DEN NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

1. DEN NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

2. AGENDA • Welcome to DEN & USC • University calendar • Academic policies and procedures • Advisement: D-clearance, Placement Exams • MyUSC, OASIS, Web Registration, USC ePay • DEN BlackBoard • DEN Homework & Exam Policies • Contact Information

3. During the DROP AND ADD period, students may try out courses and change their schedule. Dropping courses with a FULL REFUND is permitted only till 5pm on the drop/add deadline. See the Registration Calendar for dates and deadlines. Students may drop courses with a mark of “W” on their transcript till 5pm on the final drop deadline but no refund of tuition will be given after the third week of the semester. See the Registration Calendar for dates and deadlines. Please see the complete Registration Calendar for a specific term at http://web-app.usc.edu/soc/ UNIVERSITY CALENDAR

4. The document of authority is the University Catalogue, online at http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2010/ Students normally follow the Catalogue of their semester of admission to the graduate program, but they are permitted to follow a later Catalogue. SCampus also contains policies and procedures pertaining to students; go to http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/ ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

5. ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES • Students should read and become familiar with the following sections of the University Catalogue: • Graduate and Professional Education • Degree requirements of their specific department and major • Please refer to the Catalogue Index to find information on Registration, Academic Standards, Exception Procedures, Transfer Work, Requirements for Graduation, Time Limits, Repetition of Course Work, Continuous Enrollment, Grade Point Average, Leave of Absence, Incompletes, Thesis and Dissertation, Readmission, Residency, Waiver and Substitution of Course Work, Screening and Qualifying Examinations, Guidance Committee, Application for Graduation.

6. ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES • Students must also read and understand departmental materials (print and Web) • The Catalogue supersedes any information contained in any department material. • If there appears to be a difference between department materials and the Catalogue, please ask your departmental advisor, faculty, or the Dean what the correct policy is. • PLEASE ASK if you have any questions! • We would rather help you get it right in the beginning than try to fix it later

7. DEGREE REQUIREMENTS • University Catalogue • http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/cat2010/ • Academic Department Websites • Each department website lists program requirements and important information for students regarding department policies and procedures. • MAPP Website • http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/degreeprograms/index.html

8. ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT • Academic advisement procedures vary from department to department • Admitted MS students are advised by department academic advisors • Limited students should contact MAPP

9. CHOOSING COURSES AND ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT • Students must choose courses that will fulfill their degree requirements • Graduate students may not take courses pass/no pass for degree credit • Graduate students must earn at least a “C” in a course for it to count toward their degree requirements • They should contact their advisor regularly • The first semester is critical; doing well is very important. • Students must pay attention to course level and take lower level courses before the higher level courses in a course sequence • This means DO NOT take a prerequisite course AFTER completing the course it is a prerequisite for: • EX: ISE 460 is a prereq for ISE 561. If you take ISE 561 and later take ISE 460, ISE 460 will NOT count! • MS students must earn at least a 3.0 GPA to graduate from USC

10. THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU REGISTER… • Verify your registration appointment time • Permit to Register link in OASIS • View and clear any restrictions before you attempt to register. • Restrictions (holds) link in OASIS • Contact your academic advisor, if necessary. • Contact information for advisors are available at http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/currentstudents/AcademicAdvisement.htm • Obtain and “D” class permission and pre-requisite waivers • 5-digit section numbers followed by “D” require departmental clearance/authorization before a student is permitted to register for a specific course. • Pre-requisite waivers vary by department. Please contact your academic advisor or MAPP for help with pre-requisites. • Activate your USC E-mail • https://email.usc.edu/ • Read the instructions on how to use Web Registration • http://www.usc.edu/dept/ARR/registration/webreginstructions.html

11. ONLINE ACADEMIC STUDENT INFORMATION SYSTEM(OASIS)www.usc.edu/oasis * Your default Password is your 6-digit birthday (mmddyy). This is also your PIN for Web Registration. ** You will be asked to change your default PIN after initial login. Your USC ID and Password/PIN is the same for OASIS & Web Registration. * If you are unable to login, please contact the MAPP Office.

