DE FAQs

Am I in charge of ordering my textbooks, or will they automatically be sent to me?
Distance education students are responsible for ordering textbooks for their distance education course(s). Those books may be ordered from the UAA Bookstore by phone at (907) 786-1151, in person or online at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/bookstore/.

My syllabus isn’t online, what do I do?
The goal is for courses to be enabled by faculty by the first day of the semester. After this date if you do not see your course listed in Blackboard or myUA Portal, call (907) 786-4646 option 3 or toll-free at (888) 553-2760.

Once your course is visible and available in Blackboard, click on it and "enter" it. Take time to click on the Announcements, Course Information and Course Documents links from the left menu. Each instructor will arrange a course differently. However,
clicking on these key buttons will typically allow you to access your course syllabus and other important documents that your instructor has posted.

If you cannot locate your syllabus after clicking on the menu links stated above, call (907) 786-4646 option 3 or toll-free (888) 553-2760.

Can I work at my own pace or do I have to follow a weekly schedule when I take a distance education course?
Distance education courses vary greatly in terms of their flexible scheduling. Most courses have some timetables to follow on how far ahead students may work, imposing weekly or biweekly deadlines
on assignments and other activities. Other courses may allow students to set their own pace. You will need to check the course syllabus before the add/drop period ends to determine if the course deadlines and requirements will meet your needs.

Am I ever required to come to campus for a distance education course?
UAA currently defines a distance education course as one in which a student is not required to come to campus for more than 10% of the total number of contact hours associated with a given course. Exemptions exist for students who have special health needs and students who live more than one hour’s driving distance from campus. To find out more about whether or not your course will require you to come to campus, please contact the course instructor before the add/drop period ends.

Do distance education courses require less time to complete than regular on-campus courses?
No. In fact, research shows that they often take more time to complete.

Are there other students in my distance education course and will I be “aware” of them (will I know their names and will I be able to communicate with them)?
Student-to-student interactions vary between courses. Some courses may require weekly interactions via an online discussion board, teleconference or web conference, while other courses may require no student-to-student interaction. Students are able to send E-mail through Blackboard to their classmates and instructors, a feature found under the Communication tools. These emails go the UAA E-mail account that all students have.

Will I get any help from the instructor during the semester, or am I on my own?
All distance education faculty are available via phone and E-mail and are also required to post office hours. Faculty-to-student interactions vary between courses. In a distance course, research has shown that successful distance education students have a higher level of self-motivation, particularly in the area of getting instructor assistance.

Do distance education students have access to UAA’s library online?
Yes. UAA’s Consortium Library, http://consortiumlibrary.org/, can be accessed online. From this page, you can also find a special link, Distance Learners Page.

To access the library, you will have to login with your UAA username and password, which is the same as your Blackboard login and your UAA E-mail login. If you’re unsure what those two items are, call the IT Call Center at (907) 786-4646, option 1, option 1 or toll-free at (877) 633-3888, option 1, option 1.

Do I have access to an advisor if I am a distance education student?
Yes. All UAA students have access upon request to an academic advisor through UAA’s Advising and Testing Office at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/advising-testing/. Students who have declared a major will be assigned an advisor within their discipline. It’s highly recommended that you talk to an advisor before you sign up for a course (distance or campus-based).

How much do I really need to know about technology to take a distance education course?
At a minimum, you will need to know how to access the Internet, navigate Internet web pages, check, respond to and be able to attach documents to E-mail and have some familiarity with word processing software. Also, since all distance courses use Blackboard to some extent, you will also be expected to become familiar with Blackboard, the course management system (CMS) of UAA. Distance Education Services can train you in Blackboard, either in the office or via phone if you live outside of the Anchorage area.

Some courses use video and audio media, so you will also need to be able to use media playing software such as Windows Media Player or something equivalent. You will also need to check the syllabus of the
course you are taking and make sure you are familiar with any software that may be required for the course, for example, Microsoft Excel may be used in an Accounting Course.

Do distance education students have access to services for disabled students?
Yes. UAA’s Disability Support Services, found at www.uaa.alaska.edu/dss/, is a resource for both campus-based and distance education students.