HELP & FAQs
If you have a question or concern that is not addressed in the these FAQs, please submit the Help & Feedback Form or call Engineering Outreach at (800) 824-2889.
General FAQs
Admission
Registration & Fees
Graduate Programs
Academic Certificates
Course Delivery
Homework & Exams
Course Completion
Program Policies & Procedures
Technical FAQs
DVD Help
DVD system requirements
Delivery options & requirements
E-mail & Internet requirements
Admission
Q: If I choose not to take courses for one or more semesters, will my admission status and/or registration access be affected?
A: The College of Graduate Studies' policy is: Admission status and registration access are not altered or prohibited as long as you register for courses within two years of being previously registered. (See UI Catalog, Part III; B-1.) However, academic departments may have more stringent rules, so we advise you to check with your academic department if you are considering taking a semester off.
If you intend to enroll in courses after a break of more than two years, you will need to be re-admitted by the Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions Office one month prior to the semester in which you intend to register. It is recommended that you contact your departmental adviser to inform them of your situation, but it is not necessary to notify Engineering Outreach.
Q: If I want to take just one course, do I have to be admitted into a graduate program?
A: No, you can apply for admission as a non-degree student.
Q: Do I have to send transcripts if I want to be admitted as a non-degree student?
A: No.
Q: I have an undergraduate degree in ----------. Am I eligible for the ---------- graduate program?
A: Each academic department has its own admission requirements. They are listed in the program requirements for each degree program. See Degree Programs, and contact the academic department for advising if you have any questions.
Registration & Fees
Q: How do I register for a course?
A: First, be admitted to UI as a non-degree or graduate student. Then, fill out an online registration form (see How to Register) by the deadline listed in the EO Calendar.
Q: How many courses can I take in a semester?
A: Most of our students take only one or two courses per semester. We recommend that new students start by just taking one course. The maximum number of credits allowed per semester is 7 for non-degree students and 16 for graduate students.
Q: How much does it cost to take a course?
A: For current fees, see Fees. Fees include course delivery, and students may keep all materials sent to them.
Q: Do out-of-state students pay more?
A: EO students do not pay resident/nonresident fees. Fees are charged on a per credit basis.
Q: Are there any other fees in addition to the registration fees?
A: Yes. Textbooks are not included in the registration fee. Textbook information is available from the UI Bookstore at http://www.uidahobookstore.com.
Q: Can I audit an EO course?
A: Yes. Auditing students receive all course materials and handouts, but they are not expected to have any interaction with the course instructor. Auditing students pay the same fees as those who are taking the course for credit. Students must have the written permission of the instructor via e-mail to audit a course or change to audit status.
Q: Why must we fill out all the contact information each time we register?
A: We ask that all students fill out new registration forms each semester so we can verify that the information in our system is correct. This process facilitates accurate and timely delivery of course materials during the semester as we often find small address or proctor changes that we would not have discovered otherwise.
Q: Are EO students eligible for financial aid?
A: Students who have been accepted into a graduate program are eligible; non-degree students are not. Veterans or students who are currently serving in the U.S. military may also qualify for financial aid. See Military & Veteran tuition benefits.
Q: Will my transcripts indicate that I took these courses at a distance?
A: No, EO students’ transcripts and diplomas are identical to those of on-campus students.
Graduate Programs
Q: How quickly can I complete a graduate degree program?
A: Graduate students may take up to 16 credits per semester. The length of time needed to complete a degree depends on how often the academic department offers each required and elective course. Refer to the department’s course timeline, and contact the department for advising.
Q: How long do I have to complete a graduate degree program?
A: Each academic department sets its own guidelines for program completion. Students work with their academic advisers to prepare a study plan that allows them to complete their courses within the department's time limits.
Q: Do I ever have to come to campus to complete my degree?
A: Students working on a M.A.T. degree may complete all their coursework, and comprehensive exams required at the end of the program, at a distance. Most students in other departments are required to come to campus to take comprehensive exams or present a thesis, after they have finished all their coursework. Usually one day on campus is sufficient.
Q: How do I get an adviser?
A: Academic departments do all advising for EO students. After you have received your admission confirmation, call the EO toll-free number, (800) 824-2889, and we will transfer you to the academic department so they can assign you an adviser.
Academic Certificates
Q: What is an academic certificate?
A: A certificate is a coherent body of work designed to reflect specialized expertise and signifies that a student has successfully completed a series of courses predetermined by the academic department; the courses designated in a certificate already exist in a department's approved curriculum. In contrast, "certification programs" certify specific skills and are similar to degree programs because they typically incorporate courses from different curriculums, may require the creation of new courses, and can require the approval of state licensing boards and other authorities.
Q: What is meant by "successfully completed?"
A:To qualify for a College of Engineering certificate, a grade of 'B' or better must be earned in each course.
Q: How many credits are required to earn a certificate?
A: Certificates include a minimum of 12 credits of coursework, from a selection of required courses and electives, as determined by the department offering the certificate. Coursework must not be more than five years old unless used in conjunction with the completion of a graduate degree.
Q: What are the prerequisites prior to starting a certificate?
- A completed undergraduate degree in a related field with a minimum cumulative 2.80 GPA, as approved by the certificate coordinator in consultation with the department chair;
- Admission to the University of Idaho;
- All students must declare the certificate program by submitting an Academic Certificate Declaration (part of the Change of Curriculum form) to the certificate coordinator for department chair approval;
- Students must contact the certificate coordinator prior to starting a certificate.
Q: Can certificate course credits be transferred into a graduate program?
A: Conditionally, yes. With graduate committee/department approval, up to 12 approved credits may be applied toward a graduate degree at UI (refer to UI General Catalog, Part 4, College of Graduate Studies, General Requirements for Master’s Degrees).
Q: How much time is allowed to complete a certificate?
A: Coursework must not be more than five (5) years old unless it is being used in conjunction with the completion of a graduate degree.
Q: Who determines students’ eligibility and provides advising?
A: The certificate coordinator, in consultation with the department chair, manages this process. Engineering Outreach facilitates course delivery and related processes, including registration.
Q: How is the award issued?
- After the student completes the course requirements, the student signs and submits the Tracking/Verification Form to the certificate coordinator;
- The certificate coordinator verifies that the student has met all requirements; the certificate coordinator and department chair approve the Tracking/Verification Form;
- The approved Tracking/Verification Form is used as documentation to print the award. The award is printed and returned to the certificate coordinator for signatures (certificate coordinator, department chair, and college dean);
- The department sends a copy of the award and the Tracking/Verification Form to the Registrar’s Office for notation on the student’s transcript;
- The coordinator presents (or mails) the award to the student.
Course Delivery
Q: When do your courses begin and end?
A: Our courses are offered during fall, spring, and summer semesters. The start and completion dates for courses are listed in the EO Calendar.
Q: Does EO offer online courses?
A: The term "online" means different things to different people. Most EO courses do have a Web-based component, but the lectures are recorded on DVDs, so we refer to EO-delivered courses as DVD/Web-supported courses. Supplemental course materials, such as the course syllabus, handouts, and homework assignments, are provided either at the course Web site developed by the instructor or at the shipping schedule for the course on the EO Web site.
Some UI departments, such as business and psychology, offer additional courses for students at a distance that are available exclusively through the Internet but are not offered through Engineering Outreach. All "online" courses have a "WWW" notation after the instructor's name on the UI Class Schedule. Students register for these Internet-based courses through the UI VandalWeb system.
Q: Why aren't all course Web pages standardized? I like Blackboard because my instructor posts all her notes on her Blackboard course page.
A: The University of Idaho supports Blackboard as an online course management system, but some instructors prefer to develop and maintain their own course Web pages. We plan to post all course materials that are not copyright protected on the Web beginning Fall 2005, either on the instructor's Web site or on the EO shipping pages, depending on the instructor's preference.
