Site Coordinators Handbook May 29, 2007 UNIVERSITY OF THE ARCTIC

What is the Site Coordinator? Who should fulfill the role of Site Coordinator? Site Coordinator is a person who act as the main liaison between UArctic students, course instructors, the Undergraduate Studies and the International Academic offices. It is important to understand that the UArctic Council Representative and the Site Coordinator are two different roles, though sometimes they may be exercised by the same individual. It was initially assumed that each organization will have a representative at UArctic Council. However, with the development of Circumpolar Studies curriculum and the establishment of regular online course offerings it became clear that the presence of a Site Coordinator, who will be responsible for the work with students and the coordination of their actions with UArctic professors and offices, is essential. The Site Coordinator may be someone from the department of international relations or distance education. It is essential that the Site Coordinator have good English language skills. Each institution should decide who will exercise the responsibilities of the Site Coordinator. It might be easier, however, if that person already exercises some of the tasks of the Site Coordinator: a) does some promotions of BCS online courses; b) deals with the registration of students for online BCS courses.

Main responsibilities of the Site Promotion of BCS courses on Coordinatorcampus Main responsibilities of the Site Promotion of BCS courses on Coordinator campus ~ Promotion of BCS courses on campus ~ Advising and assisting students with registration for BCS courses ~Providing technical and academic support, or directing students to such support, particularly for those studying online for the first time or in a language which is not their mother tongue ~Liaising with instructors, the Undergraduate Office and the Academic Coordinator on issues such as registration, online participation, credit, and poor academic performance ~Monitoring student performance One of the main roles of Site Coordinators is to promote BCS courses to their students. Only with promotion we can be sure that students know about the program and participate in it. Your work as the Site Coordinator is crucial in making sure that UArctic programs are recognized by your institution. There are several ways of promoting the BCS online program at your institution: - Posting information about the BCS courses on your institution’s website once the registration for each semester begins - Dissimilating available booklets and brochures - Organizing short meetings with students especially once the registration for online courses begins - The Site Coordinator may request necessary brochures and posters from the Undergraduate Studies Office at any time (for contacts see below).

Registration of students for online BCS courses The Site Coordinator is the main person who deals with registration of students for BCS courses at the given institution. The registration forms can be downloaded from the UArctic website: The Site Coordinator should ensure that students included their active address in the registration form because will be the main means of correspondence between the student, the course instructors and the Academic Coordinator’s office. All the information regarding the course, including the login and password information will be sent directly to students’ addresses. Course Selection: Although, there is no limitation in the number of courses that students can take, it is highly advisable that students first take BCS 100 and after successful completion of it move on to other courses. Taking BCS 100 first will strengthen language and computer skills of a student and will prepare him/her for the rest of the courses that are more challenging. It is strongly recommended that students take courses sequentially, e.g. take BCS 321 before taking BCS 322. In this case, the courses are offered very conveniently: BCS 311, 321 and 331 are offered in the fall semester and BCS 312, 322 and 332 are offered in the spring semester. However, if a student missed the fall semester and wants to register for BCS 332 without completing BCS 331, he/she can do so because this particular courses is not developed to have prerequisites. In case of BCS 311 and 312 (Land and Environment), it is required that students complete BCS 311 before registering for BCS 312 because these courses have scientific emphasis and developed in accordance with the level of complexity. Home Institution Permission: This part is to be completed by the home institution representative. It must include the name of a home institution, date, the name, position and the signature of the home institution representative. Once the form is completed and signed by both, the student and the home institution representative, it may be scanned and sent to the Academic Coordinator (for contacts see below). Upon receiving the registration form, the Academic Coordinator registers the student for the courses and sends the confirmation to the Site Coordinator and the student. The student will receive further instructions along with login and password information a few days before the classes begin.

Student support and assistance Online system: What does the Site Coordinator need to know? Student support and assistance Online system: What does the Site Coordinator need to know? Studying online for the first time can be difficult especially if a student does not fluently speak English. That is why it is essential that the Site Coordinator take on the responsibility for guiding the student. This does not mean that the Site Coordinator is required to tutor each student. The responsibilities of the Site Coordinator include monitoring student performance and directing them to necessary sources: helpful reading materials, useful websites, or people with whom students could liaise in case of questions or difficulties (Academic Coordinator, professors or online technical support). Main liaison between the students, the course instructors, the Undergraduate Office and the Academic Coordinator Main liaison between the students, the course instructors, the Undergraduate Office and the Academic Coordinator In other words, the Site Coordinator is the person that students could contact in the first place if they are experiencing any problems or have any questions, as well as the person that the course instructors or Academic Coordinator could contact first hand if there is a problem with student’s registration or performance. Online courses website: If you were given access to this website, you should have a username and password. Each course is divided into modules. Each module has a lecture, forum and assignments. Course Outline contains course description, the information about course materials and course evaluation. Course Work Information contains information about requirements for a particular course (group discussions, tests, exams, essay). All information on course requirements is sent to a student’s electronic mail or posted on the website (mostly forums). If you have any questions regarding the website please contact the Academic Coordinator or the Website Administrator (for contacts see below).

Where can the Site Coordinator seek assistance if he/she encounters any problems or has any questions? Undergraduate Studies Office International Academic Office Athabasca University Web portal (program, credit system inquiries, etc.) (all registration issues) (access to web portal, courses) Audra Krueger Karla Hardcastle Roger Graham Program Officer Academic Coordinator University of the Arctic Module Administrator University of Saskatchewan P.O. Box University Dr. 335 Kirk Hall La Ronge, SK Athabasca, AB Saskatoon, SK S7N 5C8 S0J 1L0 T9S 3A3 Canada Canada Canada Phone: Phone: Phone: Fax: Fax: