Navigating New England College: A Comprehensive Guide to Resources and Support

New England College (NEC) is committed to helping students achieve their academic and life goals through its student-centered approach. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the resources and support systems available to NEC students, from academic advising and disability services to internship opportunities and technical assistance with online learning platforms.

Academic Support and Resources

Academic Advising

NEC emphasizes small classes and student-centered education. Students wishing to improve their ability to be academically successful during their collegiate experience can receive supporting instruction through the Academic Advising Office. Advising staff can provide course requirements needed for graduation, help students track their progress, discuss academic policies, as well as connect students with appropriate campus resources. In addition, all first-year students will work with their faculty advisor and student success coach in creating a first year, student success plan. This plan will assist students to understand their choice to pursue an education at NEC, enhance educational experiences, and the tools students can use to be successful. Online and Graduate-level students can receive supporting instruction through the Academic Advising Office.

A faculty advisor and academic advisor can both support with selecting classes for upcoming semesters and tracking progress to graduation. Faculty advisors have expertise within the program that they instruct and are a good resource to discuss career and graduate program pathways and answer specific questions about program requirements.

Office of Disability Services (ODS)

The Office of Disability Services (ODS) ensures equal access to all New England College programs and activities so that disabled students have a similar, if not identical, college experience as their non-disabled peers. The Office of Disability Services at New England College joins others in the higher education and disability rights communities in embracing the word “disability” rather than avoiding the term. NEC believes disabled students are valued as part of our campus diversity and strives to create usable, equitable, and inclusive learning environments. Due to the design of a course or program, students may experience barriers to their full and meaningful participation. When this occurs, students should request accommodations through the process outlined below.

NEC is committed to ensuring equal access to all of its programs, services, and activities. All disability-related accommodations are processed and managed through the Office of Disability Services. Students who would like to request accommodations (such as extended time on tests, permission to tape lectures, wheelchair accessibility, etc.) need to work directly with the Office of Disability Services through an interactive process. Supporting documentation should be provided by a qualified healthcare provider or evaluation specialist with expertise relevant to the student’s condition. It should also be signed, dated, on official letterhead, and include the credentials of the provider. Supporting documentation should also be specific to the student and provide detailed information as to the student’s condition and how it impacts their ability to engage in daily living activities.

Read also: Your Guide to New England Colleges

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (504), the student is responsible for disclosing that they have a disability to each person the student contacts for an accommodation. The College maintains the right to determine appropriate reasonable accommodations through the interactive process. It is important to remember that all requests for accommodations must be processed and approved through the Office of Disability Services. Submit supporting documentation regarding their condition and how it impacts their ability to engage in daily living activities. Due to the varying nature of course structures and policies in higher education, accommodations are determined on a case-by-case, course-by-course basis. Meet with ODS to briefly review and finalize accommodations for the term or semester.

The Office of Disability Services works to identify and remove barriers to access and to promote inclusion to minimize the need for individual accommodations. Upon request, NEC will provide reasonable accommodations to otherwise qualified students to ensure equal access to educational opportunities, programs, services, and activities in the most integrated setting. NEC is committed to ensuring that its programs and activities are readily accessible to students, staff and faculty, and visitors with disabilities. Where classes, programs, events, or activities are scheduled in inaccessible locations, upon a request for access NEC may provide accessibility through a variety of methods, including the use of ramps, relocation to an accessible location (where other methods of providing access are not feasible or practical), or employing auxiliary aids and services, technology, or equipment to make the event accessible. In choosing among these methods, NEC will give priority to methods that offer classes, programs, events, and activities to persons with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate. Submit supporting documentation regarding their condition and how it impacts their ability to engage in daily living activities. Meet with ODS to briefly review and finalize accommodations for the term or semester.

Most accommodations determined to be needed during the interactive process are included as part of the regular fees and tuition of the College. Although commonly requested, tutoring is not an accommodation, but it is a success resource available to all students at no additional charge. Tutoring services are available for more than 200 hours per week from early in the morning until late at night and in various locations on campus.