Q: Why not make all the professors use Blackboard so we can have access to chat rooms and interact with our fellow students?
A: Some instructors prefer to develop and maintain their own course Web pages rather than use Blackboard as their course management system. We do encourage all instructors to consider using some kind of chat room or e-mail list-serve for their courses. We also send a roster of EO students’ e-mail addresses to each EO student registered in each class at the beginning of the semester.
Q: What if I have trouble viewing my DVD?
A: Call our associate director, Terri Gaffney, at (800) 824-2889, for technical assistance. If it appears that your DVD is defective, we will send a replacement by Federal Express.
Q: How do I find the textbook for my course or if a textbook is required?
A: Textbook information is listed in course descriptions for all courses. See Courses Offered. Textbooks may be ordered from the UI Bookstore. See Textbooks, Software & Computer Products.
Q: When will my course lectures be sent to me?
A: Our Web site has a shipping schedule for each course, which shows the date each lecture is shipped and notes when exams are given. See Shipping Schedules.
Q: Shouldn't my DVDs arrive here on the first day of classes on campus?
A: We begin shipping the pre-recorded courses on the first day of each semester, as that is when our production work for the first shipment is complete. There is nothing produced for the live courses until the lectures begin on the first day of classes.
Q: Why is there only one lecture per DVD for some classes and three lectures per DVD for other classes? It would be nice to have all three lectures each week on one DVD.
A: There is a trade-off between the quality of the recorded lectures and the amount of video recorded on each DVD. If we place more than one lecture on a DVD, the digital data is compressed, which reduces the quality of the video.
When we upgraded our scan converters in Fall 2004, we decided to record just one lecture per DVD to improve the video quality. Courses recorded prior to Fall 2004 will have three lectures per DVD.
Q: Why are lectures for courses recorded this semester shipped on different days for different courses, and why aren't they shipped more frequently?
A: In an effort to minimize the number of people shipping your course materials (and keep costs lower for you), we spread our shipping tasks over the entire week. Therefore, we ship about one-fifth of the live courses on Monday, one-fifth on Tuesday, etc. If you are taking two courses, they may be shipped on different days, depending on our shipping schedule.
We save all the materials that have been produced during a week's time and send them to you at once. This again reduces both labor and shipping costs for you.
Q: Why do I receive three DVDs some weeks and at other times just one or two?
A: For live courses, the number of DVDs shipped to you each week depends on the instructor's schedule, the exam schedule, and school holidays. Normally, you will receive three lectures each week for a three-credit course, during the fall or spring semester, and twice that number for summer courses, which are accelerated. However, if an instructor skips a lecture, if an exam is given, or if a school holiday begins or ends during the shipping week, you will receive fewer DVDs that week.
Q: I would like to receive the DVDs for my pre-recorded course in one shipment. Why can't you ship them all at once?
A: We ship the DVDs in three installments for the spring and fall semesters, and in two installments during the summer. We do this because we ship approximately 4,500 DVDs each semester and do not have the staffing or equipment to produce the entire course at one time for all the students registered. Also, our shipping schedule corresponds with the UI refund schedule, with the last shipment sent after the last date to drop a course so students dropping courses may retain all materials sent prior to their request to drop the course.
Q: How can I get a copy of the course syllabus?
A: Links to an online syllabus, or a course Web site containing a syllabus, are usually posted by the beginning of the semester. See the online course description for your course in Courses Offered. If the course does not have a Web site, you will receive a packet of course handouts with the first lecture delivery.
Q: The binders you send for the course are not large enough to hold all the handouts I download for the course.
A: The binders are intended for the storage of the DVDs we produce. You may need to purchase a second binder to hold your notes for some courses.
Q: What should I do with my DVDs and binder at the end of the semester?
A: You may keep them for your personal reference. The DVDs are intended for your use only, and may not be sold or redistributed. Reproduction of the DVDs is prohibited under copyright law.
