Written by Ellie Maddinson
Hey there, my name is Ellie, and I’m currently studying a Bachelor of Adult and Vocational Education online. Like many, I chose online study for its flexibility – balancing work and life commitments with study is important to me. While online learning has plenty of benefits, it can sometimes feel isolated, which was why Online Orientation was a game-changer for me.
Getting started
When I first received the Welcome to Charles Sturt email about tips on how to get started with my study, I scanned its contents, flagged the email with the intention to return to it later. But I forgot. And to be honest, I was a bit hesitant about whether online orientation was going to be beneficial to me as I’ve attended university before, and I work in education. I have seen many online orientation courses, and most were pretty average. But I was soon to be pleasantly surprised.
In readiness for my study, I decided to navigate the Student Portal. How hard could it be, right? Well, it wasn’t hard at all – but I didn’t have the understanding I needed to be able to navigate it with ease. I was being clunky in the way I was trying to find things on the portal and Brightspace. I was wasting time. The ultimate enemy for any online student.
Starting my academic journey on the right foot
I wanted to start my academic journey on the right foot, so I found the Welcome to Charles Sturt email in my inbox that I had flagged, and decided to give it online orientation a try. Once I had jumped into the site, I realised I had missed some of the live sessions. Disappointed, my eye found the magical words – ‘on-demand recordings’. It was reassuring to know that I could still participate in the orientation sessions in my own time and from the comfort of my home, while still getting familiar with university life at Charles Sturt.
Orientation to online learning
The Orientation to online learning session had everything to get me started (especially with navigating the Student Portal and Brightspace). Here’s what I learnt:
- How to navigate the Student Portal
- Checkpoints – every student has at least one non-course compulsory subject that must be completed
- Support services available
- ART – the APA7 referencing tool
- Academic skills advisors and Studiosity
- How to navigate Brightspace
Live sessions
When I did attend live sessions, I was pleasantly surprised by the sense of connection I felt. Online orientation isn’t just about checking off housekeeping tasks; it helped me understand what resources were available to support my studies and feel that sense of connection you get if you were attending as an on-campus student.
Should you do it?
If you’re thinking about skipping orientation, I encourage you to reconsider. Participating in these events gave me a solid foundation, introduced me to valuable resources, and helped build connections that will be important throughout my studies. Plus, you’ll feel more confident and prepared to start your course. I know I have.
Session 3 Online Orientation runs from 28 October to 8 November. Register here to join in on the fun!
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative
