UVM's Teacher Connection

10 Things Adult Learners Should Know

1.YOUR DOORWAY TO UVM: Continuing Education is your dean's office, unless you are a graduate student. We are here to help you navigate the UVM system. Call us, e-mail us, live chat, or come see us. We are the human door for you at the university. UVM staff members are very willing to help you, whether it's over the phone, by e-mail, or in person. We all understand the desire to have your questions answered, and want to make your experience here as positive as possible.

2.YOU BELONG: Your enrollment in a UVM course comes with many benefits besides your email account, including academic advising, ticket discounts on performances, athletic event tickets, full library access and fitness center privileges. You may also check the UVM general calendar to learn about the many free events taking place on campus each month. The link to the calendar may be found under the "UVM EVENTS" section on the UVM home page at uvm.edu. Additional links to your favorite events can be found at:

• For more UVM events: Click here
• For Speaker events: Click here
• For Lane Series events: Click here
• For UVM sports: Click here
• For Athletics' tickets: Click here
• For Recreational sports: Click here

3.THE WORLD WIDE WEB: The internet has made a huge difference in the world of higher education. Administratively, the college experience might be different than you remember especially if you attended college before 1990. Almost everything is online and electronic. No more paper bills, no more paper grades. Adapting to these systems can make navigating the university easier, once you know how.

All information is online—course descriptions, dates, tuition information, dining plans, etc. The best way to find your way around the UVM website is by using the "UVM A-Z", at the top right on every web page, as the most up-to-date details are on the website.

There are no more paper bills. All billing is electronic and is emailed to your UVM email account. You can also access your bill through your student account (using your ID number and PIN). UVM Student Financial Services has a website with information like tuition and fee details, billing dates, tuition insurance details, payment plans—we strongly recommend checking out this website. They really try to make sure that all the information you need is there: http://www.uvm.edu/~stdfinsv/?Page=non-degree_students.html

4.COMPREHENSIVE FEE: Over and above your tuition bill, you’ll be charged a university Comprehensive Fee that every student must pay. This fee is assessed at $10 per credit up to 4 credits and the summer session comprehensive fee is $10 per credit up to 12 credits. Be aware that, once you enroll in a fall or spring semester for 5 or more credits, this fee increases dramatically. Most districts include payment of this fee when paying for their teachers’ tuition.

5.EMAIL: Once you register for a course, or if you have taken courses before at UVM, you are assigned a UVM e-mail account. This is the way UVM and your instructors will communicate with you, including sending you class notifications and your electronic bill. If you have other e-mail accounts that you use, you can have the UVM email account forwarded to that email so you still get the information without checking multiple accounts. All you have to do is set up a password, which can be accessed easily on the UVM website from the quick link on most UVM web pages in the upper right hand corner. You may activate your email account at http://www.uvm.edu/account. Once activated, you may follow the directions to forward your UVM email account to the one you use most often. You may access your UVM email at webmail.uvm.edu

6.YOUR COMPUTER IDENTITY: There are three IDs involved with being a UVM student. The first is your NetID, which is connected with your UVM e-mail. If your name is Joe Smith, your NetID might be jsmith7. Often it is only letters, like your first initial and 7 letters of your last name. You use a password of your choice with your NetID. This combination allows you to use our great online library services (including many journals), and to access online courses. A quick way to remember your Net ID is to search for yourself in the UVM directory, available from a quick link on most UVM web pages in the upper right hand corner.

7.YOUR STUDENT ACCOUNT IDENTITY: The second ID is your student ID, which starts with 9 and has 9 digits. (UVM no longer uses the Social security number as your ID.) This ID, along with a six digit PIN number, enables you to get into your online student account. This is where you can add and drop courses, find your grades, update your address, and print out an unofficial transcript. You may access your student account by going to www.uvm.edu/studentlogin to enter the Student Information System.

8.YOUR ID CARD: There's one more ID—your ID card, called a CATcard. If you'll be on campus, you need to get the picture CATcard. The office is on the first floor in the Davis Center and their website is http://www.uvm.edu/~catcard/. The card is active whenever you are enrolled, so save it somewhere safe for those semesters when you're not enrolled (it costs to replace it). If you'll never be on campus, we can help you get a non-picture ID. Call us for help with this.

9.SAVE IT FOR LATER: Consider creating a folder to hold your Student ID and PIN, and NetID and password. Some of our other students find this easier than having to re-set lost PINs or passwords.

10.YOU, YOUR CAR and UVM: UVM's campus is more green-space, buildings and walkways than it is a parking lot. Plus, we share our street-side parking with the public in the City of Burlington. But the folks at Transportation and Parking Services are eager to help you access our free public transportation (with your ID card), or know where and how to park so you don't get a ticket or a tow. Visit their website at http://www.uvm.edu/tps/parking/ or call them at 656-8686, well in advance of when your class starts. They will help you get CATS shuttle schedules or the proper parking permit for your situation.