Homework & Exams
Q: How and where do I send my homework?
A: All work should be sent directly to the instructor. Students can submit homework by mail, fax, or e-mail, depending on the instructor’s preference. See Homework & Instructors.
Q: Why does it take so long to get my homework back?
A: This is the most frequent question asked on our mid-term evaluations. We've tried to streamline our processes to get homework back to you as quickly as possible, without increasing the costs for you. You should be sending your homework directly to your instructor, via regular mail, fax, or by e-mail, depending on your instructor's preference. When the instructor grades your homework, he or she will return it to you by e-mail or will deliver it to us to be returned to you. We send all graded homework back to you the same day via first class mail, if you live within the United States, or we will ship it with your Fed Ex package, if you are an international student.
Q: Do I have to come to campus to take exams?
A: No, it is your responsibility to find someone in your local area who is willing to proctor exams and coordinate the exam process.
Q: Who is the proctor for my area, or how do I find a proctor?
A: Proctors may not be personal friends, family members, work subordinates, or EO students. Most students ask their work supervisors, training coordinators, or someone at a local school or library to proctor their exams. See Exams & Proctors.
Q: When will my exams be sent to my proctor?
A: Exams for courses recorded in a previous semester will be sent in one packet at the beginning of the semester. Exams for courses being recorded in the current semester will be sent as they are given on campus.
Q: What are the deadlines for taking my exams?
A: Students taking courses being recorded in the current semester will receive e-mail notification of exam deadlines when the exams are sent to their proctors. Individual exams for pre-recorded courses usually do not have specific deadlines; those for courses recorded during the current semester are usually due within 2 weeks of mailing. All course exams must be received in the Engineering Outreach office by the course completion deadline. See the EO Calendar.
Q: Why are most exams due two weeks after the ship date? I'd like more flexibility in completing my exams, or a longer time period.
A: The exam completion date is set by the instructor. Instructors normally choose the two-week deadline to ensure that EO students are keeping pace with their on-campus students. This time period allows most students sufficient time to view the necessary DVDs, schedule their exams with their proctors, and return their exams to Engineering Outreach. If you think two weeks is not sufficient for you, please contact your instructor to request a different deadline. Most instructors will allow you to change the deadline if you contact them in advance.
Q: Why does EO return homework and exams via 1st class mail? Why not use priority mail or e-mail?
A: We try to use the most cost effective method of delivering course materials within a reasonable time frame to reduce any fee increases for you. We think 1st class mail is still our best method of returning graded homework and exams, as it costs much less to return your work this way, and is delivered within the same timeframe as our regular packages.
Course Completion
Q: Do I ever have to come to campus to finish a course?
A: No, not to finish an individual course, but most graduate students visit our campus once, after they have completed all their courses, in order to take comprehensive exams or defend a thesis.
Q: What if I can’t finish my course on time?
A: Some instructors are willing to give students a grade of "Incomplete." Contact your course instructor to see if he/she will extend your course deadline by granting a grade of Incomplete. If the instructor agrees, submit the Request for Incomplete form. See UI regulations in Section 3, Part F, of the UI General Catalog.
Q: What is the deadline for dropping a course?
A: The deadlines vary each semester. Refer to the EO Calendar. Refund amounts, if any, are determined by the withdrawal date.
Q: Why haven’t I received a grade letter?
A: The university does not mail out grade letters. Students can look up their grades on VandalWeb at http://vandalweb.uidaho.edu. You will need your ID or social security number, and PIN to access this secure system. Please contact our Academic Support Services Coordinator for help.
Program Policies & Procedures
Q: Are your courses accredited?
A: Yes, the university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Degree programs in the College of Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology Inc. (ABET). The computer science program is accredited by ABET's Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC).
Q: Who are the other students in my class?
A: For most courses and at your instructor's discretion, we will send you the e-mail addresses of classmates who wish to share this information at the start of the semester. We do not provide student addresses or phone numbers.
