How OU Online Goes Above and Beyond to Provide Support, Community to Students
June 30, 2023 2024-12-16 10:09
How OU Online Goes Above and Beyond to Provide Support, Community to Students
by Michael Mahaffey
Pursuing a college degree as a working adult comes with unique challenges. When coursework occurs entirely online, the situation can become even more difficult. The benefit of setting your academic schedule around your daily responsibilities is often countered by difficulty in finding the support you need to excel in your coursework.
That’s where the University of Oklahoma has you covered. We’ve been helping distance and online learners reach their academic goals for more than 60 years by offering the most advanced curriculum available while providing the support systems necessary for online students to thrive and succeed.
Your Counselors
From the moment you request information or submit an application for an OU Online program, our team of enrollment coaches and academic advisors will make sure every step of your academic journey is handled in a way that best suits your personal needs.
Your enrollment coach will work with you to understand your goals, both academic and personal, and guide you through every step – from filling out your online application to requesting and submitting transcripts from previous schools to ensuring that the degree program you’ve chosen is the right fit for your desired future career.
Once you’ve been admitted, your academic advisor will be your guide, serving as your primary point of contact for any questions or concerns. Your advisor will get to know you as an individual, and in addition to helping you create a degree plan and register for courses, they will coach you and cheer you on through each step as you pursue your degree.
“The support services provided by OU Online have been exceptional,” said Misquana Quad, a 2024 graduate of the Master of Legal Studies – Indigenous Peoples Law program. “Whenever I had any questions or issues, the support team responded promptly and efficiently.”
Our advisors understand the unique issues that can derail online learners. Whether they’re reaching out to warn you ahead of time about potential problems, helping you navigate unforeseen issues, or guiding you toward the many resources the university makes available to online students, their goal is to make sure you have everything you need to be successful.
Your Professors
Every OU Online course is taught by an instructor who understands the challenges of taking courses online as a working adult. Through discussion boards, email, and Zoom meetings, our instructors will help you navigate all aspects of their courses. They’ll help you understand concepts presented during their courses, providing feedback that will help you succeed in their course and beyond.
Our professors have a proven track record of success in the professional fields in which they teach and as mentors who want to provide you with the real-world knowledge you’ll need to succeed. The more they know about you, your goals, and your challenges and concerns, the better they can help guide you in the classroom and on your professional journey.
“The support and guidance provided by my professors has been invaluable, enriching my learning experience and empowering me to excel in my studies,” said Bishop Buck, an OU Online Master of Social Work student. “Thanks to this program, I am well on my way to realizing my goals in the field of social work, equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”
Academic Resources
Whether you need assistance with research, writing an essay, or discovering career paths, OU Online provides various academic resources designed to help you reach your educational goals.
You’ll find easy online access to the same services OU provides to traditional students, including Canvas LMS, online services from OU IT, access to OU Libraries, the Accessibility & Disability Resource Center, Veteran student services and more. You’ll also find easy access to our academic calendars so you can stay up to date on upcoming events and pending deadlines.
Career Development Center
Created specifically for online students at OU, the OU Online Career Development Center is a free resource designed to help you build career skills, explore different career paths, find community, apply for jobs in your field, and more. With links to career-specific blogs and news stories to curated career advice and advancement articles, the Career Development Center is a great place to see current trends in the field you’re interested in.
The Career Development Center also features labor market Insights so you can examine the career prospects for individuals in your chosen degree program, career resources options and direct links to other free resources offered by the university, such as access to LinkedIn Learning courses, Handshake and OU Connection, the university’s career mentoring platform.
Online Student Communities
Students who take courses online often report feeling isolated and unable to create the kinds of connections with classmates that traditional students experience. OU Online’s student communities were developed to help extend your experiences beyond the classroom and enrich your educational journey. These online student groups were created for students, by students, to connect with other online and remote cohorts who share a similar background and to complement the discussion groups students have with their classmates.
Each community shares career resources, advice and opportunities unique to its group and provides a place for members to share about the realities of their academic and professional lives. Although groups are geared toward specific interests, anyone interested in learning and contributing to a supportive environment is welcome to be a part of each group.
There are several online student communities to choose from – BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Women, First Generation Students, Persons with Disabilities, Military-Connected, Student Parents, 55+, and U.S. Students Living Abroad. Students can join multiple communities, and those interested in forming new groups are encouraged to speak to their advisor about what it takes to do so.
OU Online News
The OU Online News page should be your first stop for all the latest news happening at OU Online. In addition to articles about resources for students, like a deep dive into everything the Career Development Center has to offer to information about the free resources OU makes available to all online students, you’ll find stories about what makes our degree programs unique and learn about students just like you who have reached higher by earning a degree through OU Online. You can even find articles spotlighting some of the most intriguing professors teaching in our degree programs.
Mental Health Counseling Services
Whether you need one-time help to get through a rough patch or more focused attention to work through a more complex problem, OU Online’s mental health counseling service puts the power to reach out for support right in your hands.
The TELUS Health Student Support app provides 24/7 access to free, on-demand mental health counseling and support services for all OU Online graduate and undergraduate students via the app, phone, and the web. You can schedule a private and confidential session – via your choice of live chat or phone call – with a licensed therapist or counselor who has experience dealing with students’ unique challenges.
The number and length of sessions in unlimited, and the service is available in several languages. There is even after-hours crisis support for urgent situations. Learn more about how to get started in this article from the OU Online News page.
Tutoring Services
Available to all OU Online students by logging in through your Canvas account, Tutor.com provides 24/7, on-demand, 1-to-1 tutoring and homework help that is fully accessible in more than 100 subjects, including math, business, computer science, technology, writing, marketing, and more.
Tutoring sessions can take place on any computer or mobile device. Each session includes chat, voice and video options, access to a state-of-the-art online classroom with a virtual whiteboard, graphing calculator and code editor, and file-sharing options.
You can establish favorite tutors for live sessions, schedule appointments for future sessions, and even review your previous tutoring sessions. You’ll also have access to 24/7 live writing center support, a drop-off service with responses guaranteed within 12 hours.
No matter where you are across the nation or worldwide or what kind of support you need, OU Online’s dedicated team of faculty and staff work hard to provide you with the professional and personal support you need to earn your degree, advance your career and even find community in your online environment.
Visit ou.edu/online to learn more about these services and the wide array of graduate and undergraduate degree completion programs OU Online offers.
