Frequently Asked Questions
Accessing Your Classes
How do I login to ANGEL?
When can I access my online classes?
What are some things I can do if I'm having
trouble logging in to my classes?
Do I need to attend an orientation meeting for my online
classes?
Books
How do I order and pay
for my books?
How can I order my books if the WAOL ID number
for each book isn't listed in my college bookstore?
How do I sell my books at the end of the quarter?
Online Classroom Format and Functionalities
How much work is an online class?
Do online classes have regular meeting times?
How do I submit assignments and take examinations?
How do I communicate with my instructor?
My online quiz says it has a lock on it. What
does that mean and how do I fix it?
What do I do if I have a complaint about my
online class?
How do I change my e-mail address in my ANGEL account?
Why do my online classrooms malfunction when I am using
AmericaOnline (AOL), Prodigy, Compuserve, Juno, or MSN?
Registration, Adding and Dropping Classes
Can I view the course description before I
register?
Can I register into a closed class, or register
after the beginning of the quarter?
Can my name be put on a waiting list for a
closed class?
Can I request placement into a specific instructor's
classroom?
How do I drop an online class?
Tuition and Fees, Financial Aid
How much do online classes cost?
How do I register and pay for online classes?
Do online classes qualify for financial aid?
When and where do I get my financial aid check?
Can I use a state or school employee tuition
exemption for WashingtonOnline classes?
Grades, Transcripts and Credit Transfer
How do I get my grades at the end of the quarter?
How do I get a copy of my transcript?
Are credits earned through online classes transferable
to other schools?
Do the community colleges offer any completely
online degrees or certificates?
Accessibility
Is ANGEL accessible to students
with disabilities?
Logon Difficulties and Classroom Access
How do I
logon to ANGEL?
Click
the ANGEL link in the navigation bar at the top of the page. You
may want to bookmark or create a shortcut to that page from your desktop
for quick access later on.
Enter the following USERNAME and PASSWORD when prompted:
- USERNAME: Your student ID number. (all lower case,
no caps)
For example, if J. Smith's student ID number is 111223333,
then J. Smith's user ID would be 111223333. Remember, your student
ID number is assigned by your college and is not your social security
number. Contact your college if you don't know
your
student ID number.
- PASSWORD = first 5 letters of last name (Johnson=johns, Lee=lee)
Click
LOGIN and your personal ANGEL account should open. Click on your
course title to enter the classroom.
Please change your password upon logging in for the first time. To do
this, click "Personal Information" in the left hand Tools
box and then click "Change Password." Keep in mind that all
passwords are case sensitive. Please make a note of your new password
in a secure location.
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When can I access my online classes?
Classrooms open one week prior to the start of
the quarter. Lookup your class in the WAOL class schedule to check the
Classroom Open and Instruction Start/Stop dates. If you cannot
logon one week before your class begins, contact
us.
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What are some things I can do if I'm having trouble logging in to my classes?
- Make
sure it is time for the classroom to be open. Classrooms are opened to students
one week before the start of the quarter.
- Make
sure you are registered in a course hosted by WashingtonOnline (WAOL). Many colleges
host online classes independent of WAOL. Cross-reference your registration receipt
with the college catalog or web site.
If you continue to be unable to login, Presidium technical support is available online at: http://d2.parature.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=863 or toll
free at 1-866-425-8412 and is staffed 24 hours a day,
7 days a week.
WAOL staff is available 8am - 5pm Monday
- Friday. E-mail wa-online@sbctc.edu.
Phone: (Toll free) 1-888-580-9011 or (Spokane area) 509-434-5155.
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Do I need to attend an orientation meeting for my online classes?
First time students should go through the Week
Zero ANGEL Tutorial to get aquainted with how ANGELclassrooms
work. WAOL classrooms open one week before instruction begins. Be sure
to go to your classroom at that time to practice using the courseware. To find out when you can access your classroom
to get oriented, find the "Classrooms Open" date for your class by
looking up your class details in the WAOL
Class Schedule.
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Is ANGEL accessible to students with disabilities?
Yes, ANGEL is accessible to students with disabilities. Back to top
Books
How do I order and pay for my books?
If your college bookstore does not carry the books/materials
you need for your online class, you can order from eCampus Bookstore or check with other online book retailers.
