Louisiana Tech University - College of Applied and Natural Sciences::GIS Distance Learning Program Frequently Asked Questions

What is the GIS Distance Learning Program?

The Louisiana Tech GIS Distance Learning Program is a series of four GIS courses delivered over the internet leading to a GIS certificate of accomplishment. You do not get college credit or grades for these courses, so you do not have to be accepted into the university and pay university fees. The courses are designed to help professionals expand their GIS knowledge while working at home or in the office. The courses are self-paced, allowing students to adjust their work according to the demands of their office. Lessons are worked in order of the course syllabus, but no due dates are set. The faster you do the lessons, the sooner you get the certificate. You have up to nine months to complete each course.

Why take the GIS Distance Learning Program Courses?

Instructor lead GIS training
Work at home or at your office, no travel to the University required
Flexible schedule, complete your course in up to 9 months
Enroll at any time
GIS Certificate awarded at the end of the program documenting your participation and accomplishment

How do I take the Distance Learning Program Courses?

The Distance Learning Program courses are challenging courses in which you do not attend classes, rather, you do your assigned work on your own, teaching yourself the material with the help of text books, readings, and lab guides. The instructor is always available for help when the reading sources are not sufficient or if you have questions about the work.

Each course consists of 10 lessons with readings and GIS lab work to do on your computer. All assignments will be turned in to the University electronic BlackBoard system through the internet. The instructor will grade the assignments and post the results on the BlackBoard system. Also, comments on your work will be sent back to you by email to help you improve your work on subsequent lessons.

You are not required to come to the University at any time during the course. All communication is by internet, email, or by phone. After you have finished all your assignments and have taken any required tests, the instructor will assign a passing grade (if your total is greater than 80%) and send you a certificate of course completion.

The BlackBoard System

Before the course starts, all students will receive log-in information for the Louisiana Tech BlackBoard system. Once tuition payment is received, the instructor will assign student passwords and send them by email.

To log on to the BlackBoard:

Navigate to the University web page (www.latech.edu)
Click on “Current Students” and select “Blackboard”
Log on using your logon ID and Password
Select your course by clicking on the course name

The course syllabus can be found in the course documents section.

Be sure to buy the textbooks listed in the syllabus.

Your assignments will be found in the assignment section. Simply click on the links to download them to your computer. Turn in your completed assignments using the digital drop box (click on Tools/Digital Drop Box, hit the Send File button, type in the link to your file on the form).

You may follow your progress by clicking on Tools\Check Grade. All assignments received will be given a grade and posted on this form. If you have turned an assignment and not received a grade, be sure to contact the instructor to clear things up.

How do I Enroll?

You can enroll online by filling out the registration form found on our net site (http://sdlab.latech.edu/) or send an email with your contact information (including paper mail address) to dlong@latech.edu. When we receive your registration, we will send you confirmation and a request for tuition payment. Once we receive your tuition payment, you will be officially registered in the course.

Each course is a unit in itself. You do not have to finish the whole Certificate of Completion Program. You pay for one course at a time. You will receive a document of course completion for each course you successfully finish. If you finish all four courses, you will receive a diploma for the whole Certificate Program.

Prerequisites

There is no age or educational prerequisite for the course. You do need to be familiar with basic computer functions and be able to work comfortably in the Windows environment. Since you will be working on your own with only long-distance support, it is important that you be a self-starter, a person who can manage your own studies. The GIS tutorials are very clear and easy to understand, so you should not be afraid of the course content.

Since you will be using your own computer in these courses, you need to have at least the minimum hardware necessary to run ArcGIS software. The minimum system requirements are:

Pentium, 450 MHz
128 MB RAM
693 MB NTFS or 754 MB FAT disk space plus an additional 50 MB of available space on the drive (typically c:) where the winnt/system32 folder is located to install the software
Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows NT with Intel 4.0 service pack 6a

The introductory textbook comes with GIS software and a license for six months. Free 1-year student licenses are available from the instructor after the initial 6-month period.

Office Hours/Instructor Contact

The instructor works from 8 to 5 on regularly scheduled school days. You may call at any time you wish, however, due to University obligations, the instructor is often away from his desk. The best method of contact is through email.

Dr. David W. Long
School of Forestry
P.O. Box 10138
Ruston, LA 71272
(318) 257-3714
dlong@latech.edu

Costs

Each of the three Louisiana Tech GIS courses cost $500. The fourth course is taken from the ESRI online learning center. That course costs $100. The total cost of the GIS Distance Learning Program is $1600 plus textbooks.

Tuition for each course is required before starting the course. You may drop out of the program at any time without owing any more payments. There is no refund, however, for any money already paid for a course once the coursework had been started. If you wish to drop a course in which you have not yet submitted any work, you will be refunded the tuition as long as you make the request in writing or by email within one month of the date you made the payment.

Note: The tuition prices listed above are subject to change without notice. The tuition listed for the ESRI VC course is an estimated price. Students should visit the ESRI VC to verify the price of this course. Students may also be eligible for a student discount from ESRI.

Refunds

Course fees are charged on a course by course basis, so to get started, you only need about $600. There is a 30 day period after payment in which you can withdraw your registration and receive a 75% refund of your course fee as long as you have not turned in any of the assignments. Once you have started using the course (turn in any of your work to blackboard) you can not receive a refund, even if it is within 30 days of your registration.

Is Financial Aid Available?

No, since the GIS Distance Learning does not carry college credit and you do not register at the university, financial aid is not available from Louisiana Tech. You may, however, be able to arrange for tuition reimbursement from your employer.

Grading of Lessons and Email Response Times

It is the goal of the GIS Distance Learning Program to grade your lessons and return instructor comments as soon as possible. Delays in grading or answering of email may occur during University holidays, quarter breaks, vacation periods, and University examination and registration periods. The Distance Learning Program is not responsible for lessons lost in the mail or internet. Please keep copies of your work in case any problems come up.

Time Considerations

Nine months is the maximum allowed time for completion of a course, but you may finish a course as early as you like. Once a course is completed, you may register for the next course in the series.

If your course goes over the summer and the instructor is not available because of summer break, then the nine month maximum will not include the three months of summer.

If you do not finish the course by the end of the nine month period, your enrollment will expire and you will be dropped from the course. Extensions can be arranged under special circumstances.

Reenrollment Requests

If you want to reenroll in a course that you did not complete or that you have not passed, you must pay the full course tuition. Credit will be given for the course upon receiving a passing grade.

Textbooks

You must buy your own textbooks and supplies. Textbooks are listed in the course syllabus on the course description page. Books may be obtained from any source you choose, but you must get the specific edition listed.

Guidelines for Success in the Program

While there are no magic formulas for success, there are some guidelines that will help you be successful in the courses:

Time management is one of the most important elements for success in the courses. Letting the assignments spread out over a long period of time can lead to apathy about the work, frustration over forgetting what you’ve done, and loss of previous work. It’s better to keep the momentum up while working on an assignment so as to complete it as soon as possible. Then take a break between assignments if it is necessary.
Our courses contain 10 lessons and up to two exams. As a rough guide, at least 8 hours should be allocated per lesson for each course. In addition, leave time to evaluate the instructor’s feedback and learn how to improve your work.%��