12. USC E-MAILhttps://email.usc.edu USE e-mail is the official and preferred method of communication between USC departments and students. Failure to check your USC email for important notification is not an accepted excuse for missing deadlines, etc. If you have another email that you check regularly, you can set up your USC e-mail to forward to that account and create filters for unwanted e-mails. Find and activate your usc email here

13. MyUSChttps://my.usc.edu Login is your USC email username/pw

14. MyUSChttps://my.usc.edu You can access OASIS, Web Registration, e-mail, etc. will a single login.

15. D-CLEARANCE, PRE-REQUISITES, OR PLACEMENT EXAMS • D-Clearance • Anytime a 5-digit course section number ends with a "D", you need to obtain departmental clearance before you can register for the course. • Login to DEN, go to the D-Clearance Request Form link in located in DEN Tools • You can check the status of your d-clearance request through the D-clearance Status link in DEN Tools. • After your request has been processed, you can register for the course. • D-clearances expire 5-7 days from when it is issued (depending on the dept.) so register as soon as you obtain it to secure a seat in a course • Pre-requisites & Pre-requisite Waivers • Waiver of pre-requisites vary by academic department. Some departments require students to take the placement exam to waive pre-requisite requirements if the pre-requisite course was not completed at USC. Please contact MAPP to initiate any pre-requisite waiver requests. • Placement Exams • Certain Electrical Engineering courses require successful completion of placement exams before students are allowed to register for a course. • Please visit the EE website for placement exam information. • If you take exams remotely, contact the DEN Exams Coordinator.

16. WEB REGISTRATION www.usc.edu/webregistration *If you are unable to login due to “Invalid ID or PIN” please contact the USC Registration Dept. to request a PIN reset. Your login info is the same for OASIS. Review this before you register.

17. WEB REGISTRATION www.usc.edu/webregistration • Reasons why registration transactions fail: • class is closed • d-clearance was not obtained or expired • pre-requisite was not completed or waived • restriction or hold was not removed • Contact the MAPP Office for assistance.

18. USC websitehttp://www.usc.edu You can also access MyUSC, OASIS, Web Registration, e-mail, etc. from main USC site.

19. THINGS TO DO AFTER YOU REGISTER… • Verify your registration • Registered Course List link in OASIS • Check your billing balance & Settle your tuition • USCe.pay/Current Billing Balance link in OASIS • DEN Tuition Deferment Program • Check your book list for required textbooks via OASIS or the USC Bookstore • Book List link in OASIS • You can buy your textbooks from the USC Bookstore or another online retailer of your choice. • Obtain your USC ID card (optional) • A USC ID card identifies you as a currently enrolled student, and also entitles you to various other privileges and potential uses on and off campus. Obtaining a USC ID card is optional for DEN students. • http://mapp.usc.edu/distanceeducation/documents/ObtainingaUSCIDCard.pdf • Login to DEN and Accept the DEN Terms of Service in DEN Tools to trigger you course links to appear when DEN uploads registration information from the University. • Course links will not appear until 2-3 days before the start of the semester.

20. TUITION AND FEES • Engineering Access Fee • This fee creates a UNIX account for off-campus students, providing access to the University's computing and library services. • Norman Topping Student Aid Fund • This fee provides assistance to local area, low income students. • DEN Fee • This fee supports DEN's e-learning infrastructure, including advanced video streaming, note-capture, and interactive tools; staff for handling off-campus student enrollment, advisement and serving as the off-campus student liaison with other USC offices and departments; and exam scheduling and oversight. • Exam Proctoring Fee • Because USC exams must be proctored, DEN arranges for off-campus students to take their exams at certified testing centers. These centers may charge a fee ranging from $25 to $50 for their service.  The centers require payment at the time service is rendered; therefore the student pays this fee directly to the testing center.

21. HEALTH INSURANCE • USC requires that ALL students have supplemental health insurance. • You are automatically enrolled in the USC Health Insurance Plan if you are taking 6 or more units • If you already have a health insurance plan, you may be eligible to waive enrollment in the USC Health Insurance Plan by providing proof of comparable coverage. Enrollment may be waived only if documented proof of comparable coverage from another plan is presented to the Student Health Insurance Office and it meets the University’s requirements. • Health Insurance Waiver • Waiver Criteria • http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ins.waiver.criteria.shtml • Waiver Form • http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ins.waiver.form.shtml • Deadline to submit waiver form • http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/Health_Center/ins.waiver.criteria.shtml

22. USCe.pay Pay online through USCe.pay in OASIS or MyUSC. DEN Tuition Deferment Program The Tuition Deferment Program was established to assist students working in industry with the "up front" payment of tuition and mandatory fees if their companies reimburse after the semester is over and upon presentation of the final grade. The program only applies to tuition and mandatory fees. This program will also defer the DEN surcharge. Other fees such as parking will not be deferred. For requirements and information on how to participate, and paperwork deadlines, please refer to the Tuition Deferment Program page in the DEN website. http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/tuitionandfees/tuitiondeferment.html TUITION PAYMENT OPTIONS