Keep in mind that you need to have your books by the first day of class,
so order early and leave
time for delivery.
Order books by ISBN or by your class WAOL ID. Lookup your class in the WAOL
Class Schedule to find the WAOL ID.
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How can I order my books if the WAOL ID number for each book isn't listed
in my college bookstore?
Since not all colleges stock books for WashingtonOnline
classes, you may not be able to find the WAOL ID at your
local bookstore. If this is the case, look up the ten-digit ISBN
number for your books in the "class details" area of the class schedule.
The ten-digit ISBN number can be used to order books from your college
bookstore or online retailers. Specialty Books has most books and materials
listed by WAOL ID to make your selections
easy.
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How do I sell my books at the end
of the quarter?
1. Contact the store where you initially purchased
the book. If it was from your college's bookstore, please contact them.
2. If you ordered your book through eCampus Bookstore, go to the eCampus website and click the "Sell Textbooks" link.
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Online Classroom Format and Functionality
I'm an instructor who wants to teach for
WashingtonOnline. What do I do?
Instructors who want to teach courses for WashingtonOnline
need to be hired by one of the 34 community and technical colleges in
our system. Contact the college for which you would like to teach and
they can put you in contact with the proper people and procedures for
their school.
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How much work is an online class?
College level classes are generally designed so
that students spend two hours in preparation or homework for every hour
in class. WashingtonOnline classes follow that model, so
you can expect to spend as much as three hours each week for each credit.
For a five-credit course, this will mean 12 to 15 hours per week.
Online courses can be a lot more work than those on campus. If possible,
think about starting with one online class just to get the feel of how
it works and
whether you would be successful in more than one at a time.
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Do online classes have regular meeting times?
Most online classes are designed to be accessible
24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Keep in mind that although you can participate
at any time of the day or night, all courses are time sensitive with specific
due dates and deadlines. You might participate in live chat with your
instructor or other students, but you will not be required to be online
at a particular time each day.
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How do I submit assignments and take examinations?
Instructors specify exactly where you are to post
your assignments. Most examinations are conducted online, but you may
be directed to take them at a proctored testing center near you.
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How do I communicate with my instructor?
Instructors are available primarily via e-mail,
and threaded discussion boards. Some instructors will provide a telephone
number for messages, or arrange live online chat times. Instructors, like
students, are online five days out of seven.
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My online quiz says it has a lock on it. What does that mean and how do
I fix it?
A locked quiz means that the instructor
has set it up so that a student can only access it once. Contact your
instructor as soon as possible and explain what happened. Only the instructor
can allow a student to re-access an online quiz.
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What do I do if I have a complaint about my online class?
If you're having trouble with one of your WashingtonOnline
classes and have not been able to resolve the issue on
your own, contact WashingtonOnline staff between Monday
- Friday from 8am to 5pm (Pacific Standard Time) at (Toll free)
1-888-580-9011 or (Spokane area) 509-434-5155. Or, send
e-mail to wa-online@sbctc.edu. Include
your full name, your instructor's name, the quarter and
course, and your concerns.
The individual colleges generate course evaluations at the end of each
quarter. If you have not had an opportunity to do a class evaluation,
please contact the distance learning staff at your enrolling college.
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How do I change my e-mail address in my ANGEL account?
After logging in to your ANGEL account,
click the Preferences button. When
the next page comes up, click the Personal Information link. On the next page,
overwrite your current email address with the new email address. Then scroll
down the page and look in the lower left corner where you will click on Save.
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Why do my online classrooms malfunction when I am using AmericaOnline (AOL),
Prodigy, Compuserve, Juno, or MSN?
Internal browsers that are part of the AOL, Prodigy,
Compuserve and Juno Internet Service Providers are either customized
or are older versions of Internet Explorer and do not work well with
ANGEL classroom software.
VERY IMPORTANT: To minimize the possibility of browser-related problems, we strongly
recommend using an external browser when accessing your online courses. Most
computers have a pre-installed updated version of an external browser such as
Internet Explorer or Netscape. Visit
the Technology & Skills Requirements page for more information about free
web browsers.
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Registration, Adding and Dropping Classes
Can I view the course description before I register?
Yes, course details are available at the WashingtonOnline
Class Schedule.
After you've found the class you're interested in, click the "course
details" link for a course description and other information.
