ARTS AND SCIENCE ONLINE | JANUARY 2021 ENEWSLETTER
Things to do this month

Important dates

WINTER 2021

January 10, 2021: Tuition due date (see the registrar's website for more information about paying tuition)
January 11, 2021: Classes start
January 22, 2021: Last day to drop without financial penalty
January 22, 2021: Last day to add classes
March 5, 2021: Last day to drop winter term and multi term courses without academic penalty
March 7, 2021: Last day to change exam centre
March 7, 2021: Last day to submit exam accommodation requests (If applicable) (note: students who need long term accommodation should reach out to QSAS for assistance early in the term)
April 9, 2021: Classes end
April 14-30, 2021: Exam Period

Note: For information about fee refunds, including the drop date schedule, please see this page on the Registrar's website.


Welcome to you first week of Winter 2021 courses

Hello,  
 
Welcome to your first week of Winter Term classes! You can access your course(s) through onQ at onq.queensu.ca. If you're looking for some pointers on how to navigate onQ, you can find a great tutorial on our website here.
 
If you are new to Arts and Science Online and weren't able to attend the orientation webinar, or if you aren't new and would simply like a refresher, you can watch the recording here. Before diving into your course(s), we suggest you take a few moments to explore the Learning Resources section of our website and the Queen's Student Academic Success Services website for helpful tips and resources for online learning. If you require academic accommodation or are seeking health, counseling, or accessibility services, please reach out to Queen's Student Wellness Services to explore options early in the term. We also encourage you to join our Online Students Facebook Group for additional peer support and collaboration.

There are a few important dates at the top of this email that you should mark in your calendar. In particular, you have until January 22, 2021 to drop/switch winter term courses without financial penalty. You can find step-by-step instructions for adding or dropping courses online, or you can contact us at [email protected] for assistance.

We also ask that whenever you write to us at [email protected], please use your Queen's email address and provide your Student ID number in the message. This will help the front desk team when answering your questions.
 
Best wishes,
Bev King (Assistant Dean, Arts and Science Online)
Student Academic Success Services (SASS)

Appointments:
 
SASS offers one-on-one appointments through video conferencing software specially designed for writing and academic skills support. Students can book appointments with our team of professional staff and senior student volunteers at http://queensu.mywconline.com. Appointments are available every day of the week and throughout the day. Options include:
 
  • Learning strategies: to discuss time management, reading, notetaking, exam prep and test anxiety, focus, motivation, etc.
  • Writing: to work on written essays, reports, and papers in any discipline and at any stage of the writing process.
  • English as an additional language: to work with a specialist on speaking, writing, reading and listening skills for university-level work.
 
Appointments are free and available to all Queen’s students, including part-time and distance students.

Online Workshops:

Each term, Queen's Student Academic Success Services runs several online workshops to help improve students' academic skills. Check out these upcoming sessions:

  • Studying Efficiently: How to Get it All Done (January 11 at 1 and 6 pm EST)
  • Reading Faster, Reading Better (January 12 at 1 and 6 pm EST)
  • Ideas for Better Notetaking (January 13 at 1 and 6 pm EST)


Online Resources:

SASS also has a number of online resources for distance students. Check them out here.
Winter 2021 course enrolment in SOLUS

You have until January 22, 2021 to drop/switch winter term courses without financial penalty. This page of our website provides the list of winter courses; we recommend reviewing prerequisites and exclusions on our course pages before enrolling in SOLUS.

Need some ideas? Check out these interesting options that still have space:


See a full list of online courses here.

Directions on how to add courses in SOLUS can be found here.

Note: When doing an online class search in SOLUS, be sure to change the "course career" to "undergraduate online".

Note: All proctored final exams will be held online this winter due to social distancing required by impacts of COVID-19, and we are waiving the off-campus exam fee for winter courses.
Summer 2021 course enrolment in SOLUS

Summer 2021 enrolment is now open. You may enrol in your courses now for the summer term by adding courses in your SOLUS account. Directions on how to add courses in SOLUS can be found here.