23. ACCESSING YOUR DEN COURSESwww.mapp.usc.edu * Login to DEN here.

24. ACCESSING YOUR DEN COURSESwww.uscden.net * If you do not have a DEN profile, please create one.

25. DEN BLACKBOARD My Start Page Tab

26. DEN TOOLS Course evaluations can be submitted at the end of the semester here. * Request permission to register in courses that have a “D” after the 5-digit section number & check the status of your request. * The DEN Terms of Service must be accepted every semester before you can access your DEN courses. * The Academic Integrity Tutorial must be completed before you can access your DEN courses. * If you move, change jobs, or your contact info changes, please update your info here AND with the University through OASIS. * If you were previously a Limited student and now have been formally admitted, please update your status.

27. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY • Academic Integrity is extremely important at USC • Penalties for violations at the Master’s level are extremely severe • grade sanctions (e.g., “F” in course) or dismissal • On-line Tutorial • You must complete the Academic Integrity Tutorial located in your DEN Tools in order to access your DEN courses • You must PASS the Academic Tutorial or your access to DEN will be disabled until you pass the tutorial. • If you have any questions about academic integrity issues: • MAPP Office • Department Advisor • Faculty • SCampus • http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS

28. DEN BLACKBOARD Courses Tab • If searching by course, please select the link with the corresponding term. • EX: term 20103 is = year 2010 plus • 1= Spring • 2= Summer • 3= Fall) * If you do not see your courses 2-3 days before the start of the semester, check your registration through OASIS or Accept the DEN Terms of Service in DEN Tools.

29. ACCESSING LIVE & ARCHIVED LECTURES * Link to View Live lecture and studio call-in number will be posted here. * You’ll find your course documents and posted hw here to download and print for class. * Lectures are archived and available for viewing about 30 min. after the live lecture takes place.

30. DEN’S E-LEARNING SYSTEM Tech Requirements: Cable modem, DSL, T1/T3 or higher & Windows Media Player Class notes are enlarged for better viewing; and can be downloaded and printed! Live chat and threaded discussions open in separate windows from here Navigation bar for jumping to different parts of the lecture Video window and controls

31. Call In During Live Lecture Virtual Meetings & Presentations Live Chat &Threaded Discussion DEN’S E-LEARNING SYSTEM

32. HOMEWORK • For off-campus USC DEN students, homework can be submitted via email, fax, or regular mail (if necessary). You may check your submitted homework by logging onto the DEN portal and selecting your course. To do this, you will select the "DEN Homework" link, and then select "Check Submitted Homework.” Similarly to check your graded assignments, click on "Download Graded Homework & Exams.” • Please see http://mapp.usc.edu/distanceeducation/policiesandprocedures.html for more information regarding homework.

33. EXAMS • DEN's Exams Coordinator will notify students via e-mail of their examination date, time, and location approximately one week before the test. Midterm exam dates will be announced by the course instructor and final exam dates are available through the Schedule of Classes which is available on the University website. • The student is responsible for taking the examination at the time scheduled. No exceptions are permitted. Unforeseen, documented, emergency circumstances which cause a student to miss a scheduled exam will be reviewed on a case by case basis. • For off-campus students who work or reside in Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties, examinations will be taken at USC’s main campus on the date and time stated on the course syllabus. • For off-campus students located outside of Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties, DEN will arrange for exams to be proctored at local testing centers. • Please see http://mapp.usc.edu/distanceeducation/policiesandprocedures.html for more information on exam procedures.

34. MAPP Student Handbook http://mapp.usc.edu/mastersprograms/currentstudents/StudentHandbook.htm **Please note that the University Catalogue supersedes any information included in this handbook.**

35. Patty Trinidad Student Services Manager Master’s and Professional Programs (MAPP) 213-740-4488 ptrinida@usc.edu Carolyn Suckow Director, Student Affairs Master’s and Professional Programs (MAPP) 213-740-4488 jecks@usc.edu Websites: MAPP – http://mapp.usc.edu MAPP Main Office 213-740-4488 denadmin@usc.edu Student Affairs 213-740-0123 studentaffairs@den.usc.edu Exams Information 213-821-3136 denexam@usc.edu Document Support Center (Homework & Course Materials) 213-740-9356 denhw@usc.edu Technical Support 213-821-1321 webclass@usc.edu CONTACT INFO

36. THANK YOU! HAVE A GREAT SEMESTER! FIGHT ON!