Centre for Nursing and Health Studies
Faculty of Health Disciplines
Dear Graduate Student:
Welcome to the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies graduate program. You will find this
document comprises important information that we hope you will refer to often throughout
your studies.
Advisor
Your graduate program advisor is a key person whom you may contact throughout your
program of study. For specific course-related information for courses you are currently
registered in, contact your course instructor.
For help with your program planning, general information, or "troubleshooting" please contact
your advisor.
Advisor:
Donna Dunn Hart
Toll-free
800-788-9041 ext. 6300 (within North America)
Telephone
780-675-6300
Email:
donnad@athabascau.ca
Athabasca University Student ID and Password
You will receive a student identification number that will be used throughout the course of your
studies with Athabasca University. Your ID number is used when accessing your online courses.
It is also your student identification when communicating with Athabasca University (for
example, course registration forms, telephone messages, and email messages). This number
should be treated as confidential information and should not be shared with anyone else.
Deadlines and Regulations
It is your responsibility to be aware of all deadlines and regulations pertaining to your degree.
This information is available on the Graduate AU Calendar:
http://www.athabascau.ca/calendar/grad/health.html. Review the Graduate Course Offerings,
the Graduate Academic Schedule, and the Graduate Regulations on a regular basis. If you have
any questions, or if you are unclear on any subject, contact the CNHS office.
Computer Requirements
In order to participate in our graduate nursing courses, you must have access to the minimum
requirements for computer hardware and software outlined on the CNHS website at:
http://www.athabascau.ca/cnhs/tech_computing.php
Registering Online
Your Athabasca University student ID number is also used to log into (using the Login button on
the left side of the screen) the Office of the Registrar Services site:
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https://tux.athabascau.ca/oros/jsp/welcome.jsp. This important site is used for admission and
course registration purposes, modification of contact information, and access to your myAU
Graduate Student Portal. The myAU Graduate Student Portal is another important site where
you may can check on your progress, and obtain other program information. The Course
Materials section below contains additional registration information.
Course Materials
You will receive a course materials package in the mail for the majority of courses in which you
are registered. It should arrive at least two weeks before your course start date. The package
will include any textbooks and software required to complete your course. When you receive
your course materials, please compare the contents to the package description and discard any
undergraduate documents. You will access other materials (such as your Study Guide and
Assignment Manual) online at: http://www.athabascau.ca/cnhs/index.php. MHST/NURS 601
and MHST/NURS 620 do not require textbooks.
When completing your online registration, and if you are asked to queue your registration until
materials become available, indicate "Yes." Materials will be shipped as soon as they are
available. If you do not indicate "Yes," you will not receive a course materials package. If you
are re-registering in a course, you will be asked if you require course materials. Again, indicate
"Yes" to ensure that you receive the most current course materials package. Materials will be
shipped to you before the course start date, and as soon as they are available. It is not possible
to request early shipment of materials.
If you have not received your materials within two weeks of your course start date, please
contact the Course Materials department. If you live in Edmonton or Calgary, call the AU centre
in your city and use the automated telephone attendant to connect with Course Materials
(extension 6366). If you live elsewhere in Canada or the United States, you may call the
automated telephone attendant using Athabasca University's toll-free number 1-800-788-9041
(extension 6366), or you may send an email message to cmat@athabascau.ca. If you live
outside Canada or the United States, or if you prefer not to use the automated system, you may
call 780-675-6366. You may also write in care of Course Materials, Tim Byrne Centre, 4001 Hwy
2 South, Athabasca AB T9S 1A4.
Forms
The two online forms most commonly used are the Course Registration Form and View/Modify
Personal Info available at https://tux.athabascau.ca/oros/jsp/welcome.jsp. The only exception
to the use of the online Course Registration Form is when payment will be made by cheque or
money order. If you are using this method of payment, contact the CNHS office first.
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Other forms are available in print (for example, Graduate Course Withdrawal Form, Letter of
Permission Request Form, Deferral Request Form, Extension Request Form). You may print
these forms from our CNHS website at http://www.athabascau.ca/cnhs/ below the heading
Graduate Programs.
Ensure that you complete and submit the correct forms to our office via fax number 780-6756468. Our graduate forms are clearly identified by the words “Centre for Nursing and Health
Studies, Graduate Programs.”
