The once optional UM Experience course will become mandatory for new students arriving in the fall.
“Instead of 25 percent, 100 percent of students will take the course,” said Jennifer Wilson, assistant director of the Academic Resource Center (ARC).
Both freshmen and transfer students who are matriculating at UM this fall will be required to complete UMX. UMX introduces new students to the variety of opportunities and services at UM.
The course will be offered as a zero-credit class and will appear on a student’s transcript as UMX100. An additional change is that the class will be entirely online and self-paced. Students will be able to determine whether they finish the course in a month or a semester.
UMX was featured online for the first time as an online course last year. The online option was added because some students in restrictive major programs expressed a desire to take UMX but could not as a result of locked schedules.
“There were students who wanted to take the course, who due to programs, like engineering, architecture and music, could not in the traditional way,” Wilson said. “The [ARC] wanted to enhance the undergraduate experience and have all new incoming students take it.”
Other students like freshman Carlos Parra took the course because they were interested in UMX’s online format to learn more about the university.
“I think the online course allows students to know everything the campus has to offer, while giving them the freedom of choosing to finish it based on their times,” he said.
Students will be able to access the course on August 1 via UM’s Blackboard site at courses.miami.edu. The course is divided into modules with a short quiz at the end of each segment. Certain modules, such as “Living at UM,” will be available before the first day of class. All of the modules will become accessible after class begins on August 26.
Wilson recommends that students complete one module a week. Other modules involve academics, career development, campus safety, and student health and wellness.
Even if students finish the course early in the semester, they will still need to log in to the Blackboard site to respond to discussion threads and write blog posts throughout the remainder of the semester, Wilson said.
For more information on the course, contact Wilson at j.wilson3@miami.edu.