The PLUS Program - Getting Started
What is the PLUS Program?
So what does that mean?
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Classes are hosted through AIPOD
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Instructors are AIPOD instructors, NOT AIS instructors,
nor are they located on-campus
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Classes are equivalent but vary from on-campus
versions, including title and course number. However,
your schedule, transcript, etc, will use the campus
course number.
•
Classes are intense 5 ½ week sessions
The PLUS program is online classes hosted by The Art
Institute of Pittsburgh-Online Division (AIPOD)
Class Involvement
Are you a procrastinator? PLUS may not be for you!
Expectations:
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Rigorous Course load.
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11 weeks of material is compressed into 5.5 weeks.
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Utilization of your independent learning skills.
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Large Amount of Writing.
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One of the main sources of participation in PLUS classes are
discussions and critiques via a message board-style system.
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Class Participation.
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Just logging in will not count!
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There is no set number of minutes you need to be in the
classroom, but you will need to contribute to be marked
present.
•
Just like on campus, attendance is
taken in PLUS courses.
•
To be marked present for the week,
you
must login and participate at
least 4 different days
. Note: Many
online students later report feeling
the need to login every day in order
to stay abreast of discussions, etc.
•
You are not required to login at any
specific time, but note that
AIPOD
defines a day as ending at 10:59
p.m., Seattle time.
•
Posting homework
•
Adding comments to a threaded
discussion
•
Taking an exam or quiz
EXAMPLES OF VALID PARTICIPATION
The Attendance Policy
Remember:
Failure to log
activity can result
in probation
and/or a failing
grade for the
course!
Policies
•
A cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 is required to take online courses.
•
You may take no more than 40% of your program of study online, and
no more than 2 PLUS courses per quarter.
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You must be registered for at least one campus class –
NO ONLINE
ONLY
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We STRONLY encourage you to have tested out or completed
COM83 College Preparatory Writing due to the amount of writing
involved in the course.
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If you intend on taking two PLUS courses per quarter, we recommend
taking one course per session if possible.
•
Please note that online class tuition is not eligible for funding under
Textbook Information
•
Most
PLUS classes utilize eBooks, which are digital textbooks.
• A Digital Resource Fee is automatically added to your tuition at the time of
registration. They are also eligible for financial aid.
• $50 for classes using one eBook
• $75 for classes using two or more eBooks
• There is no need to purchase an additional hard-copy.
• If you have not used eBooks before, you can find instructions inside the online
classroom.
•
For classes using a traditional textbook:
• Books for online classes are not available at the AiS Supply Store.
• You can purchase traditional textbooks either through the online bookstore
(http://bookstore.mbsdirect.net/aio.htm) or other online book dealers, but make sure you get the correct edition and year.
• You can find out all the book information for each PLUS class by going to
You will need to complete the online registration form, and submit it
to the Registrar’s Office. The Registrar’s Office will manually add your
online classes to your schedule.
No Online Registration.
REGISTRATION PROCESS
How do I register for Online classes in the future?
How do I submit my schedule?
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Register for the number of credits which match your minimum plan
credits. The minimum plan credits are based on your financial aid
plan.
•
If your schedule without the online course does not match your
minimum plan credits, register for an additional on-campus class as
a placeholder until the online course is added. Then submit your
registration.
Reminder: Notify the Registrar’s Office of the
placeholder class.
Using a G.I. Bill Benefit? Read This!
In order to be eligible for your full monthly stipend, you must be a full-time student
(minimum 12 credits) throughout the
entire
quarter. Online classes complicate this
because they only run half the quarter. Examples below.
Student A
15 credits total 9 credits on campus +3 credits
Online session 1 = 12 credits per VA
100% BAH or monthly stipend
+3 credits Online session 2 = 12 credits by VA
100% BAH or monthly stipend
Both students are full-time by the Art Institute of Seattle’s standards. However, Student B is only full-time for the first half of the quarter by VA standards – once the online class ends student B is only attending 9 credits, which lowers the BAH or monthly stipend.
Student A 15 credits total 9 credits on campus +3 credits
Online session 1 = 12 credits per VA
100% BAH or monthly stipend
+0 credits Online session 2 = 9 credits by VA
80% BAH or ¾ monthly stipend
•
Login to myaicampus.com
•Locate your classes on the
main page (right side of
website).
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Click on “Launch Class” to
enter the classroom.
Note:
Access to an online
class begins on the first day
of the course’s start date.
•
Session 1 is available
Monday of week 1.
•
Session 2 is available
Thursday of week 6.
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Click on the “Academic
Expectations” tab on the left
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Read through all the course
materials
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Post in the discussion area
Note: Many instructors will not
let you turn in assignments until
you complete this step.
I’ve logged in – now what?
Student Support
•
Academic or Policy Issues
• If you have a question about a grade, an academic policy, or anything else related
to your class, you should contact your instructor first and foremost. If you have exhausted all avenues and not received a satisfactory answer, you should get in touch with the Online Advocate located in the Registrar’s Office.
•
Technical Issues
• For any technical issues, including accessing your class, resetting your password,
etc., please contact Tech Support at 1.866.642.2711.
• A good practice is to have a backup location for completing your online
coursework in case of power outage, equipment failure, etc. Note that online instructors may work with you in that situation, but you are still expected to complete your work in a timely fashion.
Important Dates and Deadlines
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Registration
• Opens Monday of week 5 and continues until the Thursday before the next
quarter starts. After that deadline we can only adjust PLUS classes already on your schedule.
•
Schedule Adjustment Period
• The schedule adjustment period for Session 1 mirrors that of campus classes –
you have until Monday of week 2 to drop a class without penalty.
• Session 2 has a second, shorter schedule adjustment period that runs from the
first day of Session 2 until the following Monday. You may drop a Session 2 online class up to this deadline without penalty.
• After the schedule adjustment period has ended you can withdraw and receive a
grade of W until Friday of Week 5 for session 1 and Friday of Week 9 for session 2.
•
Session 1 and Session 2 dates
• Session 1 begins on the first day of on-campus classes and runs until Wednesday
of week 6.
• Session 2 begins Thursday of week 6 and ends on the last day of on-campus
classes.
Don’t Forget – Bookmark This Site!
AISACADEMICS.com/ONLINE contains:
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Quarterly calendar of important dates
•Classes that are being offered online
•Online class syllabi
•
