Sustainable Urban Horticulture and Agriculture Handbook
Online Courses
How to access your Online Course
Students can access their online course on the Friday before the first day of class through the program website.
New User
You will need your student ID to complete the process. Your student ID is provided on the library card you received.
Go to www.UrbanHort.ca and click on New User. The system will generate a username immediately, and you will be prompted to create a password. An email message containing your username and password will then be sent to the address you provide. Once you have your username and password, you can log in through the same login page.
Previous Users
If you have taken a previous course within the horticulture, landscaping and turf programs, you will use the same username and password.
Forgot your password? Go to www.UrbanHort.ca, click on Forgot Password and follow the instructions. Note that your username and password will be sent to the email address on file at the time of your last course registration. If this has changed, contact info@coles.uoguelph.ca.
Course Website
Each online course has its own website where you receive information, access content, and connect with other students and the course instructor. Since you are responsible for all course announcements, assignments, activities, and electronically distributed materials, we recommend you visit your course website(s) at least two or three times a week. Here are the various course website components.
My Home
This is the first page you see each time you log into your course website. It is where the Office of Open Learning broadcasts news messages to course participants. Messages are listed in date order (most recent at top). All previous messages can be viewed by clicking the Show All button. You should check for new messages each time you log on.
Access to all your courses is available from this page. Simply scroll down to the bottom to see the links to your courses. As well, from within a particular course website, the My Home option returns you to this central location, from which you can access a different course.
In the My Settings section, you can change your profile, preferences and password settings.
Course Home
Each course has a Homepage where the instructor will write a welcome message, post course announcements, and offer class-wide guidance, support or reminders.
The Course Homepage also features an Events listing which might include: course discussion periods, assignment due dates, quiz dates, and holidays or other events. Below this, you can open My Calendar to see events listed in calendar format and add personal events or reminders. For many students this serves as a useful planning tool. Note: Only you will be able to view events that you add to your calendar.
Outline
The Course Outline offers course syllabus information such as: course introduction and overview, learning objectives, descriptions of activities and resources, assessment details (online participation, assignment and exam requirements, schedule of dates) and support contact information.
Assignments
Requirements and electronic versions of the assignments are available in the Assignments.
Schedule
The schedule of study and due dates for assignments, quizzes and required discussions are available in the Schedule.
Units
This option presents a timeline of the semester’s work. It lists, or links to, content units, learning activities, assignments, quizzes and resources. This option is useful for keeping track of course requirements and planning ahead.
The Units option leads you to the heart of the course. Each module’s link provides you with an overview of the module and a detailed look at the module topics.
Class List
The Class List option is divided into three tabs:
All: lists all staff and students in the course.
Staff: names and email links for course instructor(s).
Students: student names and email links are listed in alphabetical order. Participants can complete an optional profile or provide a link to their personal homepage.
The names of users currently logged on are highlighted in yellow, with a green dot in the left column. (The fact that a student is logged on does not necessarily mean that they are participating in this particular course.)
Groups
If the class has been divided into groups for the Discussions, determine your group number by selecting the Group link.
Discussions
Discussions are online, text-based areas where you can interact with classmates and instructors. They are the best place to share information and documents, and to participate in course related discussions.
Unlike chat rooms, discussions let you participate without having to be online at the same time. You and your classmates can post messages to a set topic and respond to one another’s messages. A series of replies to the same message or question is called a thread. This thread feature helps you follow multiple discussions.
Attachments let you share files with group members. While you can attach files to email messages, the private nature of email makes it more difficult to organize group work. Discussions keep your postings and attachments conveniently organized in one place. (All attachments are scanned regularly for viruses; however, please ensure that you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on your computer.)
Discussions also allow your instructor to participate in the online conversation, monitor your groupwork, and offer feedback. Your instructor cannot do this if you are privately emailing each other.
Each course has a custom discussions structure designed for its topics and activities. If your course has study-group activities, you will be assigned to a group within 24 hours of your initial login and then be able to join the appropriate group conferences. To find out which group you are in, select the Group link from the navigation bar.
In addition to the course-specific discussions, there are discussions shared by all online courses within a particular semester. These are identified by a blue S.
The Test Conference is a place to test out the discussions tools
The Technical Help Conference is moderated by support staff and is a place for you to post technical questions.
Each course has a “Coffee Shop” Discussion or site with a similar name. This is the place to discuss topics not related to the course material. Feel free to use the coffee shop to share weekend experiences or post questions.
Dropbox
The electronic Dropbox is where you submit your course assignments online.
Quizzes
Some courses have online quizzes or tests usually scheduled for a particular point in the course timeline. When you click on the Quiz option, you will be taken to the Quiz Homepage for your course. From here, click on the link to the quiz you want to complete.
Taking a Quiz
After you answer a question, save it by clicking Save. (Answers can still be changed; simply make your change and click Save again.) When you are satisfied with your answers, click Go to Submit Quiz. If you’ve missed any questions, a message listing the questions you haven’t answered will appear, and you will be able to return to those questions, if you wish. Once you have selected “Submit Quiz”, your quiz will be submitted and you cannot change your answers. A message window will appear telling you that your quiz has been submitted.
If you encounter any technical problems while taking a quiz, please contact Technical Support immediately.
Technical Support
Email: help@coles.uoguelph.ca
Phone: 519-824-4120 ext. 56939
Toll Free for Canada & USA only: 1-866-275-1478
Timed Quizzes
Some quizzes are timed and some are not. For timed quizzes, time remaining will be displayed at the top of the quiz. If you run over the allotted time, your quiz may be marked as late.
To keep the clock current, we recommend that you click Save after each question.
Receiving Your Results
For self-test quizzes that are not graded, you will immediately be able to see your results. For graded quizzes, you can return to the quiz screen to view your results once the quiz period is over.
Grades
You can use the Grades option to view your unofficial grades. Some instructors will also post feedback for submitted assignments.
Your final course grade will be posted after the course ends. A printed grade report will also be mailed to you after the completion of the course.
Resources
The Resources option links users to specific course-related resources, online library resources, and additional online learning information.
My Home
My Home allows you to logout of one course and login to another course that you are taking without re-entering your password.
DE Support
DE Support is a link to information and technical assistance. Further instructions regarding the various course tool options are also provided.
Logout
This option logs you out of the course websites. It is important that you log out in order to restrict access to course websites and keep your personal information safe from non-authorized users.
