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Frequently
Asked Questions
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| Online
learning is new to most of our course participants.
Each course contains orientation material to ensure
you are adequately familiar with the software in order
to enjoy the course. More details can be found at our
Participant Guidelines
page. |
| To
participate in an e-Course, you need a computer (PC
or Mac), Internet access, and a browser. For video-based
courses, you need Windows Media Player (along with speakers
and a sound card) to view the video lectures. Details
are on our Computer Requirements
page. |
| Approximately
85% of our course participants identify themselves as
having "beginner" or "intermediate"
skills with regard to using the Web. Technical support
help is provided, and our staff responds promptly to
any questions participants have about using the course
management software. Our courses contain online orientation
and Help features to ensure you are adequately prepared
to participate in and enjoy this learning experience. |
| Whether
you've been away from a classroom for 40 years or four
months, we are convinced that you will benefit from
the course material and the opportunity for discussion
and shared inquiry with other adult learners. Course
participant education levels range from high school
to postgraduate degrees. The only prerequisite for our
courses is a desire to learn and share with other adult
Catholics interested in faith seeking understanding. |
Most
of our courses are not for academic credit; rather
they seek to serve the continuing education needs
of pastoral ministers and adult Catholics. Participants
who complete course requirements receive a Certificate
of Completion. Some of STEP's affiliated dioceses
use our courses as part of their formal ministry formation
or continuing education programs. Some course participants
have been able to use our courses to satisfy requirements
for diaconate continuing education or degree programs
through other institutions. Certificates of Completion
issued to those completing an e-Course note the number
of "contact hours" associated with the course.
However,
through STEP services, Notre Dame's Master of Arts
Program in Theology offers online courses for graduate
level credit. For more information, please visit the
M.A.
(Theology) Program Web site or contact Cheron
Price at 574-631-4254. |
| Most
course readings are provided online, although some courses
require the purchase of a text (check a specific course's
syllabus on the Catalog
page for details). |
| If
you are using a Mac, insert the CD-ROM, then double-click
the CD icon on your desktop. A window should appear
that contains several files. Double-click the file called
"start-name of lecturer" (for example, "start-Cunningham,"
"start-Baxter," etc.) to open the welcome
page. If
you are using a PC, insert the CD-ROM, then double-click
the "My Computer" icon on your desktop.
When the window containing your computer's different
drives appears, double-click the icon for your CD-ROM
drive. A window should appear that contains several
files. Double-click the file called "start-name
of lecturer" (for example, "start-Cunningham,"
"start-Baxter," etc.) to open the welcome
page. |
STEP
Payment Policy
Courses:
Students who enroll in a STEP course are required
to pay for the course prior to the start date of the
course. In the event of a late registration, the use
of a credit card by the student is required.
CD
orders:
When the order is paid with a credit card, lecture
CDs will be mailed as the orders are placed. In situations
where a student wishes to pay by invoice, the CDs
will be mailed when payment is received.
Supplemental CDs
Supplemental course CDs are mailed two weeks prior
to the course start date if paid in full.
STEP
Refund Policy
Courses:
A full refund will be given to students who, for whatever
reason, wish to drop a course before
it begins. No refund will be given after
a course begins. If for any reason a student is unable
to participate in a course after it begins, the student
may transfer to a future session of the same course
within twelve months of the start date. The
request for a transfer must be completed during the
first two weeks of the course. If the course
is offered only once in an academic year (September
to June), then the student may transfer to the next
scheduled session of the course.
CDs:
Any defective CD can be exchanged. A new one will
be mailed as soon as the student notifies STEP of
the problem. Refunds will be issued for those who
are not satisfied, for whatever reason, with the CD.
In order to receive a refund, the student will be
required to mail the CD back to STEP.
STEP
Course Cancellation Policy
For
a variety of reasons STEP may have to cancel a course.
Students enrolled in the cancelled course may receive
a refund or transfer to another course. Upon notification
of the course cancellation, the students will have
one week to make a decision. If they choose to transfer,
they may transfer to any course STEP offers in the
next twelve months. Any refunds or credits associated
with the transfer will be made at that time. If the
student does not indicate a choice, then STEP will
refund their fee. |
| To
download a STEP announcement for your parish bulletin,
click on a link for either a .pdf
file or a .gif
file. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader
(which is necessary to view .pdf files) installed on
your computer, please click
here to download the free Reader. After opening
the .pdf file, you may be prompted to save it to your
computer automatically, or you can click on the "save"
icon on the Adobe toolbar. To save the .gif file after
opening it, right-click on the image and choose "Save
picture as..." |
Yes,
STEP uses VeriSign
Payment Services to process all transactions securely.
The page where you enter your credit card information
is a secure order form provided by VeriSign that uses
SSL (secure socket layer) encryption. |
Some
Windows Media files (such as the streaming video in
the courses) may not play correctly on Mac OS X computers
without downloading the Flip4Mac
player (free) from the Microsoft web site. After
downloading the free
player, the course streaming video plays correctly
in the Safari browser.
Some
video files may not play correctly on Mac OS X computers
without downloading the free DivX codec from the QuickTime
Components
page or the DivX
web site. |
For
assistance with technical questions, course login,
or questions concerning STEP programming and course
content, please call STEP toll-free at 1-866-425-7837(STEP),
e-mail us at stepnd@nd.edu,
or submit an online STEP
Problem Report. STEP's normal operating hours
are from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT Monday through
Friday. |
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