Day: January 21, 2016

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Blackboard – What Is It and How to Access It

Blackboard landing page

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The Blackboard portal can be accessed from the main www.umb.edu page, at the top of the page header, next to the WISER link. You will use your student email and password to access it from there.

  • Always check WISER to verify your course enrollment.
  • Blackboard will not ‘go live’ or be accessible until sometime next week.
  • WISER is the official record keeping system for the university that tracks your enrollment. If WISER states that you are enrolled in a class, then you are officially enrolled in that class.
  • DO NOT use Blackboard to verify your class enrollment. Blackboard is a supplemental tool for on-ground classes.
  • If you are enrolled in an online class, you will use Blackboard exclusively starting  the week of Feb 1. WISER will still be the official record keeper of your enrollment. Check WISER to verify your enrollment and class start dates.
  • If you are enrolled in an on-ground class, your professor may or may not use Blackboard. Check with the professor directly to determine if Blackboard will be used for a specific class.

Blackboard functions as a separate portal for any online aspects for the on-ground classes. All fully online  classes will use Blackboard as the primary mode of communication, content and access, so be sure to check it regularly once online classes begin if you are enrolled in an online class. Online classes begin one week after on-ground classes begin.

Any other on-ground class may or may not use Blackboard to varying extents. Some professors will use it sparingly, maybe putting up the syllabus and a reading or two. Others will use it extensively to facilitate threaded chats, assignments, and regular communication.

 

 

Be sure to make use of the Getting Technical Help section if you are running into issues trying to log in or other tech-type glitches. 

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UMass Boston Tobacco Free Campus Policy

Tobacco Free

—Tobacco Free
A memo issued from James Overton, Interim Co-Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Robert Pomales, Executive Director, University Health Services outlines the Campus wide Tobacco-Free policy in effect as of January 19, 2016.

For information about Smoking Cessation, resources and support, please visit the UMass Boston University Health Services – Tobacco-Free Living  page.

— Memo Begins–

This memo is to inform you of the implementation of the UMass Boston Tobacco-Free Campus Policy.   This policy will be implemented on January 19, 2016.

There is considerable evidence that concentrations of smoke are harmful to nonsmokers, as well as smokers. Findings of the Surgeon General indicate that tobacco use in any form, active and passive, is a significant health hazard. The University of Massachusetts Boston has a responsibility to its faculty, staff, students, and visitors to provide a safe and healthy environment.

The Tobacco-Free Campus Policy is intended to eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke, provide an environment supportive of tobacco free lifestyles, mitigate the risk of accidental fire, eliminate the health risks associated with expectoration from smokeless tobacco, and eliminate the environmental impact of cigarette litter.

With this action, the University of Massachusetts Boston will join the other four campuses of the UMass System, which have implemented a tobacco-free campus policy.

This Policy applies to anyone within the UMass Boston campus including students, staff, faculty, contractors, and visitors.

Definitions:
Tobacco: For the purposes of this policy, “tobacco” refers to any and all tobacco and/or nicotine products, whether inhaled or ingested, as well as electronic cigarettes.

Policy:

  1. In compliance with state law, the use of tobacco is prohibited in all buildings, including all buildings owned or leased by the University of Massachusetts Boston.
  2. The use of tobacco is also prohibited on all university grounds, including the Bayside property.
  3. The use of tobacco is prohibited inside all university owned or leased vehicles, regardless of location.
  4. Applications for exceptions to this policy may be sought (e.g., for religious celebrations or practices, artistic performances, and smoking research).

The chancellor has appointed a Tobacco-Free Policy Committee representative of students, faculty, and staff to promote the success of this policy. Members include representatives from:

Student Affairs
University Health Services
Faculty Council
Human Resources
Environmental Health and Safety
Undergraduate Student Government

Faculty and staff shall have access to on campus coaching and counseling, including private consultation and group cessation programming, through the University Health Services and through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

The university will develop and fund a smoking cessation program to assist students, faculty, and staff who wish to quit smoking.
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For more information about Smoking Cessation, resources and support, please visit the University Health Services – Tobacco-Free Living page.

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Finding Your Classroom Location – UMass Center

One Beacon Header Image

If your room is listed in Wiser as UMassCenter 1 Beacon St Boston, your class will be held off of the main harbor campus. It will instead be held in downtown Boston, at the One Beacon Building, in the lower level.

Example – Room: UMassCenter 1 Beacon St Boston

One Beacon Wiser image

You can get to One Beacon by way of the MBTA, using either the Red line or Green line stops of Park Street or Downtown Crossing.

One Beacon Boston map Highlighted Park St and Downtown MBTA stops

One Beacon Building Highlighted with MBTA stops Park St and Downtown Crossing. 

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Finding Your Classroom Location- Harbor Campus

Campus Map example

If you are trying to determine the location of where your class will be meeting, good news! We’re here to de-code the coding on your class schedule from Wiser.

The first thing to do is log into Wiser, and then look under the heading “My Schedule” – it should be in the center of the landing page when you log in.

Remember, Wiser is the official record system for your classes, so you should start here to verify your class schedule and enrollment. Unless you are enrolled in an online only class, consider Blackboard to be a supplementary tool which some professors may use for their classes.

Blackboard does not ‘go-live’ until the first week of classes, so until then it may look blank for you when logging in there. If you are in an online-class, Blackboard will be your main point of contact for that specific class.

Second, you can use the Campus Map navigate to the Building that your class is in.

Finding Your Classroom Location
In Wiser, you will notice codes such as the following:

Example –  Room: Wheatley W01-0044wheately example

This will be held in the Wheatley Building, on the 1-st floor, in Room # 44. You can find the Wheatley Building and the rest of the campus buildings on the campus map. Wheately is noted as location #12 on the map.

Campus Map example

Campus map marked to illustrate the examples above.

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