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Can I register into a closed class, or register
after the beginning of the quarter?
No, late registrations
are not accepted for WashingtonOnline classes and the WAOL enrollment
management system does not allow students to enroll once a class
is full.
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Can my name be put on a waiting list for a closed class?
WashingtonOnline does not offer
waiting lists. However, if you want to continue trying to register, you
may be able to take the place of a student who drops.
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Can I request placement into a specific instructor's classroom?
Placement in a specific instructor's classroom
cannot be guaranteed. When a registration is accepted in a pooled class,
student enrollments are randomly distributed among the instructors' classrooms.
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How do I drop an online class?
To drop an online class, contact the registration
office at the college at which you registered for that class. WashingtonOnline
staff cannot drop a class for you. Any refund is subject
to the policies of your enrolling college.
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Tuition and Fees, Financial Aid
How much do online classes cost?
Since tuition and fee costs vary at each of the
colleges, the following figures are approximate.
Average tuition for Washington State residents: $72/credit hour. (One
class is usually 5 credits, or approximately $360.)
Full-time tuition for Washington State residents: approximately $720 per
quarter (10-18 credits is considered full-time.)
Full-time tuition for non-Washington State residents: approximately $2,435
per quarter.
Remember to budget for additional expenses such as college fees, books,
Internet access, and technology fees. These fees can range from $40 -
$100 or more per quarter.
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How do I register and pay for online classes?
Once you have completed the college's admissions
process and any other pre-registration requirements, you can register
into the online course the same way you register into courses held on
campus, usually in person, by phone, or via the web. Check your college's
web site for more specific information.
Payment of tuition for online classes is subject to the same terms and
conditions of on campus courses at your enrolling college. Please contact
your enrolling college for more information.
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Do online classes qualify for financial aid?
Yes; please contact the financial aid office
at your enrolling college for more information. Use the colleges dropdown box in the top right corner
to visit your colleges website.
It is very important for you to understand that your financial aid may
be affected because the start/stop dates for online and on campus courses
differ. You still need to have books for online courses in time for the
start of class, regardless of your financial aid status.
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When and where do I get my financial aid check?
Contact the Financial Aid office at your enrolling
college for instructions. Please note that if your financial aid check
includes funding for both online and on-campus classes, the entire check
may be delayed until you can get verification for online classes. The
process for verification can vary from campus to campus, but often it
requires posting a biography in your virtual classroom.
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Can I use a state or school employee tuition exemption for WashingtonOnline
classes?
Colleges generally don't allow students to use
the state employee tuition exemption for WashingtonOnline classes. Additionally,
WAOL does not allow late enrollments.
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Grades, Transcripts and Credit Transfer
How do I get my grades at the end of the quarter?
You need to check
with your enrolling college to
see how that college distributes grades to its students. Most likely,
you can view your transcript online to see your grades.
Because the WAOL start-stop dates are not the same as those on your campus,
you might not get your WAOL grades at the same time as your other grades.
WAOL grades are due to the WAOL office on the Monday after classes end.
WAOL sends your grades to your college after receiving them from your
instructor.
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How do I get a copy of my transcript?
Please contact your enrolling college for specific
instructions. Their website may also have information regarding transcripts.
Many colleges allow students to view transcript information through a
secured web portal in their website. For an official transcript, you will
need to file a signed request with your school.
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Are credits earned through online classes transferable to other schools?
Credits can be transferred to another college,
depending on the policies of the individual college. Check with your college
about the transferability of the specific course.
It is best that you determine which courses you want to take and where
they are offered, then take all that information to you colleges advising
staff, they can tell you if those classes can be transferred into your
degree.
Another consideration is that any time you need a complete transcript
of your education, you will have to produce transcripts from all your
enrolling colleges, not just the one that granted your degree.
If you are thinking about transferring courses outside of the Washington
Community and Technical College system, you should always contact an academic
advisor at the college at which you are planning to transfer.
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Do the community colleges offer any completely
online degrees or certificates?
Yes, there are currently more than 25 degrees and
certificates that are offered completely online by the community colleges.
Go to the Online
Degree and Certificate Programs page to find out which
programs are available, then contact the college's academic advising office
to find out about credit transfer and other information.
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Is ANGEL accessible to students with disabilities?
Yes it is.
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