Online learning can be new and different for many students, and it’s certainly different from going to classes on campus. But don’t worry, once you go through this course, you’ll be more than ready to take on the challenge and be successful from the start!
Self-Assessment: Are You Ready for Online Learning?
George Brown has many policies. As a student, you are expected to abide by these policies, which will guide behaviour and practices to ensure a safe and welcoming learning environment for all. You do not need to remember all of them, but you should be aware of and know where to access them.
Some key policies you should be familiar with:
The Office of the Registrar policies also outline information and processes important to all students studying at George Brown.
Also known as digital citizenship, online etiquette refers to the norms and principles that we're expected to follow when interacting online. It is important to recognize that an online classroom is in fact a classroom, and certain behaviours are expected when you communicate with both your peers and your instructors.
Adapting online etiquette practices will not only set you up for success in your courses, but also for your career.
Your virtual classes will be held on Microsoft Teams.
Your instructors will add links to your virtual classrooms in the course areas in Brightspace, which you will learn about more in the next module.
Tech Support for Microsoft Teams
At George Brown, there are several official online platforms that you will use throughout your semester. We recommend that you save/bookmark these pages in preparation for your first day of classes.
You can log in to all of these by using your George Brown credentials.
Username: studentID@georgebrown.ca
Password: George Brown password (you can find this in your Letter of Acceptance)
Can't log in? Reset your password or call the Help Desk at 416-415-5000 x4357.
To access your George Brown accounts, you need to set up the required Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). MFA is a cybersecurity best practice and is widely used by organizations around the world to protect systems and users. We recommend setting up MFA as soon as possible to avoid any disruptions going into the semester.
Simply put, in addition to logging in to any app for which you use your George Brown account, you'll be asked to authenticate on your mobile phone through the Microsoft Authenticator app as an extra layer of security.
The Microsoft Authenticator app is free and available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If your phone can access one of these stores, you should have no issues downloading and setting up the Microsoft Authenticator app.
How to Set Up Microsoft Authenticator
You should be pretty familiar with STU-VIEW by now because that's where you went to register for your courses. But STU-VIEW is also the online platform where you can:
Brightspace is the online learning environment and Learning Management System (LMS) that George Brown uses. This means that most of your course content, assignments, resources, discussions and more are housed in one place! Where other platforms apply, you will be notified by your faculty.
In the next module, we will give you an in-depth overview of Brightspace and all the different tools available through the system. You can also download the Brightspace Pulse app (on Apple App Store or Google Play Store) to access your class and course info on the go!
Through Microsoft 365, you can collaborate for free with online versions of Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Teams and OneNote. Use this service to store documents and access materials from multiple devices. Microsoft 365 will come in handy if you're working in a group and want to share documents for editing.
Did you know that as a full-time student you have access to 1 TB of cloud storage in OneDrive?
The service can be used on your PC or Mac and on your Android, iOS or Windows device. With your account, you can install the Microsoft 365 applications on up to five devices.
Please note, for our cybersecurity, that Google documents are blocked from being used within our Microsoft programs.
You can access your new George Brown email account by going to outlook.office.com as part of your Microsoft 365 subscription. To log in, enter your student ID number as your username and password. Once you're in, click on your name in the top right corner, then click on View Account to find your George Brown email address.
AppsAnywhere is a free service that allows you to access certain software you may need for your courses, anytime, anywhere! This will require a one-time download to your device to be able to access software. Click here for AppsAnywhere support. Please note OSX (Apple), iOS (iPhone, iPad), Android & Linus are not supported.
The Student Portal is your exclusive virtual George Brown homebase, packed with everything you need for your student life! There you will find:
We highly recommend you make a habit of checking the portal, you won’t want to miss out on any helpful updates!
To access the Portal, you can either use the URL https://www.georgebrown.ca/portal or use the login button at the top of most georgebrown.ca pages. You will need to sign in with your George Brown credentials (studentIDnumber@georgebrown.ca and password you either received on your Letter of Acknowledgement or have already updated yourself).
Being successful in an online learning environment requires personal dedication, but it also requires some basic technical requirements on your systems.
Below are the basic system and browser requirements for George Brown's services and platforms.
Please note that we have a Bring Your Own Device policy that may impact selected programs. You can also rent equipment through the Library Learning Commons.
Depending on your program, computer and software requirements may vary. Be sure to check with your program's coordinator.
Individual courses may have additional software requirements for playing audio, video or other applications. Many of these applications can be found within your free access to the on-demand software program AppsAnywhere for Windows laptops and tablets.
You may experience technical difficulties in various ways at George Brown, but our IT and Library teams are here to help with issues, including:
George Brown takes cyber security very seriously. It is a shared responsibility across our whole community. Please familiarize yourself with our Cyber Security Policy.
It’s important you be knowledgeable and vigilant about phishing scams, password breaches, and mobile device security, so please take a moment to read these articles for information on how to keep yourself and our community safe:
If you have any cybersecurity questions, you can email cybersecurity@georgebrown.ca.
George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.