Your Instructors are Available

Getting in touch with your Instructor is easier than ever! Have you ever been working on homework for one of your classes and needed to get in contact with your instructor about a question you have?

We’ve recently introduced some new technologies to the online classrooms that make it easier than ever to communicate with your instructor. Here are some of the tools available to you:

Email, Phone, and Office Hours:
The ‘Meet Your Instructor’ section of class shows your instructor’s email address, phone number, and office hours. Instructors are required to respond to student emails and phone calls within 24-48 hours and hold 3 office hours per week. If you don’t have access to your online class and need to email your instructor, please remember your instructor’s email will be the first initial of their first name and full last name (ex. bjames@msbcollege.edu).

Pronto:
New to online this quarter, Pronto is an online instant messaging tool that allows you to communicate with your instructor and fellow students spontaneously. This is a great tool if you have a quick question for your instructor or want to get in touch with one of your classmates to discuss a team project or assignment. One of the great features of Pronto is that each quarter, your contact list will automatically be updated based on what classes you are enrolled in. Plus, you don’t need to be logged in to class to contact anyone. See directions in Jodie's Tech Tip, and it is a very quick and easy download to complete.

Elluminate Live!:
This web-conferencing tool is a new feature to online courses this quarter as well. Elluminate Live is a great tool for real-time discussions. During Elluminate sessions, you can talk directly with your instructor and fellow students while watching a presentation or problem being solved on the whiteboard. This quarter, Elluminate has been used for individual/team project presentations in SS140 Interpersonal Relations and tutoring sessions in NS116 College Algebra I. All you need to participate is a pair of headphones with microphone capabilities and a good internet connection.

(Special Note: Technically, a mic isn’t necessary in order to participate.)

It's important to remember that if you have questions, your instructor is here to help! Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. It’s now easier than ever to do so.

Brian James
Dean of Faculty

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Need Library Assistance?

Instant Message (IM) your Librarian! Asking a librarian just got easier. Now you can IM me, Elaine Settergren, from your favorite IM software or directly from the library website.

You can add me as a buddy in:

Pronto: esettergren
ICQ: 447247984
AIM: gumsblibrary
Yahoo: msb.library
Google Talk: msb.library
MSN: msb.library

Or you can IM me directly from http://students.msbcollege.edu/library/onlinestudents/.

Note: To add me as a buddy in Pronto: download Pronto from the “Tools” section in your Blackboard course. Check out Jodie's Tech Tip to the right for more instructions. Once you have downloaded it, go to the “contacts” menu, select “add contact” and enter my Pronto ID: esettergren.

You can also get a hold of me in the traditional ways including email and phone which can be found on the link above.

Now, how can I help you?
- Citation Questions
- Creating a bibliography
- Database help
- Evaluating sources
- Exploratory research
- Finding images or audio
- Finding professional associations
- Finding scholarly information
- Finding statistics
- How to use E-Books
- How to avoid Plagiarism
- Research (from beginner to expert)
- Topic formation
- Tracking a source based on a citation
- Web searching tips
- Helping you cope with information overload
- And MORE… the sky’s the limit!

I love connecting people to the information they need. IM, email, or call me the next time you hit a research roadblock!

Elaine Settergren
Online Librarian

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Career Services For You

It is my mission to actively support the professional employment goals of all students from their first term, to their graduation and beyond.

Hello, my name is Lesley Farnham and I am the Director of Career Services for the online division. This quarter I want to share some advice on Networking, a critical component to your career search. Networking is the best way to find opportunities and the benefits of building a network are numerous. Here are just a few:

· Access to “unposted” opportunities or ones you would most likely not have access to without the connection
· Advanced notice of potential opportunities that are about to occur
· Having a referral into the position
· Gain additional information about the opportunity and organization

So, how do you build your network? Here are a few tips:

· Get involved in clubs or organizations that specialize in your area of interest
· Ask those in your network for advice on how you should approach getting into your target industry
· Attend events (workshops, seminars, conferences, career fairs) that are related to your industry to gain knowledge and build your network.

Finally, as many of you already know, the career services department provides all active and graduate students with:

· Resume assistance (examples and auditing/critiquing)
· Lifetime placement assistance for graduates
· Cover letter and Interviewing advice

My mission is to support your goals, whether it is to get a promotion or to find a new position elsewhere. As a graduate of our school you will have lifetime access to these services.

Please feel free to contact me via phone, 612-798-3747 or email at lfarnham@msbcollege.edu. I look forward to working with you and helping you achieve your employment goals!

Lesley Farnham
Director of Career Services

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The Value of an MBA

Have you ever thought about what an MBA could do for your Career?

Congratulations to all of you on your success thus far in your current degree programs and as you prepare for your future, I want to share some exciting news about one our fastest growing programs. In today’s competitive landscape, it’s becoming increasingly important to separate yourself from other candidates. One of the premier ways to differentiate yourself from the field, is through our Masters of Business Administration.

As an MBA graduate, you will be better prepared to lead and make decisions on a higher level, a level that will result in greater effectiveness and efficiency for your organization regardless of its size. Our online MBA program will:

· Enable you to enhance your leadership and decision making skills
· Learn the leadership principles of business-entrepreneurship
· Lean the practices of teaching people to cope within changing environments
· Learn how to be an effective leader by participating in data-driven decision making

In addition, you’ll learn how to address the following four preeminent managerial challenges:

· Ensuring fiscal stability
· Maintaining meaningful communications
· Upholding legal, ethical, and government regulations
· Initiating managed growth

Lastly, I’m very pleased to share some exciting news that we had our first MBA graduates this past Spring! These graduates are highlighted on our Roll of Online Graduates to the left. If you, a friend, or a family member would like to learn more about the advantages of our MBA program, click here:

http://www.msbcollege.edu/programs/mba.html

Also, feel free to contact us today at 1-877-609-8889. Congratulations again and good luck with your studies!

Seth Tesdall
Director of Online Education

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