Bishop’s University appreciates the cooperation we are receiving from our students and the rest of our community members in order to keep everyone safe. In times like these, adapting to remote learning can be challenging but let’s take advantage of this opportunity! On this page you will find a few tips and tricks on how to get acquainted with remote learning. Whether it’s using the available technology to its full potential, knowing what resources the campus has to offer, or even simply finding ways to study during these distracting times.
1. How to get the most out of a Bluejeans session
Many Professors are turning to blue jeans as a way of lecturing or video conferencing with students. There is more to bluejeans than just a simple video chat experience.
Group chat: A great tool that can be used by the moderator and the attendees to share ideas or ask questions using the chat option. This way the moderator can look through to see what types of questions you may have for them.
Private moderator chat: Any attendee can start a private chat with the moderator if they have a comment or question they would prefer to keep private.
Polling: Sometimes it's difficult to ask a question when there are several screens open at once. The polling option is an efficient way to have a vote.
2.Study tips for working in a distracting environment
During times like these when the world is put on pause yet somehow life keeps going in the backround it's easy to procrastinate or put aside work that should be done –especially when all you really have is time. Here are some suggestions for studying at home.
1.Organize and plan!
It's so easy to push everything to tomorrow. The best thing you can do for yourself is grab an agenda, or even some post it notes and plan what work you will do everyday for the next few days (not more than that because then you may overwhelm yourself). Mark down important due dates –especially exams. Try not to overwhelm yourself by giving yourself two assignments to work on in one day. The last thing you need is to be even more stressed out. Just chipping away at your work a bit everyday can make things go by way more smoothly. Tell yourself what you plan on doing on a certain day and do your best to stick to it.
2.Study when you feel more awake or productive.
Every one has a certain time when they know they can retain information the best. Some are night owls and others are early birds. If you're the type who loves to sleep in then you will most likely not want to wake up early to work on a paper. Set yourself reasonable and realistic goals. There's nothing wrong with working when the time is right for you –even if i means working late at night.
3.Find a designated study area.
Being at the house and learning to do everything from there can make it easy for the idea of your home to become an unbalanced place. It's not the most mindful thing to study in bed because the bedroom is where you sleep. It's been known that by studying in bed you are telling your brain that that specific place is for work which can seriously disrupt your sleep. If you have a desk, make sure the desk is deisgnated for your work, or rearrange your living room in a way that makes it look different from your usual area where you go to relax. If you do not live alone, a time of peace and quiet can be hard to find. Use noise-cancelling headphones or play classical music (or any genre) that you know will drown out any outside noise.
4.Stay active.
You want to eat the potato, not be the potato. In difficult times like these it is so easy to watch the days pass by. Take this time to do at home exercises or even start a personal project. Focus on the hobbies you enjoy doing. This way when it comes down to school work it won't feel as though that's all you're doing.
3. Online campus support and resources
Bishop's is here for you! Here are some online resources that are available to students during these times.
1. Our librarians are working remotely and can help you with your research needs! Use the LibChat or text us at 819-201-0354 to chat with a librarian during our Research Assistance hours.
2. The Writing center is still available for students who would like to get those final papers looked over. you must go to BU Writing Center to book an appointment. IMPORTANT: You must chose a specific tutor. By choosing "any employee", you will not know who to send your essay to.
3.The Health Clinic remains open to serve the BU community and their family members. Please call 819-822-9600 ext. 2696 to make an appointment.
4.Student services (Counselling, Career & SAAS) are still open but offering virtual services! Please visit Facebook/BUstudentservices for weekly schedules.
To book a VIRTUAL counselling, career or SAAS appointment or access our VIRTUAL walk-ins, please email Francine.Hamel@ubishops.ca.
Visit Student Services FAQ for more FAQs
4. How to Troubleshoot at home
Internet slow? Suddenly denied access from any of your online BU accounts? Here are a few tips on how to troubleshoot yourself at home!
Internet: If you're trying to work and you notice your internet is very slow, or you get disconnected and you're not sure why, here are some things to try/look for!
1.Disconnect from your internet and then reconnect to it.
2. Turn off the Wifi on your device, wait a few moments, then turn it back on again.
3. Restart your computer/laptop.
4. Make sure you don't have any programs that take up a lot of your internet while you are working (ex: games). Remember even if you are not currently using the other program, if it is still open then your computer is still running it regardless.
5. Reset your router. There is a refresh button on every router.
6. Try automatically connecting to the Wifi by placing your laptop as close to the router as possible.
If all else fails, search it up! There are so many sites and forums out there that can help you narrow down any specific issues you may be having
Can no longer access myBU, webmail, Moodle, and/or Powercampus?
error message: Incorrect password.
Sometimes we write the wrong password even when we are sure that we didn't. We're either one character off, have caps lock or number lock on, or simply mixing it up with another password. For your security, after three incorrect attempts, you get locked out, but don't worry! You won't need to change your password or contact anyone. Your account automatically unlocks after 20 minutes and you can go ahead. If you really don't remember your password, then you may contact the ITS helpdesk and we will be happy to assist you.
- Check if your CAPS lock or NUM lock are on, if so, you will need to turn them off.
- Make sure if you have your password saved that it is not a previous password. (Apple USERS: Any time you change a password it is important to change it in your key chain or else the old password will be the one that is saved.
Error message: Page unavailable
If you try to log in and it tells you the page is unavailable here are some things you can try!
- Refresh the page
- Clear your cache and cookies, close your BROWSER (not just the tab, but the entire browser) and re-open.
- Try a different browser. Sometimes certain web pages don't work in a specific browser, either temporarily or at all. Install or open a different browser and try there.
Contact Us
- Email: helpdesk@ubishops.ca
- Phone: 819-822-9600 ext. 2273