Summer Term has three sessions: 6 and 12 week offerings
Please note that the summer term is broken into 3 separate sessions, May-June (6-weeks), May-July (12-weeks), and July-August (6-weeks). To see which courses are being offered in the summer, visit the course list on our website. You may Filter by Term to see the course offerings in each of the Summer Sessions.

Time Commitment: 20 hours vs 10 hours per week
When 6.0 unit courses and 6-week sessions of 3.0 unit courses are offered in the Summer term, they run at an accelerated pace. You cover the same material in half the time of when it is offered in the Fall and/or Winter terms. Therefore, the expectation is that you will spend approximately 20 hours per week on each of these courses. Taking more than 9.0 units in the summer is considered a heavy load because of this.

Extra note for Interest students
If you are an Interest student working to progress into a degree program, it is important that you earn a minimum of 1.6 as your cumulative GPA on the first 6.0 units of courses you take. If you do not meet that criteria you will be asked to leave Queen’s. We suggest looking at 12-week, 3.0 unit course offerings first as these will best mirror your experience taking a fall or winter term 3.0 unit course. Choose your summer course wisely!
Peer Mentor Program

Looking for someone to chat with and help guide you as you settle into your online courses? Check out the ASO peer mentor program!

ASO Peer Mentors can help you identify learning challenges and implement effective learning strategies, provide you with referrals to various personal and academic resources, and use their experience as online students to empathize and build a connection with you.

2021 ASO Student Lifestyle Survey

Stay tuned for the 2021 ASO Student Lifestyle Survey, coming to your email inbox this week! This survey is meant to gather information that will help us to:

  • improve your student experience through better communications and support
  • inform future course and program offerings
  • develop better recruitment strategies for future online students

By participating in the survey, you will be entered to win one of four $100 Queen's Campus Bookstore shopping sprees.
Drop-in Career Advising for Arts and Science Students

Friday January 22, 1:30-3:30 PM

If you've got urgent career questions related to your course add/drop decisions - this is for you!

Meet with a career counsellor with no appointment necessary in these special drop-in sessions on the FAS add/drop deadlines in both semesters.

Provide feedback on revised Harassment and Discrimination Policy

Queen's faculty, students, and staff are being asked for their feedback on a revised policy and its related procedures to address harassment and discrimination at the university.

Learn more and provide your feedback by January 29 at https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/consultation-harassment-discrimination
Bookstore hours

The Campus Bookstore will remain closed for in-person shopping in January, and staff will be fulfilling student textbook purchases online, or via scheduled pick up. Our pick up window will be open between 1-4 from January 4th-9th, and 10-4 from January 11th-16th. Regular hours of 10-4 Mon-Fri resume thereafter. Please note that there are limited daily pick up times available, so please place your order early.  Our objective is to provide required course materials to most students prior to the start of classes.
Contagion Culture Lecture Series

This series is a Faculty of Arts and Science collaboration which helps to make sense of this pandemic through the expertise and insights of Arts and Science faculty members.

The series is live-streamed on Zoom every Tuesday at 4:00 PM EDT/EST.

Upcoming events:

January 19 2021 - Responses to COVID-19: Perspectives from a Sino-US Joint Venture University
James Miller, Department of Interdisciplinary Strategy at Duke Kunshan University 
 
Speaking from Kunshan, China.  Please note that this lecture will take place at 8:00 AM ET
  
January 26, 2021-  Public Water and Covid-19: Dark Clouds and Silver Linings 
David McDonald, Global Development Studies at Queen's University

For more info on the series and to register please visit: https://www.queensu.ca/sps/events 
DDQIC Winter Pitch Competition

Do you need seed funding to advance your startup idea? Or do you need more training, funding and mentorship to grow your company? Check out the DDQIC Winter Pitch Competition! Applications are due on January 17.

Have questions?

Arts and Science Online is here to help you with registration, online course access, exam centres, course selection, program requirements, and general information about your courses or online studies. When writing to Arts and Science Online ([email protected]), please use your Queen's email address and provide your Student ID number in the message. This will help the front desk team when answering your questions.