Submission Deadlines: Course Registration and Preceptor Request Form*
Course Registration Online
For each course registration, complete and submit the online Course Registration Form
at https://tux.athabascau.ca/oros/jsp/welcome.jsp. Online registration is activated only
during the four-week period before the following registration deadlines. Registration
must be completed and fees received by the University by the deadline dates below.
Late registrations will not be accepted. Telephone confirmation will not be provided for
course registrations. After the online transaction is completed, you will be sent an
electronic receipt. Print your receipt as proof of your registration. The CNHS office will
receive notification of your registration(s) so you do not need to contact us. Note: Our
CNHS office does not issue receipts. If you need additional information about receipts,
contact Financial Services at pmt_rcptfin@athabascau.ca.
Course Registration and Preceptor Request Form* Submission Deadlines (as per
Academic Schedule posted at
http://calendar.athabascau.ca/grad/health_02_07_mhs.php
Session
Fall
Winter
Spring
Deadline
June 1st
October 1st
February 1st
Registration Period
Month of May
Month of September
Month of January
*The Preceptor Request Form pertains only for those students enrolled in the ANP or NP
programs.
Course Registration Print Format
If you are unable to register online or you are paying by cheque, money order, or by
sponsor, complete and submit your Course Registration Form and fees during the
applicable registration period and before the above deadlines. All documents must be
received in the CNHS office by the deadline date. Late registrations will not be accepted.
Additional information about the course registration process will be posted on our
website before each registration period.
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Course Regulations*
For information about registrations, withdrawals, re-registrations, Letters of Permission (LOPs),
Transfer Credit, course extensions, the grading system, and grade appeal guidelines, refer to
the Graduate Course Regulations http://calendar.athabascau.ca/grad/health_02_05_mhs.php.
*Note the following important regulation change regarding course re-registrations:
Effective immediately, students enrolled in a CNHS graduate program will be permitted one
registration and one re-registration in each course. Subsequent registrations in the same course
will require the approval of the Coordinator, CNHS Graduate Programs or designate.
You may not re-register in a course in which you have attained a passing grade. If you wish to
re-register in a course from which you have previously withdrawn in good standing or received
a final course grade of F, you must pay the full course tuition fee. When you re-register in a
course you must complete all the course requirements; assignments completed previously
cannot be carried forward or re-submitted.
Online Course Access
You may access your online course on the first day of the course, but not before. Each course
is password-protected. Use your student ID number and personalized password to access your
course through the CNHS website at: http://www.athabascau.ca/cnhs/index.php. Use this link
to ensure successful access, and not an older bookmarked site from a previous course.
On our home page (see the link above), click on COURSE LOGIN (left hand side). Then under the
heading of GRADUATE COURSES, click on Moodle – Graduate Course Login  Click to Login.
Enter your User ID (student ID) number and your password. This is the same login information
you would use when submitting your online course registration. If you experience any
problems, click on Help for Students.
Email Communication
Throughout your program with Athabasca University, you will be contacted occasionally by
email, which is our primary method of communicating with students. Our office is to be
provided with your current email address. This email should not be a shared address, as some
communication will be confidential. Remember to update our office if and when your email
address changes. Refer to Contact Information below for more details.
Note: If you are using a hotmail address, it is quite likely that email messages sent to you will
not be successfully delivered to your Inbox. We strongly recommend that you provide an
alternative email address. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are using a reliable address
which allows regular communication with the University.
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Contact Information
We also require your telephone number(s) and mailing address. If there are any changes to this
information, submit an update on the Office of the Registrar Services site. Log in and select
View/Modify Personal Info. Make the changes required and submit the form electronically.
Your institutional student record will be automatically updated and our CNHS office will receive
notification of the changes. We will then change our office records as needed. You do not need
to send a separate email message to our office. Course materials will be sent to the address on
file (at the time of registration) with the Office of the Registrar.
Communication with Instructors
You will communicate with your instructor using the mail program in your course. Your
assignments will be submitted to your instructor by course mail attachment through the
assignment drop box in Moodle.
Written Assignments and APA Format
All your written assignments must be developed and submitted using APA style (The Publication
Manual of the American Psychological Association (the 6th edition is effective January 1, 2010).
