Welcome Goodwin College students!! The Fall semester is fast approaching and classes will begin on September 7^th.  

As a reminder new student orientation will be held Wednesday, September 1st, from 8-11 a.m. and evening orientation will be held Thursday, September 2^nd, from 4 -8 p.m.  

In addition to orientation, there is also a one hour training seminar for all students taking online classes.
Sessions begin on Wednesday, September 1^st, 2010. The morning session is scheduled from 10 – 11 a.m. and an evening session is from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. These sessions will be held at the Goodwin College River Campus in the Community Room. This is a great opportunity to get hands on training for Blackboard, the system used for all online courses taken at Goodwin.

 The campus environment can be exciting and challenging. It can also be highly stressful since social and emotional concerns can interfere with academic performance. Goodwin College is committed to helping students benefit from their college experience.              

Here is a list of available resources that you can utilize: 

·        Career Counselors       http://www.goodwin.edu/pdfs/Career_Planning_Timeline.pdf
·        Counseling Services       http://www.goodwin.edu/counseling.asp
·        Learning Resource Center         
All Tutoring sessions are held in room 209 by walk in or appointment            

- Math and Science Tutoring                Phone: 860-727-6712                    Hours: Mon – Fri     8:30a.m. – 7:00p.m.    Sat  9:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.                                

 - The Writing Center         Email: writingcenter@goodwin.edu  Phone: 860-813-2064          Hours: Mon – Fri      11 a.m.- 12:45  or 2-6 p.m.

·        Academic Advising Center       http://www.goodwin.edu/academic_advising.asp 

Our staff is helpful and provides a place where you can come to seek a safe, confidential, and supportive learning environment. Let us know how we can help! -     Make sure to ask questions to clarify dates, deadlines, and expectations. 

  http://www.goodwin.edu/fall2010_calendar.asp

-         Textbooks and materials are available for purchase through the Goodwin College Bookstore (860-727-6721).

-         CTDLC Technical Help Line for Online Courses: Phone: 860.832-3887

       Monday-Thursday: 8am-10pm; Fri – 8am-8pm Sat. 8am-5pm; Sun.10am- 8pm   

       Email: support@ctdlc.org    Website: http://support.ctdlc.org

TRY It doesn’t imply failure or success. It simply says, I’m going to do it. I’m going to take a chance. One of the few guarantees in life is that if you don’t try, you will never succeed.    Best of Luck to Everyone this Fall!!!!! 

***Please contact your advisor if you have any academic questions***

Authored by Marc Limata

Distance learning has been in existence since the 1800’s.  Today, distance learning is at an all time high.  Distance learning has been proven to be equally successful as learning in a classroom.  It takes a unique student to be successful in an online setting.   Distance learning allows flexibility for full time employees to accomplish their academic goals by not having to sit in a classroom. 

To be a successful online student you must possess great organizational skills, time management skills, motivation, and the initiative.  For these reasons online education may be more rewarding than a typical college class. 

With online learning you must set aside time for learning, be able to participate in discussion boards, write research papers, and do weekly assessments.  Students must be able to keep up with the demands of the course so they do not fall behind.  Due dates are usually strictly enforced for online classes.  Here are some great tips to be a successful distance learning student:  http://www.elearners.com/guide/how-to-be-a-successful-online-student.pdf

Goodwin College now offers a variety of online classes for students to take.  Students can check out the new courses being offered in the Fall Semester, they are: Computer Literacy, Math For Health Science and Public Speaking  Anyone who is interested should talk to their advisor about signing up for an online class.  Once signed up for an online class student should:

·        Log in to Blackboard on September 5th, 2010.  By logging into the Blackboard platform you are simply confirming that you have access to the course. Please do not start any assignments until the class officially begins on Tuesday, September 7^th 2010.  If you have any problems with logging into the Blackboard platform you may contact the Technical Support Office at 860-832-3887 or by e-mailing them at support@ctdlc.org.

·        Please join us for an on-campus, one-hour Course Welcome Session on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010.  The sessions are scheduled from 10:00AM - 11:00AM or 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM and will be held on the 1 Riverside Drive campus.  Please report to Community Room.  This is your opportunity to meet your classmates, to get a brief hands-on orientation to the Blackboard online learning system, and to see how we will be using Blackboard for this course. This Course Welcome Session is strongly recommended, even for online veterans.

I hope you have found this information helpful.  Please do not hesitate to speak to your advisor if you have any questions. 

Essay writing rates up there with giving the cat a bath for most students and people for that matter. There is something about taking educational information and regurgitating the facts into an essay that can be unnerving. The language, structure, punctuation and format must be correct; as well as, appropriate or that red pen will walk all across that essay.

Here are a few tips for starting a good essay that will land you a passing grade.  

1. Decide on your topic
2.  Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas
3.  Write your thesis statement
4.  Write the body
   ·        Write the main points
   ·        Write the sub points
   ·        Elaborate on the subpoints
5.  Write the introduction
6.  Write the conclusion
7.  Add the finishing touches 

**Always follow your inspiration: 

Inspiration: Reading good quality writing can only help improve yours, by making you aware of what is possible, so that you want to achieve that level too. When you surround yourself with things to aspire to, you naturally gravitate to that level. If you start eating at five-star restaurants, you’re going to be unsatisfied by throwing a piece of pizza in your microwave for dinner. If you see enough stunning, perfect photographs, you’re not going to be happy with your careless snapshots. If your neighbors all have perfect, beautiful yards, you’re going to want to do a little more than just keep your lawn kind of sort of mostly hacked down to pre-jungle heights. You don’t have to have Bill Gates’ bank account to appreciate the finer things in life … and, luckily, even the best writing is cheap to come by. It’s what they say that is priceless.

“Cats gotta scratch. Dogs gotta bite. I gotta write,” James Ellroy

Late registration and schedule changes will begin next Monday, August 9, 2010. 

You must come into the Academic Advising Office between the hours of 10-12 and 3-5, Fridays 10-12 only.  These are the only times that you will be able to complete late registration and make changes to your schedule for September.  The only way to officiate this process is to meet with your advisor and see Financial Aid.  Meeting with your academic advisor is an important part of your academic success while attending classes at Goodwin College.  All students have been assigned an advisor, who will speak with you regarding your academic plan of study, discuss course selection planning prior to registration, discuss academic issues and provide information about support services and college policies and procedures. 

If you do not have an advisor please contact Frank Ruotolo, Office Manager at 860-727-6717 or fruotolo@goodwin.edu for assistance. If you have any questions regarding late registration, making a schedule change or an experience you had with the advising department that you would like to share, I would like to hear from you.  Best of luck as you complete the summer semester.