GRADUATE STUDENT ONBOARDING GUIDE

This page is intended to serve as a general guide to help new graduate and doctoral students get acclimated.

RECOMMENDED NEXT STEPS

• Set an Appointment with your Advisor (see Areas of Support for more information about advisors): If your advisor/department has not already contacted you, send your advisor an email to set an appointment where you can discuss your plans for the upcoming semester and the program in its entirety. If you are unsure who that is, you can view the name and email address of your advisor on your Student Profile page in Banner. You can also use the Course Search functionality within the Registration and Planning option in the left menu on that page to view the class schedule for the upcoming term(s). Your advisor will need to provide you registration clearance by removing the corresponding hold from your record before you can self-register. This process will need to be repeated before each registration period.
• Register for Classes: Once your advisor has provided registration clearance, you can self-register on the Register for Classes page within the Registration and Planning option in the left menu on your Student Profile page in Banner. It is important to recognize that the top section of the Register for Classes page is designed to find and add courses to your Summary box that appears in the bottom right section of the page. The Summary box is similar to a shopping cart feature in commercial software in the sense that you need to press the Submit button in that Summary box to actually be added/dropped to courses.
• Get your Books: Students can buy or rent textbooks from the Bookstore located on the first floor of the Campus Union (next to Dunkin Donuts.) A course’s book information should be included on its syllabi in Brightspace. In many cases, the information is also directly shared with the Bookstore so they can assist.
• Get your Springfield College Student ID Card: Students are required to carry their Springfield College ID card when on main campus. ID cards can be printed by the Technology Services Center (TSC) on the First floor of the Learning Commons. Please bring a copy of your schedule that includes your student identification number. Students can view/print their schedule from their Student Profile page in Banner.
• Get a Parking Permit (Main Campus Students only): All motor vehicles parked on the main campus must be registered with the Public Safety Department. Public Safety is located at 25 Portsmouth Street.
• Access your Classes in Brightspace (Just Before Start Date of Classes): Students are recommended to login to Brightspace just before the start date of classes and view all posted materials within each of their class shells. Students will want to ensure they can access the syllabi, book materials, etc to hit the ground running.

AREAS OF SUPPORT

Springfield College has many offices and resources designed to support you in your educational journey.

• Academic Advisor: Students will be assigned a faculty advisor by their department that will serve as the first point of contact for many of your questions. Advisor support is required for a number of processes so it’s important that you develop a relationship with your advisor. Students can see their advisor assignment on their My Student Profile page in Banner.
• Your Academic Department: Students may also wish to contact their Program Director, Department Chair, or Dean in the absence of their advisor or regarding specific academic matters. The Directory feature on the Springfield College external website allows users to filter by department if you are unsure who to contact.
• Registrar’s Office: The Registrar’s Office serves as a centralized source for complete, current, and accurate academic information relevant to Springfield College.
• Student Accounts Office: The Student Accounts Office is the source for information about bill payment, refunds, health insurance, and tax forms.
• Financial Aid Office: The Financial Aid Office offers a comprehensive financing program to students in an eligible degree or certificate program.
• Academic Success: Springfield College offers a comprehensive line-up of academic support to empower students with skills and strategies as they become confident and independent learners. These supports include Tutoring and Academic Coaching, which can aid students who could use additional assistance and guidance to achieve their academic goals.
• Library Services: Library Services provides students access to, instruction in, and support of the use of information resources. This includes databases, journals, Interlibrary Loan, theses, dissertation and project support, archives and special collections, and research assistance.
• Career Center: The Career Center provides a variety of services to all Springfield College students including resume editing, interview preparation, and networking opportunities. The services provide are free of charge and available to students even after graduation.
• Technology Solutions Center: The Technology Solutions Center (TSC) oversees all College systems, its network, WiFi, account creation processes, and ID card generation.

MAJOR SYSTEMS

The majority of Springfield College systems allow you to log in with the Springfield College credentials that were sent to your personal email address after being accepted to the College through single-sign on (SSO) authentication. This is a list of systems a student may use during their time at the College.

• PrideNET: PrideNET is the College’s interweb that provides shortcuts to other Springfield College systems (email, Banner, Brightspace, Zoom, etc.) as well as relevant general, academic, financial information for current students. Areas of particular importance are the My Profile - Student hub, the Registrar page that includes a repository of academic forms, and the TechHelp: IT Support hub.
• Springfield College Email: Springfield College uses a Google-based email platform where every student, faculty, and staff member receives their own unique email address. By policy, an individual’s Springfield College email account is the primary method of communication while enrolled at the institution.
• Banner (Student Self-Service): Ellucian Banner is the College’s student information system (SIS.) Students use the Student Profile within Banner to review their academic details, register for classes. In addition, students can view the upcoming class schedule, their own class schedule, their grades, and access their unofficial transcript and degree audit.
• Touchnet (Student Account Center): Touchnet is the College’s payment solution. Students will use the system to view and pay their tuition/fees.
• Brightspace: Brightspace is the College’s learning management system (LMS.) Each course section is required to be listed there with the course syllabi. Online courses may use Brightspace regularly while in-person courses will use it based on the preferences of the instructor. While students will obtain access to the Brightspace system within hours of being enrolled, they will only be able to access the shell for their enrolled courses the business day before the course’s start date.

IMPORTANT RESOURCES/MATERIALS

The following resources include important details that would pertain to your status with the College.

• Academic Catalogs: The Springfield College Catalog is created each academic year and is a vital resource containing the institution’s academic policies, tuition and fee information, course descriptions, in addition to information about the institution itself, our administration, and our degree programs.
• Academic Calendars: An academic calendar is created for each term with pertinent academic dates, including but not limited to the first day of classes, the add/drop deadline, the course withdrawal deadline, the last day of classes, the final exam schedule (when applicable), and any days the College is closed or there are no classes.
• Registration Supporting Documentation: The Registrar’s Office and Academic Advising Center create a number of guides that provide step-by-step instruction through the registration process. All corresponding guides are included in the Registration Support Documentation section of the My Profile - Student hub in PrideNET.
• Department Resources/Handbooks: Many departments have their own resources, tools, and student handbooks that their students are required to use and adhere to. It is recommended that you ask your department about the existence of these items in order to prepare accordingly.