It is your responsibility to ensure that you obtain the correct edition of the manual. Use only
the APA Publication manual as your reference for formatting. As well, you can access the APA
website at www.apastyle.org. Do not use reference lists within the courses. Although most
sources will be listed according to APA format, the use of direct links forces some changes in
format in online and database articles. Read the first two chapters in the APA manual related to
the expression of ideas and structural elements such as sentence structure, spelling, grammar,
and plagiarism.
Advanced Nursing Practice Practicums
For students who are enrolled in the Advanced Nursing Practice or the Nurse Practitioner
program, additional important information about the practicum requirements is available in the
ANP guide. Use the course log in on the CNHS website to choose the title ANP Guide:
http://www.athabascau.ca/cnhs/index.php. Enter your ID number and personalized password
at the prompt and follow the instructions included in the ANP guide. The ANP and NP
regulations are also found on our CNHS website at
http://www.athabascau.ca/cnhs/grad_mn.php.
The ANP guide is accessible to you throughout your program. If you have questions about the
ANP guide or its contents, contact the NP Program Director.
In all sessions (Fall, Winter, and Spring), you will not be registered in a practicum course unless
the preceptor request form has been received by the course registration deadline.
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Plagiarism
You are to acquaint yourself with the requirements for citing the works of others in your
assignments (see APA manual). When you do not correctly cite the works of others, you open
yourself to a charge of plagiarism, as has happened to several students in the past. Although
your intent may not have been dishonest, the outcome is the same – students who are found to
have plagiarized the work of others are subject to penalties, from failure of the assignment to
removal from the program. Also, be aware that the MHS, MN, AGD, and PMD programs may
apply plagiarism detection software to your assignments. Read the appropriate sections in your
APA manual. For further information on this topic, you may refer to the Student Code of
Conduct and Right to Appeal Regulations in the AU online Calendar at
http://www.athabascau.ca/calendar/page11.html .
Anti-Virus Software
It is important that you take time at the beginning of each term to update and run your antivirus software. With the distribution of documents back and forth between students and
faculty, there is a great potential for cross-contamination.
Ethical Guidelines for Research Projects
Athabasca University Policy requires that "as a student or faculty member, you are responsible
for the ethical treatment of human subjects if and when you choose to use human subjects in
your research (i.e., thesis, or any other category of research). As a starting point for making the
proper ethical decision, ask yourself if human subjects are involved at any level in your work."
If human subjects are involved in any of your course work or your thesis, you must seek
approval from your instructor or advisor before you begin. Ethical approval may also be
required from the Athabasca University Research Ethics Board. Students planning to do a thesis
involving human subjects should obtain (from their Advisor) the document entitled "The Use of
Human Subjects for Research and the Ethical Guidelines for Students Engaged in Human Subject
Research."
Use of Credentials
Master level programs do not have candidacy exams, therefore the use of MN (c) or MHS (c)
during your program is not permitted. When you have completed your program of study,
applied to graduate, and your degree has been conferred, you may use the relevant credentials:
MN (if you graduate from the Master of Nursing program), or MHS (if you graduate from the
Master of Health Studies program). You may only use these credentials after the degree is
conferred.
HelpDesk
If you require technical assistance with the online course registration process, do not contact
the CNHS office because your inquiry will simply be transferred to someone who works in the
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Computing Services department. Contact the Computing Services HelpDesk directly at
helpdesk@athabascau.ca or by telephone as noted below.
Hours: Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 8:00 pm, Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Telephone: 780-675-6405, Fax: 780-675-6333
Toll Free: 800-788-9041 extension 6405 (within North America)
Website: http://www.athabascau.ca/html/depts/compserv/helpdesk/helpdesk.htm
If you have any administrative questions (for example, course withdrawals) that aren’t
answered within this document, direct them to the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies
(CNHS) office, Ms. Wendy Brownlie at 800-788-9041 extension 6735, or email
brownlie@athabascau.ca.
We are pleased to have you in our graduate program and wish you every success in your
studies.
Sincerely,
Margaret Edwards, Ph.D.
Acting Dean, Faculty of Health Disciplines
Centre for Nursing and Health Studies
Athabasca University
/wzb
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