studyastronomy.com

Help for Current Students

Here we provide information relating to:

Induction

WebCT and other UCLan systems

Status of Modules - Induction October 2011

The courses for the 2011/12 session start during the week beginning 10th October 2011. As enrolment progresses we will provide information here about the status of each module.

All module materials will be delivered electronically via WebCT (i.e. there will not be a posting via standard mail). Students will receive an email on the start date of the module with details of how to access the materials.

 

The table below summarises the expected and actual dates when access will be given to the various modules. It will be updated regularly throughout the induction period.

 

Module Expected start date Actual start date
AA1051 - Introduction to Astronomy 10th October  10th October
AA1053 - Introduction to Cosmology 10th October  10th October
AA1056 - Energy Matter & the Universe 11th October  11th October
AA1057 - Investigations in Astronomy 10th October  10th October
AA1058 - Sun Earth and Climate 10th October  10th October
AA2051 - The Milky Way 11th October  11th October
AA2054 - Exploring the Solar System 12th October  13th October
AA2056 - Solar-Stellar Connection 11th October  11th October
AA3050 - Astronomy Dissertation 11th October  11th October
AA3056 - Extreme States of Matter 12th October  14th October

AA3057 - Collaborative investigations

 11th October  12th October

 

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How to determine if you are fully enrolled?

 

Note that new student enrolments on the UCLan computer systems for teaching will begin to go live during September and October.

 

You can only login to WebCT if you are fully enrolled with the University and your registration with LIS has been completed.

 

If you are fully enrolled with LIS registration all of the following should be true

 

  1. You have received an Acceptance letter by email and have paid the fees requested.
  2. You have received a Confirmation letter by email. This says that you have paid and that you are enrolled.
  3. You have received a an email from DServices@uclan.ac.uk with a UCLan username and password.
  4. (LIS will also have sent you information about your Athens Username and Password, but you don't need these in order to login to WebCT.)
  5. You have received a Welcome Email for the start of the course at the time indicated on the Module Induction Status for your module.
  6. You have checked your University Record on myUCLan, and it includes information about your UCLan PC Network Account and lists your modules for this year.

 

  • If all of the above are true, you should be fully enrolled. However, if  you still cannot login to WebCT then please contact the Programme Administrator giving a brief description of  the problem.
  • If some or all of the above are false, your enrolment is still incomplete. You should ask the Programme Administrator to track down where you are in the detailed application and enrolment process. Many late applicants are likely to be in this situation at the start of the course.

 

The Programme Administrator can be contacted on 01772 893540 or contact us via this website.

 

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Detailed Application and Enrolment Process

 

Here is a brief summary of the steps in the application and enrolment process that must take place before Induction and dispatcj of Learning Materials can take place in October.

 

Application

Application via the Apply Now links on www.studyastronomy.com.

Immediate automatic electronic acknowledgement sent. 
Academic Approval

The application is checked for adequate prior academic qualifications, and students counselled if necessary about suitability of module or workload in case of application for more than one module. Queries (if any) are sent to applicant by email. The application is accepted subject to payment of the module fee. An acceptance letter is sent out by email. This is normally within about 3 weeks of the receipt of the application, but it may take longer during holiday periods in July and August.
Fee payment

Following academic approval, the Programme Administrator emails out a payment request. Applicants who have been accepted  before the end of July are sent a payment request in early August. Applicants accepted after 1 August are sent a payment request within a few days of the acceptance letter being sent, with details of how the payment can be made. If you are eligible for a Fee Waiver, you should send your Fee Waiver Form to the Department's Programme Administrator.
LIS registration

New students are automatically registered with the Library and the UCLan computer system: 

  • an email is sent to your presonal email address from DServices@uclan.ac.uk with yuor login details..
  • sets up a UCLan network UserID and Groupwise email account for each student, and sends details of the Athens username and Passwords to this account.
    (Please note that the Astronomy Distance Learning Courses DO NOT send email to this UCLan account. We use only your personal email addresses.) 
  • activates your WebCT registration so that you can login to the WebCT server.
    (But note that you will not have access to any WebCT modules or course materials until October.)
Enrolment and Induction

Step 0 - Enrolment

When your payment has been received, you will receive an acknowledgement of your payment and a Confirmation Letter (by email) confirming your enrolment on the relevant module. Confirmations letters are not normally sent out before September. The Confirmation Letter includes a Draft Module Schedule.

By this stage you should also be fully enrolled with the University and be registered with LIS (see above) giving you access to the UCLan PC Network by Remote Access (which you may want to use)  myUCLan (for checking your contact details) and to the WebCT server (but not as yet to individual modules and learning materials). 

Induction takes place in October in 2 steps. (See here for timings of the Induction Procedure.)

Step 1

Access to your WebCT module(s) with the learning materials will only occur at the start of the course in October. You will be sent an Induction Email to your personal email address notifying you  that you now have WebCT access, and that the course is starting. 