College vs. High School: Understanding Your Rights

How is college different that high school in terms of my rights? Students in high school receive most of their rights to accommodations from IDEA, a federal law that entitles students to a K-12 education. The responsibilities of post-secondary schools are significantly different from those of school districts. Colleges must provide equal access to an education under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, but are not required to produce a certain outcome. This means that each student has to meet all course objectives and degree requirements. Every effort needs to be made on the part of the College to make sure that students are not discriminated against based on a disability. The process for determining services and accommodations is similar, but the results may be different. NEC will review a student’s request and supporting documentation as part of the interactive process for determining what accommodations are needed and may come to a different conclusion about what will be most helpful for the student at the college level. The differences in disability law at the college level may prevent accommodations the student had in the past, like extended deadlines for assignments or extra time on tests.

Disclosure and Confidentiality

Once a student is 18 or older and in college, they must individually disclose their disability status to each person they contact for an accommodation. Each semester or term, after reviewing and finalizing accommodations requests with students, Notices of Accommodations are sent to faculty and staff based on the student’s requests. Students are expected to arrange for testing accommodations five business days prior to the test. The process of developing the right accommodations is always evolving. It is the student’s responsibility to let the Office of Disability Services know if something isn’t working as well as it could or if there is some difficulty communicating with a professor. If you have a concern about the specific accommodations you should be receiving but are not, you must contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS). At the time of notification, ODS staff will attempt to resolve the complaint. Talk to other named parties and meet as a group if necessary. Submit supporting documentation regarding their condition and how it impacts their ability to engage in daily living activities. Due to the varying nature of course structures and policies in higher education, accommodations are determined on a case-by-case, course-by-course basis. Meet with ODS to briefly review and finalize accommodations for the term or semester.

Read also: The NEASC Accreditation Process

College students who are 18 or older are responsible for disclosing their disability to each person they contact for an accommodation and to advocate for themselves. Staff and faculty cannot share information unless the student signs an Information Release Form. All student disability records are kept confidential. The Office of Disability Services staff are happy to meet with a student to discuss and plan the best approach to use when discussing accommodations with faculty and college staff. Remember, faculty and staff are accustomed to providing accommodations. Occasionally there are part-time faculty or new staff who are not familiar with the accommodations process and may have questions that can easily be answered.

Internships

At NEC, internships are academic, for-credit experiences involving an agreement between an employer, a faculty sponsor, and a student. As stated in the Academic Catalog, NEC recognizes the importance of integrating academics with learning experiences outside of the classroom. As well as participating in community service and volunteer work, students may elect internships within their major or minor disciplines. Internships are available to students of junior or senior status (60 credits or more), emotional maturity, and a strong sense of responsibility with good academic standing (meeting both College-wide and major-specific standards). Students must have at least half of the major requirements completed.

Internships are conducted according to a contract jointly developed by the student, faculty sponsor, and internship site supervisor (employer). Internships may be awarded from one to 16 credits. No more than 16 internship credits may be applied towards the total credits required for graduation.

Securing an Internship

Discuss your learning goals with your faculty advisor or the professor in your major who will sponsor the internship.
Develop a résumé of your current and prior experience.
Make a list of possible internship sites. Faculty will often be able to provide information on interesting sites, as well as contact information. CLP also offers a wealth of information on internship sites. IMPORTANT: Your faculty sponsor or CLP may wish to contact the internship site sponsor first. In this case, ask your faculty sponsor or CLP when they will be able to do this and when you can approach them for the contact and follow-up information. This will help keep you on schedule. In the case of new internship sites, CLP will make the initial call for you.
Visit the site. After your initial contact with the site, make arrangements for an interview with the internship site sponsor. CLP will help you prepare for this conversation.
Fill out the NEC internship contract with your faculty sponsor, determine how much credit you will be awarded for the internship, obtain all necessary signatures, and bring the completed contract to the Registrar. Keep a copy for your own records. Please make sure the contract gets to the Registrar prior to beginning the internship.

Maintaining Professionalism During Your Internship

It is true that, as a student, your first motive for participating in an internship is your own professional development. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that an internship obtained for credit at NEC is built on a network of relationships between yourself, your professors, and an employer. If you do well at the internship site, this will reflect positively on the whole NEC community. Conversely, if you fail to conform to simple professional standards, this will likewise reflect on our community. The stronger we all are, and the better we perform in the workplace, the greater the chances that NEC students and graduates will obtain meaningful work experiences. We want employers to take an interest in NEC and look to us for assistance when they have work to do. Help us build our professional network.

