Ferrum College provides a number of academic resources to support the programs for both students and faculty. Online students shall have reasonable and adequate access to the range of student services and student rights appropriate to support their learning and successful matriculation and comparable to those offered to on-campus users. Services include the following: admissions, student accounts (refunds, billing, etc.), the online bookstore, course catalog, academic advising, technical assistance, registration (Add/Drop), withdrawal from courses, transfers, reinstatements, financial aid information, academic calendar, student records, library services, services for those that need academic accessibility support (Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation), policies, procedures, and protocols for taking courses.
The services offered are consistent with the College mission and provide support and programming to promote student success. Each of the following service areas work with the students and faculty in the pursuit of academic success and play a significant role in the academic lives of Ferrum College’s students.
Academic Advising
Ferrum College graduate students have access to experienced Academic Advisors through email, telephone, and video conferencing services. Students are referred to the appropriate Advisor or department by the course instructor. The Academic Advisor will be assigned by the Director of the School of Graduate and Online Education Studies. Advising services can be reached by online students on the Advising Resources webpage.
Carter Center for Academic Success
The Carter Center provides online support via Video Chat, Phone, or email for academic advising and tutoring. Brightspace, the College’s Learning Management System (LMS) is configured as an early alert to send weekly automated reports to the ARC counselors that include students and faculty login and communication habits. This remote counseling and/or advising takes place with our staff and faculty, who provide online tutoring for the proposed programs. These services are offered free of charge to all online students and are designed to support all their academic needs.
In addition, the Office of Academic Accessibility assists students with advocacy and provides support and accommodations for students who seek help and provides appropriate documentation of a disability.
The Dean of the School of Graduate and Online Education Studies monitors all online courses to certify the courses offered are compliant with the College Academic Accessibility policies and that students are informed (via the Online Orientation course and Ferrum Online Learning webpage) regarding the timeline and procedures to submit and verify documentation to request academic accommodations.
Counseling Services
The mission of the Counseling Center is to assist all students in achieving and maintaining their health. Ferrum College Counseling Center will partner with distance learning students to find a provider in their area that can adequately meet their needs. Learn more about them by visiting their website at https://www.ferrum.edu/student-affairs/counseling/.
Early Alert System
Faculty and staff can report student concerns using an Early Alert reporting form (https://ferrumcollege.wufoo.com/forms/care-report-form/). Faculty and staff use the form when they observe any student struggling academically or personally, or to report family or other personal issues that might affect the student’s performance or well-being. Academic professionals then contact students to help them get appropriate support.
Financial Aid
Each graduate student has a dedicated Financial Aid Counselor to utilize as a resource for financial aid questions. Financial Aid counselors may be reached via phone or email: finaid@ferrum.edu or by phone at 800-868-9797.
The Financial Aid Portal and Financial Aid website (http://www.ferrum.edu/financial-aid/) are available to students for real time information on documentation needed, financial aid awards, additional resources and contact information for the office. Once the level-change is approved, a specific section on the Financial Aid website will provide information relevant for graduate aid programs.
Math Center
The Math Center provides assistance to students taking any mathematics course or math-related course offered at Ferrum College. Assistance is provided for homework, test preparation or projects. Math faculty are available according to scheduled hours to provide tutoring and help during the week. The Online Math Center page is located in Brigthspace, which is accessible to all undergraduate and graduate students at Ferrum College.
Office of Academic Accessibility (OAA)
Ferrum College admits qualified students regardless of disability and welcomes the full participation of students with disabilities. The OAA coordinates with various campus partners to ensure equal access to College programs, facilities and services.
Students with disabilities who require accommodations should contact the OAA as early as possible prior to the start of their first academic semester, or upon onset of disability, to initiate the intake and eligibility process. Students who seek academic accommodations must submit current disability documentation to the Director of the OAA to request the desired accommodations. Students should contact Nancy Beach, the Director of the OAA, at nbeach@ferrum.edu for inquiries regarding academic accommodations and accessibility.
Office of Career Services
For graduate students preparing to enter the workforce, the Ferrum College Career Services Department has developed job search resources that outline a step-by-step process for exploring careers beyond academia. The Office of Career Services encourages each student to contact the Director to discuss a plan of action regarding their career and employment search. Areas of assistance include Internet search, internships, resume writing, interviewing skills, and critiquing video-taped mock interviews. Employment search workshops will also be conducted throughout the semester and advertised to students and faculty. Any Ferrum College student, including graduate students, may arrange a phone consultation or mock interview session using Zoom, Skype, or another online platform. The website can be accessed at the following link: https://www.ferrum.edu/career/.
