Online Students
If you are enrolled in an online program, you are required to complete our State Orientation for online students. You are not required to attend an on-campus State Orientation, but rather our virtual program tailored just for you. All first-year distance students, and transfer students with 12 or less transfer credits, will be required to attend a synchronous Virtual Orientation with University College. There is no fee for State Orientation for online students.
1. Activate your Sycamore Login to access your MyISU Portal.
- Use this guide to help you in activating your account.
2. After you have activated your account, select the Online Orientation for Distance Student link in your MyISU Portal. This is located on the left-hand menu under ISU Apps.
- Orientation will take approximately 45 minutes to an hour to complete so please plan accordingly.
- If you need to stop in the middle of the program, you will be able to log back in and start where you left off.
- To complete Online State Orientation, be sure to submit the questionnaire at the end of the Next Steps section.
Orientation for online learners is designed with your unique experiences in mind. There will be brief discussions on primary topics surrounding student success, with opportunities for you to navigate through each section, prompting you to become familiar with the University website and campus resources.
During your State Orientation you will:
- Learn about academic policies and requirements.
- Gain insight to campus support services, such as Financial Aid, the IT Help Desk, Indiana State Online, and library resources.
- Hear from your Academic College.
- Complete quick checks for understanding campus resources.
- Learn how to interact with online tools, including your MyISU Portal, Blackboard, and the ISU Treehouse - your resource for student involvement.
After finishing State Orientation, you will receive an email confirmation with next steps and information about meeting with an advisor to register for classes. This will only be sent to your Sycamore email.
Check your university email account daily to be sure you do not miss updates from the University or messages from your professors.
- You can access your Sycamore email through the Student email badge in your MyISU Portal.
- Use this guide to show you how to put your Sycamore email on your phone.