Every day, across the country, students attending college, log into their computers and start their work for the day. Not all online students that attend college live in that area, some, like this reporter, live far away from Indiana University Southeast. Being an online student can be a lonely experience for many, but IU Southeast has many ways for everyone to access academic assistance and connect to their peers.
IUS students studying online are faced with many challenges, such as differences in time-zones, staying motivated, and working while in school. Many students also struggle to feel connected to events on campus and classmates. Thankfully, IU Southeast has many student clubs that offer ways to connect online and the IUS Grenadiers post scores and videos online.
Academically, completing a degree online is difficult as well, but IU Southeast has those resources covered as well. An IU Southeast online student can use the Campus Library, use the Online Writing Lab for essay writing assistance, and schedule video-tutoring through the Online Academic Success Center.
The Internet is a marvelous wonder for online students at any IU Southeast find a listing of student clubs through Grenadier Central Southeast. A few student clubs have links to Discord on their page, such as The Anime Club at IUS and the LGBTQIA+ student club, Spectrum. Spectrum also has links to Instagram and Facebook. The Horizon contacted several student clubs at IU Southeast, asking if they had discord or online events a student could participate in from off-campus. President of The Jewish Student Union (JSU), Salem Melchor, returned the email and shared a QR Code to another social media platform, Group Me. Melchor stated in the correspondence, “In addition to this, all of our meetings are hosted both in-person and through Zoom, so that off-campus/non-traditional students can participate too!” So, even though some clubs may not have their social media or group chat listed on the main club page, it is worth reaching out to the organization if one is interested.
However, if sports are of more interest, an online IU Southeast student is in luck. For the official website of Indiana University Southeast Athletics has scores and a schedule of upcoming games. The IUS Grenadiers also have their own Youtube channel where students from all locations can watch full games and be notified for upcoming livestreams of a variety of sporting events. So, all students can cheer on the Grenadiers from anywhere in the world!
On weekdays, IU Southeast online students work on many class assignments, but they do not need to struggle with their coursework alone. IU Southeast online students can access the Online Academic Success Center hosted by Upswing. In the Online Academic Success Center, a student can schedule a video call with a tutor based on class subject. Each month, a student has 1500 minutes or 25 hours of tutoring time available to them and sessions can be booked in 30 or 60 minutes increments.
Online students at IU Southeast can also access the Online Writing Lab where they can receive assistance with essays. A student can schedule an online video appointment, or submit their work for asynchronous written feedback. According to the Online Writing Center website, “Our mission is to improve writing skills one discussion at a time and, in turn, create more confident, capable writers at IU Southeast.”
Along with resources listed above, an IU Southeast online student can access the Southeast Campus Library’s many databases, ebooks, and online resources. A student can also directly email or call the branch librarians for assistance by using the ‘Ask a Librarian’ button on library home page under the search box. According to the IU Southeast Library website, the library is open every day except for Sunday.
IU Southeast students regardless of location can also use Accessible Educational Services. The AES office provides academic assistance to students with disabilities, so students with different needs can succeed in higher education.
So, even if a student is far from campus, one can still have team spirit, or connect with like-minded students through clubs, all the while succeeding at IU Southeast thanks to the vast array of resources for online students.
Kripa Collins is a student in JOUR-J303 Online Journalism and is a contributing writer for The Horizon.
