FAQ for Prospective Students
- What is the difference between an Ole Miss Online course & an Independent Study course?
- Is an Ole Miss Online course just like a traditional classroom course?
- What is involved in taking an Ole Miss Online course?
- Do I have to be online at a certain time?
- I don't have an Ole Miss email. What should I do?
- What if I can’t make it to a University of Mississippi campus to provide a photo ID and a University ID#?
- What kind of computer do I need?
- Does my UM financial aid apply?
- How do I know if I would do well in an Ole Miss Online course?
- What is your withdrawal policy?
- May I talk/meet with the instructor personally?
- Will I receive technical support with an Ole Miss Online course?
- Which course platform do I need to use?
What is the difference between an Ole Miss Online course & an Independent Study courses?
- Ole Miss Online courses are semester–based courses. These courses follow the traditional UM Academic Calendar and operate on a scheduled syllabus.
- Independent Study courses are self-paced and allow students a year to complete a course.
Is an Ole Miss Online course just like a traditional classroom course?
- An OMO course will cover the same material and be taught by an instructor appointed by the chair of the department. However:
- An Ole Miss Online course frees the student from having to come to a physical location on campus to attend class at a particular time.
- The student will access the course via the web.
- The student works through assignments that are posted on the course website by the UM instructor.
- Students will need to “attend” their online course several times every week. These are not self-paced courses. Students will devote as much time to an OMO class as they would to their traditional courses.
What is involved in taking an Ole Miss Online course?
- If coursework is completed on Angel, then about one week before classes start, the Ole Miss Online office will send an email to a student’s Ole Miss email account. This email will contain the URL for Angel, a username, a password, and other important information concerning the online course.
- If coursework is completed on Blackboard, then the student will sign into Blackboard with their WebID and password to access their course on the first day of the semester.
- The student must have access to a computer that is connected to an Internet Service Provider.
- Although the student is freed from coming to campus to attend classes, most Ole Miss Online courses require at least one proctored exam. The student will need to check the course syllabus, or contact his or her instructor, to determine whether or not his or her course has proctored exams.
Do I have to be online at a certain time?
- Generally speaking the answer is no, but that does not mean you can ignore your online class. You will need to check the website every 2 to 3 days.
- Some online instructors may require a limited amount of synchronous chat (everyone online at the same time) or 1-2 face to face meetings.
I don't have an Ole Miss email. What should I do?
- Contact the IT Helpdesk at 915-5222 or email helpdesk@olemiss.edu
- Students must provide a photo ID and University ID# (Not your Social Security Number)
- NOTE: University of Mississippi students will be enrolled in OMO courses using their Ole Miss email accounts. All information about the course will be sent to a student's Ole Miss email account.
What if I can't make it to a University of Mississippi campus to provide a photo ID and a University ID#?
- Fax the password change request form to the IT Helpdesk
- NOTE - For off-campus students: You can also contact:
- Kim Gray at kstevens@olemiss.edu (Booneville)
- Jessica Coker at jlcoker3@olemiss.edu (Grenada)
- Teresa Vails at tvails@olemiss.edu (Tupelo)
- Lynn Reece at plreece@olemiss.edu (Southaven)
- But don't forget - you CAN forward your Ole Miss email account to any email in the world! Just go to https://secure.olemiss.edu/services/forward_index.html, sign in to WebID and follow the instructions. OR once you log in to ANGEL you can use the internal email system OR you can change your external email in ANGEL to any email account.
- For information and helpful hints about your Ole Miss e-mail account go to http://www.olemiss.edu/email/.
What kind of computer do I need?
- See the Tech Requirements page for technical information.
Does my UM financial aid apply to an OMO course?
- You can receive financial aid for distance learning courses.
- Always check with the Financial Aid Office for details before registering.
How do I know if I would do well in an Ole Miss Online Course?
- If you are disciplined, organized, and can motivate yourself to do the work that is required of you, then you have a great chance of being successful.
What is your withdrawal policy?
- The withdrawal policy for Ole Miss Online courses is the as same as that for traditional courses.
- If you procrastinate and don't keep up with the materials, your instructor may suggest that you need to withdraw from the course.
- Be sure to check The University of Mississippi's Academic Calendar for important information about dates.
May I talk/meet with the instructor personally?
- YES! Please email the instructor and if there is no response within 72 hours call 662-915-1267.
Will I receive technical support with this online course?
- YES. Please contact the IT Helpdesk at 662-915-5222 or helpdesk@olemiss.edu for questions about Blackboard and Ole Miss Email accounts
OR - Contact Ole Miss Online Tech Support at 662-915-1267, or online@olemiss.edu regarding ANGEL or software (ie: Word, WordPerfect), etc.
Which course platform do I need to use?
- For more information on which platform to use for your online course or program please contact our office.