Internship Best Practices

Examine your goals honestly. Why do you want an internship? In order to obtain career-related work experience? Or simply to obtain additional credit for graduation? Either motive is fine, but it is important to be clear.
Show up on time for your first interview. Make sure you have directions to the site well beforehand and keep these directions handy, along with the phone number of the site supervisor.
Be prepared to converse professionally during the first interview. Think beforehand of what you want to say to the employer and how you want to introduce yourself. Think also of some questions to ask about the internship and the company/organization.
On your first day-and every day following-again, show up on time. If, due to illness or any other serious circumstance, you are unable to go to work at the internship, let your employer/site supervisor know as much in advance as possible.
Maintain a demeanor of professionalism at all times. This includes paying close attention to the written and unwritten standards of the workplace. In general, demonstrate initiative, eagerness to help, willingness to ask for guidance when necessary, and respect for the opinions of others. Remember that you work not only for your own benefit, but also to support your site supervisor and the company/organization.
Thank your site supervisor for the experience you gained while an intern and for their support and guidance. You can do this in person at the end of your internship, but a thank-you note is always appropriate and appreciated.
Think of how the contact made at the internship site might help you in your future career development and/or job search.

Mentoring Program

Mentors promote a proactive, collaborative approach to student success. They are the central facilitator for student issues and communicate with faculty and families. Students meet one-on-one with Mentors multiple times each week, developing strong relationships and a safe place to bring concerns. Students enrolled in the Mentoring Program have a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Many students have learning styles that respond well to the structure and support Mentors can provide. Others thrive with the personal attention, utilizing the resource to gain confidence and independence in a new environment.

Read also: BU: Courses and Programs

Navigating Online Resources

MyNEC

MyNEC is New England College’s official system of record. Students use MyNEC to find billing information, view their schedules and final grades, order transcripts and enrollment verifications, and register for classes.

Brightspace D2L

The University of New England uses Brightspace D2L as a course delivery tool to manage all of its online graduate programs. Brightspace is a comprehensive virtual learning environment that helps engage students through technology. Courses are designed by UNE Instructional Design Services. The Instructional Design Services department at UNE Online is responsible for the design, development, management and support of all UNE Online programs. Our in-house instructional designers develop each course with innovative vision and design, right here on the Portland campus.

To log in to your UNE Brightspace D2L Account, visit brightspace.une.edu. Please verify that your internet browser’s pop-up blocker is disabled for the brightspace.une.edu domain. This is imperative since many of the materials delivered in this course appear in a pop-up window.

Blackboard

Blackboard is a Web-based course-management system designed to allow students and faculty to participate in classes delivered online or access online course materials and activities to complement on-campus classes. The degree to which Blackboard is used in a course varies. For example, instructors may supplement an on-campus class by putting their syllabus and handouts on their course sites. Other courses may be conducted entirely through Blackboard, without any on-campus sessions.

Accessing Blackboard

Complete the one-time setup for First-time logging in if you haven’t done so. You can access any course on NECC’s Blackboard from your iPhone, or Android. To download the Bb mobile app, click on the link on your My Blackboard page, or simply go to your device’s app store and search for “Blackboard Mobile Learn.” After installing it, when you open the app for the first time, you will see a “Search for your school” field. Type in Northern Essex Community College and it will bring up the Bb Learn login page. Enter your Blackboard username & password to login. After you have successfully logged in you will be asked to choose an access option.

Important Academic Policies and Procedures

Add/Drop Period

The Add/Drop period is a time period at the start of the semester during which students can adjust their class schedule. For 14-week terms, the add/drop period is during the first five days of the semester. For seven-week terms, the add/drop period is during the first 3 days of the semester. If it is past the Add/Drop period and you want to drop a course, you can submit a petition to late drop, however if the petition is not approved, you will need to withdraw from the course. Withdrawal results in a grade of WD that appears on your transcript. The WD grade does not count toward your GPA.

Changing Your Major

How do I change my major?

1098-T Forms

1098-T forms are available to eligible students after January 31.

Study Abroad

New England College promotes study abroad programs as an important part of its efforts to foster an awareness of world citizenship. We believe in the importance of exposure to different cultures for the personal development of our students.

Troubleshooting Technical Issues

If you receive errors “Session timeout occurred” or “An error occurred. If the problem persists, try to clear your browser cache. You can also try using a private browser window or a separate browser.

tags: #new #england #college #blackboard #help