Plan for Success
Your success is important to us and we invite you to take the following steps to give yourself the best opportunity to be successful during online courses:
Before you begin:
Get your textbooks and any required materials. Undergraduate students should obtain textbooks through Textbook Rental Services. For graduate and professional programs, your graduate fees include the cost of renting textbooks. However, textbook rental is not available for all graduate-level courses, and additional course materials not covered by the rental fee may be required. Visit Textbook Rental or contact the Cougar Store for additional information and assistance. If you have any questions regarding what books are needed for your course, contact the instructor for your class.
Winter session textbooks will be available for pickup early-mid December.
Make sure you have reliable internet access and a working computer. You will need to be able to regularly access your course. At least one day before your course is scheduled to start, test your connectivity from wherever you plan to connect to Blackboard. While all Blackboard activity can be completed using a wireless connection, having an Ethernet cable available can help avoid losing connection. It is strongly recommended that you use a secured wired connection when taking tests or submitting assignments.
Know your SIUE e-ID and make sure that you have a valid password. Expired passwords can be changed at www.siue.edu/eid by using your last working password ("I know what my password is and I want to change it") or your secret phrase ("I have an e-ID but forgot my password"). If you do not know your secret phrase, you can check or edit it by changing your password with your last working password. If you do not know your last working password or your secret phrase, please contact the ITS Help Desk at 618-650-5500 before the start of your class, so we can assist you.
Sign up for SIUE e-Lerts. By signing up for SIUE’s e-Lerts you will be able to reset your e-ID password via a message sent to your mobile device, removing the need to contact the Help Desk to have ITS reset your password. This ensures that any issues you encounter with your e-ID password will be easily remedied with the smallest possible loss of access to email, coursework and other resources. To sign up for e-Lerts, go to siue.edu/elert and click "Sign-up Now!"
Know your SIUE University ID number (800 number) and PIN. If you do not know your PIN, you can look it up with your e-ID and password by going to www.siue.edu/eid and choosing "Lookup University ID and PIN." You can also go to www.siue.edu/cougarnet, click on "Enter CougarNet with your University ID," enter your University ID number, and click "Forgot PIN."
Ensure you have a valid phone number on file with the University. If at any point during your class you need assistance over the phone, we will only be able to help you at a number you have provided. To check/edit phone numbers, log into CougarNet, click "Personal Information,” then "View and Update Addresses and Phones." Scroll to the bottom of the page, choose a type of address to insert, and add phone numbers to one or more addresses.
Check your SIUE email for notifications from your professor. Logging in early allows you to familiarize yourself with the course and plan accordingly. Read through your syllabus carefully. Be aware of what you will be learning and your professor's expectations for the course.
Winter session login begins on December 19, but your faculty member may make your course available prior to that time.
During your online course:
Note all deadlines and due dates in your personal calendar. This will allow you to create a plan to maximize the time you will spend on the course in the coming weeks.
Reach out if you have questions. Good communication in an online course environment relies on you making contact with your professor should you have any questions about the course and its content. If you have questions, be sure to reach out to your professor within the course shell.