Step 2

You will be sent an Introductory Pack in October as long as you are fully enrolled with the University. For some modules, the Introductory Pack contains your personal CDRom of the Learning Materials; for others delivered solely via WebCT it contains administrative details. If you have not received the Introductory Pack within a few days of the posting date on the Induction Schedule, please contact the Programme Administrator. If you have not registered with LIS, you will still receive this Introductory Pack, but will be unable to access any of the WebCT on-line materials.
Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is 15th September. We endeavour to complete the enrolment process so that all students are fully enrolled in time for Induction and the start of the Courses in October. However if there are any academic queries or administrative delays concerning an application, it may lead to a short delay in giving access to WebCT and sending out learning materials to the student.

Late applications received before 30th September will be dealt with on a best efforts basis. It is probable that the enrolment process will still be incomplete when the Course starts. Late acceptance on to the course is no guarantee that the assessment deadlines will be extended to compensate.

Applications received after 30th September will normally be held over until the following academic year. Applicants will be notified that this is the case, and then contacted the following Easter to reactivate the application.

 

If you do not have access to the WebCT Login page and/or do not receive the Induction Email in October, it is probable that your enrolment is not complete. In case of difficulties, contact the Programme Administrator (01772 893540) or contact us via this website and we will track down where you are in the enrolment process.

 

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Where do I find my WebCT login details?

 

New students

 

Once your application has received academic acceptance and has been recorded in the university student record system, you will have been sent an email by DServices@uclan.ac.uk to your personal email address, giving details of your registration for online services. This gives your UCLan Username and Password which are identical for WebCT and the University PC Network.

 

The UCLan Username is not case sensitive and consists of your initials and surname and it may have a number at the end (eg INewton or AEinstein or JESmith1.)
 

 

Your initial UCLan Password is a 14-digit number (eg 20107005123456) and is sometimes referred to as your University Barcode. You should keep this safe, even if you change the password to something else. You are advised to change your password after you first login, by following the links on the WebCT login page.

 

If you have not received this information check that you are fully enrolled on the module.

 

Enrolled as a student last year

 

Students who were enrolled last year, should find that their LIS and WebCT registration has been carried forward automatically.

 

During September you will have lost access to the WebCT modules from the previous academic year. You will be given access to  your new modules during Step 1 of the Induction process in October.

 

In case of difficulties, contact the Programme Administrator (01772 893540) or contact us via this website.

 

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Troubleshooting WebCT 

 

Access to learning materials on WebCT is only possible to students who are fully enrolled on the module and requires registration with the LIS to obtain a WebCTUserID and Password. 

 

Here are some common WebCT login problems

 

What is the URL for   WebCT? elearn.uclan.ac.uk 
 
I do not have a WebCT password Once a you have been accepted onto a course, as a new student you are automatically sent an email from DServices@uclan.ac.uk with details of your WebCT UserID and University Barcode.

If you have not received this, contact the Programme Administrator (01772 893540) or contact us via this website.
My WebCT password doesn't work New Students

You may not be fully enrolled, and therefore your WebCT ID may not yet have been activated.
  Existing Students As an existing student your LIS Registration and WebCT Registration should be automatically extended from the previous year. 
  All Students Double-check that you are entering your userID and password correctly. Read WebCT UserID and Password.
In case of difficulty or forgotten passwords, follow the links on the WebCT login page.
In case of difficulty contact the Programme Administrator.
How do I change my WebCT password? All students Follow the link on the WebCT login page for changing the password. 
Note that if you change this password, it will also change your password for login to the UCLan PC Network by Remote Access.
I can login to WebCT but I have no modules Pre-induction

(during summer months)

 Before the course starts, your WebCT UserID may be activated to enable logins, but access is not given to the student's new WebCT modules (although existing students can usually see their old modules until mid September).  Students are given access by the Programme Administrator to their WebCT module space during Step 1 of the Induction Process in October. 

You should wait for your Induction Email in October, and then try again.
  Post-induction

(early October)

 If you received the Induction Email, you ought to have access within WebCT to your own module(s), and to Astronomy Distance Learning. If either of these is missing, contact the Programme Administrator.
I can access my WebCT module but..... .....I can't find any information about  how to get tutorial support or general course information. You probably have access to your WebCT module space with its specific learning materials, but not the Astronomy Distance Learning WebCT space, where generic material such as the Course Handbook is kept. Contact the Programme Administrator who will add you.
  ...the PDF files don't display correctly. If the PDF files appear to be blank, or take a very long time to load, it could be that your internet connection is too slow. Alternatively you may have a very old version of Adobe Acrobat on your PC. Try installing a newer version of Acrobat available from Adobe.
  ...I cannot find the learning materials I was looking for. Most learning materials are linked under Module Materials. In some modules, the sections of notes have phased release according to the module schedule. Check your Module Schedule on WebCT  and/or contact the Module Tutor (contact us via this website).
  ...  I cannot find the WebCT Classrooms The monthly tutorial sessions for each module are held in the WebCT Classrooms. Each WebCT Module now has its own WebCT Classroom linked from its Tools Menu on the left-hand side. The Astronomy Distance Learning space also has a Classroom that is used for general chat and  for the Staff-Student Liaison meeting held around Easter for course feedback.

 

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Accessing UCLan systems

 

  • Access UCLan eLearn WebCT for learning materials, tutorials and assessments.
  • Access myUCLan  for module results, course results and profile.
  • Don't forget that you can ask for tutorial support by telephone, email or online - see the student handbook for details.
  • Struggling to meet a deadline? Let us know as early as possible - contact the Programme Administrator.