Q: I need to change my address (or other contact information). How do I do this?
A: You can provide the information over the phone, or by submitting the online Student Update form.
Q: Do I have to use the university's VandalMail e-mail system?
A: All graduate students are required to use UI e-mail addresses, which may be accessed through VandalMail. Some non-degree students are exempt from this requirement. See E-mail & Internet Requirements.
Q: I need help with VandalMail.
A: Visit http://vandals.uidaho.edu for basic information. If you have questions, contact our Academic Support Services Coordinator or the ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@uidaho.edu.
Q: My PIN doesn’t work.
A: Call our Academic Support Services Coordinator for assistance. If she is not available, we will transfer your call to the registrar’s office.
Q: Do EO students have access to the University of Idaho library?
A: Yes. Access to the library’s subscription databases is available at no charge by visiting the library’s Web site at http://www.lib.uidaho.edu. Reference assistance is offered through the library’s toll-free number, (800) 294-8097.
DVD Help
Q: What equipment works best for viewing Engineering Outreach DVDs?
There are two types of DVDs: the factory-produced DVD that movie theaters use, which is stamped and stores data physically, and the recordable type, which uses dyes to store data. Engineering Outreach uses the recordable type. Even though both types of DVDs store data equally well, some DVD players cannot read data as well. This results in more error correction needed by the player. Having plenty of RAM and processing power and/or having a good home DVD player is important.
If your DVD player does not play factory discs properly, it is more likely not to play recordable discs properly. Some things to consider are the condition of your DVD drive and the cables that connect it to the computer’s motherboard. Try checking or replacing the cables, and making sure your drive is set up to run in DMA mode instead of PIO mode, if possible. PowerDVD has a utility that checks for DMA mode compatibility. Check your computer manuals or consult a computer technician for help.
DVD playback on a computer takes a number of resources to work flawlessly. The more RAM you have, the better. Video and audio quality is dependent on the amount of memory to cache and process data. The video, and especially the audio, quality will be better if the computer has enough RAM for caching the data it is processing. If it falls behind, the audio will start stuttering and skipping to catch up, and the video will become blocky.
Q: Why is there an audio tone at the beginning of each lecture on the DVDs?
A: The audio tone is a standard television audio test signal that allows us to set the correct audio reference level for each master disk that we record. This is important for duplication and playback purposes and insures that our audio levels are maintained to NTSC broadcast standards and are consistent throughout EO's four production facilities.
Q: Why does the video become blocky and/or the audio stutters and skips on the DVD?
A: Your computer or DVD player has fallen behind with its error correction. Try stopping the DVD program and restarting the program again. If this fails, you may need to restart the computer or DVD player to clear the memory. If you have other programs running, close them to free up your computer's resources.
Q: Why is there no audio on the DVD?
A: You may need to change your audio settings. We do not use special audio formats, such as DTS or Dolby Digital 5.1. Try changing the audio setting to 2-channel PCM or normal format.
Q: When the instructor is using the computer, why is the video blurry on the DVD?
A: This is the result of the difference in scan rates between computers and video during the recording process and is a common problem throughout the video recording industry. We purchased new scan converters in Fall 2004, and have asked instructors to use larger fonts and graphics and to explain thoroughly what they are referencing on the computers. A home DVD player will improve this to a certain extent.
Q: Why is the video quality poor for compressed video courses originating away from the Moscow campus?
A: Some Engineering Outreach courses are recorded from a compressed signal sent over telephone lines using UI's compressed video conferencing system. Typically, these courses originate in Idaho Falls, Boise, or Coeur d'Alene. The compressed signal produces a lower-quality video. We will inform you of the CV link in our catalog and Web course descriptions. We will also continue to offer these courses when they are scheduled, as they may be required for your degree.
Q: Why are the chapters not placed in logical places?
A: We record the classes as they occur directly to the DVD media. The recorders automatically place a chapter marker at 5-minute intervals.
