Being An Online Student

Being an online student allows you to continue to meet your work and family commitments while earning your degree. Every course has a syllabus that lays out the expectations for the semester ahead, so you’ll always know what’s coming up and when you’ll need to carve out extra time. Courses provide a mix of video lectures, reading, and discussion boards that allow you to interact with the material, your faculty member, and fellow students.
BrightSpace is the software platform you will use to participate in your courses online. Based on the requirements of the course (as outlined in the syllabus), you may be accessing BrightSpace daily or weekly to read course materials, watch online lectures, participate in online discussion boards, and complete assignments, quizzes, and tests. Your professor may also use BrightSpace to post announcements and send emails to the class as a whole with reminders about assignments, as well as new and relevant current events. For more information on BrightSpace, please see our collection of informational videos.
All the support that is available to on-campus students is also available to you online or over the phone. This includes technical support, advising, writing and tutoring support, and more. In addition, your instructor may hold weekly virtual office hours for you to seek help with the course material. For a list of online student resources, please click here.
Earn Credit for Prior Learning and Life Experience
Getting Started with CPL
CPL staff are happy to talk with you anytime. However, the information we’ll be able to give you will depend on where you are in application process. While you’re applying , we will be able to tell you how CPL generally works in your prospective major. Once you’ve been admitted and your academic/military credits posted to your record, we’ll be able to craft a CPL plan based on your specific learning and what is allowed within your major.
For more information on CPL policies and opportunities within USM majors, please visit this link.
To meet with the CPL office, please contact us directly at priorlearningusm@maine.edu or 207-780-4663.
Innovative and Rigorous Education
