activities to set aside extra time to allow for upload, download, or submission prior to assignment deadlines.
-
Make a plan for saving your work frequently. If your computer locks up or an activity goes really wrong, you will only lose a few minutes of work rather than a large chunk of time.
- Make a plan to back up important activities and project files (version 1, 2, 3, etc.) in a secondary location in case a flash drive or hard drive fails. Until the final version is successfully submitted, maintain an area to safeguard your projects and activities.
Communication Guidelines
Please review the Netiquette Guidelines for our course.
Privacy
Time Zones
Please review the Netiquette Guidelines for our course.