Office of the Registrar
The Office of the Registrar is dedicated to providing efficient services to the College’s graduate student community. Registration is available online for all students via Panther Portal and Registrar website. The process is the same for distance education students as for on-campus students. The student identification number and pin are required for registration and are to be provided to distance education students in a timely manner. The home page serves as a useful resource for the most current information available. The website can be accessed at the following link:http://www.ferrum.edu/academics/registrars-office/
Online Bookstore
Ferrum College uses Akademos, a full-service online bookstore that provides access to textbooks and other course materials. All courses, required materials, and pricing options are displayed in a personalized, easy-to-use page when you log in with the student’s Panther ID credentials. The online bookstore may be accessed by using the following link: https://ferrum.textbookx.com/institutional/index.php
Spiritual Life
Ferrum College Spiritual Life Office is located on lower level Franklin Hall, Room 108. Each semester Spiritual Life offers on campus worship, small group and outreach opportunities that are open to all Ferrum College students, faculty, and staff. The Chaplain offers in office, phone, and virtual spiritual guidance/counseling If you would like to set an appointment, please contact the Chaplain by leaving a confidential message (O) 540-365-4285 or (C) 540-589-9118. The Chaplain may also be reached via email jcnicholson@ferrum.edu.
Stanley Library and Information Services
The Stanley Library provides access to almost 400,000 electronic books and 190,000 electronic journals in 85 plus full-text databases. Distance learners accessing electronic resources through the Library website ((http://www.ferrum.edu/stanley-library/) will be prompted to authenticate using their Ferrum College credentials.
Library staff can be contacted via telephone (540-365-4424), email (stanleylibrary@ferrum.edu), or Chat on the Library website. Emails will generally receive a response within 24 business hours and chat service is provided whenever the library is open https://www.ferrum.edu/stanley-library-hours/. Research consultations are available by appointment.
Distance Learners can request to have books or articles sent directly to them using the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) form (https://www.ferrum.edu/stanley-library-request-forms/). Materials owned by Ferrum College will be shipped within two business days of the ILL request. Books not owned by Ferrum College will be requested from another library and shipped the next business day after being received at the Stanley Library. Most articles can be delivered electronically.
To qualify for distance learner library services, you must be a Ferrum College instructor or Ferrum College student registered in a Ferrum online course and currently living greater than 50 miles from campus. Distance learning students studying outside the U.S. are only eligible for delivery of Ferrum College-owned materials.
When placing requests be sure to choose the Distance Learner patron type, use your Ferrum College email address, and include your mailing address.
Contact ILL staff at stanleylibrary@ferrum.edu with any questions about delivery services. Return all borrowed items to Stanley Library at Ferrum College on time (allow time for return delivery) using the pre-paid shipping pack provided.
Ferrum College also has reciprocal/cooperative borrowing agreements with all the academic libraries in Virginia, as well as a number of libraries in the Appalachian College Association. For more information, see: https://vivalib.org/c.php?g=836990&p=5978057 or https://acaweb.org/bcla/reciprocal-use-program/.
Student Accounts
Online graduate students may access their tuition statement, view account activity and make a payment in a secure environment by logging into the Ferrum College Portal (https://portal.ferrum.edu/facstaff/Pages/default.aspx) and selecting WebAdvisor for students from the Self-Service Menu.
Student Life and Engagement
The Office of Student Life and Engagement will provide all online students the following documents: the Student Handbook, FERPA information and forms, and instructions on how to submit complaints and reports to staff. It will also direct students to the website for additional information and provide our contact information. We will also send the information out to the online only students through their Ferrum College email account. The website can be accessed at the following link: https://www.ferrum.edu/campus-life/.
Writing Center
The Writing Center is available to all students who seek to improve their writing skills in connection with any Ferrum College course. Students at all levels of ability are encouraged to contact the Writing Center for individual assistance at any stage of a writing project from brainstorming and planning to researching, drafting, and revising. For online students, these services are provided in the Online Writing Center located in Brightspace. Online students may submit papers for review by the Online Writing Center staff. Staff will return the paper with feedback to the student in the Online Writing Center Brightspace page.
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